Forza Horizon 3

Date played: September 29th
Platform: Xbox One

Forza Horizon 3 is a driving fan's dream come true.

I actually ended up spending a good amount of time just free roaming, smashing XP boards, finding a couple of barns and just riding. I completed a few bucket list challenges. The first was a crazy skill point challenge in an old Ford RS at a construction site far away from town. I jumped and drifted like a madman and got the target score pretty easily. Another bucket list challenge had me drifting around a corner near some fields in an Australian car. That was a bit harder, but when I turned off traction control, things went more smoothly.

My first barn find was a wonderful Ferrari Dino, a real classic. It's a bit difficult to keep on the road, but it's a joy to ride. To get to the barn, I decided to try out a bonus car I received from playing the Halo games, the infamous UNSC Warthog, straight out of Master Chief's hands. This thing is pretty slow, but it is an absolute beast off road. Hills that would stop street cars dead in their tracks are handled easily by the big vehicle.

I completed a few events around Surfer's Paradise, including a difficult race in the middle of the night in my sexy Ferrari 458. I got myself enough fans to level up one of my festivals, so I decided to upgrade Byron Bay to level 3. There are hot air balloons there now! A bunch of new events opened up, but I haven't really done any yet. There's also a new event type available, street races, which aren't technically part of the festival, but again, I didn't try those yet.

In the process, I unlocked the next showcase event. In the driver's seat of a recent Chevrolet Camaro, I was tasked with racing against a motherfucking train! At times, the road intersected with the train tracks. Using some ramps that were placed there for the event, I jumped over the train a couple of times as I raced at breakneck speeds, trying to overtake the locomotive. I missed a checkpoint, but I've disabled rewind, so I had to either restart of keep going hoping for the best. I kept going and miraculously, I  beat the train with only a few fractions of a second to spare.

My Fiat 124 Spider fights for first place against a Manx buggy.

I decided to buy a new car, and an old 1980 Fiat 124 Spider caught my eye. I drive a Fiat 500 in real life, so I have a soft spot for the Italian manufacturer. The 124 isn't a sports car or anything, it's a low power convertible meant for cruising. This meant that racing in it was really interesting because it's so slow. The starting grid was filled with weird, low power vehicles, including some incredible looking vehicles such as the 3 wheel Reliant and the little Manx dune buggy. While the racing was slow, it was still really enjoyable.

I found another barn too, which rewarded me with an old Toyota offroad truck and I won a nice Subaru Impreza from the 90's. I can't wait to get back into the game and race some more!

Overwatch

Date played: September 25th, 26th and 27th
Platform: PS4

Today's hero is Genji.

Role: Offense
Difficulty: ★★★
HP: 200
Armor: 0
Shields: 0
Total: 200

Favorite quote: "You Are Only Human"
Favorite map to play on: Volskaya Industries

Appearance

Genji is a cyborg ninja. He wears a mask at all times (except for a few special skins) and is Hanzo's brother. He wears a sort of exoskeleton that protects his body and gives him super-strength and speed. He carries three types of weapons. Some shurikens, a small blade, and a long blade.

Skills

• Shuriken: Thrown shurikens that deal good damage. Fired as a 3 round burst shot in a straight line. Alternate fire shoots out 3 shurikens instantly in a wider spread.
• Swift Strike: The ninja propels himself forward and slices anything in his path, dealing 50 damage. Can also be used to reach high ground or cross gaps.
• Deflect: This is Genji's signature ability, which allows him to deflect any incoming projectiles and shoot them back at his enemies.
• Cyber Agility: Due to his cybernetic body, Genji can double jump and wall climb.
• Ultimate - Dragonblade: Genji pulls out a katana and can rapidly slash at opponents for 120 damage per hit. This is active for 6 seconds.

Strengths

• Extremely fast and mobile. Genji can run loops around most heroes by combining double jumps, wall climbs, and swift strikes. This also makes him great at contesting a point.
• Fantastic counter to many heroes due to his deflect ability. 
• One of the best heroes to counter ultimates that use projectiles. Examples include Pharah, McCree, Zarya, Roadhog, Soldier 76, Hanzo, Bastion and even Mei. 
• When used at the right time, his ultimate can be devastating. For example, slicing at people while they are stunned from a Reinhardt Earthshatter, or frozen enemies from a Mei Blizzard.

Weaknesses

• Vulnerable to beam weapons like Symmetra's, Winston's or Zarya's. A well-timed Junkrat trap will cripple him too.
• Very difficult to play due to his high speed. Mistakes are costly.
• Requires excellent accuracy and his main weapon fires relatively slowly.
• Once his deflection is on cooldown, he is vulnerable to stuns, hooks, etc.

Comments

You know, if there's one hero I hate in Overwatch, it's fucking Genji. I don't know what it is about Genji players, but most of them seem to be imbeciles. It's not that he's a bad hero by any means. In the hands of a competent player, Genji can be a force to be reckoned with and can be a game changer. 

Personally, I think it has something to do with his character design. He's a cyborg ninja with a giant sword. That's really fucking cool. Unfortunately, a lot of kids and teenagers find that soooooo cool that they'll play Genji regardless of team composition. Shit, it's actually pretty damn rare to get into a match where there ISN'T a Genji, often even more than one. 

I really haven't played much with him, but I played two full games with him. He's powerful, but extremely difficult to use well. His deflection skill requires excellent timing AND aim to be effective. His shurikens hit relatively hard, but the timing on the 3 round burst is tricky. I didn't use him long enough to get used to his ultimate and I wasted it every time.  His mobility is amazing though. It was easy for me to stay out of range of enemy attacks and harass them.

Bottom line is, a good Genji is very useful to a team, but a bad Genji is a complete waste of a spot. I almost always prefer someone else on my team. Also, I don't see myself playing him again, I just didn't have much fun.

Worst enemy: Winston

Best teammate: Zarya
Most satisfying kill: Hanzo

Rating ★★

Forza Horizon 3

Date played: September 27th
Platform: Xbox One

Forza Horizon 3 is simply incredible.

I played a few hours of the full game last night and even though I'm really early in the progression, I can't help but feel that this game just might be a racing masterpiece. The game begins just like the demo, which I played recently. There's a quick introductory driving sequence in a Lamborghini Centenario, which then switched control to a high power racing truck. The Australian festival begins in earnest with an amazing race through the forest in a dune buggy, against a helicopter carrying an old Jeep.

For my first car, I chose a beefed up Nissan Sylvia with a wide body kit. After the first few events and a bit of messing around with settings, I was given another car, an SUV this time. I chose the Lamborghini Urus, which doesn't actually exist in real life yet. It's just a prototype, though it's expected to be sold next year. This car is fantastic... It's fast and fun to drive, and it looks completely insane. Shit, that fucking thing doesn't even have side mirrors, instead, it has little cameras!

My Nissan Sylvia zooms around on the beach

I also received a shit ton of cars (8?) as loyalty rewards, based on the fact that I've played a lot of Forza in the past. It was an eclectic, fun list of cars, including a breath-taking Ferrari 458, a nice BMW, a crazy off-road vehicle, a big pick-up truck, an Acura NSX and a few more. As I leveled up, I was also given a 70's Camaro.

There's a lot to this fucking game. Like, a lot. There are regular races, championships, bucket list challenges, speed traps, speed zones, drift zones, barn finds, head to head races, rival time trials, showcase events, secret boards to smash, danger zones and of course, online modes too! The music is even better than the previous game, with lots of variety, and even skill songs, that boost skill point generation while they're playing.

The graphics are fucking jaw-dropping. I just can't believe this thing is running on an Xbox One. There's so much detail to everything... The cars are glorious of course, with every little detail recreated with excruciating precision. But it's the environments that steal the show. The sun-drenched beaches of Byron Bay, the colorful streets of Surfer's Paradise, the sprawling agricultural fields of the country-side, the lush rainforest and of course, the iconic sands of the Australian outback.

Not only do these places look fantastic, they are also incredibly fun to drive. My Lamborghini Uros screaming through the suburban streets (and backyards...) of Byron Bay. My Ferrari 458 luxuriously, yet dangerously, sped through the ocean-side roads. My Nissan Sylvia bouncing through the wide fields. My Camaro roaring through city streets. Everything feels just right.

There's so much to do in this game, and it's just incredibly fun to simply drive around, I can't wait to get back into it.

Zen Pinball 2

Date played: September 28th
Platform: PS4

I messed around with Zen Pinball 2 again last night. I played a wide variety of tables. I went back to the Alien Isolation table and while it's still a bit complicated to me, and I have a really hard time starting missions in it, I beat my high score by a shit ton. I enjoyed it more than the first time I played it. I also replayed the Alien VS Predator table for a bit.

I then went back to some of the older tables I had. I played a few minutes on Sorcerer's Lair, a cool haunted house kind of table. I played a bit of the Boba Fett table also, but that didn't go that well. That table is extremely fast and very treacherous. I often got weird bounces that sunk my ball...

The Avengers are under attack from Loki!

Finally, I spent some time with the Avengers table, one of the coolest ones I own. I love it because there's a ball for each Avenger from the first movie, and each ball has different bonuses. For example, Hulk gets more points when hitting bumpers, while Captain America gets bonuses when doing combos. I love this table. 

Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island

Date played: September 25th
Platform: Xbox One

Last night, I played a few race events, one bucket list challenge, a couple of gauntlet events and the Horizon Finale!

I began with the bucket list challenge, a grueling time trial where I was forced into cockpit view in a Mini offroad SUV. In the rain and fog. Through a fucking forest. It took me several attempts to even find a route that made sense, and after that, lots of practice and refinement of the path. This was easily one of the most challenging events in the Storm Island expansion. Eventually, I turned on rewind to reduce frustration. Finally, I hit the route that would win me the event. I had to bolt through some dangerous vegetation flawlessly and drive like a fucking maniac to reach the end on time. It was incredibly satisfying to win.

The race events were very easy after all this, so I made my way through 3 Hot Hatch events, where I drove a simple but fun Ford Focus RS. Then I hopped into an Audi Quattro, an absolute beast in the Group B Monsters event. This was a ton of fun, the tracks were cool and the Audi is just so powerful.

The Audi Quattro is a pleasure to ride

Somewhere in there, I decided to buy a second Abarth 500 and tune it to the max to see how that would feel. It made for a very fast, very fun car, but it was a little too light and jumpy. I replaced the engine with something more powerful, put on an AWD drivetrain and put in every upgrade I could find. It was fun for a while, but it wasn't tuned right. Something felt off. Maybe the suspension needed to be softer or something.

I drove a few more gauntlet events, which are really just long races in the rain with some hardcore racing trucks. This unlocked the Horizon Finale, a massive, two lap race around the entirety of Storm Island. I drove my trusty Subaru Impreza WRX STi and won the event without much trouble. Forza Horizon 3 is coming out tomorrow, so this will likely be the last time I play this one.

Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island

Date played: September 24th
Platform: Xbox One

I love my 'Vette

I didn't play for very long, but it was enough to play a couple of races in my old Corvette and one gauntlet event. The Corvette isn't the fastest, but she handles pretty damn well, considering it's a muscle car. I struggled to keep up in one of the races because it was more focused on top speed, but I made first place in the end. The gauntlet event was a pretty long course in the rain in a little SUV. It wasn't very hard, but it was lots of fun. 

Zen Pinball 2

Date played: September 24th
Platform: PS4

I was kind of tired last night, and I wasn't doing too well in Overwatch, so I decided to buy a few new pinball tables in Zen Pinball 2. It's a good game to play for a few minutes and it doesn't require intense concentration.

I bought a pack of 3 new tables, all themed around the Alien film franchise. The first table I played was Alien: Isolation, based on the Sega video game. It's a really complex table because the alien is roaming around and attacks Ripley. Ripley has health and ammo that must be managed, and she must hide from the alien to avoid it's attacks. To do this, well, you play pinball. The table itself is well made, with many fun ramps and challenging shots. The animations are spectacular, with the alien literally crawling on the frame of the table, something that could never be done in the real world.

Alien: Isolation in pinball form

The second table I played is based on Aliens VS Predator. I think this one was my favorite because of the fluidity of the ramps. This is a fast table, but it's friendly, with many easy to hit ramps. I have to help the Predator fight the aliens by uncovering their hiding spots and hitting them with the ball. It's a simpler table, but I enjoyed it more than the Isolation table.

Finally, I played the third table, based on the Aliens movie. This is the most "classic" of the tables. It even has a bit of a retro feel because of the voice lines from the movies and the way the table is made. There's a bunch of missions here, based on the movie. I didn't actually get to do much in this one, but I definitely enjoyed what I played so far.

Overwatch

Date played: September 18th, 19th, 20th and 24th
Platform: PS4

Today's hero is Tracer.

Role: Offense
Difficulty: ★★
HP: 150
Armor: 0
Shields: 0
Total: 150

Favorite quote: "The world could always use more heroes."
Favorite map to play on: Hanamura

Appearance

Tracer is the poster child of Overwatch. She is prominently displayed in most of the promotional material for the game, and has been a central character in the short movies and trailers. She is a petite woman who wears some really tight pants and a cool aviator jacket. In the center of her chest lies a chronal accelerator, a device built by Winston that allows Tracer to manipulate time to some degree. She wields a pair of automatic pistols.

Skills

• Pulse Pistols: Two automatic pistols that fire rapidly and deal a lot of damage at close range. Interestingly, Tracer never actually reloads. Instead, she uses the chronal accelerator to revert the pistols to a time when they had full ammo.
• Blink: Tracer travels through space instantly, moving her a few meters in the direction she was moving. It has three charges that recharge automatically over time. Can be used to cross gaps.
• Recall: Tracer's signature ability. Allows her to travel back in time (maybe 4 or5 seconds). This returns her to her previous position but also restores health and ammo. The cooldown is long, at 12 seconds, but it's a very powerful ability.
• Ultimate - Pulse Bomb: Tracer drops a powerful bomb that deals up to 400 damage in a 3 meter radius. Adheres to any surface, including enemies.

Strengths

• Deals a lot of damage in a short time.
• Fast enough to flank, then retreat without dying in most cases.
• Very hard to hit because she moves quickly and has a small body.
• Can use alternate routes by using Blink.

Weaknesses

• Very vulnerable to stuns, like Junkrat's trap, McCree's flashbang and Roadhog's hook.
• Smallest health pool in the game. 
• Can be useless on certain maps against certain team compositions. For example, it's pretty rare that Tracer is useful on Payload defense.
• Her Ultimate is kind of difficult to pull off and isn't nearly as powerful as some of the other Ultimates in the game.

Comments

It took me some time before trying Tracer properly. She gets killed really quickly if not played correctly, so she seemed frustrating. However, as I gained experience with the game, I started to see how Tracer can be useful. She's fast sure, and yeah she's a good flanker, but I firmly believe that Tracer is at her best when she's close to her team.

This is because her damage output is amazing. When she flanks, she can get a hit or two on enemy healers or something, but then she'll have to retreat. This can work sometimes, and it's a useful tactic. However, I find her more effective when she's fighting along with her teammates because she is small and fast. The enemy will often focus on the tank or the healers, so that means I'm free to shoot at will without much risk of repercussion. 

I'm still trying to find a way to use her Ultimate correctly. It seems underpowered honestly. It works really well against Bastion, when I manage to flank him. It also works well against Reinhardt and Winston, but even then, it's not even strong enough to kill them. I still have to finish them off with a few pistol shots.

I love using Tracer when we need some extra damage and mobility. She's also just really fun to play, mostly because her guns are just awesome. 

Worst enemy: Roadhog

Best teammate: Reaper
Most satisfying kill: Reinhardt

Rating ★★★

Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island

Date played: September 18th
Platform: Xbox One

I feel the need. The need....for SPEED!

I think I've missed racing games.... a lot. I am way too excited for Forza Horizon 3 next week. Once again, I booted up Horizon 2's Storm Island expansion and completed a good number of events. I spent most of my time playing Bucket List events, most of which were pretty straight forward. The exception was a coast to coast time trial in a Ferrari F40...

The F40 is a very fast car, but it's meant to be driven on roads. Asphalt roads. This event had a very tight time limit, so I knew I had to take some dirt roads and go offroad a little bit. It took multiple attempts, maybe half a dozen, before I knew which route I wanted to use. Then, it took a few more attempts to be fast enough to make it on time. It was difficult but reasonable, and that made my victory very satisfying.

I completed a good number of events, using the classic 90's Subaru Impreza WRX, my Jurassic Park themed Jeep and my old school early 80's Corvette. Storm Island is exciting, dangerous and I can't wait to get Horizon 3 in my hands....

At one point, my 6 year old daughter came into the room. I asked her if she wanted to try. She smiled, said yes, and took the controller. She had the Impreza at first and I was really surprised at how well she was handling the car in general, considering it's her first time playing a real racing game. I think her many hours of Pokemon X have made her more comfortable with a joystick, and it showed when she drove.

Granted, she had many, many crashes, but those were also very entertaining because of her reactions. It's wonderful to see her play a game and have fun on her own. I helped her learn the controls, but after this, I gave her free reign to do as she pleases. Her two favorite things were crashing into shrubs and bushes to get points, and crashing into hay bales as hard as she could. At one point, I changed her car for the Fiat 500 because that's what I drive in real life. We had a blast making jokes about her crashing my little car everywhere.

My daughter's favorite car, a Lamborghini Huracan with a horrible paint job

Later, she tried a Ferrari 458 and this went about as bad as you could expect. She spun it around 4 or 5 times then asked for a car that is easier to handle. When I got to the car selection screen, she decided she wanted to drive the Lamborghini Huracan based on the fact that the livery I had on it was pink and had hearts.

Surprisingly, she had much better control of this car than the Ferrari, and she went fast! Seeing my daughter play a video game like this made me a very proud dad, I loved seeing her discover Forza.

Rocket League

Date played: September 18th
Platform: PS4

Overwatch wasn't connecting to it's servers for a while last night, and I really wanted to play some multiplayer, so I jumped back into Rocket League. I was surprised to see that they made some pretty major changes to the interface and how stuff works in general.

First, there are 4 new cars available for purchase. They all look very unique and cool... I almost bought them on the spot, but I don't play this game as much as before, so I resisted the urge. There's also a new system where players can trade in duplicate items for better items. Finally, there's a new map added to the regular rotation, Neo-Tokyo.

I score for the first time in Neo Tokyo

I played about 4 matches and did really well, considering I haven't played in a long time. I even got awarded MVP twice, so I must have been doing something right. I still missed way more shots than when I was playing daily, but I held my own.

Neo Tokyo is a fresh new take on the game. The map is contoured by a small ramp that leads to a narrow "second-level". The walls at the goal ends are also different, creating some brand new types of attack and defense. I did well here and enjoyed the new map quite a bit. To make it even better, the art surrounding the arena is gorgeous. It's very Japanese, very bright and full of neon lights. Even the announcer speaks in Japanese. It's wonderful.

Forza Horizon 2: Storm Island

Date played: September 17th
Platform: Xbox One

After playing the amazing demo for Forza Horizon 3, I really wanted to play more, so I booted up Forza Horizon 2's expansion, Storm Island, for a few races and events. This game is still as amazing as ever... It hasn't lost any of it's luster, 2 years after it's initial release.

I played a few events, starting with a destruction derby aboard a large, very powerful SUV. I had to smash a number of little billboards within a set amount of time. It wasn't too hard.

This event was nerve-wracking.

Next I played some events in a BMW SUV across some dangerous weather and rough terrain. The jumps were dangerous as fuck, with plenty of trees to halt my progress in an instant. I actually had to restart this one a few times. Finally, I played a few races in a 90's Subaru Impreza WRX. It was as glorious as it sounds...

I love Forza Horizon, I might play more of this before the third game comes out in a week or two. 

Overwatch

Date played: September 15th, 16th and 17th
Platform: PS4

Today's hero is Symmetra.

Role: Support
Difficulty: ★★
HP: 100
Armor: 0
Shields: 100
Total: 200

Favorite quote: "I don't think so."
Favorite map to play on: Volskaya Industries (defense)

Appearance

Symmetra's real name is Satya Vaswani. She is a young Indian woman with long, dark flowing hair. She also has hips to fucking die for... She wears a special, sleek visor and one of her arms is mechanical, or maybe it's a prosthesis. 

Skills

• Photon Projector primary fire: A very short range beam that latches onto an enemy. The trick is that it has 3 power levels. After dealing a certain amount of damage, the weapon increases it's power level. At level 1, it's very weak and can only kill the squishiest of squishies, like Tracer. At level 2, it can take on any 200 hp hero, but it's gonna be a fight. At level 3, it melts people faster than a snowman in July.
• Photon Projector secondary fire: Fires a large orb that passes through barriers and shields. The orb travels slowly and deals high damage.
• Photon Shield: Casts a 25 hp, regenerating shield on an ally that persists until death.
• Sentry turret: Small turret that can be placed on any surface. 6 can be active at one time, but there is a cooldown on placing down turrets. 
• Ultimate - Teleporter: Symmetra will place a portal exit that connects to the spawn room. It has 6 charges and can teleport any ally .

Strengths

• Symmetra's teleporter is her redeeming grace. If placed in a good, hidden location, it can turn the tide of battle in an instant.
• Her primary fire can be terrifying in the right circumstances, killing even tanks with ease.
• Her secondary fire is an amazing tool to defend chokepoints. 
• The sentry turrets can be a good scouting tool and can help the team in certain situations. 

Weaknesses

• Has no way to defend herself.
• Teleporter is easily found and destroyed.
• Photon Shield ability is nearly useless.
• Sentry Turrets are weak as shit.

Comments

I really, really love Symmetra. She looks cool, her abilities are unique and her weapon is more powerful than most people think. However, she's just not viable in most matches... It's really unfortunate because I love playing her, but it's usually a bad choice. Maybe it would be better if she had a heal of some sort. Maybe her turrets should be stronger (plus, they are weaker on console than on PC for some reason). Maybe her teleporter should be able to be recharged. Maybe she should have some sort of defensive move.

I still play her a few times, mostly on defense of the first point on assault maps. Her secondary fire can work wonders through a chokepoint, dealing heavy damage to anyone foolish enough to walk through it's path.

She can also be very surprisingly powerful on a few control maps. If she can get her little turrets inside the smaller control points, she can then move around like a spider with her beam melting people left and right. It's really tricky to do, but it can work.

I really wish Symmetra was more viable, but that'll take some work from Blizzard to make that happen.

Worst enemy: Winston

Best teammate: Reaper
Most satisfying kill: Zenyatta

Rating ★★

Pokemon Yellow

Date played: Various times this week
Platform: 3DS

I've been playing Pokemon Yellow on and off whenever I have a few minutes where I'm bored as fuck. Most of my team is now around level 25 and I'm making good progress. Most of my time was spent going through a dark cave. I even had to learn and use Flash to light up the place. This was easily the biggest dungeon yet.

I fought dozens of trainers and wild Pokemon down there. I had to retreat back to a Pokemon center multiple times to heal my Pokemon. I fought a lot of rock monsters like Geodude and Onyx, so my Sandshrew had a lot of fighting action, since he's powerful against those types. I've also used my Mankey quite a bit, to level him up.

The tower in Lavender Town is infested with Pokemon ghosts

I've reached another city now, Lavender Town. This place is basically a large Pokemon cemetery, but it seems like I'm missing an item to really make any progress here. I really like playing this game for a few minutes at a time, mindlessly fighting for experience. It's very relaxing. 

Overwatch

Date played: September 12th, 13th, and 14th
Platform: PS4

I've talked about every map in depth, so I figured, why not do the same thing with the heroes?  For every hero post, I'll list their role, difficulty (as per the game's rating), hit points, armor, shields and total health pool before going into detail. I'll also include my favorite quote from the hero. At then end, I'll also give the hero a rating out of 5. In order to do this properly, I will ensure I play at least one full match as the hero before I post about them.

Today's hero is Reinhardt.

Role: Tank
Difficulty: ★
HP: 300
Armor: 200
Shields: 0
Total: 500

Favorite quote: "Hahahahaha, I'm the ultimate crushing machine."
Favorite map to play on: Eichenwalde

Appearance

Reinhardt Wilhelm is a towering German man who dons a giant suit of armor and wields a rocket-powered hammer. He's fucking badass and he looks like it. His various skins are all really cool, though I have a preference for the new Eichenwalde inspired skins. 

Skills

• Rocket Hammer: Reinhardt swings his big hammer in a wide arc, hitting anyone within 5 meters of his field of view for 75 damage.
• Barrier Field: A huge shield with 2000 hit points. This is Reinhardt's defining ability. It projects a very wide, forward facing shield. He moves slower while he has it up and cannot see behind him without lowering the shield or turning around, exposing himself to enemy fire.
• Charge: Reinhardt charges at high speed in front of him. Deals 50 damage when hitting someone, and deals 300 damage if someone is pinned to a wall with it. Can be steered slightly.
• Fire Strike: Throws a flaming projectile that passes through shields, barriers, and enemies. Deals 100 damage. 
• Ultimate - Earthshatter: HAMMER DOWN! Reinhardt smashes his hammer on the ground, stunning anyone that stands in a cone in front of him for few seconds. Deals 50 damage.

Strengths

• Amazing at holding down an objective.
• Best shield in the game by far. It can protect teammates for a long period.
• Great at chokepoints. 
• Can break through enemy defenses with charge.
• Earthshatter can be combined with other Ultimates for devastating results.

Weaknesses

• Cannot deal a lot of damage on his own. Heavily reliant on team coordination.
• Very vulnerable to flankers.
• Requires a healer to sustain pressure.
• Vulnerable to weapons that pass through his barrier field.
• Has limited visibility when shield is up.

Comments

I love playing Reinhardt. Since the first day I've played this game, I've gravitated towards him. His presence on the battlefield is unmistakable. Reinhardt is always welcome on a team. He can be replaced with other tanks, but none do the job as well as he does, except maybe on Control maps.

There are a few things that are really important to do well with Reinhardt. Most important is positioning and map awareness. While Reinhardt is really easy to control, it's very difficult to be in the right place at the right time. I play him pretty aggressively, but my priority is always to protect my team, especially our healers.

I also see a lot of people playing him that don't use his fire strike nearly enough. It's powerful, it has a short cooldown and it's the best way to charge up his ultimate ability. I use it almost every time the cooldown is up.

As Reinhardt, I love to put pressure on the other team. You'll often see me marching towards the enemy team's front line with my barrier field up. I move forward until it's clear that I will die, then I turn back before it's too late. This helps my team push and pressure the enemy forces.

However, sometimes I know it's time to use a different hero when my team is scattered around and they don't use my shield. In those situations, it seems Zarya and Roadhog are a better choice. My sworn enemy is Tracer, who can move fast enough to avoid almost all my attacks and can kill me relatively easily if I'm not protected by the rest of my team. Mei's and Pharah's ultimates can also be a problem. Finally, a well placed Bastion can be hell for Reinhardt.

Reinhardt is my favorite hero to play, I've got more than 50 hours playing him... It's very satisfying to win as him because you just know you had a big impact on your team.

Worst enemy: Tracer

Best teammate: Soldier 76
Most satisfying kill: Genji

Rating ★★★★★

Forza Horizon 3 demo

Date played: September 12th
Platform: Xbox One

When I bought my Xbox One a couple of years ago, I bought it for two reasons; Sunset Overdrive and Forza Horizon 2. I was not disappointed. Now, Forza Horizon 3 is about to release and I couldn't be more excited! The game doesn't come out for another 2 weeks, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the demo was available and downloaded it right away.

Forza Horizon 3 is set in Australia, complete with a brand new festival, new cars, new races and of course, new tracks. I'm fucking loving this game already! I drove the Lamborghini Centenario on the beautiful roads of Australia. I hopped into a souped up 4X4, jumping and crashing through the countryside. I raced a motherfucking helicopter through the forest in a dune buggy!

The game looks amazing, runs great and is just plain old fun. As opposed to most other racing games, there's usually not a set path for races. This is a big open world, and the winner of the race will be the one that best takes advantage of cutting through rough terrain and at creating some shortcuts.

There are gigantic jumps, insane powerslides, beach racing and all of it feels amazing. I simply can't wait to get my hands on this game in a few weeks!

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Date played: September 11th
Platform: PS4

I finished Uncharted 4!

Naughty Dog has done it again, they've made yet another top quality game, one of the best in the business. Chapter 20, No Escape, follows Nathan and Elena as they climb, swing and jump their way through a ship graveyard. It seems that Avery sunk all of the ships on the island except his own. This would allow him to escape with the treasure without being followed.

The platforming was really cool as I swung from ship to ship with my grapple rope. Much of this chapter was combat, however. In fact, these were probably the most challenging firefights in the whole game. Enemies were heavily armed and had body armor and helmets. They even had RPG's and miniguns!

On the bright side, we found Sam along the way, who was also being attacked by the Shoreline mercenaries. The three of them grouped up and ran away by jumping through the shipwrecks. Nathan got left behind when some explosions tore up one of the ships. I had to swim to safety through the carcass of the old boat.

Nate was then ambushed by an APC that shot at him and chased him through the old streets of the little port town next to the shipyard. Once again, the game looked absolutely spectacular, as the armored truck left a wake of destruction behind itself. I reached a dead end but was miraculously saved by Sully who appeared out of nowhere with a rocket launcher!

Nate, Sully, Elena and Sam were finally reunited, and safe. They now knew that the treasure must be inside a nearby cove, where Avery had parked his ship. Thr group discussed their next step, and it was decided that they should just give up and go home while they were still alive. Sam was very reluctant to leave, but since he was the odd man out, he went along with the group's decision.

They headed towards Sully's plane, parked in the water just past the port town. However, the path Sully took to reach them was blocked, so we explored the town a bit to find different paths towards the marina. At one point, during another of the group's crazy stunts, Sam got left behind with no way to cross a chasm. His lust for treasure took over, and he left the group to go find Avery's loot!

They situation put Elena and Sully in a position where they couldn't do anything, but Nate could. He went after his brother, as expected. Chapter 21, Brother's Keeper, was all about Nate chasing down his sibling through the cliffs near the port down, leading to the cove where Avery's ship is parked. This was some of the best platforming in the game, with long jumps, big swings and tons of close calls.

When I reached the innards of the cove, I saw Sam rushing to the ship in a little speed boat. I also saw Nadine and Rafe chilling out nearby. Rafe wanted to go after Sam and take him down, while also getting the treasure. Nadine wasn't willing to cooperate, however. All her men have been killed and she thought they had picked up enough treasure outside the ship itself to just leave. She was also worried about Avery having booby-trapped the ship. Rafe disagreed and had already convinced her few remaining soldiers to side with him, so he forced her hand.

An explosion on the ship captured everyone's attention, culminating in a big faceoff on the ship, which was now burning. Sam had triggered a trap and was stuck under a large beam. Nathan rushed to the ship to save his brother. Rafe and Nadine were also on the ship at this point, so the inevitable confrontation finally took place.

Surprisingly, Nadine actually betrayed Rafe during the conversation. She stole his gun and ran away, leaving the three men to die on the burning ship. In a great scene, Nate and Rafe had a motherfucking sword fight amidst the burning wreckage of the vessel! I had to parry left and right to avoid Rafe's sword strikes. I struggled a bit with this because the timing was pretty unforgiving, and it was sometimes difficult to judge which side I had to defend.

Nate and Rafe duel aboard Avery's burning ship

Eventually, Nathan Drake was victorious. He cut a nearby rope, which dropped a large suspended net of loot right on top of Rafe, killing him instantly. He then freed his brother and they swam away to safety, leaving the burning wreck of Avery's ship behind, along with the treasure. They met up with Elena and Sully and flew away from the island, leaving the treasure behind, which was now buried under fallen rock.

That's pretty much how the story wraps up, but there also a meaty epilogue set about a dozen years after the events of Uncharted 4. I don't want to spoil it here, because honestly, it's one of the best endings to a series I've ever seen in video games. There's humor, there are fun easter eggs, there are new characters and lots of smiles and happiness all around.

Uncharted 4 is a masterpiece. The gameplay is amazing, the acting is unsurpassed, the graphics are breathtaking, the environments are interesting and the action is spectacular. I just can't wait to see what is next for Naughty Dog!

Overwatch

Date played: September 9th,10th and 11th
Platform: PS4

I had so much fun with Overwatch this weekend! Mainly, it's because two of my brothers came over on Saturday. They each brought a PS4 and a TV and we played together until the middle of the night! It was really incredible. We had great communication, and we did really well overall. We played a lot of Eichenwalde, but also some Quick Play.

I spent a lot of time with Reinhardt, Zenyatta, Roadhog, Bastion and a little bit of Tracer. I'm really starting to like Bastion a lot more than before. People expect him to stay in the same spot, as most players are pretty shitty with him. However, I move around all the time with him. I get one or two kills in sentry mode, then I move to another spot to surprise the enemy. I use some unconventional locations too. I don't love playing him, but sometimes, the team just needs a big gun.

So I've been talking in depth about all the maps in the game, and I've finally reached the end. Today, I'll talk about Lijiang Tower, a Control map. Set in China, there are three different maps here; Night Market, Garden, and Control Center.

Lijiang Tower: Night Market

Night Market is the most recognizable of the three because it favors heroes who can do environmental kills, like Lucio, Winston, Pharah and D.Va. Even Roadhog can get in on the action. The control point is enclosed and can be reached by 2 routes. There's a front entrance where the two teams will meet before reaching the point. Then there's a back/side entrance that stands next to the side of the building, which is ripe for environmental kills. I really like using Zarya, Winston, Roadhog and Lucio on this map.

Lijiang Tower: Garden

Garden is somewhat similar, but the control point is in the center of the map. There are only two real entrances to the point, both of which can be used by either team, so battles often break out just outside of the point. There is a high window that can be used by Reaper, D.Va and Pharah, sometimes even with Winston, but it's really tricky because there's a bottomless pit between the sides of the control point's walls and the main path. On the point itself, there is a large pillar that can act as cover. I love playing Reinhardt, Zenyatta, Tracer, Zarya and Lucio on this map.

Lijiang Tower: Control Center

Control Center is very different from the other two maps because it is very claustrophobic. As you can see in the image above, the odd design of the map makes things more interesting. There's really only two corridors, one for each team, that leads directly to the point. There are a few side paths, but honestly, most people use the main path. This means giant, hectic battles directly on point, usually without lulls in the action.

There is one side path that is important. Following a few corridors and stairs, players can find their way to a ledge just above the point. This place is fucking perfect for Reaper's ultimate, as he can drop down on the point without warning. McCree, Pharah, Hanzo and Junkrat also do well up there. There's also a large pillar that stands in the middle of the point, similar to Garden. I love to play Reinhardt on this map, since there's usually a separation between the two teams, making his shield more effective. I also enjoy Lucio, Mercy and Zarya here. Finally, when there's people that need to be pushed around, I use Winston.

Unravel demo

Date played: September 11th
Platform: PS4

When I first saw footage of Unravel, I was sold. This is a 2D puzzle platformer starring Yarnie, a little red creature who is made of yarn. He uses yarn from his body to create tools. Bridges, trampolines, a rappel, knots and tons of other little stuff.

When the game came out, the reviews were really rough, so I lost interest. Turns out, that was a mistake because I really loved every moment of this short demo. The visuals are outstanding. They really are something special, with amazing attention to detail. The fact that Yarnie is very small helps because everything around him is huge. Apple trees, a tricycle, a home, a sandbox, etc.

The puzzles were simple but satisfying. I created little bridges to carry apples, I swung my yarn to reach new areas and I rappelled down some steep ledges. Yarnie has a maximum distance he can travel because with every step he takes, he unravels a little bit. I have to find yarn sources to knit myself back together to move forward. It's a really interesting game with a unique art style, so I might play it if it comes on sale or something. 

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens demo

Date played: September 11th
Platform: PS4

Well, this is another Lego game, and it feels just like the other dozen Lego games. To be fair, there are a few cool segments. For example, I shot down some TIE fighters by using a large turret. I got into cover and shot Stormtroopers as if this was a kid's version of Gears of War. I flew the Millenium Falcon on the surface of Jakku, just like in the movie.

As usual, the humor is what makes this game enjoyable, because the gameplay itself isn't very interesting. Kylo Ren is portrayed as a teenager who idolizes Darth Vader. He's got a ton of Vader merchandise in his room, such as lamps, posters, and toys. Another great moment is when I shot a Stormtrooper who was sunbathing... with his helmet on.

I liked what I played of Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but I would get bored of it too quickly. Maybe if I had someone else to play it with it could be different.

DOOM demo

Date played: September 11th
Platform: PS4

I've had my eye on this game for a while, as it received great reviews when it came out earlier this year. I've played the first two Doom games, like anyone my age who had any interest in PC gaming back in the 90's. I loved them of course, they were amazing, violent, unique and they were the pioneers of first-person shooters.

DOOM (2016) is a brand new game that attempts to recreate the feeling of playing the original Doom games. The demo was short, but it had shotguns, fireball throwing imps, demons and lots and lots of violence.

The game has beautiful graphics. Everything is highly detailed and the lighting is really good. Combat is simple but satisfying. The pistol is weak, but the shotgun is incredible fun to use. The key mechanic that makes the game is how the stun works. When enemies are shot a few times, they'll stagger a little bit and glow blue or orange. When I get close, I can initiate a melee attack to trigger an absurdly violent animation where I dismember the hell spawn demons.

This works because it forces the player to be very aggressive and "get in there". To make this even more fun, there's no reloading in the game, so the action is fast, furious and violent. I definitely loved what I played, if I were able to get this game for cheap, I would buy it in an instant. 

Pokemon Yellow

Date played: September 7th and 8th
Platform: 3DS

I made some serious progress in Pokemon Yellow. After going through many routes, caves, and forests, I reached Vermilion city, home of the third gym. It's also a port city, where the large cruise ship, S.S. Anne, is currently docked.

I picked up a bunch of new stuff along the way. I now have a bicycle, which lets me move around much faster on the main world screen. I also have the fishing rod, which can be used to fish water-based Pokemon anywhere there's water. I used it to catch a level 5 Magikarp, the most useless Pokemon in the game. This thing literally has one ability, Splash, which does nothing. Absolutely nothing. So why did I catch him? Well, at level 20, he turns into Gyrados, one of the most powerful water Pokemon!

Before taking on the city's gym, I had to get onto the S.S. Anne to beat every trainer and reach the captain. After a lot of grinding here, I made it to the end and received HS Cut from the captain, which lets one of my Pokemon cut small bushes in the main world screen. I was then able to take on the gym, which is lightning based. My Sandshrew did most of the work here, as he's a ground type.

My team is making good progress. My Pikachu is level 24. My Charmander evolved to Charmeleon. My Sandshrew evolved to a Sandslash. Mankey and Butterfree are still doing their thing. And of course, I have Gyrados who is another major part of my team. 

Overwatch

Date played: September 6th, 7th and 8th
Platform: PS4 + PC

Lately, I've been playing a lot of Eichenwalde, but that doesn't mean I haven't played the other modes. I played a bit of Quick Play and a few competitive placement matches. I actually ended up trying Bastion while defending on Eichenwalde and... I was really good with him.

To be fair, that map is really good for Bastion because there are many choke points with long range sight lines. I don't really enjoy playing him, his style is kind of boring, but he can be very useful. I even got Play of the Game a couple of times with him.

Enough about that, though, it's time that I talked in depth about Numbani, a hybrid map. The attackers begin inside an airport terminal in the city of Numbani, a fictional metropolis that straddles the border of Ghana and Nigeria. A snaking street leads to the payload point. There are few flanking opportunities in the opening section, so most defending teams end up staying on point instead of trying to hold the line further ahead.

Just before getting to the point, there are 4 paths that can lead to the objective, though they only provide two real attack lines. One from the front, one from one side. The frontal attack makes heroes like Reinhardt, Zarya, McCree, Zenyatta and Soldier 76 shine. The side route benefits heroes like Roadhog, Mei, Junkrat, Genji, Reaper and Tracer.

Near the point, there are many catwalks, making Widowmaker, Bastion, Torbjorn and Hanzo great defense choices. There's also a side door for the defenders to reach the point without using the main route. Once the payload gets moving, things get more interesting.

The first checkpoint is usually really easy to reach since it's not too far from the first point, and the defenders spawn pretty far away. There's a large building that people like to use as a shortcut or even as a defensive position for characters like Junkrat and Pharah. The main road is a bitch here too, with long range heroes having the advantage.

The final portion of the map is rough, but isn't nearly as difficult as most other hybrid maps. Here, there are many side routes and hiding spots for defenders to set up. Mei and Bastion can cause major issues for the attackers when they are on the defending side. There's often giant melees here, with ultimates flying everywhere and bodies hitting the floor quickly.

Numbani is a very pretty map, and it's one of the most straightforward layouts in the game. It's still a really fun map.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Date played: September 5th
Platform: PS4

I played a little bit of Uncharted 4 last night and completed chapters 18 and 19. Chapter 18, New Devon, was all about getting Nathan and Elena through the ruins of the pirate city. This place looked absolutely incredible, with highly detailed vistas and tons of attention to detail. This game is fucking beautiful...

New Devon featured a whole bunch of climbing, jumping, solving simple puzzles and a couple of big battles. I was rusty in combat, as it's been a while since I played this, but I managed pretty well. Nate and Elena have amazing chemistry together, so their banter while climbing, and exploring was very enjoyable. There were also a few underwater swimming sections, which are a lot more fun than you would expect. The swimming controls are very good.

We eventually reached the only house that was intact, a giant, lavish mansion filled with valuables. The couple discovered that pirates Avery and Tew had conspired together to murder all the other founding pirates by poisoning some wine... This was a great scene, as Nate and Elena try to recount the events of the fateful night. They also found Sam's Zippo lighter, so they knew they were on the right track, and that he was still alive.

The dead pirate founders of Libertalia and New Devon

Further clues indicated that eventually, Avery even betrayed Tew, and hid the remaining treasure in a cave deep below his home that led to some old docks. Chapter 19, Avery's Descent, begins. The caves are very dark and extremely dangerous. There was some great lighting at work here as Nate first used his flashlight, then later Elena used matches to light some torches.

The caves were kind of a little maze, with multiple cave-ins and terrifyingly, exploding mummies. It seems Avery loved to mummify the people who betrayed him... There was a really great puzzle here, where I had to walk on a booby-trapped platform, using some notes and drawings to figure out where I could safely step. It was really cool.

There was a small fighting section here, against some of Nadine's mercenaries.  It was pretty short though, then we escaped the caves when more mummies exploded. The couple landed in some water nearby and had a great little love moment together. At one point, they kissed. Now it may seem ridiculous that I would mention it, but the way Elena's nose moved when she kissed him is something I've never seen in a video game. The attention to detail in Uncharted 4 is mind-boggling, and it adds a lot to the experience.

I'm definitely nearing the end of the game here, so I can't wait to see how it wraps up.

Pokemon Yellow

Date played: September 4th and 5th
Platform: 3DS

I've been playing Pokemon Yellow on and off when hanging out with my daughter, who is playing Pokemon X. It's fun because she knows most of the moves and Pokemon now, so sometimes, we compare our games and teams. She says my game is ugly, but she likes that Pikachu follows me around.

I made my way through Mt. Moon and reached Cerulean city, home of the second gym. If there's one thing that stands out about this game, is how fucking slow it is. There is a lot of grinding experience required to succeed. My Pikachu is still one of my strongest Pokemon. Butterfree, Mankey, Sandshrew, Clefairy and Charmander round out the rest of my team.

Charmander has joined my team

The gym itself was rather difficult, but I think I was under leveled for it. It's water gym, where I fought a powerful Goldeen, Staryu and Starmie. I barely won.... After this, I started going through the next route, but it's pretty slow. I like that about the game because I can play it very mindlessly most of the time, just grinding experience. 

Overwatch

Date played: September 2nd, 4th and 5th
Platform: PS4

There have been some major changes to Overwatch with the latest patch. Genji's ultimate and double jump were nerfed. Mei's ultimate has even more range. Mercy's healing beam is stronger. Zenyatta's Orb of Discord was nerfed. D.Va's defense Matrix was slightly nerfed. Hanzo's arrow speed was buffed. Lucio's speed boost was slowed down. Basically, tons of stuff was tweaked and adjusted, and so far, it's been great. There are also some new emotes and Reinhardt has 2 new skins. I bought one of them, and it looks amazing.

However, the biggest news in this patch is the new map, Eichenwalde. The map is set in a small town in Germany that is towered by a giant castle. The environment is visually gorgeous, with cobblestone streets, cool little houses and shops, a huge stone bridge and a giant castle. This is a hybrid payload map, where the attacking team must capture the payload, a huge battering ram, then move it all the way to the throne room in the castle. They battering ram is even used to knock down the castle's large front doors, and it looks awesome!

Eichenwalde

The attackers begin in a brewery, which opens into the streets of Eichenwalde. There's a big choke point early on. It's kind of a gate with room above it for characters with high mobility. The fighting here is always very intense. There are long sight lines, making characters like Widowmaker, Hanzo, Ana and Zenyatta very powerful here. Reinhardt is also an excellent choice on both attack and defense, since his shield is crucial when trying to pass the choke point. There are two side paths to the choke point, but honestly, they aren't that useful.

The first point is just beyond that, though it's hidden from sight due to a building that stands between the gate and the payload. This is a place where fast characters do well, like Genji, Tracer, Winston and even Junkrat, since he can attack from cover. Roadhog does rather well too. Speaking of which, I've been getting better and better with Zenyatta, Roadhog and Tracer. My heart still belongs to Reinhardt, but I like having more heroes being available to me.

On the point, there are three places where defenders can enter. There's a balcony inside a small building, which is often occupied my McCree, Reaper, Ana, Hanzo or Mercy. There's another high ground position nearby, great for Bastion and Torbjorn. Finally, there's a hallway where the tanks and offensive characters run through.

Once the first point is captured, the long trek to the castle begins for the attackers. The payload exits the village and stands before a large gatehouse, with ramparts all around. There's a lot of vertical fighting here, with Pharah being one of the stronger heroes in this section. It's nuts how many routes there are in this area. Good offensive players can easily flank and disrupt defensive lines in this segment. Junkrat is particularly dangerous here.

The ramparts above the payload's path are used by many heroes to have a nice aerial view of the battlefield. Right after that is a big fucking bridge, a very dangerous bridge. People get knocked off that damn thing all the time. Shit, I jumped off of it multiple times with Winston, and fell off with a few other characters.

The bridge is usually host to a big battle. It's a tough push because there just isn't much room near the payload, making big tanks like Reinhardt, Roadhog and D.Va absolutely crucial. Once past the bridge, the payload reaches a checkpoint and destroys the castle's giant doors.

The final portion of the map is insane, with intense fighting from both sides. The interior of the castle is a pretty small space, though there are a couple of side routes here. This is where people pop all their ultimates and the difference between victory and defeat can lie in a single kill. At the very end of the payload's path lies an iconic statue of Reinhardt's former master.

Eichenwalde is an amazing map, probably the best in the game at this point. If Blizzard can put out new maps of this quality on a regular basis, I'll be playing Overwatch for a very long time.