Author: Karl Jacobs

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Hi, I'm Karl. I am a full time student living in Portland Oregon who writes reviews and editorials all about gaming! Check out my podcast at soundcloud.com/GamerBoyTalks!

Persona 5 is great, and frankly, that’s undeniable. Since its worldwide release in early 2017, critics and casual gamers alike have fallen in love with the next of an already acclaimed franchise. Being a serious game of the year contender for many people in a year that a new Zelda game was released is dumbfounding. Friends of mine who never play JRPG’s enjoyed navigating the fantastically orchestrated and meticulously crafted turn-based fighting. Those that argue they don’t have the time to play the 50-hour story of Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt found themselves partaking in the 80-hour role-playing, social simulating…

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Happy October everyone! Halloween is right around the corner, and this means, horror games are going to be on the forefront of many people’s minds. Although there are a plethora of great horror games to play, October is only so long. With that in mind, here are my picks for the best horror games of this generation so far: Until Dawn Until Dawn, created by Supermassive Games, places the player in the perspectives of an assortment of teens in the middle of the woods. Set up intentionally like many cheesy horror films, the player must make choices as the story…

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Upon the release of Yooka-Laylee back in April of this year, Playtonic Games gave PlayStation, Xbox, and PC fans alike a go at their 3D platformer. This, leaving Nintendo fans a bit out of the loop as the wait to play this Banjo-Kazooie spiritual successor began to increase, was greeted with a statement from Playtonic themselves. Mentioning some difficulties they’ve had bringing their cuddly protagonists into the different hardware, they said to fear not because the Nintendo Switch port will happen. Now, nearly a half of a year since Yooka-Laylee hit shelves, Nintendo fans are given an explanation to why…

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PlayStation VR’s 1st anniversary of its original release was on October 13, 2016; now is the time to look back at the many releases that have come and gone in that first year. Among the many games and experiences, there have been great and breathtaking moments and frustrating and poorly optimized, headache-inducing experiences. Among these are a few must-own titles for PlayStation’s first stab at the virtual reality scene. Let’s go! Until Dawn: Rush of Blood Release Date: October 13, 2016 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is an on-rails survival horror that puts the player in the place of an…

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PC

Although it is a universally tacit understanding, it is worth emphasizing that Duck Dynasty is a game that should never have existed. With nothing going for it except for the fact that it is so laughably bad, it is actually fun to make fun of with friends. One wonders how this even passed the test to get the Sony seal of approval for an official release. The story in Duck Dynasty is so incoherent that as I played, the only reason I knew there was a story was that there were fifteen-minute scenes in-between gameplay of an attempt at furthering…

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Going into Death Note, the 2017 Netflix release, with the thought that your beloved characters from the original will remain the same, you will hate this adaptation. If you go in thinking that Light Yagami is the exact main protagonist you want in this movie, you will hate this adaptation. If you go in thinking somehow that Adam Wingard, director of 2017’s Death Note, could cram the entirety of 37 episodes worth of content into this movie, you will hate this adaptation. 2017’s adventure drama places it’s viewers into the story of Light Turner, a nerdy boy who, unlike Light…

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Coming November 14, Rockstar Games will be releasing 4 brand new versions of LA Noire. These versions include: The Nintendo Switch port, a port to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, an enhanced version for the PlayStation 4 Pro and the Xbox One X, as well as an HTC Vive all new experience titles “LA Noire: The VR Case Files”. The Nintendo Switch port will be an all inclusive experience bringing the full game and all extra content given out through downloadable content. Although it seems this version will not have any graphical enhancements, it will feature “a Joy-Con mode…

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Impressions on the upcoming Rocket League port to Nintendo Switch After walking away from Rocket League for the Nintendo Switch in the Nintendo booth at PAX West, I was left with an assortment of reactions. In most aspects, Rocket League on the Switch feels right at home. Some of this is due to much less input lag when put against its console counterparts, becoming comparable to the likes of the PC version. Another reason to take into consideration is its great feeling local multiplayer. Rocket League will be supporting LAN multiplayer without wifi necessary. With an addition to Rocket League…

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With PAX West beginning yesterday, many larger companies are trying their hand at gaining the attention of the thousands of people who travelled into Seattle. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know when attending some of those companies’ booths: SONY: Sony’s presence at PAX West is relatively small in comparison to the likes of Xbox. A large notable chunk of Playstation’s booth is taken up by some new PS VR IPs. Inside the center of the booth you will be able to try your hand at titles such as Knack 2 and Detroit: Become Human. On the outer…

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Psychonauts is on many fronts a ground breaking game. In a review it would be easy to say that the witty dialogue is what makes this game stand out, but that would leave out the compelling assortment of collectibles. One could say the gorgeous art style is what makes this IP so unique, but that would undermine the fantastic platforming gameplay. The great thing about Psychonauts is that there is not just one compelling aspect about it that has created the cult following it has developed today. Psychonauts has, since its 2005 release, seen a massive following because of it’s…

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In the movie, Zootopia, Nick Wilde is found walking into Jumbeaux’s Cafe, a elephant-primary 1980’s style ice cream parlor. The result of the confrontation between Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde within this parlor was Judy purchasing Nick a “Jumbo-Pop” for what she then thought was his son “who had always dreamed of growing up to be an elephant”. Although this confrontation in and of itself is no less than ridiculous, one detail seems to cause question for the ecosystem of Zootopia as a whole. This detail being, the price of the “Jumbo-Pop”. The price of $15 for an ice cream…

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Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is one of the first wave Playstation VR titles to release since the original release of October 2016. This second installment of Supermassive Games’ Until Dawn transforming the IP from it’s original “interactive movie” roots into an on-rails first person shooter. As some good aspects, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood gives the player a surreal sense they’re within a horror movie with a fun pick up and play style “story mode”. As some bad aspects, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood becomes incoherent at times. It can leave the player taking off their VR headset questioning…

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Tearaway: Unfolded shows Media Molecule’s masterful touch that they possess on the video games they develop. Each video game that is put out by them has been very light hearted, quirky, and beautiful to look at, and Tearaway Unfolded is no exception to this. Tearaway Unfolded is a port of the 2013 Vita exclusive Tearaway, that may genuinely be the prettiest game on the PlayStation 4. This seamless port of a solid game definitely survives the test of time, and is definitely a game that should be in the library of anyone that had not gotten to play it on…

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Horizon: Zero Dawn is a solid package that contains an extremely enjoyable storyline, superb characters with development in recurring ones, and a not overwhelming yet exciting and gorgeous open world. As a no doubt front runner for I’m sure numerous “Game of the Year” awards. Horizon does everything it intends to do, and then some, with incredible set pieces to make the twenty-hour adventure one you are very happy you partook in. With nit-picking issues few and far between, Horizon: Zero Dawn is a game easy to recommend for any PlayStation player. The story in Horizon: Zero Dawn is magnificent…

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