GAME OF THE YEAR- TOP 10 COUNTDOWN 2017 SPECTACULAR!

It all starts and ends with Sonic this year. This may go down as the best year for Sonic fans ever and my Game of the Year picks reflect that. I chose both Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. As a big 3D Sonic fan, Forces is exactly what I want. It’s easy and quick to play and it’s gorgeous. I’ve already reviewed it but it’s a great game. Sonic Mania is the Sonic game everybody else wanted. It’s a return to form and actually turns out better than any other 2D Sonic game to date. Mania is a masterpiece.

GOTY-Sonic Forces/ Sonic Mania

1.Sonic Mania/Forces

2.Mutant League Football- Any non-NFL football game is worth checking out. This game is a great bit of nostalgia with a fun gameplay hook. In a world where arcade games are dying out, this is a perfect medicine for that ailment. The commentators in this game (see: NBA JAM) are hilarious. 

3.Monster Hunter Stories- This is the game I wish Pokemon was. It’s beautiful and has more depth and content than anything Pokemon has done in years. This game is criminally overlooked.

4.Fight N’ Rage- The best Streets of Rage game ever made. It’s one of the most beautiful game ever pixelated. The music is top notch. Sega genesis would have been proud of this game, and it would have crumbled under the weight of it’s excellence.

5.Tales of Bersaria- It’s dark and beautiful. It’s a return to form for the tales series and the cast is a lot of fun.

6.NBA Live 17– WNBA teams, good gameplay and it’s not 2K. The ultimate team mode needs work but this is a solid basketball game all around.

7.Mass Effect Andromeda- It’s not the best ME game (2 is) but it’s not a bad game either. People got really caught up on the main character’s face and a lot of that snowballed into a weird SJW rant about how they wanted to use a less pretty women to spite the men…the game got caught up in a lot of shit. Removed from all that, it’s a good third person action game with a compelling story and amazing graphics. I actually really like Ryder and her character. I think the models after the updates look good. The horde mode is dope. Check it out.

8.Agents of Mayhem- Not Saint’s Row but not bad either. I had fun with it and like the 80’s cartoon style. The character models and city look good. The city is a little empty feeling but the combat really is solid. This game seemed to rub people the wrong way and I never really caught on to why. It’s not a perfect game but it’s not the bad game it’s been painted as. 

9.Cosmic Star heroine- A great throwback JRPG with a fun cyberpunk future setting that keeps the game moving in a fun way. One of the better paced RPGs I have ever played.

10.Giga Wrecker- This is a thought provoking 2D platformer that is worth checking out. When GameFreak gets some time off Pokemon they can make some amazing games. 

Honorable Mention- Need For Speed payback….the loot boxes suck, the story is trash…but it’s Fast and Furious the game and the graphics are good. I enjoy the characters and haven’t spent any extra money on the game and am still progressing. It’s fun. 

I just got a Switch for the son so I will check out Mario and those games soon but it’s clear that 2017 was a great year for games! Madden was solid, and so many games came out that I read about in depth but didn’t have time to play. Assassins Creed is back to good, Prey sounds fantastic, and Splatoon 2 is a gem. PUBG and so many games are re-shaping the landscape of the industry. If you are looking to get into gaming, now is the time. 

Happy New year! Peace.

 

 

Colin Kaepernick and Why I am Buying Madden 18

From what I have gleaned via social media I am a monster. I still support the NFL. I watched the Browns preseason game and I am buying Madden. I AM STILL PLAYING MADDEN 17 Ultimate Team (which is a testament to the longevity and the constant updates for Ultimate Team).

I struggle with the moral implications of supporting a sport where I know concussions are killing people, players are underpaid with non-guaranteed contracts, and tax payers still get held hostage for stadiums. A lot of the league has legal issues. The Players Union is a joke. I understand all of this on an intellectual level, BUT I don’t watch the Browns on an intellectual level. I watch them on an emotional level. 

The NFL means a lot to me. It’s one of the things my father and I bond over the strongest. I love wearing a Browns jersey outside and having random people stop me on the street to talk football. I enjoy the Sundays spent watching the game. Nothing has been able to replace the visceral feeling of watching football.

Back to Colin Kaepernick. In case you’ve forgotten, I am black. I viciously support Kaps stand (or kneel) on police violence and the other causes he advocates for. Kap is good enough to be a starter in the league. Look up his numbers, he’s better than a lot of guys starting. There is no reason he isn’t the Browns QB now. He is being blackballed for speaking out. He knew the possibility was there for this. He is making a sacrifice. I support that. Who knew white people would get so mad about a black guy who peacefully protest police violence and brutality.

What I don’t support is boycotting the NFL (you can, I am not). The NFL is not a bus company in the South during the 60’s. The NFL makes a lion sum of it’s revenue on media deals already signed. If I was going to boycott, it would have been for the myriad of players iced out of the league for pot infractions while wife beaters have jobs. I would boycott for the concussions and the ridiculous settlement that still fucks a lot of players. I am not willing to make the sacrifice of my enjoyment right now to try and inflict pain on a league that will survive it. In a country where people barely vote, refuse to pay attention to politics and issues that truly impact our lives fans are getting raked over the coals for supporting a sports league. (Personally, I am an anarchist. I think systems must be torn down and rebuilt to truly change)

If you boycott the NFL are you boycotting any electronic made in FOXCONN due to the wages and suicide attempts by workers? There are so many things to boycott that people won’t touch but then I am hit up in my messages about why I, a black man, is not boycotting the NFL…. nah. Not now. Not over this. Frankly, Kap getting blackballed is saving his health and has spearheaded his career into advocating for those that need and has created a new leader in the black community. That’s pretty dope. I just want to watch Deshone Kizer score a touchdown. and I’m buying Madden 18.

Quick Thoughts on the Nintendo Switch

First thought, the NX was a better name than the Switch. Switches are things used to beat people with or they are levers to flip. I don’t like the images evoked when I hear the word Switch but this is a minor issue.

The Switch should be my dream platform. I love portable gaming but also play on consoles regularly so a marrying of those 2 things is fabulous. The Switch seems to fall flat in the portable realm due to it’s meager battery life. The Vita looks amazing graphically and I play mine a lot. I feel like I never have to charge it unless I am downloading games off of PSN. 3 hours of battery life for a portable is not acceptable.

$300.00 price point is fine. I wouldn’t balk at that price but I would have pre-ordered it at $250.00. After the 3DS debacle where they quickly lowered the price and had to create the ambassador program, I don’t trust Nintendo’s initial price point. I can’t imagine a world where this console sells to a mass audience at $300.00.

The on-line component of this system sounds awful. Paying for on-line is a joke. I hate doing it for PSN and Xbox Live but at least the games are dope. I will get Project Cars as part of my Live membership this month, that is a game that I am really excited to try out but would not have paid full price for. Nintendo wants to charge for on-line while only letting subscribers borrow an NES game for a month. That’s awful, but beyond that all of the chat functionality will happen through a smart phone. These things should be native on the system. I have a Windows phone which means I will not have access to the app.

The launch line up has nothing for me. The only Zelda game I will ever finish is Hyrule Warriors otherwise I think the series is boring and grossly overrated. I would buy the system to play Splatoon 2 and Mario Odyssey. EA announced a FIFA game for the Switch but I want to play Madden Ultimate Team on the go! The future games line up looks promising.

I can’t speak to my thoughts on the hard ware as I have not touched a Switch. I think it looks good, and it’s a really cool concept. 

The best part about the Switch is that I can imagine a million use cases for it. I love taking consoles to friends. I could buy another set of Joycons and play with my son in the back of a car on a long trip. I easily turns anybody’s TV into a gaming center. They have something really special here, I just wish the release of the machine didn’t feel so rushed. Take the best pizza out of an over too early and the crust is too gooey, that’s how this launch feels….gooey. I want a solid thick crust to bite into and the Switch isn’t there yet. I am also very hungry right now.

Final Thought: Not pre-ordering, but will buy. (Praying Nintendo hits a grand slam with this one or their time as a console manufacturer are limited.)(Also, the NX…sounds so good!)

MUT 17- Team Hero Sets

Madden Ultimate Team, or MUT, is the only mode me and my friends play on Madden. It is a franchise mode, a business simulator, a gambling machine, and a fun single player football game progression with rewarding multi-player modes.

I want to focus on one element of MUT that has changed the game and the economy for the better from my perspective- Team Hero Sets. 

Sets are basically virtual card binders that you can fill up with your cards to receive a reward. Cards have 4 tiers. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Elite (Emerald). What normally happens in MUT is your roster gets constantly updated from opening packs of cards. Once you get a line up of strong cards, rarely will you use lower-tier or lower rated cards. This leads to a frustrating cycle where you open a pack get a bunch of cards you won’t use. Historically, you could sell those cards for basically nothing in the Auction House or place them into sets for badges with low payouts. Team Hero Sets change all of that!

Every team has a “Hero” and thus a team hero set. The Browns have Paul Kruger (He got cut from the team, a true Browns hero…) as their Hero. His card is an 85 Elite. That card would normally cost anywhere from 20-50K in gold coins in the auction house. Coins are earned through playing solos and grinding out online play. Obtaining Elites is a big part of being successful in MUT but it’s also one of the hardest things to do. With the Team Hero Sets you can place 10 Bronze Browns players, 10 Silver Browns Players, and 5 Gold Browns players in the set to get the Elite card. It sounds like a lot but it isn’t. After a few pro pack openings you will be flooded in Bronze cards you don’t use or need. Finding these cards are very easy in the Auction House and they come up in the cheapest packs as well.

This set does 2 things: It makes Elite cards obtainable in a realistic way that doesn’t cost too much coin, it also give lower tier cards value. Bronze cards now go for 1K because people are looking for them and buying them. If you need to make a quick 2,000 coins just post a silver card from the Eagles in the auction house. It has given new life to useless cards in a really fun way.

 

I currently use the Charles Simms III from the Tampa Bay Team Hero Set as my RB, my right guard is a Panther’s Hero, tight end is from the Bills Hero set, and Cousins is my Team Hero QB from Washington. My team is propped up with some great elite cards built on the back of Team Hero Sets. I opened a lot of Pro Packs and didn’t get any Elite cards. Normally I would pissed but the cards I had were still valuable and were easily turned into Elite Cards.

MUT 17 did something I never thought possible, it gave every card value and in doing so makes the game a lot more fun to progress through.

Back to the grind…Peace

Moba + Madden = Perfection?

Overwatch has me thinking a lot lately. It has made me become introspective about the type of gamer I am and frankly why I can’t get into these type of games. I played the Overwatch Beta, Smite, Battleborn, and I have dabbled in a few other of these types of games before (and before you say it, I know all 3 of those games are different but they fall into a similar play experience for me).

These games on paper, Overwatch especially, should be perfect me. I like shooters, I love sports games, I like fighting games, and competitive play. Hell, Battleborn even has a single player mode and I LOVE that. What happens though, is when I start playing these games I am lost. There are clocks ticking, a million characters doing things I can’t do. My character just feels lost and in the way. I tell myself, just keep playing and things will make sense.

I recently started playing Splatoon and it made sense immediately! Paint the world, kill the squids. There is nothing intuitive about Overwatch for me. I understand the goals of a given match, protect the thing or destroy the thing and be good. The nuance of getting there is lost on me.

On the Giant Beastcast this morning they gave me a striking idea. Vinny starting talking about having a system to suggest to new players who to use to be most useful during a match. I like this idea but I think I would want to see it fleshed out more. Hence the title of this post, Moba + Madden, I want to see plays you can pick as a team before a match and the play overlay onto the play field ALA every NBA game on the market. You can still deviate from the play but it gives somebody new a framework to follow. It also allows people who don’t use voice chat to still be able to work together in a unified way. Maybe have a play creator for the hardcore.

So here is the Vision– We will call it “Overborn Sportswatch!”- THE NEWEST MOBA FROM EA SPORTS! You watch a snazzy intro cinema and then press the menu button because the start button died for no reason. There is a campaign mode where you can choose a character and play through their career in the Overborn leagues. This mode teaches you the character abilities and lets you learn team plays. These team plays are available to every character and every group of characters. It’s like a smart driving line in a racing game, it tells you when to go, points where you can go, and keeps all the players in sync to complete the goal of this play (in this game to destroy the other teams Sportswatch tower in the touchdown zone!!!!).

+

Now you go to an on-line match. You choose Jim Brown-bot, a balanced character with a special ability to become invincible for a short period of time. Your team votes and selects the play, “Agresive Run 5”. You spawn on the map and there is a line telling you where to go, your teammates are seeing a different line telling them where they need to be. The entire time, the other team is trying to execute their play too and this smart line is telling what the next “best” or most logical move is. As a new player, you know exactly where to go and how to best utilize your character.   

I think that is what I need. The strategy and fun can come from when a play falls apart or when you are good enough to make your own magic on the fly. As a new player, I want more direction if this game is going to be so complex. I don’t have the time to earn 30 characters and counters and stages. I never will. This is my dream folks. Peace.

NBA Live 16 Review (XBOX ONE): A Storm is coming…

The metaphorical storm being NBA Live 16 as a real competitor in the basketball scene this year. That said, I grew up playing NBA Action, NBA Live, NBA 2K, Jordan vs. Bird, Tecmo NBA, and many other basketball games. I use to relish in playing different developers vision of the sport. The differing takes on how to shoot, how to dribble, player ratings.

 Kobe Bryant with the YAM in NBA 2K for Dreamcast!

Bulls vs. Lakers for NES, back when Jordan gave his license like every other player.

Konami NBA In The Zone! A personal favorite game that was underrated.

That era died years ago, and the nail in it’s coffin was Jesus’ Bynums NBA Elite. That debacle of a game ended EA’s basketball run and it has taken years for them to recover. During that down time NBA 2K has been defining and redefining the genre in incredible ways throughout the years. EA started over with NBA Live 14 and it was absolute trash. That is the nicest thing I can say about it. It’s so bad they gave away Live 15 instead of Live 14 on EA Access so people wouldn’t play it.

All of that said NBA Live 15 came out last year and I really enjoyed it. NBA Live 16 has brought the life back to EA. This game is a return to form for EA in a big way.

Before I get into the videogame stuff I have to talk about my favorite aspect of this game, play calling! The over lay for running plays is incredible. It does 2 things that make it great and usable; 1) The over lay discreetly tells you the next 2 moves coming up (if you need to dribble towards a screen then pass, they inform you of that pass while your dribbling). This is huge because because the hardest thing about running plays in basketball games is that rarely does a player (at least me) look at the play in its entirety before entering the game. That requires memorization of both the play and the name. That’s a lot to ask, but by showing you where the play is going you can move accordingly instead of waiting to see what’s next.

2) They run motion offenses. They ran a flex style offense and it never stopped. I have seen my offense run Princeton style offense as well. Impressive stuff, especially because I rarely deviate from running the pick and roll.

The graphics- The graphics look very smooth and crisp. Last year looked a little sterile, but this year the stadiums are full of life and the player models are more realistic than last year. The biggest thing that Live has struggled with are animations and clipping. Players would have wonky animations (quick impossible lay up scoop shots, weird defensive blocks, etc) and they would clip through each other during steals and blocks. This issue has been toned back hugely this year. I compared blocks shots and steals from this year to 2K and neither was clipping in a major way. The arms, the ball, and the air all took up space in a meaningful way. I love the dunk animations in live. There are still too many hook shot animations in the game though, most players can hit a baby hook and it’s a move rarely seen in the NBA outside of the Grizzlies big men. I love how colorful NBA Live 16 is. The reflections off the court look amazing. I’d say the graphics are very impressive this year and dare i say look “next gen”.

The gameplay- The best compliment I can give the game this year is that Live 16 has put enough work into the A.I. that it feels like a game of basketball is being played. Adjustments are made on the fly, players are constantly running plays and moving. Last year, if plays weren’t called players would be standing around. This year players are doing their own thing to try and help the team. It makes a huge difference. The ball handling controls are tight as ever. The right stick controls moves like a fighting game. Momentum is more realistic this year so players aren’t sliding back court or out of bounds this year.

The Modes

Pro Am- This is my dream mode, it’s P v P or P v E basketball. You can do  progression through the P v E either alone or with people. And P v P is 5 on 5 goodness with bots if needed. My only issue with this mode is that not a lot of people own Live. What separates Pro Am from other games is the progression of your character. There are a lot of clothing and show unlocks as well as the ability to unlock NBA player animations for your person. My player Jax Briggs is currently decked out in some nice J’s, camo shorts, and a Melo jersey. Very much me.

Ultimate Team- Ultimate team this year is a mixed bag. I love it, it’s cards. But I really wish these modes would have a way to actually play with the cards….think bud bowl with NBA Cards.

I CAN’T FEEL MY LABEL!

Seriously though, it’s a tough progression. The rookie challenges are a breeze but everything after that is on Superstar difficulty and frankly the rewards have not been worth the grind. In Madden, you get lots of Elite cards for single player grinding. In Live not so much yet. I get that in basketball 1 great card can make a team so I get why they are frugal but it puts too much pressure on getting lucky in a pack. That said it provides tons of content and they added specialist players. For example, Eric Gordon is rated 92 for 3’s. His 3-point specialist card is a 97. Much like in Madden, these specialist cards are required for certain challenges.

The comparison- It’s the elephant in the room, how does this game stack up with NBA 2k16? The biggest thing I can say as a plus for NBA Live 16 is that they communicate information in an incredible way. They communicate info better than 2K does on every level. Miss a shot in Live 16? They tell you 12% (he’s not a good shooter). Hitting the back of the rim on your shots? The shot meter shows you a hoop and you can aim for the front or back of the basket via the meter. Let’s say you are having trouble defending the paint ( a big complaint for the game), the game communicates that you are successfully defending a lay-up by vibrating your controller.

They show and vibrate countdowns when you are crossing half court or throwing the ball inbounds. It’s amazing. In my opinion it replicates the info a player has looking at a shot clock or hearing the coach yell at you. 2K has a shot meter at players feet. It works but staring at Melo’s feet is dumb.

All of that said, 2k16 is a better game. The Spike Lee Joint that is the MyPlayer mode blows NBA Live’s equivalent out of the water. The lay up animations are much more consistent in NBA 2K every miss feels fair. I think graphically, Live is better but 2K has an art style and realism that is fantastic. I think 2K is a little slow but the precise controls this year are fantastic. Also, the worst feature of the series for me has always been the servers and this year they have been great on PC.

In summary, the biggest compliment I can give NBA Live 16 is that I am not embarrassed to say I like it. Operation Sports had good thing to say about it, and it has been getting fair reviews. my only frustration is 1) Game journalist refusal to take sports games seriously 2) People’s immediate dismissal of the series due to NBA Elite 11. Live 16 is good and EA does a great job updating their games.

Thanks for Reading. Peace!

The Awards Show! Game of the Year, and other Black Gamer Awards!

2014 was a wild year of gaming. So many highs and so many lows but let us take some time to focus on what J3 the black gamer really loved. Full disclosure, remembering what games I played that actually came out this year turned out to be harder than I thought. 12 months is a really long time and I know I gamed during January but I can’t really tell you what I played….This will be in list format. Merry Christmas! Kwayzee Kwanzaa, and Happy Hanuka to you all (and anything else you may or may not celebrate!)!

1) Best use of black people in gaming- This one is tough, the year brought us lots of opportunities to be a brotha but I am choosing the wild card here…. POKEMON TCG ONLINE! Pokemon the card game on-line gives the player a full player avatar creator with multiple shades of black. My character looks just like me. It’s cool on so many levels, the game doesn’t assume the only people playing are young or nerdy or white, the game says “everybody loves Pokemon”. I love it!

2) Biggest Lack of Black Option in Gaming- This was easy. Forza Horizon 2. I drive using the in car dash view and all you can see are arms. White arms. Why? Just give me the option to make my driver have brown arms. I love to loose myself in driving games and every time I saw those white arms it took me out of the game in a weird way. It’s 2014, do better.

3) Most relevant game tackling a real issue award- Shape up! with an honorable mention to Watch Dogs. Shape Up may seem like an odd choice since it is a fitness game, but that’s the point. It is a true fitness GAME. It literally makes the player feel like they part of an awesome 8-bit world and fitness is just a side product of playing this awesome game. Obesity and being overweight is a real problem in this country. Anything that provides a fun way to keep the Xbox on lose weight is great. Childhood obesity is a real issue and this game is a fun step in the right direction for giving fun options to lose weight and game. Losing weight is hard, in this country almost impossible so any game that is trying to make that fun is worthwhile. Watch Dogs….. the government…..they see you. Check this link for some cool infographics about childhood obesity.

4) Coolest Black Guy in Gaming Award 2014- CCCCOMBO BREAKER! TJ COMBO from Killer Instinct Season 2. He rocks a high top fade, is tough as nails, and is the best Balrog impersonator on the planet. Is he problematic as a reinforcement of the violent black man archetype? Maybe, but he’s one of the good guys in this game (I think). TJ Combo has a great move set, and the unlockable outfits make him look like 90’s Kid and Play. He’s cool.

5) Best use of Culture in a Game award- Never Alone. The Cook Inlet Tribal Council funded a videogame company and made a beautiful puzzle platformer that gives players an intimate look at their culture and beliefs. This is how you change the industry and avoid cultural appropriation. You have indigenous people tell their stories using the medium.

Side note- Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a different cultural group, specifically the use by cultural outsiders of a minority, oppressed culture’s symbols or other cultural elements.

“Nico Lang, a guest blogger for the Los Angeles Times, pointed out in a post that cultural appropriation highlights the power imbalance that remains between those in power and those who’ve been historically marginalized. As such, a member of a dominant group can assume the traditional dress of a minority group for a Halloween party, a music performance and so on. Yet, they remain blissfully unaware of the roots of such dress and the challenges those who originated have faced in Western culture.”

Source 

6) Best Portable Game (console)- This is an award that means a lot to me. I love to game on the go. Xeodrifter is such a pleasant surprise. It’s a neat Metroid-ish clone. You start with limited skills and can only advance as you improve your character skill set. The pacing is amazing, the music is great, and the boss fights are a lot of fun.

7) Best portable Game (tablet)- Asphalt Overdrive. This game is essentially an endless runner with cars but it harkens back to the 80’s both overtly in it’s style but also in that it reminds of Outrun.

Outrun is one of my favorite games of all time, taking a Ferrari Testarossa out and just driving is awesome. This game lets you take a super car and run from the cops in Miami Vice 80’s era Miami. All you really do is swipe left and right but it takes laser focus to win the chases. It is free to play, but if you have a little patience you can be successful for free. This game looks stunning. It’s amazing how good tablet games look now.

8) Best PC Game- Freedom Planet. I already reviewed this one but if you miss Sonic’s 16 bit days then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

9) Best Racing Game- I love racing games, and the Xbox One’s vibrating controller triggers really adds a lot to them. Every terrain change flows from left to right on the controller in a way that almost mimics force feedback. That said, I got a racing wheel for Christmas with Force feedback. Forza Horizon 2 is amazing. It’s the car love from Forza 5 but set in a playground. A European playground to be exact. You are basically unleashed in Europe with whatever car you can imagine reliving and create your own Test Drive (BBC not US) fantasies. The graphics are amazing and the rain is so amazing. Driving through a windy road through Greece with the rain pouring down is just magic.

10) Game I can’t put down– I love football. I love videogames. I love Jena. Sadly, I love the the Browns. That said, I can not for the life of my put down Madden 15. Madden Ultimate Team, to be exact. This mode has me coming back weekly to do the weekly challenges and keep up with the updates. They added almost 300 new challenges mid-year and just keep giving me reason to come back. When the game play gets stale, the modes and new content keep it fresh. Well played Madden….BOOM TOUGH ACTIN TENACTIN!

11) Game I will never pick up again- Sonic Boom. I tried. I wanted to like this game. The TV show is great and this game is mediocre at best. And absolute gutter trash at worst. I still love you Sonic….

12) Best Sports Game- Madden 15 (with a nod to NBA Live). I already talked about why I love Madden 15 but man I am so proud and impressed with NBA Live 15. They recently updated the game that balanced shooting percentages and made defenses and AI better. The game feels great. They are adding content to Ultimate Team at a great clip. NBA Live, keep doing you baby!

13) Best game from last year I played this year- Shadowrun Returns for PC. I am hooked to this game. The story is awesome, and the atmosphere is really cool. It’s a steampunk CRPG that was kickstarted into existence. I am looking forward to finishing my tale and delving into more content. Graphically, this game is nothing special but the art work is awesome. This game gets the details right. Every character exudes personality and life. I love it.

14) Best multiplayer Experience- Madden 15 (nod to Titanfall tower defense mode). I played Madden Seasons online in Ultimate Team a lot. I made it to All-Pro Second String, which is the top 2-4% of Xbox One players on-line in that mode. I rocked a 70 win to 30 loss record. I spent a lot of time stressing and loving this online experience. The wins were amazing and the losses were crushing. After every loss I wanted to play online and get better cards. It was a lot of fun.

15) Game of the year!!!!!!!- Madden 15 MUT(nod to Bayonetta 2, Killer Instinct season 2, Azure Striker Gunvolt, Kirby Triple Deluxe for 3ds). It feels odd to choose a yearly sports franchise that is constantly maligned  but Madden 15’s staying power is too strong to ignore. Bayonetta 2 is great, Killer Instinct Season 2 brought Riptor and TJ COMBO! Fantastic additions. They also added a deeper story mode to KI. A lot of great games came out this year but Madden 15 stole my heart in a big way.

16) Worst/Most Disappointing Game- Sonic Boom for Wii U. Fuck you Sonic Boom. Lost World, Generations, and Colors broke the cycle yet here we are….

17) Best Publisher- Sega. Google it. It’s nuts. Trust me. Or don’t.

Thank you so much for reading and following my blog and podcast this year. I have received a lot of positive support and feedback. This blog helps me engage in topics I love (videogames, social justice, race) but it also helps me cope with things I can’t control like racism. This is my way of trying to do more than just sit back and think, thank you for your support!

Peace