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Lifeline

Text-Based Gaming

I’d like to talk to you all about “Text-based” games. They were the first of its kind in the gaming word. No graphics, just you reading a story and making decisions for your character throughout the game. Every decision you make will affect how the game will continue. Maybe it will end quickly, or maybe you make it all the way to the end. Or if you make it to the end do you get the good ending or the bad ending. It’s a simple concept, anyone can play these games and are easy to learn. Even your grandparents can pick it up pretty quickly.

One game that I recall playing recently is Lifeline from 3 Minute Games Inc. Imagine yourself as a lone survivor in space name Taylor. Spaceship crashes on the moon, and now you take Taylor and make decisions that could either help him survive or end his life out in space. To my fellow sci-fans whether its movies, games, or books, this one I think you will enjoy! It is available for download on any device. I believe currently its available for $1.99. I know free is better :), but for $2 I think it was worth it to play during lunch breaks or breaks at work, or if you’re like me a quick game to play while in the restroom lol.

I enjoyed this game, and loved all the different choices and outcomes, and has shown up as a top 10 “Texted-based” video game out right now. Overall the game was entertaining and I hope maybe some of you would try it out as well.

We are the Unsung Gamers saving the world one game at time!

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What Project Spartacus Needs to Be

By
James Morris aka Buttered Biscuits
Back in December of 2020, news broke out that Sony plans to launch a
program that would be Playstation’s answer to Xbox’s wildly successful
Game Pass rumored to be labeled Project Spartacus. So far not much has
been released regarding Project Spartacus other than a few rumors here and
there regarding Playstation legacy content coming to PS5 (maybe Ps4 as
well) and a potential tier subscription service. The only thing that is official
that is known is that we will have more information regarding Project
Spartacus next month at Playstation’s next State of Play, Sony has recently
called for Playstation Now gift cards to be ceases in the UK, and that Sony
plans on releasing this new initiative Spring of this year. So banking on if
Project Spartacus is a Game Pass like subscription service, here are some
ideas that should be considered.

1) DROP THE THREE TIER CONCEPT

There is a rumor floating that Sony is planning on a three tier
subscription service with Project Spartacus. The lowest tier being the bare
bones basics of Playstation Plus allowing a user to access the Playstation
Network and the current benefits of Plus. The second tier allows access to
digital access to PS4 titles on top of those listed below and finally the top tier
allows access to all Playstation legacy content plus access to the cloud,
demos and much more. Keep in mind this all speculation and rumor at this
time until it of course becomes a reality. However, the issue is simple here.
Why have three tiers when your competitors are marketing two tiers. Yes,
Xbox technically has 3 tiers but how Microsoft advertises, you’d forget that
there is Xbox Live Gold and a basic Game Pass option when Game Pass
Ultimate, which combines both services with the addition of Game Pass PC
and EA Access, for a modest $15 a month US.
Sony needs to keep it simple for their customers as they enter the arena
of subscriptions. As mentioned above, Nintendo and Xbox have already
drawn the line in the sand in regards to their offerings. From Nintendo, they
offer their basic Nintendo Online service, which allows access to cloud
services, online play, and access to SNES and NES video games. Nintendo’s
‘high tier’ model dubbed the Expansion Pass allows users the same benefits
mentioned before as well as access to Sega and N64 titles as well as the DLC
for Animal Crossing New Horizons for a total of $50 US. Sony having a
three tier system at this time, could cause some confusion in those not savvy
enough in the offerings or might put off customers feeling as if they are being
alienated by the paywalls put in place by a potential high price of a
subscription. Thus brings us to our next idea.

2) Make It Affordable

We currently live in an era where we are bombarded by subscriptions to
our favorite films and TV shows, now with gaming becoming part of the mix,
these prices can loom heavy on gamers on a budget. From Netflix prices
rising again and our consumption of streaming content rises, Sony should
consider keeping prices competitive with Nintendo and Microsoft’s pricing
model. Going to pricey on the top-tier subscription, if this does come to
fruition, could spell a potential introduction yield at launch. A $15 dollar
price tag is more than reasonable for access to Playstation legacy library as
well as access to third party content should the top tier service allow such a
feature.
Sony should even consider playing the long game even after the launch
of Spartacus, by constantly pulling a page of Xbox’s playbook by enticing
current subscribers to jump to the next tier for a cheap price like $1 and even
allow customer’s current subscriptions to allocate to the amount of months a
user would get if they had joined the top-tier level ala what Microsoft allows
on Game Pass Ultimate. This would allow an even more acceptance of the
service and also build their install base.

3) Content, Content, Content

What makes Game Pass such a dominating juggernaut in the gaming
industry right now is their constant flow of content being added to their
service monthly and sometimes weekly from all numbers of developers.
From indie darlings like Hades and Goat Simulator to big titles from AAA
developers like EA Games and more, there is much to experience that gamers
would never have been able to try out any other way without slapping down
cold hard cash and hoping for a good experience.
Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has already stated to the
media back in September of 2020, that Playstation exclusives will not be on
the subscription service which would be a huge step backwards considering
Microsoft allows for their first party games to hit their service day one. Not
being able to hop into God of War Ragnarok or Spider-Man 2 day one as part
of your Spartacus subscription would be a huge let down in my opinion to the
consumer. Jim Ryan has also stated that these games cost millions to make
and that adding them to a subscription plan just wouldn’t be sustainable.
Seeing the overwhelming success of games like Sea of Thieves and Halo
Infinite, seeing how first party Sony titles wouldn’t see the same amount of
success boggles the mind.
I truly hope Sony releases something that rivals Game Pass as it will
bring more competition to the field and in return, cause more innovation to
both services. Phil Spencer has come out saying that a Game Pass like service
for Sony is the right move and I believe that as well. We are in a new era of
gaming experience with services such as these and can only wait and see how
the continue to evolve. For now, we have to wait for more information on
Project Spartacus next month at Sony’ State of Play but until then, we here at
Unsung Gamers will continue to save the world, one game at a time.

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Mega Man 1-6 so far

If you’ve been following us on instagram you’ve been seeing my progress through Mega Man 1-6 on NES. Now after completing the final game on the NES its time to move to the SNES Mega Man 7 but first my thoughts on Mega Man 1-6.

Mega Man 1 in my opinion has been by far the most difficult one to beat. It could be because I was just now jumping back on NES and playing this old school game, or I just suck at this game. The level game play I felt was more difficult than fighting the Boss robots. I recall taking like a dozen tries on one level just to get 30 seconds into that level. It was crazy, but I don’t like to give up and thankfully I didn’t. Dr. Wily stages was difficult too. The Yellow eyed boss was the toughest for me to get by and this was before those E canisters were available. Those were not introduced until Mega Man 2.

Mega Man 2 overall was fantastically fun. Levels were more run and shoot all the robots, the boss robots were fun to beat too. As mentioned the “E” canisters really help and have been my secret weapon to beat these games. Also it was the introduction of a “Save/Checkpoint” password allowing you to copy that password and comeback and play where you left off.

Mega Man 3, brought the introduction of the robot dog Rush. Very useful and handy in certain situations and loved having that option. After defeating certain robot bosses not only does Mega Man get their power but Rush too gains some abilities too. This game was also the first to introduce the slide technique Megaman does to slip under enemy attacks. Also Mega Man’s brother Protoman is introduced.

Mega Man 4, ole Dr. Wily is at it again. This time Mega Man is upgraded to the Mega Blaster where you hold on to the fire button to release a powerful energy blast. This I used a lot along with the return of the slide technique too. A great game, and still fun to fight all the robots and Dr. Wily’s stages.

Mega Man 5, brings Protoman as the villain. Some changes introduced here was the mega blast has a slightly bigger range to hit objects. Hidden in each level are letters that spell [once collected] MEGAMANV, finding these will give you an extra power of a Bird that will attack you enemy. Unfortunately i did not find these letters, but I was still able to beat the game. Its possible people. There were videos I saw where having the bird is beneficial, and I agree. Though it was difficult, its still possible.

Finally Mega Man 6, has to be the second toughest of the Mega Man games I’ve played. Although this game presents an amazing addition to Rush the dog, by combining itself with Megaman to transform into a jet, or a juggernaut type adapter. This game also gives alternate routes to beat a level. Meaning you have 2 routes to beat a level, but you’d need to use one of Rush’s adapters to help with that. Fighting the bosses initially no problem, but once you get to the Dr. Wily stages it gets difficult again. Still a fun game to play.

I’ve enjoyed this series so far and will continue to play the Mega Man series. Now I am committed and will continue to play these games even if the series continues to the new generation consoles out now.

Unsung Gamers, here saving the world one game at a time.

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The Deconstruction of Triple A Games.

The Deconstruction of Triple A Games.

It may be age or maybe it’s how Triple A games are developed, but we as consumers should no longer consider this normal or acceptable. What I mean, is the developer/publisher mentality of “Release now and Patch Layer.” It’s becoming more and more clear that a lot of big name games such as, Battlefield 2042, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and Anthem, just to name a few.

I’m not discrediting smaller developers or indie games, their budget and much smaller teams are a major reason for a buggy game. Having said that, they at least have the option to delay their game until it is ready for release. When a Triple A game has that same option and doesn’t delay the game, they can’t blame the consumers for being upset with the product. Bombarding said games with negative reviews, voicing their opinions in news articles, and just downright not playing it, is all a consumer can do to let the developer and, more importantly, the publisher know how they feel about the product.

Back during the days of old, when a game was released there was no way to patch a game; it had to be completely done with development. But it seems those days are almost gone, with only a few 3rd party developers and 1st party games still practicing delaying a game. I for one am totally ok with a delayed game, even by months or maybe even a year. That tells me that the team has a passion for the game being developed and they want that game to be everything we want it to be. Halo Infinite, God of War Ragnarök, Dying Light 2 are great examples of that, with Halo Infinite being praised for taking its time and releasing an incredible game.

From what I can tell, most if not all the blame should be going to the publisher for having an unreasonable deadline. Their business practices are finally making it to the light for us to see. Crunch time, no overtime pay, overworked employees, harassment, sexual harassment just to name a few. These are major reasons for a games’ release being what it is. It starts from the top and needs to be addressed.

As we step forward into 2022, we all need to let gaming publishers know when their product is not what was promised and should be held accountable for it. No longer should we say “oh it’s fine, it’ll be patched up in the next few months and then it’ll be a fun game”. We need to let game developers know we’re ok with the game being delayed if it means they are given proper time to actually make it and not make a deadline for the publisher they already don’t like working for. Again I’m not at all blaming said game developers, they’re under an immense amount of stress, especially here in the present. They are trying to make a game for the consumer/gamer, a game they’ll love.

Article by: ShadowAlchemistX

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How Halo Saved the Holidays

by ButteredBiscuitsGaming

Halo has been a facet of the Xbox community since its debut in 2001 and has only on what would make a great multiplayer experience for the E-Sports scene, as well as to keep the environment feel welcoming to casual gamers. A beta was released on November 15th to the public, to better get the way of the land for Halo Infinite's upcoming release and for the first time since Halo 3, the press and gamers fell in love with Halo all over again. How does Halo Infinite set itself apart from its peers? The best answer I can give is that it does it’s best to be a Halo game. You have your basic match types of Slayer and CTF, but Halo has always had a certain community that I’ve never seen replicated on Call of Duty or Battlefield, which has made it welcoming to new and returning players. The controls are easy to pick up and play and the new tools take a hot minute to understand, but add a new nuance to the strategy of a match. Halo Infinite stands currently as one of the most played games on Xbox Live and I’ve personally seen new fans gravitate to this title from Playstation, due to the welcoming infrastructure of the Halo community, as you don’t need an Xbox One to participate, as you play on your PC which adds even more population to the Xbox family. This past November and December, I never dulled out playing match after match with all these players and even enjoyed the classic trash talking and tea bagging. Halo Infinite this holiday season felt like a homecoming of sorts as I haven’t seen the community this active since Halo 3.

While I’ve praised Halo Infinite for being so welcoming, it has had its fair share of issues from progression gain to broken tracking of events. 343 Industries has been smart to listen to the people and fix these matters as fast as possible. Something DICE and Activision should really start doing fast, as adding a scoreboard as a ‘Legacy Feature’ is not the way to go. Warzone may still be a popular mode, however with little updates and changes to the map will leave things going bland in the long run compared to games like Fortnite. Halo Infinite hasn’t lost its steam just yet despite being out for two month now. Plus with Co-OP and Forge on the way, there’s still much to look forward to.
I’m not trying to get you to go out and get an Xbox and Halo Infinite. I’m only stating how in a season of games that were supposed to be the next big thing, released with lazy textures and bugs ala Battlefield 2042, an old champion in the days of multiplayer games rose up and gave a stable and fun environment for us to compete and have fun. I hope to see even more of you on the battlefield either in Oddball or Slayer sometime, but until then, as with all of us at Unsung Gamers, we will continue to save the world, one game at a time.

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Nier Automata Review

Nier Automata

What a wonderful surprise. Back when Nier Automata released in 2017, I paid no attention to it, big mistake. Nier Automata is exactly what the gaming industry needs more of. Right from the start you’re told very little of the world, it is something you’ll learn more of as you play though the game (multiple times). It’s not only encouraged it is necessary to complete the main story of the game. Incredibly innovative way of playing though a games story is another selling point. In one section of a level the game plays like an old school shooter, like for example 1943 or Ikaruga. While another part of that same level it becomes a side scroller action beat ‘em up, and to finish it off it’ll end where most of the game play stands, as a 3rd person action slasher. All this is complemented with one of the greatest soundtracks in any video game. Composer Keiichi Okabe outdoes themselves when this soundtrack, without it, this would just be another forgettable game. I’ve had so much fun with the game, characters and story, when it was all over, I was proud and accomplished at my ultimate decision (Beware there is no turning back from it). While this game may not be for everyone, Nier Automata definitely and rightly so, surprised me as another incredible game most gamers will never play. I great love letter to what one development team can not only create but to give to us, the gamers.

Final Score – 9