Hype. It’s kind of become a bit of running joke in video games these days, I feel. Hype used to be a good thing. It meant the prospect of a game you were generally looking forward to. But then something happened.

More specifically, I think early access games happened. Games were (and still are) popping up frequently in early access with big promises and a lot of hype. And many people end up disappointed. Deeply disappointed. I’m no different. Many games came and went that were woefully disappointing. Some of them even shut down or never reached full release.

I purchased a few of those games myself. In the interest of not wanting to call out any one developer in particular, I’ll leave those games unnamed.

That said, I wanted to address the issue of trying to “hate” or dampen peoples’ hype about a game. That is to say: don’t do it! Part of the enjoyment is getting excited, or hyped about a game and its release – whether it be early access or not. Let your friends get excited.

Likewise, we shouldn’t try to dismiss a game that’s trying to build hype by doing new and exciting things. While gamers should certainly be wise and cautious about games and their hype, I don’t think it’s fair to tell them not to hype their products. Yes, don’t make false claims about your game – this only leads to annoyance, disappointment, and justification for people that like to stamp out anyone having hype for a game.

That said – GET HYPED! I’ll give you an example of this right now: I’m absolutely hyped for the release of upcoming pirate massively multiplayer online game ATLAS. Based on the information available to us, it looks to encompass many of the things I’ve discussed in other blogs before that I want to see in games: deep governing/political mechanics, trade, economy, epic PvP, and a whole lot more.

Yet, as I browsed a lot of the discussion it seemed to turn to negative and people were getting upset about others getting excited (hyped). WHY!? I understand this game is extremely ambitious. Some might argue too ambitious considering it promises 40,000+ players in one server in a seamless experience. That’s not easy to do, considering it boasts action oriented combat and a massive world.

And don’t get me wrong, I want people to be cautious about ATLAS. I plan to watch streams and get feedback from people I know will already be buying it before I immediately hop in. The publisher of the game, Wildcard, didn’t have the best track record when it came to ARK as well. Having said all that: it’s okay to be hyped! Just take your time and wait to ensure everything is on the up and up.

Get excited. Get HYPED! And as tempting as it can be, try not to take away from people’s hype. You can tell your friends to be cautious, but let them be excited. In an era of games that can often be cookie cutter or “been there, done that” – I think we should be celebrating developers instead of chastising them for trying to get people excited for new or unique features in a game.

More so, we have more information at our finger tips to help reduce spending hard earned cash on games that get overhyped. Watch a streamer. Watch a YouTube video. Read video reviews. Look at critic reviews. Check out the Steam reviews.

Well – that’s all, friends! I hope you enjoyed this take on hype. If you’d like to experience the hype live and in person do feel free to drop by during my Twitch stream. Likewise, please come on by and message me on Twitter if you have any thoughts or comments on this article.

See you next time, friends!

In this series, I wanted to look at some games that were perhaps underrated or overall not considered a classic game, but they offered an interesting game mechanic that might be a great addition to new games.

I love a lot of different games, but I especially love games that offer interesting game mechanics. Freedom Fighters – a game developed by IO Interactive and published by EA Games took a unique spin in a couple different facets.

For those not familiar, the game was a third person shooter that took place in an alternate timeline where the Soviet Union never collapsed. The game’s premise begins in New York where the Soviets begin a wide scale invasion of America. While this isn’t necessarily a new idea (Red Dawn, World in Conflict) it did give a different feel. You played as a couple of plumbers caught up in the fight and who take on the role of Freedom Fighter.

The aspect I loved about this game was the decisions you made in choosing your battle had actionable and noticeable consequences. While there have been plenty of games to implement “consequences,” often times it feels more like an illusion with no meaningful impact on the game.

Destroy a helicopter base of the Soviets? They lose air cover for another mission you undertake. Free some civilians? Some of them will join you in the fight.

That was the beauty of Freedom Fighters. Choices not only mattered, but they impacted the game in noticeably. You felt like the world was adjusting to the actions you took, which is a very powerful feeling when playing a game. It signifies that you’re not just playing a game; it means you’re IN the game.

Another aspect that I loved in a game like Freedom Fights that I’d love to see in other games is the sense of “building something.” I don’t mean build in the Minecraft sense either.

You started out as two plumbers who were in the middle of a drastic invasion of their country. From it though, you were able to recruit resistance members, build up an organization, and make an impact on the game world. And this was all done years ago in a relatively limited engine at the time.

I hope games like this continue to exist and evolve. I love the idea of starting out as underdogs and working to fighting against an overwhelming force through decisions that impact the world.

Well, that’s all! I hope you enjoyed this edition of All Talk All Game. Hope you enjoyed. If you’d like to see me hang out and play game on Twitch – come on by! Likewise, feel free to drop me a message anytime on Twitter.

See you next time, friends!