Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Xbox One Review

Talk about a breath of fresh air. Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night, does a stellar job of paying homage to the classics before it, whilst still doing its own thing. Adding some very cool ideas to the classic metroidvania genre, and hitting on those ideas with almost perfect accuracy.

While the story isn't going to win any rewards for substance, it still manages to provide the player with an engaging narrative, to go along with everything else. For Bloodstained, the game play and music are king here. Obviously there is a ton of jumping involved, and quick reflexes are a must. Thankfully the controls are extremely tight and responsive. The developers should also be commended for the overall design of the game. From the insane creatures and bosses, to the gorgeously crafted world, Bloodstained makes it easy for the player to get lost but never get tired of exploring.

To accompany you on your journey are beautifully orchestrated tracks from former Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane. The tunes ranges from catchy and lively, to slow and ominous. The music throughout Bloodstained does a great job setting the tone for the many areas you’ll find yourself exploring, adding to the games suspense and keeping your blood pumping .

I did experience some minor technical hiccups throughout my playthrough, nothing game breaking occurred, and the issues I had were more of a slight annoyance than anything.For example, I've experienced some weird rumble glitch, where my controller will continuously vibrate? There is also some minor slow down as well, especially when using some of the familiars. Im hoping these are issues that can be easily patched in a later update.

If you haven't guessed by now, this is a game I strongly recommend to anyone, but especially those who grew up with games like Super Metroid or some of the older Castlevanias.

The combat was fun and intuitive, and the castle was a joy to explore. I'm sitting around 91% completion, and can't wait to get the rest of the map covered.

Seriously though, I cant put this game down. There have been many great Castlevania games released since SOTN, but they all felt like they were lacking SOMETHING. I did not get that feeling from Bloodstained. Koji Igarashi and his team did a masterful job on this game.It takes everything that made SOTN excellent, mixes it with a dash of Dawn of Sorrow, and then sprinkles on its own sense of style on top to make it in my opinion the best metroidvania style game released since 1997.

Welcome To The New GamingPlus....

Our blog is moving to our newly launched site http://thegamingplus.com!!!! We are extremely excited about this launch and hopefully anyone who was following the blog will join us on our new adventure! 2015 IS going to be awesome. Look forward to hearing from you all...

It's Almost Time!

Stay tuned!!! 2015 is going to be great!!!!! More updates coming soon!

One Of My Faves #4 Pokemon Blue

Growing up I played tons of video games, but I was never the kid on the bus playing on a handheld. I always envied those kids, playing their Tetris or Sonic the Hedgehog, but neither Gameboy or Game Gear appealed much to me. One was way too big, and the other was way too green. That all changed in 1997. There was a cool new cartoon to watch, and apparently it was based off of a game. This was the start of the phenom called Pokemon.

It was so unique, in that it appealed to everyone young and old, male or female. Whats makes it even more special is that it wasn't just a fad, and is still popular today. It is now 2014 and I still play it to this day, maybe not with the same enthusiasm as I once did, but I still find it extremely enjoyable.

There is nothing else that has had such lasting appeal. Not Digimon. Not Pogs. Not Tamagotchi. Not Yugioh. Nothing. The Pokemon craze is still alive and well, and that's awesome.

On line? What's on line?

I still remember that Christmas; my brother and I both got Gameboy Colors, and each got a Pokemon game with it. I thankfully got Blue. Its my favorite color after all. I was immediately hooked. They weren't kidding when they said "Gotta Catch'em All". Honestly, Pokemon Blue introduced me to grinding in video games, and without it I would have continued to suck at rpgs. I still remember searching Viridian Forest for what seemed like hours trying to catch a damn Pikachu. The first few times I encountered it I either killed it or scared it off, but it was all worth it when I finally caught that sucker.

Old School.

Pokemon was just super fun to play. The game is made to be addictive, and that is exactly what it is. Collecting every badge and every Pokemon became a tiny obsession of mine. Thankfully, it seemed as though everyone played a version of this game, and it made trading and collecting enjoyable. Yes, we had these dumb cables to lug around everywhere, but it really wasn't all that bad. Trading Pokemon at home, outside, and even at school. There wasn't a spot that was off limits for trading if it meant getting a rare Pokemon you needed. I'm still waiting for the day when Nintendo finally gives us a console Pokemon game, but in the meantime I keep playing on my 3DS. The Pokemon franchise opened up the world of handheld gaming to me, and I will always be grateful for that. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to earning my Feather badge in Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.

E3 Came Early...Zelda Wii U

Mind blown. Seriously. When was the last time Nintendo had a presence at any event in the industry besides E3 or one of their Nintendo Directs? It has been quite awhile, and its extremely refreshing to see them take an interest in something like the Game Awards. To be honest I was completely in shock when I saw Reggie and immediately began to wonder what they had up their sleeve. Nintendo, who has historically been very tight lipped about projects still in development, actually showed footage from their biggest games for 2015. Next year was was already going to be a great year for gamers in generally, but Nintendo coming out and saying both Zelda and Star Fox would be released next year was plain awesome.

Even without these two titles, the Wii U is going to have a ton of releases. Having games like Mario Maker, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Devil's Third, Splatoon, amongst many others AND having a brand new Zelda? This is almost dreamlike.

Supporting the Game Awards and showcasing upcoming games was a perfect way to end a great year for Nintendo, and will serve as a powerful way to maintain momentum until the Wii Us next big release and E3. They planted the seeds with what they showed of Zelda Wii U, and it was definitely impressive. To all those haters out there; the game is still a year away. and to critique graphics and other technical aspects of the video is beyond dumb. The purpose of the video was to show fans what they have been working on. A proof of concept to tease fans ,and a way to raise anticipation for the title. The game is still unfinished, but it is still beautiful. I for one cant wait for the finished product.

Zelda Wii U is coming, and the best part of it is it wont be arriving alone. Nintendo is finally making it about the games, and is putting their money where their mouth is. Sony and Microsoft....your turn.

If you haven't seen the footage yet for the game shown at the GA's, check it out below.

Wii U Finally Ready To Play: Part 2

One of the major concerns the Wii U has had since its launch has been third party support. This problem is even more apparent this year with the Wii U not getting ports of the some of the larger releases such as Call of Duty, Madden, NBA2K, and WWE2K). Its odd for these yearly releases to not have a port developed for Nintendo's console especially when there has been in year's past. Games such as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Assassin's Creed Rogue are two examples of games that are fully capable of being developed and run on the Wii U, but for one reason or another were not. This has been crippling for the Wii U. If Microsoft or Sony were ever  in this situation ( or anyone else for that matter) it would be time to count them out, but if there is one thing that separates the Big N from its other two competitors, its their ability to develop their own software. I think  the media as well as some consumer have forgotten about this, which has resulted in a very slow start for the Wii U this console generation.

Lets get ready to SMASH!

With the release of games like Mario Kart 8, which was the first true title to showcase the ability and appeal of the console, the Wii U is now being taken slightly more seriously as for as games are concerned. Thankfully it doesn't stop there. Nintendo is intending on ending this year with a bang, with Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, and later this year Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker Nintendo has the best line up of exclusives this holiday season.

In terms of hardware specifications Nintendo's Wii U my be behind the pack, but as far as console exclusives go they are light years ahead. Unfortunately that was not the case when the system debuted. Honestly, if  either Mario Kart or SSB would have been ready for launch, we might have a completely didnt console race right now. This was major miscalculation on the part of Nintendo, but hindsight is 20/20.

Another weapon Nintendo has in its arsenal is its Virtual Console. Both Microsoft and Sony have their own catalog of older games, but neither comes close to the library Nintendo has at its disposal:
92 NES games, 60 SNES, 21 N64, 15 Master System, 59 Turbografx-16, 54 Neo Geo,  and 21 virtual console arcade titles. Now that is backward compatible. I would love to see a stronger push on the VC, especailly on the 3ds, because there are just so many games out there needing the VC treatment. Its something unique to Nintendo, and definitely something they need to use to their advantage,

E3 2014 was a huge step in the right direction for repairing the damage the Wii U's slow start has done to Nintendo's brand. They have shown that they have not only the games but the variety of games on the horizon. Its key for them to keep up with a strategic release schedule from now until next year's E3 to keep consumers hungry and thinking about the Wii U.  You can be sure that Microsoft and Sony will focus their press conference largely on upcoming games, so its imperative for Nintendo to have more than brief teasers ready for the expo. This means in game footage ( if not playable) for Zelda Wii U. This can and should be the game to steal the show...unless they have a secret Metroid game in development.

I just really like Mass Effect.

 The Wii U isn't the first system to have a slow start, and it wont be the last. Nintendo's own 3ds took months, a price drop, and great software for the handheld to pick up steam( and pick up steam it did!). Let us not forget the PS3's launch was nothing to write home about , but it still picked up steam after awhile. Two years is much to soon to count a new system out, and its only a matter of time before the third party companies that have turned there backs on Nintendo to eat crow. This is Nintendo's time to do what hey should have done should have done before the Wii U's launch, and that is show us why we need the Wii U. They are doing a heck of a job recently, but it has to remain consistent to get the other developers to get back on board. The Wii U will be successful with just Nintendo titles on the shelves, but it can thrive with the help of third parties.

Wii U Finally Ready To Play: Part 1

The Wii U has been out for just under two years, and to say that its time on the market has been rocky would be a dramatic under statement. At its launch the system was plagued with ports of games that had been on the market for at least a year. Games such as Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3, and Arkham City were all great games when initially released.  Porting these games for the Wii U launch did nothing for Nintendo in terms of generating buzz for their new system.

Nintendo didnt help matters with the line up they had ready for the launch. Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros Wii U did little to showcase the systems ability or appeal. Many consumers viewed NSMBWiiU as nothing more than just a port of its Wii counterpart, and Nintendo Land as a fancy Wii Sports Resort. These games, although good on their own, should have been complemented by a big name title from Nintendo. With Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze release being pushed back, and no other big titles expected until at least a year later hurt the Wii U significantly. With out a killer app there just wasn't enough there to justify the purchase of the system. The blame doesn't fall on only Nintendo's shoulders though.

Gaming giants EA and Ubisoft have had plenty to do with the Wii U's weak start. They claim their games wont sell on the console, but that can be attributed to them sabotaging their own titles. EA released Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U with no plans of porting all the dlc over. Then they follow this up by releasing the Mass Effect Trilogy on every console excluding Wii U and include all dlc up to that point in the box. Ubisoft loves to delay games to the point that gamers either forget the game exist or buy it on other consoles( looking at you Watch Dogs). Ubisoft released Watch Dogs back in May, while Wii U owners are still waiting for the game in November. Ubisoft even had the nerve to not include all the dlc in the  Wii U. Lets not forget the game wasn't well received by the public anyway. Its sad really, I remember when the game was first announced, I was more excited about this version than the Xbox/PS counterpart. This type of self sabotage is ONE of the reasons third party titles have not sold as well on the Wii U.

If Nintendo had to rely on third party games they would be in terrible trouble, Thankfully they have the in house studios to develop amazing games on their own. This is exactly what Nintendo has done this year. Mario Kart 8 proved the Wii U has potential for amazing games, both single player and online multi-player, and also helped give the system a tremendous sales boost. Since then the console has seen sales steadily increase as fans anticipate the arrival of Super Smash Bros Wii U. The game is going to be everything Nintendo has sorely missed these past two years. With games like Hyrule Warriors and Bayonneta 2 recently released, and Captain Toads Treasure Tracker on the horizon, the Wii U is making a name for itself based on the quantity and quality of its exclusives.

Nintendo is looking to have an amazing holiday season this year on the back Super Smash Bros Wii U/3DS, and based on the games we know are coming in 2015, the trend should continue into the future.

Many people were counting the 3DS out for its bad start and look at the handheld now. Its much to early to count Nintendo out this generation. The 3rd party companies will hopefully rethink their stance on the Wii U. Even if they don't, Nintendo will still be there to develop amazing software for their console. All three of the consoles are headed into the new year with great games on the way. It just makes the wait for next year's E3 that much harder.

Here is a list of some of the announced games expected sometime in 2015.

Legend of Zelda Wii U (working title)
X (working title)
Project Cars
Devil's Third
Mario Maker
Yoshi's Wooly World
Kirby and The Rainbow Curse
Nes Remix Pack
Splatoon
Mario Party 10