As much as I love playing support on Summoner’s Rift, I love playing support on the Howling Abyss and Crystal Scar. While the supports have a very defined role in 5v5 League of Legends play, a well-played support can really mess up plans in the other game modes.
Sadly, your time on the Crystal Scar is coming to an end. Riot has announced that on February 22nd, they will be disabling the Dominion game mode and removing Crystal Scar from the custom games menu.
How many of you have heard of the Microsoft Store? I don’t mean a physical retail location like the Apple Stores. I mean a digital store. If Steam’s operating system stats for its users are to be believed, about 34% of you might have heard of it since the Microsoft Store is only available to Windows 10 users.
I bring this up in the wake of the recent announcement that Microsoft is launching Quantum Break on PC alongside Xbox One. While Quantum Break will be the first game in Microsoft’s own renewed push towards making Windows a prominent gaming platform, the vast majority of PC gamers won’t be able to play it. That’s because Quantum Break won’t be coming to Steam but will be a Microsoft Store exclusive.
Life is Strange started as a simple episodic digital release but today gets the full retail treatment. The Life is Strange: Limited Edition hits shelves today with an art book, developers’ commentary and a licensed soundtrack. While I’d love to get my hands on that, I’ve already played the game and named it et geekera’s Game of the Year for 2015. However, I only reviewed the individual episodes. This review is for the first “season” of Life is Strange.
One thing that is wildly inconsistent in PC gaming is the quality of tooltips on the graphics options menu. You have games like StarCraft II which tell you which piece of hardware is being drawn on the most by a particular option and you have other games that just leave you to guess what the options mean, assuming they have any. Fortunately, in the case of the latter, I found this handy little infographic that explains some of the more prominent graphics options in PC gaming.
Every so often, we take a look at the most epic fails from the week that was in the Fails of the Week. This week, we have five pictures, GIFs and videos that we think are the most epic fails of the week.
Yeah, I know it’s Valentine’s Day but how many people actually give a toss? I suppose that’s because I’m single but maybe it’s also because I’m a guy. Those are two things that make me predisposed to not being particularly arsed about a corporate holiday. Okay, I’m a cynic too. Three things that make me think that Valentine’s Day is a wasteful cash grab.
Anyway, it’s Sunday which means that we have to do the links. Let’s kick things off with Adriana Lima.
It’s not just HGH. Peyton Manning’s legacy might be built on lies. (New York Daily News)
About a third of leaked NY police contracts have clauses that allows for the destruction of civilian complaints against officers. Doesn’t that make you feel safe about policing? (The Guardian)
How is Hilary getting positive coverage from the media in the wake of a groundswell of Bernie support? By damn near “blackmailing” the press. (Gawker)
For one last time in this latest run, I’m substituting in for Jackie for this weekend’s entertainment and pop culture links. I thought calling myself a sub was appropriate since it’s NBA All-Star Weekend in Toronto and we all know Jackie’s fondness for basketball.
I assume that most everyone is going to the theatre shortly. There’s plenty for you to watch this week. If you’re looking for a Valentine’s rom-com, there’s How to be Single. If you want straight comedy, you can check out Zoolander 2 (but you shouldn’t). And for everyone else, there’s Deadpool.
Anyway, enough of the preamble. We should just get straight to the links. Let’s kick things off with Alison Brie who’s starring in How to be Single.
In the wake of the Fine Bros disaster, a video by YouTuber GradeAUnderA is making the rounds on Twitter and Reddit. It takes a look at the broken copyright protection system in place on YouTube and how that’s impacting business on YouTube. I mention the Fine Bros at the start because a good portion of GradeA’s video is about how many reaction videos (with the noted exception of The Fine Bros) violate YouTube’s community guidelines and copyright law with their videos for their own financial gain at the expense of those who created the videos being reacted to.
Launch window exclusives are a very specific type of game. They tend to focus more on showing off the potential of the hardware at the expense of doing anything particularly memorable in terms of gameplay and story. As such, these are titles that you can quickly find in the bargain bin after release. They’re neat for a little bit but soon forgotten when actual good games start coming out.
Take The Order: 1886, for example. I got it as on Black Friday 2015 for $10. It released for $60 back in… February 2015? That can’t be right. The PlayStation 4 launched in November 2013. How did something that was clearly designed as a system showcase not come out until some sixteen months after the console launched?
The New Hampshire primaries were last night. The Sanders win probably wasn’t a huge surprise but the GOP was probably a shock with Trump winning by doubling up on John Kasich who was a shock second place. I guess the Rubio challenge was short-lived. Granted, we do have a long way to go until November.
Anyway, it’s Wednesday so it’s time for the links. Let’s kick things off with Natalie Dormer.
I find it slightly ironic that FX Canada is showing a mini-series about the OJ Simpson trial at the same time as the Jian Ghomeshi trial takes place in Canada. These two cases could have some amazing parallels when it’s all said and done because of how much of a disaster this case is becoming for the Crown. (The Globe and Mail)
Donald Trump won the GOP New Hampshire Primary. The Huffington Post didn’t mince words. (The Hill)
The press isn’t just dishing it out to Trump. They’re taking it from him too. (Washington Post)
The Lowdown 