Dear Activision, It's Time To Change...

The Call of Duty franchise is Activision's biggest money maker. There are a total of 14 core games in the franchise and it shows no sign ending anytime soon (or maybe ever). The latest entry in the franchise, Call of Duty: WWII, has proven to be an underwhelming disappointment. There was hype with this particular title, mainly because it's the return of the series' staple setting, the WWII era (blatantly obvious from the title itself).

When the game was finally released, players had soon realised how passionless the game was. Sledgehammer Games, developer of the newest entry, had also developed another COD game prior to this, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. They had also collaborated with Infinity Ward for Call of Duty: MW3.

Many, including me, have speculated that the developer had no interest in making this, but rather, make a sequel to Advanced Warfare. This speculation sparked because of the lackluster and dull feel of the game and it's streamlined multiplayer and zombie mode doesn't help as well. Activision may have forced the developer to make a game set in the WWII era following the success of EA's Battlefield 1. The game is set in, rather than WWII, WW1.

What many believe to be COD's epic return from the futuristic setting (which many were getting tired of), turned out to be nothing but a husk of it's former self. Activision has proved that even if the franchise tries go back to it's roots, we'll be getting nothing but a mediocre attempt and try to make it a mining complex out of that mediocre product.

I myself have always been optimistic about the COD franchise. I loved Modern Warfare and it's sequel, though not so much for the third. I thought the Black Ops trilogy had great stories in it's campaigns and the multiplayer had some great fun. The optimism started going down hill for me when Ghosts was released. Everyone else will agree that it's the worst COD game to be released, as it was dull, uninspired and just plain poor. Advanced Warfare was rather decent but still didn't fix the optimism for me in regards to the franchise. And finally, WWII...which further solidifies the downfall of the franchise.

Dear Activision, it's time to change. The reason the COD franchise is going down a wrong path is because of it's annual release cycle and the passionless developers that in charge of it. Hire at least ONE developer to take charge of the franchise, preferably Treyarch, as they have shown to still have passion for the franchise. Throw your greed out of the window and see how it will help you in rebuilding your reputation. If it's money that you care about, trust me, you'll see increase in that as well. People would obviously pay for damn good games. Learn from your lessons and improve. I believe the COD franchise still has the light to be bigger and better than it is now.

And for anyone that is reading this, i want to clarify that i'm NOT a COD fanboy. I just believe that the franchise can be better if time and effort is put into it. So calm your tits before commenting that i'm one.

With that being said, i really hope that Activision decides to change their ways. For the better.

Will EA Redeem Themselves with "Anthem" ?

EA is a company that would probably bring your blood to a boil. Maybe the reason might be because they ruined your favourite licenses such as "Need For Speed", "Star Wars or even "Battlefield". There's no denying that, one way or another, EA would ruin a game with their shitty business tactics.

In the light of the recent Star Wars: Battlefront II fiasco, many are starting to lose fate in EA and the upcoming games that are slated to be released moving forward. The recent news of the notorious company shutting down Visceral (developers of the Dead Space trilogy) doesn't help their situation as well.

However, that doesn't mean EA is gonna stop making and releasing games.

Anthem is the new IP currently being developed by BioWare and to be published by EA. The game was first revealed back in E3 2017 via gameplay. It's safe to say that it sparked excitement among gamers. But with the fact it's an open world online game similar to Destiny, many are also cautious and worried.

Which sparks the question....

Will EA redeem themselves with Anthem ?

In my honest opinion and i'm sure many others as well, with all that EA has done, it's impossible to give them the benefit of the doubt. With their showcase of greedy tactics and treatment of games as a service, it's possible that Anthem might be ruined with outrageous loot boxes and micro transactions. What adds more worries is the plan to make Anthem a 10 year journey according to EA's vice president, Patrick Söderlund. As the years progress, the game will be supported by new contents and updates, presumably with DLC and maybe new game modes. But the worries mostly stems from the thought of EA adding in the insulting loot boxes and micro transactions, the same practice that ruined Battlefront II.

If EA continues down the road that burnt them many times in the past, it will be right to say that EA will never learn from their mistakes because the only language is they know is money. You can complain and rage in front of them all you want and they're gaze would only be at your pockets. The place where your wallet resides. 

But here's hoping that EA does learn from the recent event. It's pretty tiresome saying this, but the backlash that EA got with Battlefront II was more reaching and stronger than any other backlash they've received in the past. So let's hope that it has really broke the barrier EA has set up in their heads.

We'll have to see when the game releases in 2019 and just hope that EA realises that can't be continuing down the road that has both them and fellow gamers.

Assassin's Creed II is Still The Best In The Series

Assassin's Creed is a franchise that shows no sign of slowing down. Nine games in and the series is still diving into historical eras and revealing secrets by narrating the war between Assassins and Templars. No doubt the concept of these games are unique and interesting, especially with the whole subject of being able to relive the memories of your ancestors by using the Animus.

However, we must agree that the series has had it's downfalls and the story with each subsequent game after Assassin's Creed III is pretty inferior to it's predecessors. Especially to the Ezio Trilogy. Assassin's Creed II, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin's Creed: Revelations are three games in the series to have the same protagonist with each continuing his story. Ezio Auditore is a well-received character from the franchise and still is, to this day, a favourite among Assassin's Creed fans.

We were first introduced to this charismatic assassin in Assassin's Creed II. Which was the game in the series that pulled in more gamers and made them fans of it. It received critical acclaim upon release, being praised for it's story, gameplay and graphics which brings me to say....

Assassin's Creed II is still the best in the series.

The series has games that are obviously more superior in terms of graphics, controls, animations and just the overall technical feat Ubisoft is able to accomplish with them. But there's no denying that many of the games in the franchise is often compared to the second entry.

I might be speaking out of nostalgia but the story is far more well written and executed in Assassin's Creed II than any other games in the series. As Ezio, the protagonist, embarks on a journey of revenge, he realises that there's more going on than just a conspiracy against his family (who was killed by false charges. Well, at least only his father and brothers). The way it unfolds as you embark on this bloody journey is truly satisfying. Not to forget, Ezio's character building as he becomes more of a badass with each kill he makes is one to have goosebumps for.

And the music.

Jesper Kyd delivered a eargasmic experience with this one. As you run through the rooftops of Firenze and Venice, Kyd's soundtrack just boosts the mood of exploration to a whole other level.

      
         My personal recommendation from the album. There's a lot more awesome tracks but this is one of my favourites.

It's not that the other games in the series have awful soundtracks though. It's just that, it's not as memorable as Assassin's Creed II's and if you play it, you'll know why i say this.

Now, i may be praising the game like it's utter perfection but of course, like any other game, it's far from perfect. For one, the controls feel stiff and Ezio would sometimes jump or parkour in a direction that i had no intention of going to. Hence, Ezio would end up getting hurt from fall damage. The second complaint i have is the glitches and bugs. The visuals, even to this day, is still great but you would still see some visual bugs and glitches. It might turn people off from the game, especially the ones that value graphics equally to gameplay.

I would end this entry by saying, if you haven't played Assassin's Creed II, you should definitely do so. Obviously, you might wanna play the first entry in the franchise if you wanna understand overall universe of Assassin's Creed. Or you can read up it's plot on Wikipedia and get straight to playing Assassin's Creed II (which i recommend you on doing so).

While i'm still following the Assassin's Creed franchise to this very day, i'm still, from time to time, going back and revisiting Assassin's Creed II.

It's still and always will be...the best in the series.

Lets Talk About Gaming

This is my first blog post and it's already screaming cliche' from the title itself. You might have already read thousands of posts about their sweet, sweet memories and experiences with gaming and by now, seeing one might make your eyes roll. However, i won't stop you from clicking that "X" button on your browser. (Mainly because i'm all the way over here, obviously). But, if you wanna continue reading what i have to say about and my stance on gaming, welcome aboard. So lets stop beating around the bush and get to talking about gaming.

I would like to start by asking you....

What is gaming to you ?

Is it just something that you do to pass the time ? Is it just a hobby ? A stress reliever ? Or....is it something that is so close to you that you have developed a passion for it ?

I'll tell you from the get-go that all of those things above are totally cool. But if you ask me about my stance on what gaming is, i would go for the latter. And probably most of you here have the same stance as me. Hopefully.

However, for those of you who are the ones except the latter, you might be asking....what's so great about gaming that it's a passion ? A lot of people have asked me this question and probably at the same time, looked down upon me for obvious reasons gamers would understand. I surround myself with games almost all the time and it has been the only thing that have kept me going. And what i mean by that is, it has kept me going in pursuing my passion. If you have not figured out what that is, it's writing. (Self-explanatory actually).

If you haven't picked up a video game is your life and just have seen people play it, you might just think that, "Oh, he or she is just going around shooting people for no goddamn reason."

Well, i would like to say that...no, you don't go around killing people for no reason. Many people wouldn't believe that games themselves....have a premise and story. Hence, why it has helped me in pursuing my career as a writer. Now, it's not that it just helps writers and not everyone else. Google gaming stories and you would find a handful of them that tell a rather interesting tale of why they love gaming so much. Be it, it helped them with depression (part of why i love games as well) or just helped them build a bond with other people. This happens mostly through multiplayer, online games. Yes, sometimes multiplayer-based games can have really toxic player bases, but there are few that can tell you an interesting tale connection with some rather kind people online.

At this point, you can already tell that games are a passion for me. A driving force that keeps me going everyday. And it's what led me to creating this blog where i would just share my opinions and just talk about games. My first post here might not entice you, but i hope you stick for more awesome discussions.

HAPPY GAMING ;)