WORST.  YEAR.   EVER.  I think we can all agree that 2020 has been one of the worst years in our lifetime, what with the Coronavirus, quarantines, riots and looting, politics, and much more.  And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better, as I just found out my mom has breast cancer (keep us in your prayers).  Some days I wonder if we’ll EVER get through this.  2020 can just suck it!  But at least we’ve had some good video games come out to help keep our minds off of this dumpster fire of a year.  So here’s my Best Games of 2020 Awards Show! But keep in mind that this is my list and my picks only, no outside opinions and whatnot.  And if a game isn’t on my list, it either just didn’t appeal to me or I haven’t played it yet.  Can’t play ‘em all, you know!  But with that out of the way, let’s take a look at my picks.

WORST.  YEAR.   EVER.  I think we can all agree that 2020 has been one of the worst years in our lifetime, what with the Coronavirus, quarantines, riots and looting, and much more.  Some days I wonder if we’ll EVER get through this.  But there is one good thing about this year so far.  We’ve had quite a lot of really good games come out the first half of this year!  Normally I like to write a blog this time of year with my favorite games of the year so far, because the holiday titles and E3 announcements usually take precedence by the end of the year.  Of course, because of the Coronavirus there was no E3 this year, and as of this writing we still don’t know what big games will be out for Christmas.  Just another reason why this year sucks.  So I don’t know how much different my list will be by the end of the year.  But keep in mind that this is my list and my picks only, no outside opinions and whatnot.  And if a game isn’t on my list, it either just didn’t appeal to me or I haven’t played it yet.  Can’t play ‘em all, you know!  But with that out of the way, let’s take a look at my picks.

After downloading Iris.Fall and GRIS, both of which I plan to review, I now have 100 games in my Steam library. 

Yesterday I went over my original X-Box games and it make sense to continue with Microsoft for today’s edition of Blog A Day, so welcome to my 360 Library. Where are my manners? Hello Pixlbit how is your Thursday treating you? I have to say so far my Thursday is going well. I took in the new episode of Arrow last night and this was the first time I actually watched an episode as it aired. Before that it was all Netflix and CW App. The one disappointment I do have is that my cable doesn’t offer the CW in HD. Blah! Anyways enough of my show based loosely based off a comic, it’s not Quick Hits so it’s all video games! Let’s get started with my 360 library.

Pixlbit, it’s early but it is time for another edition of Quick Hits with Chris! So I’m heading out tomorrow morning for another trip to San Francisco, which means I’m going to get to utilize all the podcasts, mixtapes, and other media to keep me occupied during the 8 hour drive. I do have a couple of goals for this trip:

It was just having three beta tests that made it a treat.

Voting is a funny thing. It’s hard to argue with addition, but there are plenty of instances where some of the staff thought a title or two got overlooked. Even though our GOTY 2013 article used some inarguable mathematics to come to the PixlBit staff’s consensus opinion, some of us thought there were games that should have gotten a few more votes. To highlight some of the games that each of us took a particular shine to in 2013, we present our staff’s personal picks that didn’t make the cut. 

Two blogs for the price of one!

Hi fellow Pixlbitters. 

System swaps and Hard Drives Galore

Hello Pixlbit! I thought I’d have a quick check-in on what games I have been playing.

Just a reminder that this will be the final weekend for Phase 3 Beta test- ending early Monday morning.

Phase 4 open beta will be approx. 1 week long and will include extra content not available in Phase 3, like voice acting for example, and other things. Open beta content is expected to carry over to launch, assuming testing goes well- it is beta after all. Open beta Phase 4 start date will be announced in the near future.

After open beta concludes we will wait some time before launch and early access for those who pre-ordered special editions. Launch is late August.  

Suggestions for Beta testers.

You should at the very least play around with the character creation features before commiting to the game during launch as you will not be able to change your features in game after the fact.  

I might jump in again this weekend and test some more things out. I'm pretty much satisfied with the beta at this point and finished like 4 dungeons and finished the story already, shortened beta story of course.

My Server: Gilgamesh
My Char: Harry Dresden
You can send a PM or /tell in game.  

Anybody else doing the Beta get a email in Japanese from Square? I did and I translated and read it. Apparently this Beta test time between Jul 10th and Jul 15th is the last one for Phase 3.

So I have been following the blogs of those of you who have been playing the beta tests for FFXIV and I really like what I'm hearing. I missed out on FFXI because I was broke and didn't have internet back then. I have never played an MMO before but with some of the mostly good expirences I have had playing Borderlands 2 online I kind of have an idea of what to expect. I haven't been getting the most out of my subcription to Gamefly so moving that money over to a subscrition for FFXIV seems like an obvious fix. In other words when this thing comes out for real I do beleive I will have to take the dive. Despite all the shit I talk about modern Final Fantasy games I'm desperate for a good FF fix, lol. In the meantime I'll be keeping up with ya'lls impressions and opinions on what could be my last hope for a good Final Fantasy game.

I'm a dummy. I just checked my spam folder and realized I was invited to beta for PS3. O.o

Of all the new Square-Enix Final Fantasy games announced recently at E3 2013: FFXV, Lightning Returns, I’ll even mention Kingdom Hearts 3 in there for good measure, and X and X-2 remakes, the only game that is actually closest to release is already playable. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is in its second week of beta testing, dubbed Phase 3, and is shortly on its way to Phase 4 in a couple of weeks time which will be an open beta and characters and *progress will be transferrable over to the official servers at launch in late August. Current Phase 3 testers, including me, will have all of their progress and characters erased, so most testers are experimenting with all the features and providing feedback to developers on their official forums. For those that are interested in extra information, the Phase 3 beta consists of three 48-hour weekends that allow testers to create characters and explore some customization features and explore the first few starting areas (quests, storylines, etc.) of the game that most new players will visit at launch. The purpose of the tests is really to test server load stress and some in game bugs and what not. The beta also allows players to test the game out on Playstation 3 and its gamepad setup. The interesting thing about this is that you can login to your account from either your PC or PS3, providing you own a copy of the game for each system.



Many of the testers have already taken to the web to create online fan communities, forums, personal blogs and setup information pages and instructions for the game, not to mention the number of youtube videos that have popped up online with detailed information about every nuance of the games controls and battle systems etc. As expected a lot of these mentioned sites have also brought with it the usual hardcore versus casual voices getting into the equivalent of bar room brawls over who to blame for ruining the general MMO experience. It feels like a genuine launch for an MMO alright.



During my second week I managed to download and login with my PS3, and I have to say that after playing with PC last week, I much prefer the gamepad and PS3 setup with keyboard plugged in for chatting. Part of the reason I feel the gamepad works so well is the fact that this game has been streamlined and more intuitive and easy to play as a single player. I hardly ever needed to party with anyone to complete a quest. If I had a little trouble, all I needed to do was grind a bit and then I was ready. So I can imagine that console players who are going to try an MMO for the first time will be more than capable of using their PS3 to do so. There are some graphical limitations compared to PC, as to be expected, but the game play more than makes up for quality in terms of quantity of content on the screen. This issue about the game being too console friendly and accessible to new players has consistently been the point of debate since the start of the beta, and will most likely be debated during and after launch.



I should explain that I have had experience playing FF XI, FF XIV version 1.0, and other MMOs and the usual consensus in these communities is that MMOs have become too simplified for the sake of adding more new players as opposed to making them more challenging, in short, veteran MMO players want to keep new players out and keep MMOs niche. Square-Enix and their money woes will probably keep them satisfying the wants of the many as opposed to the vocal minority. I was listening to a podcast regarding developer questions being asked at E3 from “journalists” who were really just fan site bloggers asking hard hitting questions about accessories and  personal housing that is rumored to be featured in the game instead of asking about balancing battle systems and customizing interfaces or allowing the creation of add-ons by the community.



When Final Fantasy XIV 1.0 officially ended, Square-Enix created a gorgeous video depicting a meteor crashing down and destroying Eorzea, the place the game takes place in. I joked on a fan forum that Square-Enix represented the meteor and the people being destroyed were all the old players. In a sense, wiping everyone out and starting over with new players- A Realm Reborn. In a way, that is exactly what Square-Enix has done with the new game, XIV version 2.0



After spending the last two weekends with the game, I feel like Square-Enix has won me over as a new fan. I am very impressed with the direction of the game design and the attention to detail that developers have placed into the creation of a beautiful new world. Soon, the beta will be open to more players so they too can explore this awesome place on their own.



I was just recently reading about an old game that was meant to be released for the PSP system, called Final Fantasy Agito, which was later changed to Type-0 and only released in Japan. Several hackers have gotten together to create language translations so that more people can enjoy the game in places where the game wasn’t released-- everywhere outside Japan! The translation team is close to finishing the translation and a lot of people are wondering how long it will take Square-Enix to shut them down. In the case of A Realm Reborn, Square-Enix rebuilt a disastrous game from the ground up and spent a lot of time on development to make fans happy. While there is no mention of the infamous Agito game being released in the West any time soon, in the case of A Realm Reborn, Square-Enix should be praised for listening to feedback and giving fans what they want.

 

I know I have been kind of a silent mouse recently which has prolly given some yall a lil bit of peace "thank the gods she has shut up!" I however am back! I got really busy with work and of course life decided to play a role for once. Ive still been gaming just not as much which is about to change for the better for me. Be a little patient with me though, I got like 86 messages that range from PM's to new blog post from ya'll. Ill try to respond as quickly as I can and read up on all of yalls blog.

Apparently despite the update people are hacking the shit out of Borderlands 2. Class mods for the psycho are already showing up in the vending machines, not a big deal same thing happended when they released the mech. But I joined a game tonight and found myself playing with a pair of lv 61 Psycos. Realy? This guy does not even come out till next month, never mind having him maxed out already. I'm about ready to just stop playing this game. Seemed like most of the hacking was happening on the 360 , now its just getting stupid here on PSN. And I don't think they were beta testers either. Would they just be out there like that?

It's not a secret that I'm none too thrilled with the way big name companies handle their business and deal with their fans.  My love/hate relationship with SquareEnix has been on a downward spiral like a piece of soiled bathroom tissue in a toilet.  I don't understand why companies that have blockbuster intellectual properties do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITH THEM.  And if they do end up doing something with them, they fuck it up horribly.  Now don't get me wrong, I understand that the games industry is an ever changing, living monster, that demands change and innovation, but for fucks sake, who said that a little throwback to the golden days is a bad thing?