Edge of Insanity: gaming

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Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition for Switch (SPOILERS)

Thanks to Red Hook Games for the partnership. All thoughts/opinions belong ro the reviewer. Your experience may differ. This post contains affiliate links.

(Once again, much thanks to Leigh for the review!)

For those who don't already know SPOILER ALERT! Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about Darkest Dungeon. For this review I'm going to break it down into three different categories: Graphics, Storyline, and Gameplay.

Graphics

Now as far as graphics go, you can definitely see the detail the designers put into the game, from the way the characters are unique in every class to the town which goes from dawn to dusk. While as for my self, I prefer a smoother 3D texture for my games, this does not at all take away from Darkest Dungeon.

If you can get totally immersed into games like I do, then the sounds and visual effects make the game very eerie and suspenseful. They can make you feel like you are surrounded in this dark atmosphere and using your torches is not only to make the fights easier but also relieves some of the pressure. When you use your abilities or get attacked, you feel every curse, strike and shot from enemies. But also you feel the relief from your buffs and heals. For these reasons I give the graphics a 4.2 out of 5.

Storyline

As far as storyline, it is as eerie and as dark as I can get out. I mean the first part of storyline that you ever hear is an old man telling you his tale and then committing suicide. Now I like to have a storyline that has its ups and downs to keep you interested in wanting to find the rest of it but for me, the progression is a little too slow. It gets you hooked in real quick and then kind of lingers on and it's quite some time before finding out more but when it does it again, it pulls you into the story and makes you want to continue. For this I give the storyline a 3.3 out of 5.

Gameplay

The game play, however, if you like difficult games that are very challenging and don't make it too easy for you to progress, this is the perfect game for you. Although I don't like the fact that I have to have several upon several different champions just to be able to play another mission, this is another part of the game that what makes it so intriguing.

While you can upgrade your Caravan in order to get better Heroes that start at higher levels, it's hard to upgrade because you have to run so many different missions just to get the items you need to upgrade it and that goes along with anything else in this town, which again, makes it challenging and that I like.

Each dungeon is very unique in its own way. The progression through the dungeon makes it even more interesting for you have to look for traps, which can be challenging, and you have to keep torches lit in order to see the traps and to make your fights a little easier; and by easier I mean you may surprise monsters when you fight them to make it easier to fight them but if you run out of torches, they may spot you first and get the first strike. But the positive side of doing that and letting that happen is that you get better Rewards.

Now the leveling system in which your characters level up is really a bit slow. I can play six to seven Dungeons and my characters will only be level 2. As far as using spells and abilities, they were great for me, some very weak but I know as it progressed, the spells got stronger and more useful. The fact that you get to upgrade everything in the town made it that more intriguing to keep doing dungeons, but in order to do that you have to have a lot of people because they can start losing health and when they do that you have to put them into a place like the bar or brothel or the cathedral so they can pray in order to relieve the stress that's put on them and heal up but again, that makes the game even more enticing. And based on this I would give the game play a 4.7 out of 5.

I recommend this game for anybody who likes the gruesome, the dangerous, and the eerie. However I would not recommend it for children for obvious reasons. I believe this game was well made well-planned and brilliantly designed and I think it would be a must have for RPG players.

FYI: Darkest Dungeon is digitally available for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. A physical edition for both consoles will be available in March. The physical copy, Darkest Dungeon: Ancestral Edition will include The Crimson Court and Shieldbreaker expansions. (Keep an eye out here for more updates on the physical releases!)

If you're wanting to purchase Darkest Dungeon on PlayStation Network or Nintendo eShop (prices may vary), you can pick up gift cards at the following retailers:

GameStop PlayStation Network Nintendo eShop
Walmart PlayStation Network Nintendo eShop
Best Buy PlayStation Network Nintendo eShop

Gamers get a competitive edge by using #TurtleBeach Elite PRO PC Headsets

Thanks to Turtle Beach for the partnership. All thoughts/opinions belong to the reviewer. Your experience may differ.

(Thanks to Leigh, our resident gamer, for the review!)

I have been a gamer for many years and have played on multiple platforms and have playes multiple genres of games. But I have always wondered what could I do to improve my play style.

Of course I've heard numerous ways to improve one thing or another in a game but it usually comes down to the gear you use to play - a custom or advanced keyboard can help you prioritize skills, abilities, and weapons better than a normal keyboard, while a custom mouse could also help you with reaction times, aiming, and spell or skill set manipulation through macros.

Although I have tried many keyboards and mice to find a set that works better with my play style, I always seem to be lacking in some aspect. I never knew how much sound quality could affect how well or poorly you do in a game until I was able to use the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Professional Surround Sound PC Gaming Headset.

I have used many different brands of headsets and mics and each one seems to be the same. They all seem to put out good sound quality and comfortability and clarity when it comes to talking with your team... Or so I thought. I never knew how wrong I was.

COMFORT & SOUND
After using the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Headset, not only did I immediately notice how comfortable they were and how they had adequate ventilation for your head and ears, but I also noticed that the sound quality was unrivaled in its ability to pick up every single audio detail.

We all know thar when playing games, the quality of each game has improved over the years to where even the slightest sounds from reloading a gun to a tip toe are in each game, but what I noticed is on most headsets is that those sounds are so faint of a sound, you can barely notice them.

After using the Turtle Beach Elite Pro, I could hear every subtle detail in sound that I've never heard before, or at least not clearly. I played several rounds of Call of Duty and noticed that my KDA had improved tremendously compared to other games before using it. I was able to hear the small reloading sounds from behind a wall or someone trying to crouch and sneak behind me; therefore it decreased my reaction time and I was able to dodge and move out of the way or kill someone I normally wouldn't have heard before.

MIC
As for the mic on the Turtle Beach Elite Pro, my teammates and friends could tell me how much better of a quality of sound was coming from my end and how they could hear more clearly what I was saying to them in terms of strategy or any other situation you may need it for.

OVERVIEW
If you are one of those people who always wonder why it seemed like other players had a bigger edge over you in a game, there is a good possibility they are using a high quality headset like the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Surround Sound PC Headset. I would recommend anyone who wishes to just improve their game or even if they plan to become pro to purchase the Turtle Beach Elite Pro. Watch your score skyrocket.

SPECS

What's in the box: Headset, removable microphone attachment, 3m PC USB Amplifier Cable with In-line Controls, 1.3m Console 3.5mm Audio Cable with In-line Controls, Quick Start Guide (a full user manual is available for download)
Audio: USB For Windows PCs / 3.5mm Jack for PlayStation 4 Pro/PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Mobile/Tablet
ProSpecs Glasses Relief System
Superhuman Hearing
Unidirectional Gaming Microphone

You can purchase the Turtle Elite Pro Surround Sound PC Gaming Headset for $199.95.

An Early Access Look at Tanzia

Thanks to Aracnity, Inc. for the partnership. All thoughts/opinions belong to the reviewer. Your experience may differ.

Tanzia is an old-style RPG set in a 3D open world currently being developed by Arcanity, Inc.

Arcanity Inc.'s first title, Tanzia is currently available in beta testing on Steam and Leigh, who recently reviewed Guardians Of Ember, got a chance to play and test out what is available in the game (which is still being developed).

(Much thanks to Leigh for the review!)

Tanzia happens to be one of my favorite genres of games RPG. Although it is an RPG and single-player, it gives you the feel of an MMORPG. The concepts and controls of the game are unique for a single-player RPG, because unlike other RPG’s where you either have a turn based fighting system or a hack and slash fighting style, you have a 10 slot spell bar and complete freedom of movement. Although your character has a staff to do melee combat with, the game does flow around a spell casters play set, at least until you unlock the ability to turn into a bear.

Storyline

As far as the storyline goes I am still trying to finish it because the game is still unfinished and the storyline is not complete, but the storyline as of now seems to be a good one so I am really anxious to see what happens next. The story so far is a narrative one - it is filled excitement, it keeps you hooked, and gives you the want to play on so you can hear more of it.

Gameplay

As far as the gameplay, I find it challenging and very enticing for you to explore and want to find out all you can about the areas and what things you may discover. Each new area has a lot to explore and some things are easy to miss if you don’t go looking for it.

Even the quests help you learn how to play a MMORPG in a single-player environment. They even have a tutorial quest to teach you how to “kite” enemies to where you can take them down without receiving damage. In regards to the quests I only have this to say: I wish they either used the MMORPG style where quest givers had something saying they have a quest for you or you are ready to turn in a quest such as a Gold or blue exclamation point or had name plates above the NPC’s head so you can find who it tells you to find in the quest just so you don’t have to run around talking to everyone just to find who you need.

With the spell list I think it’s perfect; I just don’t know how to level up the individual spells to level 2 or higher, but that could be because ether it is not currently implemented or I just missed something.

Controls & Graphics

The controls are originally set up in MMORPG style but for me that was way too difficult to play because there is no auto attack like in most MMORPGs so you have to hit “1” a lot just to use physical attacks and with all the “kiting” needed it makes it difficult to do so and get a good spell rotation done, so because of these difficulties I decided to use a controller for the game which made it a little easier on the handling.

The graphics are amazing for the comic book style they chose for the game. The storyline is told comic book style with no real CGI animation scenes but with this game, I like it.

Overall

Overall I would give the game a 4 out of 5 and the only reason that is, is because I hate waiting to finish storylines but I am confident that once it is complete, it would be 5’s across the board and I can’t wait to see what the developers do next.

Tanzia is currently in beta testing on Steam for $14.99. Developers are looking for feedback on quests and gameplay.

How Quinn & the Quips are getting girls excited about technology.

With technology becoming more and more popular, trying to find a way to reach a much younger generation excited about technology can be difficult.

The people at Blue Socks Media have come up with a great idea - create an animated TV series and game called Quinn & the Quips, which centers around the 11-year-old game developer and technology-savvy Quinn, who has to keep her emoji-like character called Quips, who have escaped from her latest game and are causing chaos in her life and relationships, quiet from an overly-competitive classmate.

The Quips

Quinn & the Quips shows that science and technology can be cool - encouraging girls to be excited about a field where they may be afraid to show interest or experiment with.

To learn more about this awesome project, meet the characters, and help them create the pilot, head on over to the Kickstarter page. Every bit helps, especially when it comes to a project that could impact so many girls and a field a lot of women aren't represented.

We had the chance to sit down and ask writer and producer Alex Anderson a few questions about Quinn & the Quip:

Edge Of Insanity: Quinn is obviously tech-savvy. Where did the inspiration to create Quinn come from?
Alex Anderson: I’ve always loved games. I grew up playing NES (still have it, still mostly works) and turned to computer games as soon as my family acquired a desktop computer (& massive tower) with Windows 95. Games are interactive & the media we watch is becoming more & more interactive so I wanted to create a character that could translate to both and could cater to many possibilities of combining games, “traditional” story, and virtual reality (which is what I’d love to do eventually).

EOI: What's the story behind the Quips?
AA: I’ve always been a fan of physical comedy, bright colors, simple design, and magic…combining all of that, the Quips just naturally happened. In the show, the Quips are characters in Quinn’s latest game that continuously escape from her tablet and cause some havoc in her life, especially since she must keep them a secret from her frenemy, Ben. How do they escape, you ask? I can’t tell you yet. Couldn’t she just delete them? She could…but they also turn out to be very helpful in certain ways and they each have a personality & feelings.

EOI: In the QQ Game, what can we expect to see?
AA: We are in the pre-development stage of the game. It could change if we end up working with a gaming company and they have a better, crazy-super-cool idea. As of right now though, we are planning a multi-level app game where players will create avatars or choose to play as a character from the show. The avatar will be responsible for finding, catching, and keeping the Quips out of Ben’s (the antagonist) hands [and possibly while also maintaining her grades & her social life].

EOI: What are you hoping children, and parents, will take away from Quinn & The Quips?
AA: I’m hoping they will laugh together, relate to the characters, take away positive social values, and a new perspective or interest in technology and how we relate to it.

EOI: Any advice for young girls who are showing interesting in technology, science, or creating games?
AA: Don’t be afraid to experiment! Maybe do that with parental guidance or a teacher…especially if there are chemicals (or the internet) involved, but explore your imagination. You have one for a reason. And don’t be afraid to stand out or be different than your peers. Having different opinions and interests is part of what makes you unique. That might be frustrating or seem uncool if you feel you don’t “fit in” when you’re younger, but keep playing! Your interests could turn into cool, fun, & fulfilling careers or hobbies someday!

As a girl who showed an early interest in technology and gaming, Quinn & the Quips is groundbreaking as it shows that even girls can have a love of technology and games without being afraid to show it.