StarCraft,Saints Row 2,SNES Classic, Syberia 3 and Pac-Man Maker?-Earned and Unlocked Gaming News for April 21,2017

StarCraft: Remaster

A game I never got to play as a kid has now been remastered and is available for free. StarCraft just got patched after 8 years and is now remastered and free to play. I will leave a link below if you want to pick it up yourself. It also comes with the expansion Brood Wars.

They have remastered all the units, buildings, and environments, improved game audio, and broadened their supported resolutions. Illustrated interludes bring the struggles and victories of heroes like Artanis, Fenix, Tassadar, Raynor and Kerrigan to life like never before. Most importantly, the strategy gameplay that StarCraft perfected years ago remains unchanged.https://starcraft.com/en-us/

Saints Row 2 Is Free on PC

For a limited time, only Saints Row 2 is Free on GOG and Steam for the PC. I would recommend getting it even if your PC can’t play it right now just to have it. It’s a good game and it’s the start of the crazy that we know from the Saints rows that followed. GOG also has lots of classic games that are free like Beneath a Steel Sky a game I am currently playing on the channel.But like I said it is limited time and is ending soon at the time of writing this so get it!

https://www.gog.com/game/saints_row_2

SNES classic?

Rumors have been floating around that a new “classic” console is getting a reboot. The SNES classic is said to be the reason that the NES classic was discontinued. There are no details on the games the SNES Classic would come with or its form factor.

Gamer Informers take on this is: This report casts the NES Classic discontinuation in a new light, but it still doesn’t make it any more understandable. Although, the company’s history certainly suggests that it wants fans to pay money for many of its classic titles repeatedly on different systems.

http://www.gameinformer.com/themes/blogs/generic/post.aspx?WeblogApp=news&y=2017&m=04&d=19&WeblogPostName=report-nintendo-to-release-snes-mini&GroupKeys=

Syberia 3

It has been 13 years since the last Syberia game which is free on Origin at least at the time of writing this. I have also been wanting to play both games on the channel. Syberia 3 picks up right where its previous game ended, with Kate Walker setting off on a new adventure. Along the way, encounter friends and enemies, and hopefully solve a bunch of complex puzzles, with the 3D graphics hopefully breathing new life into the point-and-click adventure genre.

Syberia 3 comes out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 25, and for Nintendo Switch later in 2017.

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/syberia_3/b/playstation4/archive/2017/03/28/new-story-trailer-suggests-return-of-fan-favorite-character.aspx

Pac-Man Maker

A new Bandai Namco trademark filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, a sharp eyed NeoGAF user reported. The trademark falls under two video game classifications and is trade marked “Pac-Man Maker”. Now companies trademark a lot of names just to protect their property and nothing will come of it but I think Pac-Man deserves a proper reboot, and in the style of Mario Maker?! That would be awesome.

All articles sourced and written by: TheFloorHugger

No New for You, The Mummy Reboot?, and The Last of Us Feels Train

The Mummy Reboot

What and Why? Two questions I asked my computer when I saw the teaser and subsequent trailer for the Mummy reboot starring Tom Cruise.

 I am still a massive fan of the original movies (not including Tomb of the Dragon Emperor) and still watch them at least once a year. They were well shot, directed and acted, not saying they aren’t a little cheesy but they are still some of my favourite films from my childhood. I am torn on this from multiple reasons; in the original movies they were funny, action packed and paid respects to the places the story was drawn from in equal measure.  Most Tom Cruise movies especially lately, in my opinion, have become so serious, and full of running. But they are also beautifully shot, and filled with amazing locations and set pieces. 

From what we can see in the trailer Tom’s character leads an expedition to unearth a mummy; while transporting the sarcophagus an accident happens “killing” Tom. I say “killing” for in the next scene he pops up from a body bag like he was a piece of toast. This starts the chain of events from the mummy rising, a section that looks like Templar puzzles, a shootout in the desert and our first real look at the mummy; Princess Almanack* (No spelling was given).

I am just hoping with this reboot the humour and overall mummy flavor is not lost in favour for visual splendour and high action.

The Last of Us: Part 2

A lot of new and exciting games were announced at the year’s PlayStation Experience. More Hideo Kojima and Death Stranding, PaRappa the Rappa Remastered, Uncharted the Legacy Edition, and so much more. The true show stealer was the unexpected and completely welcome announcement of the The Last of Us: Part 2.

No game play was shown just a soft guitar and Ellie singing while Joel slowly walks up to and through a house littered with bodies; our only let on that it’s Joel walking is when he finds Ellie in a bedroom with a body at her feet singing and playing the guitar. He speaks and we confirm that yes the is our favourite clicker killer Joel.

Things to point out in the trailer Ellie is older and also has a tattoo, Joel is also older but we have no indication of what he looks like. Ellie also has a mission that is hinted at but not fully born yet. 

I had trouble getting through the original game, never before has a game made me cry in the first 12 minutes. I actually never finished it but with this announcement it really makes me want to go back and give it a shot. I can’t wait to start the emotional roller coaster that this game is going to be and the heartache that will follow.

NES Mini Holiday Hopes 

I think it is a safe bet to say Nintendo never intended for the Mini NES to be as popular as it was; as they have suffered from underestimating the love for their products in the past. This little console of nostalgia would be the perfect gaming treat to bring home for both older gamers and the younger generations alike. 

But alas, the console upon it released on November 11, 2016, for North America was sold out in hours if not minutes and still remains that way. Small shipments of the console have sold out and online prices fair no better. The beloved little machine retails for $60, but online I have seen prices as high as $2,000 and beyond.

As much I would love to get my hands on this little machine I would never pay those prices.  Gladly I was able to find an original NES a few years back and plan on playing that to ease the sadness for probably never getting this system.

Images: 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/12/01/tom-cruise-mummy-clip-poster

The 2016 Games Awards Recap

The Game Awards 2016 Recap

By: TheFloorHugger

Last night was the first time in years that I tuned into an awards show. The 2016 Games Award show was a mix of emotions from cheering when Hideo Kojima was finally honoured to fist pumping when my hometown hero’s Bioware released game play for Mass Effect Andromeda. Along with the good emotions were the…lets say confused and had me focusing on social media more than the show. From games coverage to The Assassins Creed movie experince this games show had a bit for everyone.

A lot of people and games won and were cheered while some were argued and disagreed upon. I watched the whole show and am pleased to say it was a overall pleasant event. There were a lot of world premiers and new looks at games we have been waiting for and games we have never heard of. Two that call to mind are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the wild; which looks amazing and some cool new features that makes me excited for this game. Then there was the game that most people probably tuned into watch Mass Effect: Andromeda, the game play trailer for probably one of the most anticipated games I have seen recently. The game play featured the female protagonist “The Pathfinder” travelling across planets encountering humans and monsters alike. We got to see new weapons, ground vehicles, combat, characters and a brief glimpse of the new “home” ship the Tempest. I am on board to fight for a new home in Andromeda and will be picking it up on release.

At the start of the show (not including pre-show) we were able to celebrate best art direction which was won but Inside and Best Action game which Doom took home. Personally that was a bit of a surprise, I liked doom it was a good game but the category had some serious competition; games like Battlefield 1, Titan Fall 2, Overwatch and gears of war 4, but none the less congrats to the doom team.

We also had an emotional moment that had the most stoic of us tear up with Games for Impact being won by That Dragon, Cancer, It was followed by a very emotional speech the had me wondering where all the ninjas cutting onions were.

Perhaps my favourite moment of the night was when the great Hideo Kojima was named video games icon accepting the award he was denied by Konami to accept last year. He also brought a cool little gift called Death Stranding a nice teaser for his next game, rarely have i been so excited and confused at the same time.

Boogie2988 took home the Trending gamer of the year, a well deserved moment. Thank you for continuing to be a pillar of positivity, entertaining content and overall wholesomeness that make your content stand out among the others.

Although it was a hard choice Nolan North took home Best Performance for his role as Nathan Drake in this years Uncharted 4: A thief’s end. North has been bringing to life some of our favourite characters over the last decade; and for many more to come.

The game to win best sports and or racing game was the only racing game in the category. The win went to Forza Horizon 3.

The best esports player of the year went to Coldzera. Congrats to him on his win he faced some fierce competition against other amazing players.

Best Narrative was taken home by the Naughty Dog team for Uncharted 4: A thief’s end, beating out games like Inside and Mafia 3. Making a good story is easy, making a great story with full character development, tied ends and steady flow is the hard part and once again Naughty Dog has done it once again.

Blizzard is just a powerhouse of a company making some of my personal favourite game like the Diablo series. Taking home best game direction is really no surprise.

Another highlight for me was watching Rooster Teeth’s Burnie Burns and Ashley Jenkins present the best action adventure game. The Dishonoured 2 team was able to take that well deserved award home. 

And the final award that we presented on stage was Game of the Year. Taken home by Blizzard once again for Overwatch. Squeezing out Doom, Uncharted 4, Inside and Titan Fall 2 in a hard decision.

Along with the stage awards there was also many awards that were announced in between performances and talking bits. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt picked up best role playing game for Blood and Wine. As well as many other categories that I didn’t mention.

There were also musical acts in between awards some were loved while others well…people would have rather had something else. Many things happened last night but hard work was recognised by everyone involved, by the community and by the industry at large. Congrats to everyone who won and who were nominated.

Image sources: http://thegameawards.com

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/11/07/december-cover-revealed-mass-effect-andromeda-n7n7-kljdsfjklp.aspx

http://store.steampowered.com/app/419460/

http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/uncharted/feature/a660971/meet-nolan-north-uncharteds-nathan-drake-and-gamings-master-of-motion-capture/

Nefertiti – thefloorhugger

future artists blog

Why Did You Pick This Picture?
This was one of my first tries piece at polygonal portraits, historical figures, and using artistic discretion to recreate missing details. Personally, I love how both simple and very complex this piece and subject are.

Where Did The Idea For This Art Come From?

As I was putting together a University portfolio to get into a school here in Canada, I wanted to make pieces that represented myself more than just my “talent” upfront. The way I see it, the natural details and passion will shine through if I want to make the piece for me. I got the idea to recreate Queen Nefertiti from my early love of Ancient Egypt and the mysterious queen.

What Does This Art Mean To You?

To me it means complex beauty presented very simplistically, a lost queen recreated in modern style, and a mysterious yet captivating image.

View original post 184 more words

Gwent Delay, Rouge One and GOTY Geralt – Gaming New for Aug 12,2016

Hold the Cards!!

One of my most awaited games is not No Man’s Sky, not Prey not even God of War 4. One of my most anticipated games is Gwent TM the card game from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Like many people, once it was announced I signed up for the closed beta and sat patiently awaiting my email saying “Join us for the Gwent closed beta!”. So imagine my excitement when I received an email from the Gwent team. I clicked on it like it was the greatest email I had ever received, as I read the email my heart broke a little and I got flashbacks to The Witcher 3 push backs. 

The email I received from the Gwent Team

“Dear Gamers,

At E3 we announced that we’d launch the Closed Beta of GWENT: The Witcher Card Game in September. Unfortunately, we feel we need some extra time with the game before we hand it off to you for testing. We know we can make a first impression only once, and want to be sure everything is ready before we blast off. Delivering a good game is more important to us than keeping a deadline. Still, that doesn’t mean we don’t realize that delays can be disappointing, and we apologize for making you wait. Closed Beta will now begin on October 25th.”

It’s Here!!

The official first release of The Rouge One was been dropped into our laps. I’m not going to talk too  much about the trailer I want you to take the time and watch it for yourself. It is exciting as a kid who grew up with the newer (and not as good) movies IE. Revenge of the Sith etc. it is amazing to see the franchise I love getting a breath or fresh air and look good while doing it. What a time to be alive.

Now I have never been one to get super hyped over movies especially mega one like Star Wars. I can’t help but hope though that this one will be as good as The Force Awakens, I want these to do well. Have you seen the trailer? Are you excited to going to reserve judgment?

Geralt Gets GOTY on Us

In other Witcher news the final game to the massive franchise The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is finally set to release its game of the year edition this month on August 30, 2016. Not only will GOTY owners get the full game and the 16 pieces of DLC released shortly after the launch but, they will also get Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine which adds an additional 150 hours of story, slashing, exploring and overall witcher craziness gameplay.

One also can’t help but wonder what this massive pack of a game is going to cost. Will it pass it’s $60 release price? I was among the fans who bought a season pass when originally purchasing the game, which makes getting the GOYT edition not worth getting. I do recommend getting this edition if you haven’t already bought the game, The Witcher 3 is an experience you should not miss out on.

Suicide Squad(No Spoilers), Witcher Art Batch, MK10 Teased…Again

Love it or Hate it: Suicide Squad (No Spoilers)

Now like most people I almost fell out my seat when Suicide Squad was announced. I bounced with excitement when the first trailers came our way, even when the last trailers tickled our eyeballs I was delighted. Even as I sit today I am still excited about the movie but not in the way most would think. Do I believe that the movie was a cluster of trying to fit a lot into a little?…Yes. Do I think there was some very obvious stereotypes and some cringe worth characters that caused me to chase my head?…Yes. Without Spoilers the movie tried to do way to much in a small time, tried to establish characters and give each a story and personality that come across and cluttered and frantic. 

I still liked the movie. A lot. For years there has been a call to see Harley Quinn, Dead Shot and Killer Croc on screen, just to name a few. To see these characters I had read about when I was a kid on screen is amazing, never did I think they would be brought to life and by such a talented cast of people. Like everyone I have a few issues with certain actors, their portrayals and dialogue. The off screen drama also made me a little anxious about the film but I have to say as an avid superhero movie watcher, comic reader and partaker of all things DC and Marvel I liked 2016s Suicide Squad. By far not my top movie for the year but it is defiantly worth watching if not in theatres then at home.

It Just Got More Beautiful

The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt was without a doubt, no questions asked, hands down and all the other clique statements the best game of 2015. Even if RPGs, sprawling lands, endless areas to explore, and freedom are not your bag you have to admit that the final entry into the witches franchise was beautiful and nothing short of graphics porn.

MAREK MADEJ

Just released for our viewing pleasure was another batch of concept art for the game. Having looked at the whole gallery I can say it is visually stunning and makes me want a complete art book. I’ll like the gallery here. If you are a fan of beautiful art, Witcher 3 and have some time I would recommend going through this massive gallery.

MAREK MADEJ

Time for Kombat

Finally…Finally it might be happening. Mortal Kombat X maybe be getting it’s next Kombat pack at least Ed Boon teased so. Well known for being a troll Ed has many times over teased about a 3rd Kombat pack…again. In a recent poll on his twitter he asked if anyone was buying the new Xbox One S with a third option of “give us the 3rd Kombat pack already!” Hopefully this time we really will get to play MKX again with a new pack.

 

Personally this almost feelings like a hype mission to get everyone hyped and back on the game. It has personally been a very long time since I fired the game up and played a round or two. Here’s to hoping we are not being trolled again and will actually get some new content.

CyberPunk, Evolve and Pokemon

CD Projekt Red Moving On

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is by far one of the best games in recent gaming history. With the final DLC “Blood and Wine” released the story of Geralt has finally drawn to close. While the frustrating addictive game of Gwent is getting its own spin-off, it is not the next masterpiece we are expecting from the award winning studio.

Rumor has it CD has been shopping around for a producer for the highly anticipated and long awaited game CyberPunk 2077. First announced in 2012 it is highly believed that the action RPG is already long finished, just in need of a few tweaks and a producer. That is just a rumor amongst anxious fans, though. Personally, it is exciting to see any news in the development of this secretive title from the AAA developers.

Read More: http://cyberpunk.net/blog/

Pokémon No

Not only has Nintendo seen at 10% increase in shares it has also seen a resurgence in the love for Pokémon with the release of Pokémon Go. I grew up watching Pokémon collecting the cards and battling friends in the fields at lunch. It’s exciting to see the love come back in a new medium.

But with all good things, there is a downside. The augmented reality game is too much for some to handle. I.E they lose common sense. We have already seen stories of people getting hit or almost hit by vehicles, walking into things, going into buildings disrupting business and all this before the game is even out for us Canadians. (at the time of writing this article but is probably released now) So for the future player and current players please look up and pay attention to your surroundings also exercise a little common sense.

Read More: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-video-games/pokemon-go/

Evolution is Necessary

Before it’s hyped release and subsequent flop Evolve was to pioneer a new way to play FPS games. Monster vs. Human something that hadn’t been widely popular before. The game seemed to be kicked before it even started with pre-launch issues to lackluster final gameplay Evolve was the game we all waited for but did not receive.

But wait, developer, Turtle Rock took to Twitter to announce Evolve stage 2, meaning the game is now a free-to-play title on PC as of right now. Yes, the game is in beta on PC to stress test the system but do not fear my console family we will also be getting Evolve on consoles on a later date.

More Info: https://evolvegame.com/agegate/

PS Plus, Mind Tricks the Game, Games with Gold

P.S Plus Goodies for July 2016

July is finally here and with it, Playstation is bringing some sweet new games for us to play for free as well as a cool new extra (if you are a PS Plus subscriber).

The Full Line-Up Includes: 

• Furi, PS4
• Saints Row: Gat out of Hell, PS4
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, PS3
• Fat Princess, PS3
• Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, PS Vita
• Prince of Persia: Revelation, PS Vita

From family friendly to something for the mature audiences, there is an option for all gamers out there. Also as a special little extra, this month PlayStation is giving Plus members an early access to Paragon before the beta hits August 16th. Alongside the beta, you will also receive a Starter Pack that includes three Master Challenges for the heroes Gadget, Murdock, and Rampage.

Read More: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2016/06/29/playstation-plus-free-games-for-july-2016/

Mind Tricks The Game

Something a lot of games don’t want to do today is mess with the player. There is a need to cuddle the player make sure their gaming experience has an opening, middle and conclusion (some with endings so poor we are left wondering…I’m looking at you Mass Effect 3).

Asemblance cares for none for that. No, I’m not talking about RWBY but the pilot game from Nilo Studios. With elements drawn from the twilight zone, this game is a mind trip, to say the least. To keep from spoilers, this is a game to try out for yourself. Available on Steam and PS4 this game is a short but sweet ride.

Games with Gold

July is a fun month for Xbox with their Games with Gold roster getting 4 fresh new games for Xbox one players. 

* The Banner Saga 2 ($19.99 ERP): Available from July 1-31 on Xbox One
* Tumblestone ($19.99 ERP): Available from July 16-August 15 on Xbox One
* Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 ($19.99 ERP): Available from July 1-15 on Xbox 360
* Tron: Evolution ($14.99 ERP): Available from July 16-31 on Xbox 360

Unlike PlayStation’s PS Plus all month downloads the games here are only available for limited times. Also during July’s Games with Gold Xcom Enemy Unkown and one other mystery game.

Welcome!

Well this is a thing I didn’t think would happen. Me back on WordPress. Yes you definitely do not know me but a time ago I had another blog here. Time and life got busy and hectic I was forced to abandon it. Now time is free and life is still crazy but manageable I am back.

So welcome to my blog about gaming, art and whatever else may strike my fancy. Follow if I manage to entertain you and stay tuned to whatever I post 🙂