This Week At Bungie: Predictions for Jan 26

It's time for lets predict the TWAB! I know, I'm excited too!

So lets recap last week first, I think that'll give us a better chance of predicting this week's news. So last week, they told us that there is a balance patch arriving soonish, date TBD. They hinted at showing us what is in store, and they hinted at there being new stuff in the store. As in there will be a spring content update thing. I pretty much predicted all of this last Tuesday which I was pretty stoked about. The one thing I didn't expect them to announce was no crimson doubles, which was honestly nice to hear. (Although I wouldn't mind it being in the weekly crucible rotation).

Alright. So what are they going to tell us this Thursday. I honestly expect them to give us some more details about the balance patch. Information from the devs maybe, or less likely, a date. That would be amazing. And as for the date, I think that it'll drop first week of march, in preparation for the content drop which I think will drop the second week of April. (These are just guesses), but Bungie does tend to follow a pattern. (I honestly hope we get a balance patch mid Feb, waiting until March would suck).

I think they will also announce a reveal stream or announcement stream of some kind which will take place next week, but probably the week after. They have the set up now so it doesn't make sense for them to drop big reveals in the TWAB. The weekly update is just an agenda to help us mark things down in our calendars for the actual news. I don't think there will be much more than that, maybe something about the bungie bounties, but they've pretty much said everything they need to on that front.

Well, that's what I see happening. I mean at this point it's kinda of tricky to predict exactly what they will say because we don't have a timeline. If I new roughly when the balance patch was happening and the content drop then I'd be able to more accurately predict when they would give us details.

Cheers Guardians,
~Ducky

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst - First Impressions

Confession: I didn't play the original game and I picked up Catalyst because it honestly looked cool and I've been wanting to try out some other first person games. I haven't gotten very far in the game, but what I've played has been pretty enjoyable. Of course this doesn't come without critique.

So far I have only played Catalyst while streaming, mostly just for friends, but there were a few strangers who popped in for a bit as well. This adds to the commentary and really flushes out the games flaws. Cause chat keeps asking questions like "but why???"

Spoilers (if you haven't played and don't want to know anything).

Anyway, the game began, we had just got out of prison, which was pretty dope. Then we immediately break out of the walk way leading out of the prison, which was hilarious. We broke out as we were being freed. (I tried to punch a guard at the time), and I like to think that is why we had to book it out of there, but of course we would have had to regardless. So kinda a silly start.

Then we were accompanied by this Icarus kid, who is stupid annoying. WORST PART OF THE GAME. And from there we go around on missions and do some sick parkour while punching bad guys. What more could you want? Right? At first it kinda has a similar layout to Assassins Creed but the games are still far too different to make any good comparisons. So I would only say its like AC because of how you get to choose what missions/destinations to do via a map. Not unlike FarCry: Primal.

After playing a bit more today (my chat and I) realized that everything seems to be either red, yellow, or white, which lends to less impressive cityscape but maybe its significant so who knows. Also there are a lot of cut scenes, some of which are pretty neat. I didn't really have any issues with the cutscenes, but the dialogue leaves something to be desired. Maybe this is just a gaming thing in general. But there are very few games that do dialogue well. Its really hard to take a games seriously when the dialogue is either really over dramatic or underwhelming. They can't seem to find a good balance and the moodiness "we are all doomed" attitude which prevails constantly in these characters just becomes ridiculous to the player because the tension is never released.

So these are my initial thoughts on this game. Overall, its really fun to play cause you feel like a badass, but it is by no means perfect.

~Ducky

This Week at Bungie: Predictions for Jan 19

Hello Stranger, 

I know we are all eager to get some news from bungie about pretty much anything. And a lot of us were hoping that the last TWAB would give us a few details about new content or balance patches. Well, I made a few predictions for the last weekly update and I was pretty close to getting all of it right. The only thing I got wrong was the hint at a balance update. Nothing explicit, but something. Unfortunately we didn't get ANY hint at a balance patch.

So for this weeks "this week at bungie" I don't imagine they are actually going to tell us much. There will probably be something about the bungie bounties and Iron banner, and how we need to go get that sick booty. But a part from that I really only see us getting subtle hints with no fixed dates. I would imagine that they will (hopefully) hint at a balance patch which will be deployed in February. They have honestly been testing the community by with holding it from us this long.

I honestly would be surprised if they announced the next live team event as they probably want to stretch out the bungie bounties as much as possible before giving us anything new. Its always one thing at a time with Bungie. They may announce a ride along as well, but I kinda consider that to be less important. I'm sure it would be interesting to hear about how they made this or that. But for me, its not top priority. Welcome, but not essential. 

In summary, I think they will tell us stuff we already know! How very typical, I know. And hint at a balance patch/new content/adventures. They aren't going to give us any details yet. So be patient Guardian.

~Ducky

Destiny: Pulse/Shotgun Meta

So currently in Destiny you need a HRF pulse and a shotgun, or an Eyasluna type handcannon to have the best advantage that you can. Of course you can succeed with other weapons, but these give you the best advantage. But before we go into depth lets talk about how the heck we got to this type of meta.

At the transfer of year 1 to year 2 we saw handcannons get nerfed, and pulse rifles got buffed (essentially). This was the time of Red Death, Hawksaw, and Nirwen's Mercy. After this, Pulse rifles got a nerf and Doctrine of Passing (and similar archetypes) took their place (I believe this was around Christmas last year). This was about the time where legendary handcannons became popular as well. After Doctrine had been nerfed multiple times we saw the resurgence of Hawksaw and Grasp of Malok (again), sometime around the April update. Since then Rise of Iron has introduced guns like Clever Dragon, and Blind Perdition which are pretty much Hawksaw and GoM, just better.

So, in this brief history all we see are nerfs. Obviously this is a little problematic since it just slows the game down with every nerf. Back in year 1 Pulse Rifles were a little better than they are now, and they were by far the worst class of guns out there. They were complete garbage. So I guess you can judge by that how far we have fallen. 

Since the game has become so painfully slow we move to special weapons. Snipers had their hay-day for a while before they were nerfed into the ground (zoom nerfs, equip nerfs, flinch nerfs). For the record, I think the flinch is now in a good spot but I'm not a fan of the other two nerfs. The major problem with snipers in Destiny is that its far easier to rush a sniper with a shotgun because of movement abilities and small maps then to quick scope a rushing shotgunner. I'm not saying snipers are bad, they still 1-shot, they are just outclassed by shotguns and Pulse/Scout rifles (especially if they have HCR). 

Shotguns are in a great place right now, I think. The reason there are few ways to combat shotguns is because jump is really powerful in Destiny, and the maps are quite small. I have found that even blink, though it was nerfed a bunch, it is still viable with a shotgun because you can blink right overtop of someone. It takes more time to have to look up then to look down. Now, of course a player should be punished for running straight at another player who is shooting him. Shotgun warriors should not be able to do what they do. Players should have to be smart about their engagements with a shotgun. This is where primaries need some love. I would love to see a buff to primaries where they slow down a target if they land multiple shots on said target. That would be super dope. 

Fusions are fine, I don't really use fusions, some people do, some people are really good with them. They take some practice. Plan C is pretty good against shotguns. That's all I have with fusions.

I'm confident that shotguns will NOT be nerfed. Bungie knows that the game is already slow as it is, and if they nerf shotguns into the ground Fusions will probably take their place as the best close range OHK weapon. And no one wants to see the day where fusions are literally the best option. I kid. I think Bungie will give us more ways to combat shotguns, and perhaps punish players who main a shotgun. I'm looking at you juggertitan. 

~Ducky

Merry Christmas, Guardian

Race The Sun: Game Review

Before I get into it, I just wanted to let you all know that I put a follow button on the left side there. I'd love it if you would drop a follow so that we can keep in touch! Thanks!

I bought this game several weeks ago as I was looking for a game that my wife and I could easily play as well as entertain younger audiences. It has a certain arcade feel which is reminiscent of other dodge car games. Except there are no lanes, you are a drone, and the world is grey and infinite. Okay, that might be a bit of an over simplification. There is a certain thrill and excitement about the game that I haven't found in other games of similar genres.

So the basic premise of the game is that you are a drone, and you have areas that you have to clear, each area is riddled with an array of different obstacles of various shapes and sizes. Some obstacles move and some do not. The drone is solar powered and if the sun goes down then your battery dies. Hence 'Race the Sun'. There are boosts that essentially give you more daylight by speeding the drone up, making it more difficult not to crash, but giving you more battery. The further you get the harder the obstacles are.

I think what blew my mind was the fact that the world is virtually infinite. Sure its kinda grey, but it doesn't end, which is pretty cool. They also randomize it everyday so that there is no identical levels. Yes, there are elements in one world which is the same as the other, but its never in the same place or in the same order. So you can't memorize the track. This gives the game much more replay value, and allows for the average player to have a shot at the daily leaderboard. I made it onto the global leader board during one of my first sessions which was pretty cool and very satisfying.

This is a game that is very simple and has essentially no learning curve. Its fun and thrilling and you always gasp a little before you crash. The only thing that I'm not a huge fan of is the fact that its not a very pretty game; everything is grey and white. Now this game is on PS3 as well, and if there was more attention to detail it would probably be a strain on the system because of how big the world you fly though is. It's also not the point, the game isn't trying to be some artistic giant, it allows the player to experience the simplicity of world which in turn emphasizes the action of flying through many many many obstacles.

~Ducky

Destiny: 10 ways to keep Destiny fun

You've heard the phrases, "Destiny is dead" or "Destiny isn't that fun anymore." I totally get that, the game has been around for nearly 2.5 years, it's going to get a bit stale. So why do so many people keep playing and/or come back? Or better yet, why should you keep playing or return to the game. Well, I wanted to take a crack at 10 things that I still enjoy about Destiny which keep me playing. One of my friends said I couldn't do it so here it is.

1. The Chase: getting that perfect roll on the gun you've been after.

Destiny is a loot based game, so a lot of these are going to revolve around loot. I love the chase, and when you finally get that one gun that you've been after with that perfect roll, it feels good man. I'm currently after a Waltz with HCR, Perfect Balance, Counterbalance. I've come pretty close, but so far no dice. I'm also after the coveted Imago Loop with the Fatebringer roll, which is super unlikely. But I have gotten my pvp LDR, a god roll Clever Dragon, Blind Perdition, But Not Forgotten, and a bunch of others. I am one of those guys who just wants the best possible roll for whatever weapon I have. I have a perfect Apple of Discord sitting in my vault, just because that is the best possible one you can get. Its nice to have if it ever becomes a decent archetype, or if I just want to fool around.

2. Testing Things Out: going into the crucible with different weapons and innovative ideas.

I've always loved trying out new things in the crucible. Most of the time those ideas end badly because everyone else is using their best possible weapons, but if you use the same weapons all the time, the crucible can feel rather stale. I took Telesto into the crucible not too long ago, and it was then that I realized that it is absolute garbage. I mean, it doesn't take an expert to tell someone that, but I honestly had never taken it for a spin, so I thought it'd be good to experience it. Sometimes its fun to try out different perk combinations as well. I have a feeding frenzy/reactive reload sidearm that is a beast. But you wouldn't know that if you only use a shotgun.

3. The Chase II: getting those aesthetic items.

I have been trying to complete my sparrow collection, ship collection, emblem collection, shader collection. All the collections. This has proven the most difficult task to date. Those sparrows do not drop often, and Xur is determined to never sell the void drive or the stealth drive. But if you are a completionist like myself, then you have get all the things. Also, if Destiny II allows players to have their aesthetic loot from Destiny I, then all this will be worth it.

4. Private Matches: chilling out with friends.

Unfortunately, most of my friends don't play Destiny much anymore, so I can't do this one as much. But 1v1s, hide and seek, battleship, snipers only, sidearms only, swords only, etc. The options are endless. A Friendly 1v1 tournament if you have enough people left on your friends list.

5. Deadstiny Challenge: create a new character and see how far you get before you die.

My hunter on my second account

This has become a trend lately within the Destiny community. Basically you create a new Playstation account and a new Destiny character if you die in ANY activity you must delete that character. The goal is to see how many exotics you can get before you die. I personally have not done this, but I did create a different account a while back cause I wanted to feel that fresh start/"I have nothing" feeling. So go for it!

6. Social Spaces: hanging with some friends in the tower.

I know this one is a little weak, but weirdly enough its one of those things that ends up happening with my friend group. You kick that purple floating ball, or the soccer ball. Or you manage to get a game of duck duck goose going. Also there is this strange thing in the tower right now where you can carry and release lanterns. Look into some of the secrets of the tower, try to get on top of the different canopies, or the vaults. Either way, you can have great conversation with people who you may not have the opportunity to see IRL.

Chilling with a friend in the Iron Temple

7. SRL: taking part in Destiny's timed events.

The Dawning is upon us! And for the next 2+ weeks you can enjoy sparrow racing and the rewards that come with it. I think that this event was done much better than its counterpart FotL, so go and enjoy some races and some new quests. And remember! SRL will be with us in private matches and strike scoring is now a thing, so there is definitely a lot of improvement to the old grind.

8. Get Sweaty: try improving your skills in "sweaty" playlists.

Everyone wants to be MLG, maybe its time to start putting the time in. Start playing rumble or skirmish with your best (or worst) load outs and play your heart out. Review your games later to see what mistakes you made and try and fix them next time you play. Try watching guide and tip videos on how to improve your game.

9. Catch 'em all: collect all the exotics.

I wasn't sure whether or not to include this one since the process of actually attaining exotics is pretty underwhelming. 3 of coins has kinda taken away the magic of exotics. But back in year 1 collecting exotics was a HUGE deal and owning an icebreaker or a gjallarhorn made you a legend. That is not so much the case anymore and most people have pretty well all the exotics. I am still trying to get a Necrochasm, but since no one does Crota's End anymore I have been fairly unsuccessful. But maybe you have a raid team that will go back to VoG or Crota to get that old exotics.

10. Help Out: help a kinderguardian make it through to the endgame.

It is always fun being the guy to help out a new player. Maybe this player is a friend who hasn't done trials before, or maybe its a fresh level 2 that you found in the tower. Its always a great time to get them their first exotic in PoE, or to help them complete their first raid or nightfall. I had a random guy who was level 37, with a fairly low grimoire add me the other day and even though we haven't spoken over voice chat I fully intend on helping him complete this or that.

I hope this was helpful, these are my top 10 things to do in Destiny (in no particular order) right now, they keep the game fresh and fun and are often goal oriented. Maybe it'll inspire you to try something new! Or maybe not, but for what its worth, there it is.

~Ducky

Destiny: Micro Transactions, FotL and The Dawning

This is a lot to tackle in one go so I'll try and keep my thoughts concise. Since the introduction of micro transactions and more recently the Festival of the lost event the community has become a bit jaded of bungie's money-making schemes. So hopefully I can help give us all some perspective. Bungie is a business, they are out to make money, yes, is that a fault? Not really, they have employees, who have families. If we were to compare bungie to something like EA, I would side with Bungie every time. So lets not get on the blame train.

Micro Transactions:
I am not against micro transactions as long as it does not give players an advantage over other players who choose not to buy into them. I'm sure most people share this stance. Now in general Bungie has been pretty good about this. But since RoI, reputation boosts are pretty much exclusively found in Eververse. Yes you have the CHANCE to get reputation boosts from Radiant Treasures, or Stirling Treasures. And even then, its not guaranteed to be crucible rep boosts, which are a fair bit more useful. So why is this kinda unfair? Mostly because you can level up factions and crucible and vanguard reputation much more quickly, giving you a chance at certain weapons. Now, its not a HUGE advantage, I still level up my factions fairly regularly and have chances at the same loot, but a person who pays for boosts essentially gets more value for their time. That is where there is a problem.

My Warlock - During The Dawning

Festival of the Lost:
There was a lot of complaining about FotL this year. And in some ways I totally understand it. I do believe that Bungie was a bit skimpy on the rewards and I (who didn't pay) got barely anything. I got my 3 festival treasures and got squat: a few consumables and a couple underwhelming masks. So yes, bungie could have been more generous. Crimson days was great because all you had to do was play to get the gear and hope that RNG smiled upon you.

However, the people who spent money and then proceeded to complain about the event to Bungie really don't have a leg to stand on, it was their choice to spend money on it. Most of them were upset that they didn't get the specific loot that they wanted. But nothing was guaranteed. Although, I am surprised that Bungie didn't give everyone either of the ghosts similar to Crimson days. But its just how it goes.

The Dawning:
Alright, so after a couple of days playing The Dawning I have really been digging it. I think the rewards are pretty fair. I think it is possible to get 10 treasures, without paying? I'm not sure. Something like that. So hopefully I'll get everything I want from it, I guess we'll see. But in general I think SRL is fresh and fun and the drops from it are pretty good. Giving a new spin on strikes makes us not do strikes mindlessly, which again is a really good additon. This is what FotL should have been, so all in all, I think this is what the community needed, but we will see how the rest of it goes. Maybe I'll write more about it then.

~Ducky