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City of Brass – Xbox One Review

June 15, 2018

City of Brass Release Date The Mommy Gamers Mike Robles

You may not have heard of Uppercut Games before, but you have definitely played their games. This independent game studio is comprised of devs that have worked on games like Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and XCOM. Now this team of devs are taking gamers on adventure straight out the pages of Arabian Nights with their new game: City of Brass.

Taking on the role of a thief, players will swing their sword, use their whip, and use traps all while to trying to find treasure in the mysterious and cursed location known as the City of Brass. For such a large city players will find themselves feeling closed off and in tight quarter in this first person perspective game. The occasional open area arrives to break from the enemies and tight alleyways presented in the game.

Swing a sword, crack a whip, die. Repeat… A LOT. City of Brass can be pretty hard at times. Enemies spawn and are vicious and aggressive, levels seem semi-randomized but also very similar. City of Brass is a grind from start to finish. There are only 12 levels so it’s not incredibly long, but players will have a hard time getting to the end. Those that manage to finish the game and defeat that brutal final boss will have a sense of accomplishment. Those that do not, will be forced to live in the City of Brass forever hacking and slashing and whipping.

One of the great features of City of Brass is it’s streamer interactivity. Players who stream to Mixer can use the PC version or Xbox version and connect to Mixer for some fun (depending on your definition) surprises from your audience. Twitch users can connect the PC version and have the same… benefits(?) bestowed upon them by their chat. It’s this kind of thing that makes City of Brass worth playing because streamers and their audiences can complete the game and have a sense of togetherness. It’s a beautiful thing.

City of Brass will offer gamers plenty of challenge while keeping them on their toes. I don’t think there’s a ton of replay value in the game unless you’re a streamer or completionist; but it is great for a quickie one Arabian Night stand.

*The reviewer was compensated for this review with a copy of City of Brass.

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Mike Robles

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SOUCALIBUR VI Release Date Revealed!

June 12, 2018

Soul Calubur VI Release Date Screenshot 1

Let me start by saying: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! OH MY GOD IT’S HERE!

Ok. Phew. It finally happened. After talking about it for MONTHS on the podcast, on Twitter, on stream, SOULCALIBUR VI has a release date:

October 19th 2018 for PS4, Xbox One and PC (via Steam).

In addition to the release date, players at E3 can get a look at the game’s story mode. I am so sad I’m not at E3. Even more details emerged as SOULCALIBUR VI is premiering not one, but TWO different collector’s editions.

The SOULCALIBUR VI Collector’s Edition will feature a 12” Sophitia Figure, 120-page Art Book, Metal Case with Built-in Soundbox, Soundtrack CD, Collector’s Edition Box, and the full SOULCALIBUR VI game. A SOULCALIBUR VI Deluxe Edition will feature the Metal Case with Built-in Soundbox, Soundtrack CD, SOULCALIBUR VI Season Pass, and the full SOULCALIBUR VI game. For more information on these special editions, please visit: https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/soulcalibur-vi#editions

That sounds like a lot of awesome. If you’re excited as I am about SOULCALIBUR VI keep checking back in here as more details about the game are announced as well as (hopefully) a full review once the game is released.

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Mike Robles

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Devil May Cry is BACK!

June 11, 2018

E3 is here and that means there is going to be a TON of news. Gamers everywhere are excited for news, reveals, and anything else they can get their hands on. As I sat watching the Xbox conference I was enjoying the insane amount of games they were showing off. At one point a trailer started and with it, a van that had a neon sign that read “Devil May Cry.” I sat up and loudly screamed “OH SHIT!”.

Devil May Cry is back and I couldn’t be happier. It’s one of of those games that are incredibly stylish with over the top action. Here’s what the press release has to say about it:

Now, 10 years since the last iteration, Devil May Cry® 4, Director Hideaki Itsuno and the core team have reunited to conclude the long awaited Sons of Sparda saga.

Several years have passed in Devil May Cry 5 and the threat of demonic power, long since forgotten, has returned to menace the world once again. The demonic invasion begins with the seeds of a “demon tree” taking root in Red Grave City. This hellish incursion attracts the attention of the young demon hunter, Nero, an ally of Dante who now finds himself without his demonic arm, the source of much of his power. As Nero heads to Red Grave City in his motorhome named “Devil May Cry” with his partner Nico, he ruminates on how everything started. The loss of his demonic arm, the demonic invasion, and Dante’s unknown whereabouts. Things must be settled once and for all.

I. Am. STOKED for this. I cannot wait to get back into the world of Devil May Cry when it launches in 2019. How about you? Are you excited? Will you be picking it up? If I get it you can expect a full review right here on TheMommy Gamers.

Keep an eye out on this site for more reviews, and maybe even some more surprises from E3… (I’m still waiting for SoulCalibur VI news after all).

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Mike Robles

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Prediction: Will Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Pass the Test?

June 11, 2018

I’ve been a fan of the Call of Duty franchise since Modern Warfare, possibly World at War. All I remember is coming home from work, grabbing my baby and laying back on the couch to “relax”, because shooting people in the face in video games was therapeutic. I guess I could say that even now that is still is if everyone has fun.

In all honesty, I’ve lost interest in the franchise and don’t find it as entertaining, but slowly hope that the series will keep growing and go back to those roots. Now I have picked up World War II, but don’t play it as much as the other games, simply because the jumping mechanics that were there previously were too much. They were fun for a while, but just too futuristic in a franchise. Especially when you’re so used to something and have the tables change. You with me?

While it was fun to play on maps, it was more fun and a little entertaining for a minute to play on revitalized maps that look like their predecessor. “I used to camp there, I would snipe here. There was a guy here and I sent a rocket launcher down that way and he got so mad”. Yeah, those memories.

But there was a time when that re-envisioning of maps became too much. Why would I want to pay $50 on map packs and two of the four maps undergo plastic surgery? HA! Have you also noticed that Call of Duty has stepped away from this for some time? This could be the different developers taking over and having control of the content, but does it help sales?

It’s hard for me to compare a game like Modern Warfare or Ghosts and compare it to Black Ops, because they are all from various developers, so contrasting them would be wrong. But, the three installments of Black Ops have been exactly what gamers have wanted for some time. There was a story, there were plot twists, intrigue, and death. There were also epic zombies and genius maps that would send me into a frenzy.

Zombies! Need I say more? This mode is for sure coming back and we sure in the hell can’t wait for this episode series to come back with pieces of a story and multiple waves for us to defeat all of the zombies.

What we do know about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is that it will not be releasing in November like it has for the last decade, instead it will be releasing October 12th for those of you that are insanely curious. It is also the most popular subseries in the franchise, so we could guess that the fandom wants to see this much sooner than the early November launch.

Sadly, this game could not be on the Xbox 360 and PS3 due to the size and scale of this game. Have not upgraded your console yet? You have a few short months to do so. We have heard that BLOPS4 for finger safety sake will be launching on the PS4, Xbox One, PC and the Switch. Yeah, get excited, because the Switch is new to me and have yet to hear about a Call of Duty game to hit that console.

Of course, I have completely stepped away from the franchise for some time. Who knows, maybe it’s there. I can also confirm that the company that ports games that is familiar with the CoD titles will be porting this one to the Switch and allowing it to be HD rumble and motion control friendly. Lastly, there will be a Battle.net platform for the game which host games like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Diablo.

We do know that there will be specialists that have finishing moves. There will be the customization that we all love and want in any game to make it feel like we have some control, and the animations have had a little bit of an update to make them look more clear and crisp.

There are updates that will roll around as the game progresses in time, like the previous installments. There will be new maps, random events that will take place and it also sounds like that mission board that we see in WWII will be coming back and will be renamed. This sounds like it is going to be “callings”. That’s original.

Along with multiplayer and zombies, we won’t have a campaign, if any at all from the sounds of it. But it does sound like there is a battle royale? Is everyone jumping the PUBG or Fortnite train, or is it just me? It sounds like this mode will be called Blackout.

Overall, does Black Ops 4 sound like it would be worth the $60? Possibly. I know this will be an investment that I will be making in the coming weeks. Do you think Black Ops 4 will be better than than the other installments, worse? Let us know!

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Brie Haddock

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What Could Be Coming to E3?

June 8, 2018

There will be an immense lineup, announcements, and products releasing at E3 is a great chance to see what’s coming. We’ve decided to take a sneak peek at currently what is rumored and confirmed, just so we can tantalize those thumbs for what is to come in the gaming world. Also, mark your calendars for E3 on June 12-14, 2018 in Los Angeles. E3 and GameStop typically partner and televise conferences so you can watch, and not tell your boss.

Confirmed:

I loved Defiance, which aired as a SyFy TV show and as a video game on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Well, it was fun while it lasted and people got bored quickly since the game was supposed to tie in with the show and the show only lasted three seasons. Thanks, SyFy. Trion Worlds is bringing Defiance 2050, a reimagined shooter for today’s audience and that should mean that it is coming on PS4 and Xbox One. Maybe even VR? Who knows!

Confirmed:

The Last of Us is beautiful and just mentioning it doesn’t do the game justice. When I first bought the PlayStation 4, I was so new to Sony, I didn’t know which games to purchase. The Last of Us was recommended and it’s amazing; from the story line to the graphics and mechanics. It truly is a treasure and there is a trailer for The Last of Us 2. My prediction is this will be on the floor to try out, and honestly, I want it now!

Confirmed:

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is another game that is more than likely going to be on the floor to gamers to test. While I personally lost faith in the franchise after the game went Halo on us all and allowed for wall running and Exo-Suits to drive us all mad, I loved the Black Ops installments. I am hoping to see more of this game in the coming weeks because it is launching this October.

Rumored:

Kingdom Hearts 3, the Final Fantasy Disney crossover that made a huge splash on PlayStation 2, it will be, of course, the third game in the series. While we don’t know an exact release, a hunch is that there could be an announcement at E3 for some time this year. Noting pass release dates, my guess will be holiday 2018.

Rumored:

Borderlands 3 is rumored, I am ALL over this. I loved Borderlands and Borderlands 2, and have high hopes for the third, or fourth installment, depending on how you look at it. The last installment came out in 2012, so this is so welcome and makes gamers excited at the thought of this. Sadly, this could be a 2019 release according to the fiscal year. Although the fiscal year for 2K goes from April to March, so we could technically hope for a holiday launch. Lastly, there was a thread running around the interwebs that we could see Borderlands 3 teased June 10, just a couple days before E3.

Confirmed:

A console favorite for my kids has always been Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare. Sounds like we will be seeing a third installment of the game and rumor is that it will also be on the floor. To those who are into the books, or their kids are, the Garden Warfare Volume 2 will tie in directly with the game. This is a game that makes me feel like a kid in the candy store.

Rumored:

Animal Crossing has been a favorite and while the website has been getting a complete overhaul, we could potentially be getting some news about a game for the Switch. This is totally presumptuous of us to say, but I think that would totally be cool if they took this update and gave us something along with it.

Other games that we are totally jazzed about include: Bioshock 4, Halo 6, Battlefield, we could be seeing some Fortnite and PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds in there, and Super Smash Bros.

In case you want to check out some of the press conferences this year, E3 and Gamestop team up to make these conferences easy to stream if you are unable to travel to Los Angeles. Press conferences are as follows: EA on June 9 at 11 am. Microsoft June 10 at 1 pm. Bethesda on the 10^th at 6:30, Ubisoft June 11 at 1 pm. Please note there are a plethora of press conferences during this event and it is still extremely early to have a full schedule. The Mommy Gamers wants to know what you are most excited about.

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Brie Haddock

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I, Hope – Xbox One Review

May 21, 2018

Let’s this out of the way first:

You should totally go out and buy I, Hope. 100% of the proceeds go to GameChanger Charity, a charity devoted to helping kids battle cancer. Here’s what GameChanger Charity stands for:

We Leverage technology & innovation to ease the pain and suffering of children facing life-threatening illnesses.

The have visited over 40 hospitals and helped changed over 14,000 lives by donating more than 2.7 million gifts. With the price point only being $9.99 that’s an easy $10 donation to charity! Everyone wins.

I, Hope stars Hope, a young girl who needs to battle a monster called Cancer that has landed on her island and is corrupting it. Along the way she visits different parts of her island to get the tools she needs to battle Cancer. Strength, Wisdom, Courage and Hope are just some of the tools you will gather to help overcome cancer.

I, Hope, in theory, sounds like it could be an amazing game. It’s got an important message and the fact that 100% of the proceeds go to help kids battle cancer make it a worthy purchase. However everything else about the game sullies the otherwise noble cause that I, Hope champions.

The controls are frustrating and all over the place. Most of the time Hope would miss jumps, or land incorrectly. Camera angles only to the frustration as many times Hope would get caught in parts of the environment and I would have to exit the game and start over. Having to replay puzzles over and over again because easy jumps were missed was infuriating.

I, Hope is also incredibly short. It can be completed in just around two hours. While that’s fun for people with not a lot of time on their hands, the bad control scheme and shoddy camera angles aren’t worth it. It really pains me to say that because there is such a great cause behind the game. Bad controls, lousy camera angles and bland gameplay just tarnish so much of what could have made I, Hope great.

I, Hope suffers from poor execution of an otherwise valiant idea. Should you buy it? Yes. Because you can net some easy Xbox Gamerscore and feel ok knowing that proceeds go to charity. At the same time, you can also just donate to charity and get the same sense of satisfaction knowing you did something great, without having to slog through a bad game.

The reviewer was given a copy of I, Hope for review purposes.

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Featured, Games, Reviews

Author

Mike Robles

The Council: Episode 1- The Mad Ones – Review- Xbox One

May 17, 2018

I’m all for a good mystery. A well presented narrative game where “decisions matter” is exactly my cup of tea. The Council presents a “Whodunnit” in the form of trying to find your missing mother. Environments are beautiful but that is where the game stops impressing. The voice work isn’t great and the story is all over the place. After completing the first chapter I forgot all about trying to find my mother and instead was semi-curious about everyone else’s reason for being in the same place at the same time.

The Council does have some good things going for it. When the game starts you can select a class for protagonist, Louis. Each class will give you a skill tree that can be used when engaging in conversations later on the game. This will help Louis keep up with the search for his mother while finding out other interesting facts about the guests staying in the mansion. The conversations are a key part of the game mechanics as everything weighs on whether or not you get the information you need. Unlike other “narrative games”when you fail a conversation in The Council the game keeps going. Other guests will build negative feelings towards you and you’ll need a higher skillset next time you challenge someone in conversation.

The problems with The Council come from all the characters in the game. The voice acting isn’t great and the main character doesn’t have any emotion in his acting. Accents are all over the place and after talking to everyone in the mansion I stopped caring about Louis’s mother and cared more about the overarching plotline that was sprinkled throughout.

The controls feel like they were more suited for a mouse and keyboard rather than a controller. Every time I walked into a new area and the camera angle changed I had to readjust my fingers on the controller otherwise Louis would end up in walking off in some other direction. Trying to navigate around this massive mansion became more of a chore than fun exploration.

The Council isn’t a BAD game, but it’s not a great game. To be honest between the bad voice acting, not great controls, and weak story there’s a lot more bad than good. I am not even sure if I will pick up the rest of the series to continue. I might, just because I am still curious enough to try and figure out what happened. Or I’ll just wait until all the chapters are out and watch a Let’s Play on YouTube or something.

The reviewer was given a copy of The Council: Episode One on Xbox One for review purposes.

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Featured, Games, Reviews, Video Games

Author

Mike Robles

Review: Forgotton Anne

May 11, 2018

It’s been a while since I had the chance to really sit down and enjoy my Xbox, but I just played through the beautiful and cinematic 2D adventure Forgotton Anne, and I really couldn’t think of a better way to remind me how much I love games.

Forgotton Anne, developed by the independent ThroughLine Games and published through SquareEnix, is due out May 15 on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. It’s a lovely, atmospheric adventure about a teenage girl, Anne, who is the respected Enforcer in a world of forgotten things (that single lost sock, old couches, broken alarm clocks). As the Enforcer, she has the power to “distill” the Forgotlings, the beings who live here.

She must use this power in chasing down the Rebels, a group of Forgotlings who are trying to prevent her, her master Bonku, and other Forgotlings from returning to the Ether, where they all originated. Bonku has almost completed the bridge back home.

The story comes to life through Studio Ghibli-style animation and your general mystery-adventure elements – puzzles, guided explorations, well-placed and seamless cut scenes. You get to know the characters, you find out the motivations behind the rebels, and you develop Anne’s personality through the choices you make. Many of the puzzles involve the manipulation of anima, the energy source in the Forgotten Lands, which Anne can utilize to power her Arca, the wrist instrument she uses to “distill” Forgotlings and investigate the Rebels.

It took me about seven hours to play through the game once, but I’m going to do it again just as soon as I can. I’d like to figure out how making different choices affects the outcomes of certain events in the game. And I’ve enjoyed being in the world of the Forgotlings – I’m thrilled to go back and play there again.

The Good

This game is just gorgeous. The visuals and music contribute to an immersive and intriguing experience that looks just like my favorite old-school anime, with just a tiny hint of a steampunk vibe. There’s humor and whimsy and the sense that you’re definitely in a fantasy world, but one that’s not so far removed from the one we live in. During the course of the game you’ll experience multiple well-designed environments that are pretty to look at and fun to play.

The story, while not totally unpredictable with mild twists and turns, creates an emotional impact not unlike what you get from the best, heart-wrenching films. The characters are interesting and excellently rendered. I felt totally guilty making the choices that would lead to an ending other than the one I should have taken. I swear I only cried once.

The Meh

I’m not good with learning controls. This is why I’m so bad at shooters, where ducking and running seems to require a higher degree of education than I have. Forgotten Anne does require a certain dexterity with hand-eye coordination to get places, sometimes places you need to go in order to solve problems. The tutorial is very well-integrated, though, and I will say I never got stuck anywhere for long.

I admit to not always knowing what I was doing, though. Once, I encountered a puzzle that I thought might contain a glitch, but turned out to be easily solved in a different way. Other than that, I experienced the things I like most about adventure games – not terribly complex gameplay and simple decision-making, with consequences that bring you deeper into a mystery you’ve become invested in.

The Bad

Can’t think of anything. Well, I’m not sure I was completely satisfied with the endings – at least one of them left me hanging. But then again, I’m not sure I was expecting any different. I’d be interested to hear what other people think about that.

Oh, I’m not sure I completely agree about the Teen rating. My 12-year-old experienced the whole thing with me without any issue at all. And he was better at the puzzles for sure. The warnings say there’s partial nudity, crude humor, and the use of tobacco. I don’t recall any partial nudity, and the other two may have been present but not obtrusive. I didn’t even notice. I’d allow a kid several years younger than mine to play with no qualms whatsoever.

Final Thoughts

I definitely recommend getting Forgotton Anne, if you like platform-style adventures. It’s really well done and stylistically perfect, with a compelling narrative and striking…well, pretty much everything is striking.

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Featured, Games, Video Games

Author

Helen A. Lee

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