April 9,2023

Dove’s Dorky Digital Deep Dive

Now I am a gamer. I have played on many different consoles and different PC setups.  I have also owned all different consoles and gaming PCs. As I have grown older I have started to lean toward one console and a PC for gaming. I have a preference for both, but I do not look down on those who support or use other consoles or setups. I am a gamer and I am an equal nerd to yourself, regardless of gaming preferences.

I bring that up as I start with the looming boogeyman in the gaming world, the Microsoft Activision deal. If you are a Xbox player, you may not have a big feeling one way or the other, but for those who use Playstation or Nintendo this is something that could hurt gamers.

Most recently, the Competition and Markets Authority of the United Kingdom has been reviewing the deal between Microsoft and Activision. Initially it appeared the CMA was not in favor of the acquisition by Microsoft. The first grumblings from the CMA showed the governing body against the move because of Activision’s biggest money maker Call of Duty. This series practically owns the first-person shooter multiplayer genre, or at the very least is the biggest trendsetter for those style of games.

The CMA gave recommendations to the deal that would allow Microsoft to acquire Activision/Blizzard without the COD series, or just the COD series. It seems that is not the case any longer.

The CMA released a published response on April 4, 2023 that says the deal would not limit competition among console companies. A near 180 degree turn that could help this deal go through across the globe.

The deal would most likely end some major titles from gracing the Playstation. Games like: Call of Duty, Skyrim and the Elder Scroll series, the long anticipated Starfield game has already said it is an Xbox exclusive, the Fallout series, and many more would be only on Microsoft consoles.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is just a few weeks away from release (April 28). More and more gameplay is dropping and available to watch for those not afraid of spoilers. This much anticipated title has recently hit the geek grumblings with its immense PC file size. Early reports from IGN suggest the PC version will need up to 155 GB of space. The original game in the series, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was only  55 GB. 

The upgrade from PS4 to PS5 was a nice graphical upgrade for Fallen Order, the next installment appears to be on par or better for the next installment. With the original game concluding around 22 hours, will Survivor stretch out to 30 or 40 hours? Regardless this will be a welcome dive into the lore of Cal Kestis.

God of War Ragnorak has received a much wanted New Game Plus mode. Most games these days like to release a New Game Plus mode to allow players to go through the game again with some of the objects and skins they earned through their first playthrough of a game. God of War 2018 did the game thing, it initially released without the mode, but later on upgraded to add the much wanted feature.

The upgrade will also increase the player’s level cap. A feature very welcome on second playthroughs as most games will up the difficulty for the next run.

For those who have missed the Fight Night series from EA Sports, there is some terrific news. Steel City Interactive, an independent game developer has been working on a new boxing game that is in the beta testing phase right now. 

Boxing and video games go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Ever since Mike Tyson’s Punchout, gamers have been hooked. The simplicity of punching your enemy and avoiding their blows is a basic of most games today, but the sweet science of boxing has not had a proper showcase since 2011 on the PS3.

Sure there have been a few VR installments, but for those who are not incredibly fortunate enough to afford a VR system, the wait for a new boxing game has been long and painful. WWE2K is a painful series to embrace, the gameplay does not feel free flowing or natural, and it has been put into the endless cycle of rinse and repeat by 2K. The yearly shit-fest of EA Sports games led to EA only really selling Madden games with a few UFC and PGA games sprinkled in for flavor. The UFC titles have turned into over-hyped quick-time action games with little to no strategy attached. It seems EA is always more interested in who their cover athlete will be rather than the gameplay and mechanics of their titles.

Steel City Interactive is an independent developer whose soul focus is Undisputed, the actual game. The initial gameplay really brings you back to the days of Fight Night. The movements and punches seem smooth and realistic, and it seems to be centered around the actual fighting mechanics. As long as there is a solid career mode attached to the game when it officially releases, this game could fill a void in many gamers’ hearts.

GG my nerds!