Tag Archives: Sony

Noob’s History with Resident Evil

Introduction

We got a late start on Spooktober this year. I already explained that I think I contracted Covid a couple of weeks ago. Then, I helped with Lip Sync, the parade, and the dance for homecoming at school. So, earlier this week I finally updated with an article about my history with the Silent Hill franchise. Now, I present Noob’s history with Resident Evil.

Unlike Silent Hill, I have much more experience with Resident Evil. I liked the combination of zombie horror with a good story and puzzles that actually required some thought. My love for zombies goes deep. I watched “Night of the Living Dead” as a youngster of about 11 or 12. My parents finally allowed me to stay up late and that’s how I spent the night. Well, I actually spent much of the night rushing to the back door to see if the zombie attack started.

And, honestly, I never stopped looking

Resident Evil

I fell like even with my zombie obsession, it still took me until the Director’s Cut to play the game. I know I owned a Sony Playstation. I bought it for full price only to see the first price drop a few weeks later. It remains, to this day, the last console I paid full price for. In spite of that, I distinctly remember the cover for the Director’s Cut up above. I probably rented it from the video store or Gamefly, got hooked, and then bought it to finish.

It took until the remake on the Gamecube for me to actually beat it. After doing a quick search to verify that game actually existed, it makes sense that I waited until then to finish the game. According to the Wikipedia article I read, they more than remade the game. They completely redesigned it to make it closer to the original vision of the director of the game. Man, this makes me want to play it again. Is it on Steam?

Resident Evil 0

I include this one next because it rekindled my interest in the games. Nintendo always served as my odd ball console. Mario, Metroid, and Zelda every generation. I never considered that the company might “grow up” in such a drastic way. Well, I played the game and I think it is probably my favorite of the entire series. Well, both this and the remake of the first one are on Steam, but they cost 20 dollars each. Time to hope for a sale coming up soon.

Resident Evil 2 and 3

I played both of these as soon as they released. I think I beat 3 first because I liked the story of that one better than the other two. To this day, I don’t think I beat Resident Evil 2. So, now I need to purchase that one as well. Looks like when Steam runs a Black Friday sale and offers a Resident Evil bundle, I’m buying.

The Verdict

That ends Noob’s history with Resident Evil. I never played any of the games after 3. Okay, that’s not true. It seems to be a pattern with me that with Capcom series, I lose interest after three. What’s funny is that with Valve series, I always hope that they finally figure out how to count to three. In any case, I played Resident Evil 4 and absolutely hated it. My favorite scary game, Fatal Frame comes this weekend.

2023 Console Look Ahead

Introduction

After the disappointment of the PC Gaming article, I dreaded researching this one a little bit. In fact, I even considered finishing the week with a bang because I enjoyed writing the tabletop one so much more than I expected. Then, I actually searched for the games being released this year. I came up with a solid half dozen that excite me. Even so, I’ll spice this article up by treating it like an awards show. Join me, then, for 2 Guys Gaming’s 2023 Console Look Ahead Awards!

Note: I used the following list for information on these games. If some of them end up being postponed or cancelled, I blame Games Radar. I’m sure they have a much higher budget than we do and can absorb the scorn.

The “I Just Texted Chris….” Award

Earlier in the week, I realized that I wrote notes in my schedule for several tabletop games to write about for “New Year, New Games” and exactly zero video games. I searched for new games coming out and this one caught my eye.

Then, earlier today, I just texted Chris to see if he played any of them. “No,” he replied, “I own one but never played it.” He mentioned that they often get good reviews, so this game will be the first one featured on the page this year. It is also the first new release game featured, maybe ever.

The “I Miss Gran Turismo” Award

Back in the old days, I played way too much Gran Turismo. I convinced myself that I needed to get all of the gold trophies or whatever achievements they offered at the time. Then, I got stuck on one of the cornering challenges and quickly gave up that dream.

I never got over the crush that I hold for that game. Other than Out Run (yes, I am that old), it remains the only racing game I played extensively. Just looking at that screen of Forza up there gives me chills and makes me pine for those days of thunder.

The “Why Is This Only Listed for PC?” Award

I play the first one on the Switch. Why is this one only listed for PC? Also, why was this one not listed in the PC gaming article that I used for research? Come on, people! Websites run by a single individual rely on you to do the heavy lifting so we can appear more professional with less effort.

Okay, back to the original question. Where is the Switch version? Of course, I know where it is. It is in 2025 or whenever the developer finally gets around to writing the port for the Switch. Thankfully, Nintendo made it easier to program for the Switch than past consoles, but the poor Switch doesn’t get these titles until well past their prime.

The “Just Update the Main Title Already” Award

When Microsoft acquired Mojang and Minecraft, gamers lost their collective shit. Because, that’s what gamers do. They also lost their shit when Hasbro acquired Wizards of the Coast and Activision acquired Blizzard. What makes me laugh about that one is that I forever remember Activision as an indy developer for the Atari 2600 and not the behemoth that they are today.

I reserved judgement. Because, that’s what I do. While not a fan of multinational conglomerates on any level, I like it when companies get an influx of cash and know what to do with it. Blizzard made Hearthstone the best digital card game by far and Wizards expanded all of their properties far beyond mortal comprehension. Hell, I read that MtG alone is a billion dollar valuation. How does that relate back to Minecraft? Well, I’m losing my shit now. Microsoft, stop with these side projects and just update Minecraft again already.

The “Zelda is the Princess” Award

I both saved this one for the penultimate because I love Zelda (finish with a flourish, right?) and because I tried to come up with the perfect version of the old Zelda joke. I failed spectacularly on the latter. We all agree on that, right?

Also, the sad truth of it all is that I haven’t played a Zelda game since Wind Waker, I think. Yikes. So, my claim to love the Zelda games even perches precariously on a cliff, ready at any moment to fall and expose me as a fraud and a poseur. Let’s move on, shall we?

The “Most Likely to Get Me to Buy a PS5” Award

I think I said the same about the original Spider-Man and PS3. Maybe even the Miles Morales version and PS4. Maybe I have my timelines mixed up, but I always wanted to play all of the Spider-Man games. To date, I played exactly zero of them.

I bought a PS3 for Christmas one year because someone sold it used at a very good price and included a bunch of games. I never bought a PS4 because I went with the XBox One instead. So, like my Zelda claims, this one seems dubious at best. But, stay tuned. Things might change.

The Verdict

I expected little out of this 2023 console look ahead. Then, those last two sections landed with a bit of a thud. Nevertheless, I remain committed to the excitement that I found in these six games and tried to convey with the cheekiness of the 2023 Console Look Ahead awards conceit. Thanks for joining us for our annual looks ahead and stay tuned for the content for the rest of the year.

Console Look Ahead 2020: A Year of Gaming

Introduction

In our last article, we reviewed our 2020 in console and PC gaming. You probably noticed one big omission from our list. That’s by design. Every week, we’ve done a look back, a look ahead, and then crowned the game of the year for mobile, tabletop, and now console and PC gaming. This article will take a console look ahead 2020. Luckily, both Sony and Microsoft released new consoles recently.

Why doesn’t Microsoft just go with the traditional numbering?

That’s right. The long (?) awaited XBox Series X and PS5 hit the market last month. Before I go on, allow me some time to vent. Following up on my question in the image, “Why does Microsoft insist on such difficult naming convention for their consoles?” If they wanted to be different and pretentious, there are always Roman numerals. I wonder how many kids are going to get the wrong console because it’s the XBox Series X, but there is also an XBox One Series X. I found this out as I was researching this article. Okay, rant over.

Honestly, at this point, there’s no point in reviewing specs for the two. As my 13 year old has already discovered, both consoles are essentially the same in that regard. “Dad, why do people fight about Sony and XBox?” I’m not sure, Buddy, other than people just need to fight about things. I say, “Life’s too short. Enjoy all the things.” What, then, will I discuss? Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve never been this close to actually buying a “next gen” console this close to launch date. Discover with me what this console look ahead 2020 is going to be.

Sony PlayStation 5

For the 5th generation of Sony’s famous PlayStation (I know that because it’s called the PlayStation 5), they’ve gone with a sleeker design than previous generations. I honestly have no idea why. Every other PlayStation has been a brick and we’ve liked it!

Dating myself with this reference. But, what else is new?

If I’m being honest here, I find the design off putting. I’m not usually much of a traditional American. However, when it comes to my consoles, I like them like I like my women. Thick and beefy like bull. Uh, I may have revealed too much with that comment. Forget it was ever said.

Moving on, Chris mentioned in one of our conversations that he prefers PlayStation to XBox. Because Sony is primarily a Japanese company, they give access to obscure Japanese fighting and RPG titles that he likes. I’m not as familiar with those types of games. However, there are some exclusive titles like Last of Us, Ratchet and Clank, and especially Spider-Man that I find intriguing.

Microsoft XBox Series X or S or SX or SSX Tricky (another timely reference)

I mean, seriously. Again, I’m not usually one to criticize a name (unless it is stupid, outdated, and racist). But, what the hell is that name? It makes it sound like there have been 10 of these things. Given all the redesigns and such, maybe there have been. Also, what is the S? Small? Who the hell knows?

That reminds me. I haven’t even discussed that aspect of the consoles. In addition to the “main” release, both companies have designed a digital only version of their consoles. Chris and I planned to get together to talk about this in the latest attempt at getting the podcast up and running. But, and check off this bingo square again, life got in the way. This time it is much more serious than anything in the past, but I do hope we get a chance to talk at each other more about this soon.

Regarding the Series X, look at that monster. It’s like Microsoft finally just shrugged and said, “F**k it. If we’re going to build a PC, here’s your PC, ingrates.” That thing is a monster. It will be the only thing left in your house with the cockroaches after the nuclear fallout or the supervolcano under Yellowstone finally blows. The Series S is much more dainty like the PS5.

Aw, who’s a cute widdle baby console?

Now, about those exclusives. It does feel weird having a console war about exclusive software. But, honestly, what other differences are there at this point? I bought an XBox one simply because at the time it had Minecraft because Microsoft had just acquired Mojang. They can no longer say that. I think you can play Minecraft on your toaster at this point.

And, this gives me the chance to share the Doom printer video once again.

That’s not to say that they don’t have exclusives. There’s Halo (shameful Noob admission here, I’ve never played it), Gears of War (which Chris and I love for couch coop), and Forza. I looked up Forza a few weeks ago when someone reminded me of Gran Turismo (my all time favorite racing game besides the one Chris showed me where you could pimp your car and street race). Honestly, though, that PS lineup looks stronger.

The Verdict (Console Look Ahead 2020 ended up just being a discussion of games)

Time to wrap up this console look ahead 2020. Technically, I guess it is for 2021 since the consoles came out for the Christmas holiday and, if I get one at all this close to launch it won’t be until February or March at the earliest, but we’re not much for technicalities around here. We are for run on sentences though and that one was a doozy. Sorry, focus, we’re almost done here.

Like I said, it feels weird to Bloods/Crips over software, but here we are. I do like Gears of War for couch coop like I said. I’m not a Halo guy and I tried Forza but it didn’t grab me. Sony has Ratchet and Clank, which Liam said he’d play. Last of Us is my FOMO game of the last two years. Plus, Spider-Man. Need I say more? I will. I just learned that Gran Turismo 7 is scheduled for next year. Sony it is. But, all of this conversation is moot because we all know Nintendo has the best exclusives by far.