So, what are you playing?
A company called Unikrn will roll out products that will legalize betting on esports for the first time in the U.S. Exploitative labor issues in the video game industry have gotten a lot of spotlight this year as more and more developers make it known that it's the norm. And Facebook has canceled its next-generation Oculus Rift 2 VR headset.
So, what are you playing?
Zachary Atwood
I thought I was going to hold off on Red Dead Redemption 2, but the hype train has arrived at the station and the temptation to buy myself a ticket is on the rise. So if that ends up happening, I can only expect my entire weekend to be devoted to that. Other than that, I'm pretty much exclusively playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 right now. It's kicking me back to the Black Ops and Black Ops 2 days, and so far I just don't want to put it down.
Sean Colleli
I have some cash burning a hole in my pocket and a Best Buy gift card hanging around, so I might actually pick up Far Cry 5 this weekend. I was waiting to see if the DLC was worth the wait for a GotY edition (from what I've seen it's not) so I'll probably just get the base game. I might also try to hunt down Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero Ultimate Edition for Switch, and take advantage of the eShop sale to pick up a couple more games in the Shantae series.
Kinsey Danzis
It’s my week to demo historical video games for my job again, so I finally have time to break out the console. This time around it’s Assassin’s Creed III, which we’re examining in our unit about Native American history and colonization. This used to be my favorite game, and it was one of the first games I ever beat without moving on to another fascination; looking back, I realize how much I dislike the story arc that takes place outside of the Animus, with the First Civilization and all, and how eager I was to get to the point where I got to abandon Haytham and finally delve into Ratonhnhaké:ton’s life. Past a certain point, Assassin’s Creed becomes formulaic, and the incorporation of more diverse nonwhite (or nonwestern) cultures is one of the things that helps break that monotony for me. Ratonhnhaké:ton provides a unique lens through which to view the historical events contained within the game, reminding me why it’s always worth it to stick through the part with Haytham.
Dave Gamble
We’re back from one trip in the camper and right back out on another, but the two days at home were great for playing with Far Cry 5. That again? Well, yes, but I’m playing in yet another way that I haven’t done before, namely by starting over and playing within the storyline, as burdensome as that can be. I’m also playing it without the benefit of any money or perks earned in the Arcade. I will, however, use helicopters whenever possible. That’s a tremendous advantage, but they’re in the game and therefore legit for this purpose.
My mobile gaming was enhanced with the lucky find of F1 2018 for iOS. It’s obviously far harder to do well without the wheel and pedals--it’s a completely different type of game, but still fun. I wanted something more substantial and this certainly met that standard. It only has four tracks included, but two of them, Silverstone and Canada, are on my favorites list. That’s enough for now.
I also picked up a great little iOS puzzler called ELOH, the meaning of which I cannot even begin to guess at. It’s a bouncing ball kind of thing with a jazzy syncopated sound that changes in response to various attempts to solve a puzzle. It’s hard to explain, but easy to learn. The difficulty slope was so shallow that I was actually surprised when I got to a puzzle that took an inordinate amount of time to solve. That said, it is designed in such a way that there are only so many permutations possible, so it’s something of a blind squirrel eventually finding a nut kind of thing. I remain optimistic that I won’t have to quit because I ran out of brains before it ran out of puzzles.
Randy Kalista
I don't know what to tell you, folks. I'm just going to Ctrl+C Ctrl+V my way through the next several weeks by saying: Red Dead Redemption 2. In that amount of time, I'm passing on Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales because I don't want distractions. I'm passing on The Forest's console launch, passing on Tetris Effect, and even Fallout 76. Just kidding, there's no way I'm passing on Tetris Effect. Hopefully I'll have gotten enough Red Dead out of my system in time for Mutant Year Zero in December. But yeah. It's been fun! See y'all in a couple months. My wife is probably firing up her old Widows of Red Dead Redemption Facebook group she'd started back in 2010.
Dan Keener
With all the news coming out this week with the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the B.E.T.A. for Fallout 76, I will be playing...neither. Instead, I am focusing on some hardware reviews, finishing up my time with the Turtle Beach Recon 200 and ViewSonic PX706HD Gaming projector. I will be playing some games, probably jumping back into Elite Dangerous to see what the fuss is over the recent updates, as well as continuing my Forza Horizon 4 career and jumping into a couple of Xbox One titles I haven't played in a while (Rock Band and Skyrim) to put the projector through its paces.
Nicholas Leon
I’m going full Yee Haw on this one cowboy game.
John Yan
I'll be one of the few not jumping on the Red Dead Redemption 2 train. Instead, I'm going back into Fallout 4 VR now that the motion smoothing has been implemented by Valve and working with the Wireless Adapter. Staying in the Fallout universe, I'm going to get my hands dirty on the mod Fallout: New California. I've been itching for a new single-player story and this one seems to be getting good word of mouth.
