A Strategy Guide for your Strategy Guides
We are back with another SGR Coffee Break, and this time with more video. On this episode we tackle the guides we were disappointed never showed up, and the guides that let us down. We then turn the table and get all excited like over the guides we are most excited for in 2015. We finish all classy like and discuss the games that are currently sucking away too much of our time. We hope you enjoy!
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I still love you!
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation, and boy do I remember it fondly. Sony was a newcomer to the console market. Super Nintendo was the dominating console in my home, seconded by the NES, and the lowly Sega Genesis just sat there and collected dust. This new PlayStation thingy had promise, but it was $300 at launch and my meager bus boy job did not allow me to buy this console right away. However, I saved like a boss and three months after its launch, I acquired this mythical new console…from Funcoland. Yeah…let that sink in for just a moment.
Over the past 20 years—God I feel old now—I have played countless games on the Sony platform. I raced an obscene amount of hours in Destruction Derby. Crash Bandicoot filled me with glee. There was also that first moment I jumped into the original Tomb Raider and felt completely blown away and awe struck. Oh, and let’s not forget that I would race home from school, throw any homework I had to do on the floor, and jumped into Final Fantasy VII. Finally, there was the original dual shock controller, which became a necessity for playing Gran Tourismo.
I have so much love for the PlayStation. It ushered in a new era of gaming when some of us thought that cartridge games were the only way to go. The analog stick was a revolution when it came to home consoles. The music was no longer chip tunes, but full blown CD quality orchestral greatness. The cinematic cutscenes for games drew me in as though I were watching something only the Lawnmower Man could come up with. I was able to just take a small memory card to a friend’s house to show off my kick-ass Tekken skillz…with a z for emphasis on my greatness. We finally saw arcade quality games coming to our obscenely large CRT televisions planted in the living room at home. It was nothing short of epic, and immensely exciting.
Like all things technology, the PSX would soon become a retro console, replaced by the PS2, then the PS3, and now the PS4. All of these consoles have provided me great memories, but the PSOne was the first console to pry me away from my beloved SNES, which was no easy task. While it now feels like new consoles are just an evolution opposed to a revolution, twenty years ago it felt like games just leaped forward into some fabled future and we had no idea where that future would take us. With that, I raise my beer to you PlayStation. Thank you for the countless memories and god knows how many lost hours of traversing the virtual worlds you have provided me!
Crazy things are happening here at SGR. Keri and I are making a podcast. Yup, you read that right. An SGR podcast is on the table and ready for sampling, or maybe it is drinking! This whole idea started out as a side comment, but quickly escalated into something we both agreed needed to happen. So, here we are today.
The plans for this bit of greatness for your ears are simple. We intend to keep it short, as in right around 30-45 minutes. We will keep it positive. I mean really, we are talking video game type stuff here and video games are FUN! Also, we could all use a bit more positivity in this world. Finally, we hope to produce this on a weekly basis.
One of the items we are also looking to add is a video cast. This will in turn be the audio for our podcast. The advantage to this is that we can show off new guides. Free Guide Friday probably just got a bit more interesting. There are a lot of places we can go with this new project, and we hope to make it entertaining and enjoyable.
With that, here is the very first SGR Coffee Break. We totally need bumpers, so if you can help with that, we’d love ya for at least a week. We also need to know if there is something you’d like to see on this podcast/videocast. Seriously, we can chat about games and guides all day, but what is it you would like to have? If we can make it happen, we will incorporate it into the show.
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Time to make a sandwich.
Ah the holiday season. This is that glorious time that we see heaps of games dropping, massive Steam sales (I’m sorry bank account), and countless hours sunk into completing those random games on our stacks of shame. Of course this is only complicated by all the holiday parties and potlucks that force us to take naps in the middle of the day. It’s a glorious time, yet stressful as well.
I figured with much of us in the U.S. taking time on Thursday and Friday to gorge ourselves on food and gaming, I’d share some of what I’m most looking forward to during this crazy season. I mean let’s face it, between now and December 31, it’s not like we will really be focusing on work. Sure, we might pretend to work, but really we are all just slacking off and trying to make it to the next paid holiday day off. At least, that is what I always did!
Right after the Thanksgiving break, I plan to pick up Assassin’s Creed: Unity. Keri speaks so highly of it, and I have always enjoyed the series. I’m upset at myself that I haven’t snagged this title yet. I also plan to try and beat Pokémon Alpha Sapphire over Thanksgiving. I gotta admit, a remake of the original Pokémon that got me hooked is definitely pulling at my heart strings. Let’s not forget that Smash Bros. WiiU also came out, and I have a lot of work to put in before I feel comfortable getting my butt handed to me online. Finally, I have countless hours to sink into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. I mean, my white mage isn’t going to level himself!
I have so much to do, and I so look forward to tackling it all. That brings me to you. What are you most looking forward to playing over the holiday rush? Do you plan to tackle that immense stack of shame, or will you dive into some new games. I know this, plenty of egg nog and pumpkin pie will be consumed while I tackle this massive list of gaming happiness!
Let me introduce you to the Corner of Randomness. This is a free flowing column where I’ll write about random things relating to video games. Some days I might highlight a fun Twitch streamer, where other times I might just babble on about a game I’m looking forward to. The end result is to have a place where I celebrate all things video gaming. I mean, with everything going on in this industry, we could all use a place to come and just enjoy some good vibes. I can’t think of a better way to start this column than with the death of my beloved hardcore wizard in Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.
For those that might not know, Keri and I are Diabros that are bound together by our Zelda tattoos. During our Extra Life event, we decided to see how far we could make it with some fresh hardcore characters in Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. We did this in our sleep deprived states thinking it would make the game harder. Sadly, this was not the case.
In fact, Keri and I have both played so much Diablo 3 that we pretty much went on autopilot during our early levels. When she would start to blink overly long, I’d clear the screen of monsters and pull her to our objective. We carried on like this until we bested the Skeleton King, at which point we just called it a day and went to play TowerFall Ascension with Blake and Ross.
Since that time, I’ve played my little wizard that could. I slowly, and carefully, worked my way through the various Acts. I never thought I’d make it past Diablo, but I sent him back to the hell he came from. I started to get cocky, and thus brought my downfall.
You see, my hardcore wizard prematurely met his end. I was oh so close to finally getting to Malthael. I was half a level from 50. I was so close to finally getting those achievements when tragedy struck. I had just decimated some enemies that explode on death. I was, like a fool, standing in the blast radius. Before I could get out, I was then frozen in place by some jerk demons. I could do nothing but sit and watch my health bar drop to zero. I held onto hope for a brief second, but the finality of it reared its harsh and brutal face. My Extra Life wizard was no more.
Why you so mean?
I immediately messaged Keri to let her know of this tragedy. I shed a tear. I ate chocolate to console my broken heart. I still can’t believe he is dead. All those memories we made. Yet, like the Diablo 3 addict I am, I will make a new hardcore character and attempt to finally beat the game. I will get that level 70 achievement. That game is like a drug that I just can’t quit. What is that Cain, you have a story you need me to listen to? I’ll be right there.