Worked for Graphic and Marketing companies writing copy and doing design. Currently freelancing and looking forward to his next big step in life. More samples upon request.
Game Reviews
GHOSTWIRE: TOKYO
I had the chance to really sit down and play a game called Ghostwire: Tokyo. Always wanted to go to Tokyo so this was my chance. (I’ll tell you now, it is not like the pictures on Google Maps.) Ghostwire: Tokyo is a game based on a lifeless world filled with ghosts. The developer Tango Gameworks, who is also known for The Evil Within one and two, took five years to release this digital horror.
The main character's name is Akito, who you will be playing as. A spirit named KK possesses Akito's body, gives him mysterious powers, and in the process, saves you from meeting the same fate as the rest of humanity. These unknown powers help you fight the ghosts roaming around the streets and get in the way of what would be a rather peaceful stroll down the block. Akito wants to save his sister while KK is using Akito to save the world from the specters taking over. I’m walking around like Dr. Strange shooting at invisible girl and mannequins with umbrellas.
The game starts off in Shibuya City where people start to disappear due to a paranormal force. A masked man appears on all the screens and explains how he has taken everyone's souls. Except for mine. Unless my ex-girlfriend was right. I never had a soul to begin with….
The story is pretty straightforward and kinda predictable. And I always try to turn that part of my brain off in order to sink into a story. The conversations between Akito and KK can get pretty funny at times. The amazing thing about this game is the realistic structure of the buildings. They are massive and so close to each other, from the player's point of view it makes you seem like you are really in Shibuya minus all the people. Because the city is so lifelike it takes time to cross the map to get to where you needed to go.
The game sometimes will mess with your eyes. For example, in a small part of the map, the rain would turn red or the lines on the streets would move and look like it isn't attached anymore. It just shows that the city isn't normal anymore and it’s a ghost town. The world starts to change around you, the rain will turn blood red, and it will just get creepy if you're sitting in a dark room and your cat leaves you behind because he doesn’t like the sound of the music as I get closer and closer and closer to a JUMP SCARE. Cats predicting things now…
Thanks to how realistic the background of the game is, you can really get lost in the environment. Clothes and accessories are scattered all over the city. I saw a nice shirt but it wasn’t my size. You can see umbrellas laying on the ground and cars wrecked from all the people disappearing. Just reminds you, you can’t take it with you. So I have a cash app and if you want to unburden yourself at any time, let me know. I just started working out again, I’ma be a while.
Shibuya is infested with spirits so as you try getting to your destination you have to fight multiple of them along the way. It's fun watching all the elemental attacks that you have, Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together… sorry, wrong elements… You also have talismans to help with your battles. It’s entertaining to combine powers to create stronger ones and take out your enemies. The animation and visual FX of the attacks are smooth and feel rewarding when you use them.
Overall, I liked the game. Some of the story and gameplay can get repetitive but the visuals are well worth the adventure. It’s fun, creepy, and some parts will make you forget to eat. Monster designs and environment will slow you down enough to enjoy your trip through downtown Shibuya and if you're lucky, you might find a shirt on the ground in your size. Go get it!
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YOUNG SOULS
If you like a 2d brawler with an amazing story, great art design, and a challenge, Young Souls is for you. 1p2p has developed a game about two orphans, Jenn and Tristan, and their journey to save the scientist that took them in and cared for them. While searching for their caretaker, they find a gate portal to another world filled with dangerous goblins. The twins work as a team to get through waves of enemies. They have different weapons and styles of attack that will help them get through this treacherous environment.
This is a side-scrolling fight feast that has a great RPG feel and will continue to stun you with wonderful designs and art. Adventuring through dungeons filled with waves after waves of monsters to keep you busy as you try to complete your mission.
The loot you get in the game is scattered around the environment and after you take down bosses. You get gear, armor, weapons, and also gems. The jewels can be used to upgrade weapons and armor and really pimp out your gear. You can transverse between the goblin world and the real world. You will do all your battles and leveling up in the one world but be able to buy equipment, to increase your abilities, in another world. The small town that you live in will help you buy, trade things in for money and even train yourself to get stronger. Whenever you go back and forward through the portal, you will change outfits to fit that world.
Equipment is important and can determine the outcome of your battles. Your armor choice should depend on you’re fighting environment. For example, if you're in a hot dungeon you should wear something heat resistant and if it’s cold you should wear something that protected you from ice attacks. Armor isn’t the only thing that matters though, you also need strong weapons. As long as it's a high rarity weapon with really useful skills you should be alright.
The art style for Young Souls is so marvelous that you can’t help but fall in love with it. Not only are the characters stunning but the detail put into the monster designs are beautiful! The only downside is that with all this amazing art there are no voiceovers to go with it. Though this is a big letdown the game has so much more to offer.
The main base of the game is the fighting. You can’t just stand there and hit the enemy, you need a strategy. Like parrying and evading attacks while using normal and magic attacks to hit your opponent. In co-op, both players each get one character to play with but in single-player, you need to switch between characters which can somewhat be harder. With a teammate, you can work together to get the attention of the bosses while the other hits them in the back. Teamwork is key if you want to really take advantage and use the space given on the stage.
When fighting a group of monsters in solo mode you’re bombarded with monsters and it’s hard to perry or get a good hit in. Co-op can be a bit easier because there are two of you fighting together but at times it can still be a bit too many mobs. I suggest fighting on opposite sides of the screen. Work together to get behind a group or split the group in order to make it an easier battle. You will still have to use some skills to make it work but communication is key when you have a teammate.
Even if you're having trouble in combat, there are tons of other things that are amazing. The connection you build with the characters, Tristan and Jenn is astonishing. You can't help but feel the same emotion they do. You care for the characters and what’s happening to them because you’ve built a bond with them.
Young Souls is an amazing side-scroll, action-adventure game that has a storyline that makes you feel for the characters. Each character has their own personality that makes you fall in love with them. Though the combat might be a bit tough, the equipment you acquire is so unique and has its own style. Even with a few letdowns, the game is worth every penny.
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Genshin Impact Articles
Genshin Impact is an open-world adventure that should be on your gaming list. The game starts with two siblings fighting a powerful entity. One gets taken away, and you, as the Traveler, will have to work with your sidekick Paimon to find them. You have many quests to explore, a massive landscape to traverse, and many enemies to defeat.
In this Genshin Impact Sword guide, we are going to look into the intricate world of weapons. I am going to focus on swords. I will detail their rarities, how to find them, their stats, and their strengths. Before we dive into swords, let’s look over all the weapons available in Genshin Impact.
Weapons
Weapons are your primary offense and defense in this game. There are five different types of weapons. Swords, Bows, Claymores, Catalysts, and Polearms. Depending on the character you choose, each weapon will amplify your ability.
Swords have a shorter reach, but their speed is their advantage. Swords deal a medium amount of damage to the enemies. This type of melee weapon is used by some characters like Jean, Kaeya, and the main character, the Traveler.
Bows are your long-ranged attack weapon designed to give you some distance and hit those high, hard-to-reach spots. You can control where you aim and lock onto enemies to hit them in their weak spots. Who doesn’t like a critical hit? Equipped by Aloy, Amber, Venti, and more.
Claymores have a slower rate of attack, but they are powerful. They are excellent blunt attack weapons that help break rocks, destroy shields, and move a group of enemies. Claymores are used by Diluc, Noelle, Razor, and many more.
Catalysts have an elemental nature, so all of your attacks will deal elemental damage. Characters like Lisa, Klee, and Sucrose use this weapon to destroy enemies. I feel they are great at dealing with groups and element-sensitive opponents.
Polearms offer swift attacks that give you that reach you need. Social distance is no problem when dealing with damage with these weapons. Xiangling, Xiao, and Zhongli are some characters who use polearms to help you.
How to Get These Shiny Swords
How rare your sword is will determine where you will likely run into it. Wishes on the limited and Wanderlust Invocation banner are the only way to get a 5-star sword. 4-star swords can also be wished for the same as the 5-star, but they are available at Paimon’s Bargains. Blacksmiths will also make you a 4-star weapon if you give them suitable materials. Nice guys, I tell you.
3-stars swords will appear from wishing and chests in the world. 2-star and 1-stars are the easiest to get your hands on. NPCs give them to you; you can buy them at shops, chests, and any new character you join your team.
Now there are exceptions to the rule. Genshin Impact will have events sometimes that will give you weapons. Sometimes through Battle Pass, the mail, Stellar Reunion, some Archon quest, and at the Adventures’ Guild. And know Genshin, there is more to come.
Stat bonuses
Swords can have a secondary and passive stat to help you with extra attributes. Each weapon has a particular type of bonus that effect Atk, Def, HP, Crit rate and damage, elemental mastery, energy recharge, and physical damage. These bonuses are only on swords with 3-star or higher.
Passive bonuses are buffs that help the character or the rest of the team. The sword Jade Cutter has a passive that boosts HP by 20% and increases ATK base by 1.2% of your max HP. It will increase the damage applied to enemies infused with an element.
Refining is the best way to increase the passive effects of a sword. You will take any sword copies and refine them to make them stronger. The refinement rank cannot go higher than 5.
Artifacts
Artifacts can also work well with the abilities of the sword. Some artifacts that I think to work well with swords are the Gladiator’s Finale. It will increase your normal attack damage by 35% if you equip at least four.
What elemental power you use will determine what artifact to use, so choose wisely. To give you a better assessment of what each artifact does, check out our artifact page. Then come back here. I’m not done.
All swords have a rarity scale. How rare the sword is determined by how strong the weapon can get. Sword range from 1-star to 5-star, and it’s harder to acquire rarer ones. The stronger the sword, the higher the base attack.
Weapon Exp is needed to level up each weapon. You can get that from using other weapons or enchantment ores.
Continued… https://genshinchronicle.com/genshin-impact-sword/
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Friends: Monopoly
https://dicenboard.com/game-guides/friends-monopoly-guide/
Disclaimer: If you haven’t watched Friends, the tv show, most of the jokes and references will go over your head, and you won’t be able to catch them. (Note: if you haven’t watched Guardians of the Galaxy, you won’t get that last joke either.)
Not since the combination of peanut butter and jelly, ham and burger, Chandler and Monica! CHANDLER AND MONICA!, has there been this much excitement? It’s Friends and Monopoly!!!
Ok. Catch your breath. I have more to say. Very similar to the classic game of Monopoly, the Friends edition has different aspects that fans of the hit tv show will really enjoy. To lose friends while playing with friends has always been a treasured tradition.
By the end of this guide, you will have a state of total awareness. Unagi.
Before you get started
You will want to get your Friends mug, a snack, and sit down to battle. This is Monopoly still. You can have 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and above. This game will take about 45 minutes for two people, and if you invite the boys from across the hall, four players will take about 90 minutes or more. You will need to pull out your inner Monica and play to win.
In this section, we will talk about what items are in the box. If you want to get to how the game is played, jump down to the Playing the game section. You will miss out on some witty information, but I understand.
Now, as you get ready to unbox this excellent game, you will notice on the box the cast pictures throughout the years, the silhouette of New York City, and the game pieces. This is the time you call your game piece. I’m picking the dinosaur myself.
When you open the box, you will see these items:
Gameboard
6 Tokens
28 Title Deed Cards
16 Apartment 19 cards
16 Apartment 20 cards
32 Plastic Coffee Mugs
12 Plastic Sofas
2 Dice
Monopoly Money
Now open and lay out the board, and you will see some of the iconic spaces on the board. The majority of the spaces are now customized to a Friends theme. The traditional houses and hotel deed cards are replaced with moments in the show. The money has some great Friends icons on it. Chance and treasure cards are replaced with Apartments 19 and 20 cards. And so much more that I'm ready to get into the game myself!
First, you want to place everyone's tokens on the GO space on the board.
Now let’s pick a Banker who will be in charge of paying the players, collecting money, and managing the Title Deeds. Who would you choose, Ross or Chandler?
Then start giving each player a total of $1500 in Monopoly Money.
2- $500
4- 100
1- $50
1- $20
2- $10
1- $5
5- $1
Card Types
Transport spaces that were once railroads are now Relaxi Taxi, Phoebe’s Grandma’s Taxi, Monic’s Sports Car, and Joey’s Boat. The more you own, the more rent you can charge when they land on it. You can’t build on the properties, but you will be making a pretty penny if you have them all. It will be time to cut up Daddy's credit cards!
The utilities are pretty much the same as the classic Monopoly. You roll a dice and multiply the amounts together. The amazing thing about this place is that you get paid ten times the amount shown on the dice when it is rolled.
Apartment 19 and Apartment 20 are your Chance and Community Chest Cards. They will give you many bonuses and a few setbacks that will help you win or lose the game. After you follow the instructions on the card you pull, you then place that card at the bottom of the deck and go back to counting your money.
Playing the Game
This Monopoly is very similar to the classic game, where the main goal is to own the most and leave everyone else broke. You're going to need your inner Monica for this one.
Now, you need to find out who will go first. Everyone will roll the dice, and the person with the highest number wins. If there is a tie on who is the highest, you roll again or play Rock, Paper, Scissors, Fire. Your call. After you find a winner, you will take turns going clockwise around the board.
It’s your turn
On your turn, you will roll the dice and move however many squares on the board equal to the number rolled. Wherever your game piece lands, you must follow the action the space tells you to do.
When you go past GO, you get to collect $200. If a double is rolled during the player's turn, they get to roll again. If you get too lucky and roll doubles three times in a row, you go to jail. Not the little jail between the doors, jail, jail. You do not pass GO, you do not collect $200.
Getting out of jail
There are three ways to get out of Jail. You can pay $50 at the start of your turn. After you pay, you can roll and move and leave Jail behind. Second, you can use a get-out-of-jail-free card that you obtain from one of the apartment cards in the middle of the board or buy it from another player at a lower price. And your third option would be trying to roll doubles. You get three turns to accomplish this goal, but after your third roll, you have to pay $50 and get out if you don't get doubles.
Buying Property
Property in this game is called moments. Landing on a space with a moment is optional to buy. Not your favorite episode; go ahead, pass. But remember the goal of the game. If you pass on a property you land on; the Banker will auction and sell the property to the highest bidder. You snooze, you lose.
If you land on a moment owned by someone else, you pay rent to enjoy that moment. Rachel having a baby can get expensive. The cost of rent is on the title deed, and if money is tight. Sometimes you can cut a deal with the owner. Use that Phebe charm.
If you buy one moment that is one color, you want to try to get more of the same color. Owning the same group of colors will get you more money for rent when the other players land on it. Once you get all the colors, you can build on them, increasing your rent. The amounts will be on the Title Deed cards.
Building on the Moment
Like I said before when you own a group of colors, you can start buying coffee mugs from the bank and put them on your property. The listed price for each coffee mug you own will be on the Title Deed. You can’t build a second coffee mug in a moment until you have one on all the other properties in that color group. The limit is four coffee mugs in one moment space. What you really want is a sofa. That’s where all the magic happens. Also, more money isn’t bad. Four coffee mugs and a small price will get you a sofa on your property. One sofa per moment, and you can’t add coffee mugs to that space.
If all the coffee mugs or sofas are unavailable to buy, you have to wait and can’t upgrade your property till someone sells. If two or more people are waiting to purchase these upgrades, the banker will do an auction, and the highest bidder wins.
Selling to Survive
Money getting low, huh? Not a problem. Let’s sell some stuff to stay in this game and win. You can sell your upgrades back to the bank to get some cashback. You are only going to get half of what you bought it for, but beggars can’t be choosers right now. When you sell the sofa back, you will get half-price and four coffee mugs. If you need more money, you can sell your coffee mugs too, but you will only get half the price you originally paid.
Mortgage Properties
If money is still tight, you can mortgage some of your properties. Don’t worry; you're not losing this game. It looks like it. But you still have a chance. All the sofas and mugs have to be sold back to the bank before the Banker can assist you. Once you mortgage a property, you turn the Title Deed card face down, and the bank will give you the value on the back of the card. You have to pay the listed price plus 10% to the bank to get that property back. On the plus side, your competition can’t get the property, but you also can’t collect rent on the property until you can repurchase it.
Losing it all
If you ever owe money to the Banker or a player and have no way of getting the amount owed, you, dear player, have gone bankrupt. You have lost the game, all your friends, and honestly, a little bit of my respect. I expected better. Now the shameful part comes. To pay your debt, you must give all the money, mortgage property, and get out of jail free card to whom you owe. If a player has to take a mortgaged property, they also have to pay the 10% interest even if they don’t want to. If the banker gets it, he will auction off all the property to the highest bidder. Those properties will be unmortgaged when bought. The banker will also return any jail-free cards to the bottom of the correct apartment deck.
Last Tip
That is it! You know, what’s in the game, how to play, and some of the changes made. If you don’t want to play for four hours, the one tip I would give you is to follow the rules. I recently found out that I have been playing my own modified version of Monopoly for years. And to the surprise of most, they have to. Nothing is wrong with playing it your way. You buy it; you do with it as you please. But with the modified rules like putting money under free parking or the most handsome person in the room getting to be the Banker (my own special rule.) can make the game longer. So play how you want but keep that in mind. Always remember, I’ll be there for you.
Alternative Games
After Friends Monopoly, who else doesn’t like a story about friends coming together to crush an empire? That’s what you get with Star Wars Monopoly. Fight the empire as you travel the galaxy and watch out for the Deathstar!
2-6 Players
Ages 8+
Playing 60-120 Minutes
Grab your Pokedex and get ready to battle all eight gyms to become the great Pokemon trainer in Pokemon Monopoly! This spin on the classic Monopoly is a great change of pace in playing with the pokemon you love to watch.
Can’t be a trainer without some training! Check out the Pokemon Monopoly Guide.
2-6 Players
Ages 8+
Playtime 60-120 Minutes
Minecraft Board Game: Builders and Biomes
Creepers, Skeletons, and Zombies! If you are not scared easily and enjoy a family fun-building game, then this is perfect for you. A nice tabletop game to see if you are as creative as you think you are.
2-6 Players
Ages 8+
Playtime 60-120 Minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best strategy in Monopoly?
Buy everything you can get your hands on. You want as many properties as you can get so that you have the best chance of taking rent from the other players. Also, it gives you more areas to land so you can keep your own money in your pocket. Just be careful not to overspend.
Can you team up with another player?
No. You can’t borrow money or property from another player. Doing this sours the game, and I have lost relationships this way. Wonder what my Mom is doing these days…
I’m in Jail. Can I still collect the rent?
Yes. You can still collect rent if you are locked up. You were wrongfully accused if you ask me…
I own all the properties of the same color, but one is mortgaged, do I collect the same rent?
If they land on a property that is not mortgaged, you still collect double the rent. But if they land on the mortgaged property, you can’t collect any rent.
What is Chandler Bings Job?
Not a Transsponster, (I don’t think that's even a word) he is a statistical analyst and data reconfiguration.