Ps4 Pro Needs Justification

       The PlayStation 4 Pro was announced yesterday at Sony's PlayStation Meeting in New York, and man what a disappointing meeting it was. Whether it was a sizzle reel we were suppose to see at the very beginning that didn't play, or sound issues during transitions. On lookers had plenty of reasons to cringe during Sony's 40-45min presentation.

Aside from bad execution, the event was kicked off with Sony's new PlayStation 4 Slim model, which is meant to replace the current Ps4 on the market. It is set at a $299.99 price point and doesn't really do anything that the original Ps4 didn't already accomplish. However the star of the show, the Ps4 Pro does a few things that the original and slim model won't be able to pull off, with that being said does any of it really matter at this point in time? 

The Ps4 Pro releases Nov 10th at a $399.99 price point. Despite not displaying "true 4k" visuals and also not supporting 4k HDR Blu-rays it boast a higher clock speed and a beefed up GPU and CPU, essentially turning the Pro into the power house of the current PlayStation ecosystem. It will also be the first TB model PlayStation to be on the market since the limited edition Call of Duty Black Ops 3 console, better late then never I guess. Along with the upgrade in power, and memory size the Ps4 Pro also stands as the next visual upgrade in PlayStation hardware. That's all well and good, but is the consumer market ready for 4k HDR gaming? Hell is Sony?

Before answering either of these two question, one needs to look at the real issues we have in our industry. As far as entertainment, as far was what games are and what they were and, I believe we must really ask ourselves..."How do 4k HDR visuals change the way we play games? How does it change gameplay design? And most importantly, Does it make games better? 

We live in an awesome time to be a "gamer". Not only has the industry seen no more greater success then it is right now but there are also THOUSANDS of games to pick and choose from. From Red Dead Redemption to Pikmin. From The Last of Us to Shovel Knight, the varying genres of video games and technical prowess behind said games have never been as strong as they are today. Which brings me to my first point, with games such as "Outland", "Shadow Complex", or the Telltales game series; are hyper realistic visuals a fundamental part of gaming or a crutch that some publishers and some developers have leaned on for far to long? Even games like the newly announced "Pikmin 3DS" while not looking the best, is still pulling in its fair share of fans and the reasoning is because Pikmin is known to be a good game. 

PlayStation 4 Pro is for your "highly discriminating" gamer. It is the iPhone7 of current generation consoles. Minor improvements that don't really fix the underling problem, video game gentrification. Bear in mind that this upgraded console is already making ripples in the development neighborhood. Games very well may have to be sent through certification multiple times, to ensure quality on both the standard Ps4 and the Pro version of the same game. 

Were you asking for an upgraded Ps4 console? Are you happy with the one you have and if so how does Sony get you to trade up and get with the times?
Comment in the section below and thanks for reading! 

MKX: Return and Fight!

The 10th installment to the Mortal Kombat franchise has been announced and fans are raving, including myself. Revealed along side a CG trailer featuring famed combatants Sub-Zero and Scorpion facing off in what ultimately becomes a match to the death, the video shows off a few features that  plan to change the game play a bit and make things a bit more brutal. Destructible environments, and the ability to use bits and pieces of the stage to inflict damage on your opponent are all shown in the new trailer. 

Now that the trailer is out many people want to know who all will be in the game. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are a given. Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kung Lao, these are all relatively well known names in the MK universe and are usually expected to be apart of each title. That being said, there's a long list of combatants on the MK roster. Including all of them again like they did for MK Armageddon probably won't be happening anytime soon. If that's the case here are three fighters I would love to see make a comeback in Mortal Kombat X.

Fujin: Wind God of the Mortal Kombat roster, Fujin made his first appearance in MK Mythologies: Sub-Zero, and his last appearance in MK: Armageddon. Fujin is an average striker with plenty of juggling combos, most spawning off his ability to control the wind and air around his opponent. I personally would love to see Fujin return to the fray simply because he was a fun accessible fighter in MKA and if a decent story or conquest mode is brought to the game,  playing from his point of view has the potential to be very enlightening on some of the events that lead up to the Armageddon battle.

Tanya: One of the most controversial fighters on the MK roster. Corrupted by evil, Tanya is known for her worship of Shinnok and has even worked for both the "Deadly Alliance" and Dragon King Onaga. She is quick, agile, a great combo fighter and one of the more deadlier strikers. It would be great to see Tanya come back in MKX and reek some more behind the scenes havoc. Plus it would present a great opportunity to add some more depth to the combatants of Edenia.

Shinnok: Fallen God who challenged the Gods. Shinnok is a legendary villain in the MK universe and powerful to boot. So powerful in fact, that even after his defeat at the hands of the Elder Gods and banishment to the Netherrealm he went on to form an alliance with sorcerer Quan Chi and over threw Lucifer (aka Satan) and took over the Netherrealm. Although he isn't as skilled in martial arts as some of his fellow combatants, Shinnoks sorcery makes him a force to be reckoned with. Seeing him return would be great for the story as a whole. When you take into consideration that many parts of the MK plot spawn off the early actions of Shinnok and the alliances he made while trapped in Netherrealm its hard to ignore how important this character is if looking for a "story driven" point of view. 

Which fighters would you like to see step back in the ring for Mortal Kombat X(10)?

Joy Sticks and Dragons (My First Gaming Memory)

Born February 7th 1993,  I missed the very beginnings of the "Gaming Industry". The downfall of Atari, the raise and triumph of Nintendo, and the start of Sony as a industry name in gaming space. Video games haven't been around all that long in the grand scheme of things but with every gamer lies lasting memories whether it be the failures of the Atari, or the giant leap that was the PS2, Xbox era.

I loved video games as a child for one main reason, it evoked imagination. Growing up in a house with a pencil artist for a father and a mother who was a poet my imagination ran rampant til one day.

Over at my grandmothers house, my uncle was watching me. He could tell by my loud out burst of sighs that I was bored out of my mind. He asked me if i wanted to play this thing called a "Playstation". At the time I had never heard of a "Playstation" but that word "Play" stuck with me. I went to the room and watched as my Uncle started up the machine and for the first time I heard the famous PSX start up sound. I had no idea what was going on, as I watched a little purple dragon appeared on the screen. Little did I know I was truly about to succumb to the power of Playstation and gaming itself.

I had a knack for drawing as a child and often found myself in my room looking down at a piece of paper penciling out characters in my head but one thing i always found that they lacked was life, something this mascot clearly had. I asked my Uncle, "Hey how'd he get in the TV?". He went on to tell me what he knew about video game development and how "Spyro the Dragon" was originally nothing more then a drawing on a piece of paper. I couldn't believe it, "I draw, I could do this!"  I told myself. I can bring my characters to life, and this is a platform that allows me to do it. From that point on video games were more to me then just a simple form of entertainment. They are a form of art, something very near and dear to me due to my upbringing.

Today video games are a daily part of my life, whether it be checking up on the latest gaming news on IGN, watching the best videos on GameTrailers, or diving deep into my own researching and digging for new titles, developer interviews, among other news. As a child i loved video games, they taught me that anything really is possible. Even bringing the craziest version of reality you can think of to fruition. Now at the age of twenty one, I have a deep love for the gaming industry and am striving to make it my career. Gaming is still young but well on it's feet forcing its way onto bigger and better ventures. As the industry grows and expands, i plan to play and report on every virtual life created. Allowing video games to continue impacting my own.