We Love FREE Games! Don't You?

We Love FREE Games! Don't You?

If you aren't following us on Facebook, then perhaps you haven't read up on our most recent situation in the Mom 'N Pop Co-Op household. Let me, Mom, fill you in on the lovely episode that happened...

Our son, not even two years old yet, somehow managed to delete and reformat our entire Wii U system.He was only alone for a few minutes and by some evil miracle worked his way through multiple confirmation screens to wreak havoc on our day and life. 

Good bye Zelda progress.

Goodbye happiness.

It's okay though because Mom 'N Pop have plenty of other things to play in the meantime while we catch up with our Wii U titles. 

So we decided to play a game that will be free for Playstation Plus members this month called Transistor. To start, since we can't download it for free yet, we decided to play our PC copy. Let me tell you, this game is amazing. It is by the creators of Bastion, which is known for its artistic and musical prowess. 

Transistor is no different when it comes to a beautifully crafted game. Mixing strategy with hack & slash, it is no wonder why this game is so attractive.

Check out our first video in the series and if you want to see us play more once we get it through Plus, subscribe to our channel and like us on Facebook!

Social Media Pages:

Facebook

YouTube

Tumblr

Twitter

Pinterest

Read More

The Reset Button - First-Person GTA? It's coming. And it's glorious.

First-Person GTA? It's coming. And it's glorious.

First and foremost, I apologize for the consecutive GTA-related posts. But this is my time and I'll write about what I want, dang it. GTA is honestly the cash-cow of the video game industry not named Call of Duty, so it's only fitting I write about it more than 3 times every other month.

Coming out on November 18th for PS4 and Xbox One and January 27th for PC, GTA V is going to rule yet another holiday season. And if you weren't excited about the technical tweaks and upgrades, this week Rockstar revealed a new feature never see in a console release of GTA.

A first-person perspective.

Thanks to the PC modding community, this feature has been featured in past GTA titles. The success of it on PC made Rockstar finally include it on the "remaster" for PS4 and Xbox One. Unfortunately for those last-generation console users, this feature is not going to be released for PS3 and Xbox 360. No patch, no upgrade, no nothing.

It's the price you pay for not getting with the times, I suppose. Or they just don't want to waste their time working on a patch for a game they've already sold. Yeah, that's probably it.

Want to see more about this awesome feature that has me super-hyped for a game I've already beaten? Check out the video below.



Yeah, that video pretty much sums up how awesome a first-person view can be in a game like Grand Theft Auto. Not only has Rockstar added full cockpit views to the vehicles, boats, and aircraft, all the gauges function. It's insanity, folks. Pure, unadulterated insanity.

So there you have it. By just adding another camera view, Rockstar has added even more hype to a GTA game that's already been on the market for over a year on other systems. There is no question this game is going to dominate the holiday for a second consecutive year. I've already preordered my digital copy for PS4 so it's all loaded and ready to go on November 18th without having to stop at a store.

Are you picking up GTA V on Xbox One or PS4? Going to wait for the PC version? If not, what's wrong with you? Go out and get this game November 18th. Experience one of the best games ever made. If you don't, your friends will all laugh at you and your family will "forget" to invite you to Thanksgiving because you're "lame". Their words, not mine.

Los Santos is calling, amigos. And 11/18 can't pick up the phone fast enough.

In some non-gaming news, the next edition of The Reset Button will be in a few weeks, as I once again have to travel for business. Don't miss me too much, Internet friends. While I'm away, do yourself a solid and check out the work of the other awesome contributors on New Geek Protocol while I'm gone. These guys (and gal) are awesome.

Until next time. Lock and load.

And, of course, game on.

-ML

Read More

Review: Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (PS4/Xbox One/360/PS3/PC)

Welcome, welcome, readers and subscribers. You know what day it is! Thursday. Allow us to venture forth into a gaming paradise, filled with 8-bit cartridges, black PlayStation discs, and Dreamcast VMUs. But today, we're going to focus on a new game. A game that surprisingly has brought me back to the online multiplayer fold with a bang, not a whimper. To no surprise, it's a shooter. But it isn't your typical Call of Duty or Battlefield.

It's Plant vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.

Plants vs. Zombies in all out Garden Wafare

Many of you may have played the original Plants vs. Zombies game for various handheld or home gaming consoles. This takes that same premise and expands it across the board. For those of you who have played Gears of War's "Horde" mode, think of that but with Pea-shooters, Cacti, Army Zombies, Potato Mines, and Sunflowers.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it? It is. But it's damn fun.

PvZ:GW features a cooperative mode and various multiplayer modes. Garden Ops, the co-op mode, pits you and 3 other friends against waves of Zombies who are hell bent on destroying your garden. There are ten waves of zombies to battle, with boss battles coming at the fifth and tenth wave. This was the first mode I played and it hooked me. I was skeptical at first, just going off what what the game looked like. But once I got in, I had more fun in 10 minutes than I had playing the last Call of Duty online.

Garden Ops.

After getting my feet wet with Garden Ops, I ventured into online battle with FrostForged and TropicoDoc. The online side has team deathmatch, domination, bomb-the-base, and conquest/rush modes. These are called Team Vanquish, Surburbination, Gardens and Graveyards, and Gnome Bomb. Obviously many of these modes pay homage to modes from Battlefield and Call of Duty. But the way they are executed sets them apart from the rest. There is also a Welcome Mat option if you're a newcomer to the game. This mode features only one map and no customization. I haven't played this one, as I prefer Gardens and Graveyards.

Gardens and Graveyards.

Gardens and Graveyards has you on the plants or zombies side. 12 vs. 12. As plants, you're defending your base from the zombies. As zombies, you're trying to take over the plant bases. There are 6 gardens to hold/assault. If the zombies reach the final base, they have to complete an objective to win. To win as plants, you need to hold a base until time expires. If one base falls, you move onto the next. This is by far the best game mode, in my opinion. It's also the best way to level up your character and buy card packs.

Card Packs: the latest craze in gaming.

Yes, there are card packs. By earning coins in Garden Ops or the multiplayer matches, you can buy card packs. These are purchased in the Sticker Shop. In each of these packs are character customization items like weird hats, glasses, and tattoos, and consumable item like self-revives and plant/zombie spawns. The more expensive packs have the possibility of unlocking weapon attachments and character skins. TropicoDoc unlocked a goalie skin for one of the zombies the other night, which brought hilarity along with it.

Normally, character skins are unlocked by collecting five stickers from the cheaper packs. But if you save 40,000 coins, you can buy the "Spectacular Character Pack", which guarantees a full character skin. The cheapest pack, the Reinforcements Pack, costs 1,000 coins and provides 5 consumables. There are zombie and plant specific packs, as well, which contain items/weapons/skins for their respective faction.

The amount of content in this game is vast, providing fun for single and multiplayer experiences. I've found myself playing for 30 minute one night and 2 hours the next. And each time, I'm not worried about my kill/death ratio or how many kills I get. I just want to collect coins, unlock wacky outfits, and get revenge on that bastard Don Lonley for eating my character 10 times with the Chomper plant. I hope I run into him online again...

My recommendation? Run to the store or sign into the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, or EA Origin and buy this game. It's a solid 8/10 in my book. With a price tag of $40 for PS4 and Xbox One, $35 on PC, and $30 for PS3 and Xbox 360, Plants vs. Zombies shouldn't be missed. You get a full online experience in addition to a fun, yet challenging single-player mode with Garden Ops. I traded EA Sports UFC for this game and couldn't be more pleased with that decision. 

Oh yeah, there's a Disco Zombie boss.

I have to say, it's nice to have a fresh take on something done over and over and over again. This game is a unique take on a shooter. For the price, you are buying endless shooter fun in a gaming world over-saturated with military shooters. Plus, if you don't buy it, you'll have to deal with Disco Zombie. And trust me when I say you don't want to boogie-oogie-oogie with him. OW!

Oh...I hear the zombies at my door. It's time to head back to the Garden.

Game On.

-ML

Read More

Emulators: Part Deux - The Best for PC and Android

"Re-branded and it feels so good..."

Emulators: Part Deux - The Best for PC and Android

That's right, folks. Retro Thursday has been re-branded. Welcome to...The Reset Button. Your one and only destination for all things gaming, retro gaming, or whatever gaming topic I feel like exploring on a weekly basis.

It's awesome!

So, last week I went over my top 5 NES titles of all-time. If you missed it, I'm disappointed. But I'm willing to give you a second chance. Check it out right here. Some people were displeased with my leaving out of triple-A titles like "Contra" and "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!", but I assure you these titles are up there on my list. I just wanted to give love to some other titles that deserved praise. I hope you got a chance to try some of them out. If you didn't, we may be able to solve that problem today.

About 2 weeks ago, I went over what emulators are and why they're awesome. But I didn't really go into too much detail about which were the best and where you could download them. Since it isn't against any laws to download an emulator, as it isn't copyright property, I can give you the skinny on which emulators rock and how you can get your gamer hands on them. We've got a lot to do. Let's get to it.

NES

Let's touch on the Nintendo Entertainment System first. If you're playing on PC, the granddaddy emulator of them all is FCEUX. Whether you are a rookie at the emulator game or a seasoned veteran, this emulator gives you all the bells and whistles you need to get your retro gaming session off the ground. There are tools in place for debugging, speed adjusting, recording your gameplay, having a ROM, and saving your progress on the fly. This one is available on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux and is highly recommended. You can download the FCEUX emulator here.

"New to emulators? Who gives a F...CEUX?" 

On Android, which is my preferred emulator format, I'm currently using NES.emu by Robert Broglia. Like FCEUX (which save state files and be crossed over to NES.emu and vice-versa), this one does it all. It supports ROM-based games in .nes and .unf formats, had zapper/gun support on the touch screen, Bluetooth and USB gamepad/keyboard support, and has cheat file support. The best part about emulators like this on Android is they don't take a lot of space up on your phone. The files are small and you can save a LOT of games on your phone. I actually have every US NES release ever on my Nexus 5 right now. An entire console generation in my pocket. It's great. This emulator does cost $3.99 to download, but it is worth every penny. Check it out on the Google Play store.

"Somewhere some villain schemes, but his number's up..."

SNES

The Super Nintendo has been branded the best console of all time by many gamers out there. I wouldn't disagree. This system was home to some of the best RPGs of all time. So why wouldn't you want to relive some of those classic experiences? I would, and I'm sure you would. Which brings us to SNES emulation on PC and your King in the North: SNEX9X. This one has so many refined options, it is the clear cut winner across the board. Image upscaling, video filters, online multiplayer (!), and cheats are a few options available in addition to  save states and the extremely useful Turbo Mode. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't power leveled in Final Fantasy III with that feature. The even better part of this emulator is this emulator is available on Windows, Mac OS, and Android platforms. This is the actual emulator I use on my Nexus 5. The download is free, but I would easily pay $5 for all it offers. Check out SNES9X at their website and on the Google Play store.

"SNES9X: A Link to the Past"

Sega Genesis

To round out the top 3 classic console emulators, we dive into the Sega Genesis. Home of Sonic the Hedgehog, Kid Chameleon, Streets of Rage, and Shining Force II, the Genesis was a powerhouse of excellent 16-bit titles. On your PC, there is one option available for quality Genesis emulation: Kega Fusion. While it is missing emulation options for the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast, it offers emulation options for the Genesis with 32x add-on, Game Gear, and Sega CD. Multiple console options all wrapped up in one emulator. All it's missing is a pretty little bow. In addition to playing titles from those consoles, Kega Fusion offers the norm in emulation options. Save states, cheat support, audio and video capture, gamepad support, and even online play are options for this gorilla of an emulator. Ports are available for download on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux systems. Check out what Kega Fusion has to offer by following this link.

"KEGA!!!!!!"

Over on the Android platform, there are dozens of options for Sega Genesis emulation. Instead of going through the various options, I'm going to recommend MD.emu by Robert Broglia. This guy is the emulator guru on Android. MD.emu features high quality sound and video, save states, gun support on the touch screen, supports multiple file formats, and has Bluetooth and USB gamepad/keyboard support. The ROM files are small, in addition to the emulator itself, so you don't need to worry about a lot of space being filled on your phone. My Nexus 5 runs this emulator with no issue whatsoever. If you're itching for some Toe Jam & Earl, but don't want to shell out the cash on an actual Genesis, grab MD.emu over on the Google Play store. It costs $4.99, but is worth every penny.

"Toasty!"

N64

I was initially going to leave N64 alone, but decided to include it in after trying a few out. For PC, the absolute best N64 emulator is Mupen64Plus. It is pretty light in the features department, only featuring save states, multiplayer, cheats, and an option to adjust speed. It runs smoothly and recently had an update that addressed numerous bugs. If you've wanted to get back in the Kart with Mario and hurl some red turtle shells at Bowser, Mupen64Plus will get you gassed up and ready to go. It's available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux systems. Grab it for your operating system here. They also offer an Android app, Mupen64Plus AE, which you can download on the Google Play store. There is a free version or a $0.99 ad-free version available. I'd recommend the ad-free version, as this keeps the app clean and helps the developer make some money. And if they're making something off the app, they'll be more inclined to update it regularly. Follow the link to check it out.

That is one rickety looking bridge...

So, there you have it. The top classic emulators for PC and Android. Sorry, iOS users. Unless you were quick to grab an emulator off the App Store when it was posted, as Apple is pretty quick to pull emulators down, they're extremely hard to come by. You can always jailbreak your device, but that's another topic for another day. There are also emulators out there for PSOne, Game Boy (original, Color, and Advance), and even the DS and PSP. I just tend to stick with the Big Four, as the file sizes on some of those later-generation emulators, like the DS and PSP, tend to swell in size.

Hit some of those links and check these emulators out. Remember, I can't openly say where to download the ROM files, but a quick Google search will point you in the right direction. And once you know where to find them, you'll be up to your neck in retro gaming goodness.

Next week, I am going to dive into the top 5 most difficult games in the NES library. There are definitely some you'll be familiar with. Maybe even some you've conquered.

Thanks for checking out this week's The Reset Button. Let me know how you like those emulators, what you're playing, and what you'd like to see in the coming weeks. And remember, every Thursday is a new edition of The Reset Button. So don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to New Geek Protocol and we will keep the content coming.

Until next week. Game on.

-ML

Read More