WestofHouse

I haven't even installed the game yet but I decided to nab the season pass before the price goes up. Looks like it will include some significant content.

Turning Point is definitely my favorite mode, but I change modes based on my current challenges. For example, if I have a challenge such as melee or pistol kills I'll usually switch to Droid Run or Drop Zone which are on smaller maps.

FWIW, it's a double-xp weekend starting today (Feb 12). This thread is quiet so I don't know how many others are still playing. I hit rank 50 already but I'm going to take advantage of double-xp to earn more credits for unlocking new stuff.

The more I play it the more I like this game. I think my biggest problem with it initially is that my expectations are too high. I still get aggravated sometimes by the randomness of kills and spawns, but overall I find myself having a lot of fun. I'm also enjoying trying different load-outs and weapons. The bowcaster is just brutal. I've also found that keeping an eye on challenges and trying to complete them makes the game more compelling; it forces me to do certain modes and use certain weapons. Maybe someday I'll learn how to fly.

I've been playing Portal 2 with my daughter. She saw the game on Youtube and had to have it. It is a great couch co-up game. We also play Diablo III a lot. I just finished Bioshock Infinite. The FPS aspect gets repetitive after a while, but as with the original Bioshock the setting and story help carry it along. Just don't ask me what the story was because I have no idea.

That isn't the first time I've seen that complaint. One reviewer said he was overwhelmed by junk. I don't like that aspect of RPS so I'm getting worried that I won't enjoy the game. I bought it before Xmas as part of a B2G1 sale, and I'm starting to have buyer's remorse before I've even started the game.

I think I'm getting a bit better, too. I got around 25 kills in a match yesterday. Of course I got killed around 25 times as well, but in this game if I'm anywhere close to a 1:1 KD ratio I consider that a huge success. Given all the game's faults I'm surprised I'm enjoying it so much. I've been experimenting with different weapons and card hands. I still haven't found a favorite weapon, though, but judging how many times I'm OHK'd by the DL-44 I'm sure I'll warm up to it pretty fast once I unlock it. My favorite mode now is Turning Point on Jakku. It seems to be pretty well balanced, and the map size and open spaces help mitigate the overpowered DL-44, which suffers from considerable damage drop-off at long range. The number of players involved make it hectic and fun.

SWB has become a filler game for me -- a fun diversion in between serious gaming sessions. Unlike a game such as Destiny that offers a huge variety of weapons, armor and, skills, SWB isn't a game that could stay in my console for days at a time. It is still quite fun in those short sessions, though. And since Santa brought us a second XBO controller my daughter and I are enjoying the split-screen co-op survival missions. I give EA/Dice credit for including couch co-op, a feature all too rare in games these days.

My relationship status with this game is set to "It's complicated." I basically have a love/hate relationship with it. I picked it up as my free choice in a Best Buy B2G1 sale and have been playing a lot this weekend. On one hand: Star Wars! On the other hand: laughably unbalanced weapons, paltry selection of maps, and a ridiculous spawn mechanic that ensures you'll spend more time running back toward the action than you will fighting. I get so frustrated at the game play, but somehow I keep going back.

Bungie says you can get rewards up to 320 based on your light level. The higher rank you are with the shipwright the better your rewards will be.

The sparrow racing they introduced today is a blast, and a great way to break up the growing monotony of the raids and patrols. The best part is I'm much better at racing than shooting, so unlike crucible PVP I can actually compete. I even finished fist in a couple of races. I'm actually surprised at how good the racing is. If there were more unlocks and sparrows it could be a standalone game.

Best Buy are having a buy two get one free deal on XBO and PS4 games this week. If you're a GCU member you basically get three games for around $95. That's a big ol' Christmas win. The weekly ad in the Sunday paper says the deal excludes Fallout 4 and Battlefront, but on their website those games are included and eligible! I just picked up the new Tomb Raider, Fallout 4, and Battlefront. This is the deal I've been waiting for, because while I definitely wouldn't pay full price for Battlefront it's entertaining enough to choose as a free selection.

I finally got to try the Kings Fall raid. It took two days to finish it with the group I was in. Fortunately the sherpas were relaxed and didn't go ballistic as I repeatedly fell to my death during the jumping portions. We made it to the daughters on our first run. The next day we finished off the daughters and Oryx. I've never seen so many wipes as we had in those two days. It was arduous but very rewarding, both in loot and satisfaction. I ended up with a new primary (pulse), secondary (shotgun), boots, and mark, all over 300. With my best gear equipped I'm now 299. If I could just find another good piece, preferably a ghost, I could eclipse 300.

As usual Joe's review is about 20 minutes too long, but it's spot on. I'm just thankful I was able to play the trial thanks to EA Access. If not I would have been tempted to keep my pre-order despite the lackluster beta, and I would have been angry. I haven't been this disappointed by a game since Destiny first launched, but at least Destiny had incredibly game play.

I think three things killed the Vita. 1) Overpriced proprietary memory cards. Sony should have either priced their memory cards closer to standard SD cards or simply allowed SD cards to be used. 2) Mobile games for iOS and Android. Even for those who liked the better screen and controls of the Vita, it's tough to swallow paying $30 for the same game you can get for $5 on your phone. 3) Sony. It seems like they were never really sure what they wanted the Vita to be, and they kept it so locked tight that indie developers and the average tinkerer couldn't do anything with it.

I've done several IB matches and haven't received squat. Are the drops random or do you have to win a certain number of matches? I think I've reached peak Destiny. I still have fun when playing with a friend, but I think my solo days are almost done until more content is available. Doing yet another "Kill 50 [x]" bounty just doesn't appeal to me at the moment.

1. Many have been complaining about not being able to stream music during games for a long time. As long as your XBO video isn't running through your receiver there's no reason why you couldn't select another audio source to play while gaming. If I wanted to hear music while I game I'd just use my Bluetooth speaker and leave game audio through the receiver 2. Nothing to add about that as Comedy Central isn't even available through my cable provider. 3. Are you using this method for streaming media from Win 10 to XBO? I've not tried it but I've heard no other complaints about it. 4. If any of your 360 games are on the XBO BC launch list you will see them when you go to "My Games and Apps," "Games," and then scroll all the way to the right to see "Games ready to install." They are going to add more games in the future so if the game you want isn't there keep an eye out for BC updates. Or if you think you should have bought a PS4 you could always return the XBO and do just that. It's your world.

Here comes the next weapon tuning. In December pulse rifles and auto rifles are getting a bit of a buff, and shotguns are getting nerfed. And there is so much more. Here are all the details from a Reddit thread on the subject. I know they felt like they had to tone down shotguns for PVP, but it's really going to affect PVE a lot, too. I recently retooled my Titan to a Defender build and it basically centers on shotguns with the No Backup Plans exotic gauntlets. So much for that. Depending on how harsh the shotgun nerf feels in PVE I'll probably end up going back to Sunbreaker like everyone else and use my Defender in certain situations only.

You can get the same deal almost anytime at cdkeys.com. It looks dodgy but I bought one from them and it works. I learned about them from Reddit and I read a lot of positive testimonials before buying. You pay with PayPal and get a photo of the code within seconds.

Since the update my XBO isn't recognizing my Kinect voice commands as accurately. I find myself shouting and super-annunciating just to get the XBO to respond. I'm thinking a re-calibration might be in order.

I've read two early reviews, and both say pretty much the same thing: The game is fun, but not for very long. They cite the small number of maps and modes, the poor performance of early weapons (I noticed in beta that it takes entirely too many shots to kill someone), and the paltry single-player content. I can definitely see getting bored with the game as is relatively fast. The sights and sounds are awesome, but after a while it's the game play that matters. I've been back and forth for a while, but I think I'll pass for now and wait for a sale or a GOTY edition. If Best Buy has a B2G1 sale like Target did sometime this holiday season I might make Battlefront my freebie.

I think the random respawns refers to being unable to choose your spawn location as you can in all other Battlefield games. It's frustrating because you can't choose to spawn on your squad or at a critical location. I was one of the many who were sorely underwhelmed with beta. It felt like an incredibly mediocre shooter wrapped in a pretty SW package. The actual game feels a lot different to me and I'm not sure why. I did a few of the single-player training missions yesterday and I really enjoyed them. The kid in me was grinning ear to ear as I heard the sound effects and music straight from the films. I still don't think it is even close to the quality of a Destiny or BF4 when it comes to shooting mechanics, but it feels much improved over beta.

I was pleased to find that the interface was working much faster when I got home from work last night. It's very snappy now.

BC was a separate update that began rolling out at 3:00pm EST. No word on how long it will take for all consoles to get it. Xbox Support posted this link on Twitter with some videos introducing the new features and tips and tricks.

I fired up my XBO before leaving for work this morning so I could start the download for the EA Access trial of Star Wars Battlefront, and lo and behold the new interface was already there! They must have pre-loaded it and had it ready to activate on today's date. It took me a minute to figure out how to get to "Games and Apps.". Scrolling is now vertical instead of horizontal, with charms on the left, much like Windows 10. It will take some time getting used to. Aside from the spatial shock, my only observation is that navigation was s...l...o...w. There was a big delay between button presses and reaction from the console. I'm hoping a restart will fix it since Microsoft's biggest claim about the new interface is that it is faster, but I didn't take time to do that this morning.