So now that I’ve played through Resident Evil: Requiem what’s next?
Well there’s a good list of games I’m either waiting for or am on the go with right now. These include: Hellblade 2: Senua’s Saga; Silent Hill f; Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake; the forthcoming sequel to one of the best RPGs ever – The Witcher 4; Clair Obscur Expedition 33; and I still have to defeat the final boss in the DLC to Elden Ring on my second playthrough (VERY DIFFICULT…I think it’s safe to say I fucking hate Prince Consort Radahn). I also need to finish Doom: The Dark Ages, so no shortage of games to play over the next little while.
Finished Resident Evil: Requiem. Pretty amazing game actually. Hard to say which one I liked better – this one of VII. Requiem is a great synthesis of Action Horror and Horror Shooter. Note it is horror no matter which character you are playing – Grace or Leon. Overall I’d say it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played. Here are a selection of screenshots taken while playing. PC stats: Aorus Z390 Ultra, 32 GB RAM, Intel Core i7 9300K, with an MSi Nvidea RTX 5070 12GB OC.
This post is for one reason, and one reason only – so that I can type to my heart’s content on my new keyboard. Behold the amazing goodness that is the Redragon K724 Behemoth Pro!
Well I like it anyhow.
My old keyboard (a lowly Redragon K599 stopped recharging and only worked via cable. This will not do for my living room setup (see additional photo below) and so I moved it to my upstairs computer and ordered this, reasonably priced upgrade (cat not included).
First of all the typing feel is SUBSTANTIALLY better than my previous keyboard. The former keyboard had a far more mechanical click to it. This one is a mechanical keyboard but the feel, I don’t know how to explain it except to say it’s like butter…super smooth (EDIT: the correct term is THOK), and incredibly soft to the touch. It is also MUCH quieter, like it has a silencer attached. It does though – five layers of sound absorbing material. Really the keyboard experience between the two is like night and day.
The keyboard has a nice weight to it which makes it feel more quality for some reason. The same programmable backlighting. This keyboard is a 75% compared to the old 65% which is also nice. The new keyboard includes a programmable dial and screen as well for additional functionality.
The Behemoth (love the name) also is a tri-mode keyboard meaning it connects via wired, 2.4 ghz or Bluetooth. I prefer 2.4 ghz for reduced latency but it’s nice to have the options. At this point I am already addicted to the sound and feel of it. This makes it great for someone like me who likes to write alot.
It comes with some extra gaskets, a decent key remover and a great USB C cable with a built in adapter to USB.
All in all my initial impression is quite good. Time will tell but so far a fantastic upgrade from an already decent mechanical keyboard. Sadly I have to stop writing for now but I will definitely be back. Cheers.
I have been playing video games since I was about 12 years old. Since then I have amassed a large number of gaming experiences and some have definitely been better than others. Here are what I would consider my Top 10 favorite video games based on enjoyment and replayability.
10. Fallout 4 (2015): This game made Bethesda Softworks my favorite gaming studio of all time. I would say there is no better post-apocalyptic openworld RPG than Fallout 4. The design and music are wondrous. The story is compelling but takes a backseat to the vastness of this futureistic yet retro game world. The attention to detail, the combat mechanics, and more pull the whole experience together.
9. Doom (1993): One of the first 3D shooters (Wolfestein was earlier) that allowed you to play against other people via modem connection Doom was the source of many late night scream fests as I battled against my friend Mike. It had a great, pounding soundtrack that matched the violence and gore perfectly.
8. Fable (2004): The first of many games that Peter Molyneaux and Lion’s Head Studios would overpromise on Fable was still one of the most magical and creative role playing games where your decisions actively changed your character’s appearance and people’s reaction to you.
7. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard (2017): Few games have more thoroughly scared the shit of me than REVII. The setting and ambiance, the creatures and the storyline all contribute to a hell of a creepy, messed up gaming experience that was unforgettable.
6. Bioshock (2007): What can I say about this game? There was nothing like it when it game out and it remains unique in the pantheon of gaming experiences. This game established the importance of a good soundtrack and the story was fantastically compelling. Every moment of the game when you were not battling incredibly well-designed creatures like Big Daddy or Little Sister you would simply stand in awe of the underwater views and sets.
5. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001): People were skeptical when Microsoft entered the console space with Xbox but minds changed quickly when they first experienced Halo. I think this game was single-handedly responsible for that first console launch. The storyline, the music, the main character of Master Chief and the amazing multiplayer abilities made this game one of best games to ever be created.
4. Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (2003): Another amazing entry in the horror genre out of Japan you play as a young Japanese schoolgirl hunting for her twin sister in a haunted village armed only with the Camera Obscura…a camera that captures the malaevolent spirits you encounter along the way. Some of the jump scares in this game still have not been beaten in my experience. The stylized animation and unwillingness to censor themselves led to an unreal, best in class horror game. This is one of the only games I wish would be remade.
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011): This franchise is probably one of the best RPGs I have ever played. Let me rephrase that – as a franchise no other RPG has come close. They rank slightly lower on the list as individual games for me but only slightly. The vastness and beauty of Skyrim led to many hours of simple, non-combat wandering to view things like sunsets. I definitely appreciated the real life combat mechanics of damage being taken when weapon hits enemy rather than the old school D&D dice role sort of thing that many RPGs started with.
2. Elden Ring (2022): By now you know my favorite video game genre is open-world RPG. Until Elden Ring I had barely played a Dark Souls game. Clearly I must be a glutton for punishment because few games have elicited my vile curses from my mouth than Elden Ring. The game is soooooo fucking hard. The bosses are ridiculous. Many times I would hit a wall and simply put down the controller and not touch the game for months. But it always lured me back. The beauty of this world is staggering. I loved the cliffside vistas overlooking the endless sea and simply standing there. The secrets and hidden places, weaponry, armour, levelling system and more make this one of the greatest video games every created. It has enormous replay value and this is also a factor.
1. The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (2015): Until I played this game I had no idea of the potential for RPG gaming. I have hundreds of hours poured into this 10 year old game (as of the time I am writing this) and I still return to it. The quality of the world created here by Projekt CD Red, the compelling story of Geralt, the many different potential endings all with heart wrending decisions to be made, the vastness of the world and the simple beauty and vibrant colours of the lands of the continent propel this game easily into first place for me. Riding Roach through the countryside or wandering the city streets (and sewers) of Novigrad provide endless enjoyment. This is also another game where you find yourself pausing on a mountainside as the sunset’s light slants across the hills and valleys in front of you. A master work of gaming development it is hard to imagine another game taking its place at number one but who knows, perhaps Witcher IV with Ciri as the lead will do so – I can hardly wait.
Honourable Mentions: These are the games that almost made the list but couldn’t quite break in: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (2002); The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006); Cyberpunk 2077 (2020); Quake (1996); Wolfenstein 3D (1992); SimCity 2000 (1993); Shenmue (1999); Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007); Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee (2001); Hogwart’s Legacy (2022); Dead or Alive 3 (2001) SIDENOTE: This is the game where the higher you set your age the bouncier the boobs got…you could set your age to 99; Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017).
Notice I didn’t mention Wii U? That’s because there is no need to as their strategy to innovate essentially innovated them right out of the market with a strange, radically under-powered console that relied solely on gimmicks to succeed.
At hand are the launches of Xbox One and Playstation 4 and with them two very different strategies. With Xbox we have an emerging all-in-one system that tries to put everyone in the living room first and may, in the end, fail to put anyone first at all. With Playstation you have a system that proclaims to put gamers first but is clocking in as only modestly more powerful than the Xbox and without a large number of quality exclusives this strategy could fail too.
The tech and gaming media are uncertain but equally critical of any move that suggests gaming may take second place to other areas of entertainment.
As a life-long gamer I have a message for the gaming media – putting gamers first in this next generation of consoles could be a sure way of killing the console. With an increasing interest in entertainment technology in the living room a focus on the gaming segment of the market is a focus on a much smaller and increasingly competitive piece of the pie.
New PC technologies such as the Steam platform and forthcoming Steam Box are VERY compelling gaming devices that could cripple a console with a gaming-only focus.
With these things in mind I think the Xbox One strategy is broader and could likely see longer term survival/success as it exploits other market segments should gaming be as competitive as I think it will be.
Some wildcards that could play out include the possibility of Nintendo exclusively unlocking a couple of its super franchises like Mario and Zelda and striking exclusive arrangements with Playstation or Xbox. Given that Sony is a much larger competitor to Nintendo in Japan and the handheld gaming market it would make sense for them to partner with Microsoft in this area.
Another possible partnership would be for either Playstation or Microsoft to give up on their proprietary gaming content delivery system and adopt the Steam platform…unfortunately this seems like a fairly far-fetched option at this point with both Sony and Microsoft clearly having invested a lot in online infrastructure for the next gen.
Price is going to be a significant factor in choice (at least for me) in this next gen…as much as I appreciate the bells and whistles of Microsoft’s next offering if all things are equal it will come down to game offers and price for me.
I want something in the $400 range. Anything significantly higher could see me investigating the Steam Box as an option. If there is too much disparity between the two in terms of price my allegiance to Microsoft could crack. Both consoles have some expensive tech in them – Microsoft has decided to bundle Kinect while Sony has opted to incorporate GDDR5 memory – both costly inclusions that could drive the price of the console too high. Here’s hoping they remember that consoles should be loss leaders to drive an install base for the sale of games and other high margin content.
So what am I saying? At this point I am leaning toward Microsoft but not as heavily as I have in the past. The gaming market is at a very interesting point right now and substantial portions of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft’s install base could feasibly shift in another direction and they could do it quickly with little warning.
