Fantasy LCS Review: Season 6, Week 7

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 Izlain

Finally, after a three week skid, things turned around. It’s fortunate that they did as well, because this means that I’m back in second place! After taking down Judentus in week 7, I entered a 3-4 tie with his team, but I inched ahead in overall points for the split, so I own second. However, with only two weeks of games left before the end of the split, It is currently impossible to beat out our current first place team. If I was to win out, I only have 5 wins, and he’d still have 6 even if he lost out. So it is what it is, but I’m still determined to finish second (again). Summer split will be different. Tacktix was able to pull off another win this week as well, finally defeating Tyvokka, who has been undefeated along with his team Immortals until this weekend. Yeah, Immortals finally dropped a game, and then looked like they might drop a second on Sunday, but still managed to win. They’re still arguably the best team in North America, but they got kicked down a notch. It’s likely that’s the only game they lose, and the same goes for our league member. Either way, things look like they may have turned around and my tinkering with the lineup on a weekly basis has paid off. Let’s see why:

My European players performed decently enough. Considering there were weeks when I had teams give me 5 points, 31 points from G2 is pretty good. Steeelback and Odoamne delivered decent amounts, and Kasing got me a little better than Aphromoo had been, though I still have Aphro waiting in the wings if needbe. Rush had a stellar weekend. Piglet had a better showing that the past couple of weeks. Really the only disappointment was Pobelter, and that’s odd because he’s been consistent the whole time, but makes complete sense given their loss on Saturday. Either way, I still did some tinkering for next week. I either need great performances from these players, or for Immortals to drop another game (not likely given their schedule).

I’m back up against Tyvokka, so basically I’m betting against Immortals, which hasn’t done much of anything for me each time I’ve faced this guy. Still, I have a higher projected total, so maybe I’ll get lucky. I’m not holding my breath. I did pick up Emperor from G2 and Jensen from C9, along with throwing Aphromoo back into the mix just because of his schedule being easier than Kasing’s. I don’t like taking Piglet out (because he’ll probably have a 60 point weekend now that I didn’t start him), but historically Emperor has had more points more often. Team Liquid had a great weekend, but they have had other great weekends this season and they were usually followed by stinkers. I just don’t trust them and want to try for as many wins as I can get before this whole thing is over. We’ll see how it goes.

Ironically, the only player up here that is owned and was actually played last week was Sneaky. I own Jensen and Emperor now, and Tyvokka has owned Fenix the whole time but never once played him. When looking at the season top 5, I still own three of the players, but Pobelter was the only one I’ve played (and every week too). Perhaps some of them will stay up there. That’s all the observations I have for this week. See you soon.

Thinking Aloud

February 27, 2016 Izlain1 Comment

I haven’t been posting to the blog as much, though I have still managed to get out one episode of the podcast in two weeks… and a few PS4 share videos on my YouTube channel. So I guess I’m not entirely inactive, but I feel like I’ve held myself to a higher standard over the past couple of years, and don’t want to let myself slack. It’s just that I forgot what it was like to work full-time and go to school as well as trying to enjoy all of these hobbies and side-projects, chase tail, and otherwise live life.

So here’s a completely forced, personal stream of consciousness sort of post to just get me writing. Hopefully more big stories and things worth sharing will come along soon and I will adjust to my schedule to the point of figuring out when the best time to write is. Perhaps binge writing on weekends or when I don’t have other things going on after work. I will say though, it has been nice to be back to reality and having a normal routine. It’s just more tiresome than I remembered. Guess that’s the getting older part.

I’ve really been enjoying my recent game acquisitions. Every single game I’ve picked up in the last month or so has been fantastic, and though not all are brand new releases they are all worthwhile distractions and allow me to experience different things in different ways. For the first time in a long time, I’ve actually just let myself enjoy games as they come, and as the mood strikes. For a while there I was really trying to play all of these games in my backlog and started thinking, why? If I got a game two years ago and still haven’t gone back to finish it, I probably never will, right? Well no, not exactly. I go in weird waves where I want to play something retro and will play through an old Sega or Playstation game. Sometimes I feel like playing something that I just didn’t get into on the first try. Sometimes I do what I’ve been doing lately, and just play a little bit of everything.

For instance, today I ended up playing some Diablo III (and a little bit last night too) and managed to get another set piece I needed, along with about ten more paragon levels and a sweet belt upgrade that casts bombardment every 8 seconds. It’s ridiculous. Then I played some Battlefront with my friend for a couple of hours. I played through a few missions of the story in Grand Theft Auto V. I even played some Bloodborne, but damn it if Father Gascoigne kills me just before I kill him every time. Finally, I wrapped up the evening with some League of Legends. Another patch rolled in this week and brought some Mastery changes that I’m planning to do a video for. That brings me back around to content creation.

I have every intention of keeping the podcast a weekly thing. Sometimes it’s starting to feel like we’re running out of things to talk about, but then we magically find something to rant about anyway. That photoblog side project of mine is still collecting dust after a month or so of inactivity. I still don’t want to delete it, but I don’t think I have the energy to keep it going. I want to continue creating video content, mainly because I’ve started collecting a little audience on YouTube and have been getting a bit more activity on my channel. It’s a completely different sort of world but I feel like I want to be a part of it, as much as I want to be a blogger and a podcaster. I like being multimedia. I’m still figuring out my style or voice for YouTube though, so I know the videos are of questionable quality. Honestly I want it to be more about the games and the moments within them than about me. I am happy to do voice over work but I don’t think I’m ever going to be a vlogger who uses a webcam. I am looking into getting a better recording microphone though so at least that quality will be improved.

I sprung for a few things over the weekend. Ended up grabbing the season pass for Fallout 4 so that I get it before the price goes up. I hear the first DLC is coming very soon, so that’s exciting. I haven’t played Fallout in a month or so. I really should start up a different playthrough to use some of the mods, but I do want to keep my first playthrough vanilla and see everything the way it was originally designed too. Anyway, that will give me more to record and write about which is always good. I also picked up another Early Access game called Cryptark, and a full-release title called Galak-Z. Both are semi-rogue-like, sci-fi themed twin stick shooter types. Both are really cool, and though you can see a difference in the production values right away, I like both aesthetics. I do highly recommend using a controller for both games though, as the mouse/keyboard scheme is clunky. I have two quick look videos planned for these games. Oh, and maybe one for Dungeon Souls, which I finally got around to trying as well.

So yeah, I have things in the works, it just might take me a little longer to get them out.

Couch Podtatoes Episode 80: A Daybreak Retrospective

February 25, 2016August 11, 2018 Izlain3 Comments

I should actually be posting episode 81 by now, but due to some scheduling difficulties and yet another recording mishap, we managed to be a week late posting episode 80. Had something gone better, I would have gotten number 81 out around now. Doone was supposed to record with us again last Friday, but then I went out of town and Eri wasn’t able to connect with him. Then on Sunday I managed to get Wilhelm from The Ancient Gaming Noob on as a guest and the three of us attempted to record the show, but my recording program decided not to record anything. Thankfully Wilhelm was a good sport and I managed to connect with him Tuesday evening to record this episode, though due to time zones we couldn’t get Eri on at the same time. We still managed to have a lengthy discussion about the first year of Daybreak Games and the highs and lows that came along with it. As a fellow Norrath lover, we gushed about the glory days of EQ for a while as well.

Overall it was a fun show, hope you all enjoy it after the long wait. We’ll hopefully get back on schedule for next week as well. Until then.

Couch Podtatoes Epsiode 80: A Daybreak Retrospective (runtime: 58:12)

What are we playing? (starts at 2:00)
Discussion: A Daybreak Retrospective (starts at 10:29)

Host Contact information:

Izlain
Blog: Me vs. Myself and I
Twitter: @mevsmyselfandi

Wilhelm
Blog: The Ancient Gaming Noob
Twitter: @wilhelm2451

Music Credits:
“Bit Rush” by Riot Games
“Not A Daughter” by Agoraphobic Nosebleed (from the Arc EP)
“Enchanted Rose” by Bury Your Dead (from the album Beauty and the Breakdown)

Couch Podtatoes is a podcast about gaming, though we might stray into other forms of media. Sometimes we use strong language, but we try to keep that to a minimum. All opinions expressed by us or our guests are our own and are in no way to be interpreted as official commentary from any companies we discuss. You can visit our official podcast page at Libsyn.com. Be sure to follow us on iTunes, and/or Stitcher Radio.

You can also find the show in video format at The Gaming And Entertainment Network YouTube page. Or, view it here:

Questions, comments and feedback are welcomed and encouraged!

Fantasy LCS Review: Season 6, Week 6

February 23, 2016 Izlain

Another week is in the books, and my team is slumping hard. Putting my bets on individual players has been a curse and a blessing. I’ve had some outstanding individual performances from my squad, but an equal amount of underwhelming point totals. Last week was actually a week where I was expecting to win, and not just hoping. Tacktix has had a rough go in this league, and I figured the adjustments that I made would guarantee a win. Of course, Cloud 9 had to go and have a stellar weekend, so he managed to outscale me with just two of their members. I’m happy with the performance of my current lineup though, so I’m going to let it ride, only swapping out Kasing for Aphromoo. Nothing against the NA support, but he just hasn’t been giving me the numbers I need to contend with the other supports in this league. I’m up against Judentus again this week, and my projections look strong, but we all know how that can be ultra deceiving. Regardless, this is a case of being a week I should have won but luck would have it otherwise. Congrats to Tacktix for getting his first win of the split. At this point I think the only possible way I can move back into second place is if Judentus was to drop the remainder of his games and I was to win out. 1st place is already secured for Tyvokka, and it looks like Immortals have a good chance at running the table this split, so I can’t win all of my remaining matches. Hence, I’ve dropped from second place to third as compared to last season, and our former last place moves to first, while first drops to second. Ah well, I have a new strategy brewing for the Summer Split.

Fantastic performances from my two European substitutes. The team didn’t do as well as expected, but I think next week will be a different story. Piglet underwhelmed, and though I’d normally be happy with Aphromoo’s 32 points, comparing that to Hai’s 60 sucks, hence my change. Overally, he just had really strong showings from one extra player than me, and that was enough to net the extra 20 points. I also think that’s the highest point total Tacktix has had the entire split. Looking ahead:

As I mentioned I dropped Aphro for Kasing. Vitality has been killing it lately so hopefully he brings in some decent points. My projections put me ahead by a sizable amount. We shall see what happens I suppose. It’s likely I just stay in third place and the rest of the split doesn’t matter all that much, but I’ll still find something to comment on. Let’s take a look at the top players:

As you can see, C9 killed it, taking the 4 of the top slots. Rush barely missed rounding out the top 5, and would have kept me from missing the top 5 for the 2nd week in a row. I do however still own two players in the top 5 overall, though Steeelback was a recent pickup. Otherwise Pobelter remains in 2nd place overall, but Piglet has finally dropped out of the top end with a couple of dismal performances. Honestly though, it’s not his fault. He rarely dies, he just doesn’t always get kills, particularly when the game is falling apart around him. I think they are in need of a better top laner reminiscent of Quas, and perhaps Fenix really needs to quit? He seems to have flashes of brilliance but isn’t carrying games. Matt and Dardoch just need more time in the league I think. Anyway, that’s all for this week. See you soon.

Quick Thoughts: Bloodborne, Destiny & Street Fighter V

February 17, 2016 Izlain1 Comment

One of the major reasons for picking up a PS4 were the exclusives that I was interested in. To this point in time the major one that was sticking out in my head was Bloodborne, as I’m a pretty big fan of the Souls games. I bought that the same day I got the system, along with the other games I’ve already mentioned that weren’t console-exclusive. I had contemplated buying Street Fighter V for the PC but I’ve always loved the Playstation controller for fighting games, so that was naturally something I was going to buy on the console. I wasn’t expecting to pre-order it, but with my recent upswing in income I didn’t feel so bad picking it up and having it pre-loaded for release day. I did get basically everything else on sale, so I was mostly being good. I did splurge again though, when I spotted a deal for Destiny’s Taken King Legendary Edition on Amazon. Signing up for Prime got me the game for $40 along with free next day shipping. In the words of the Godfather, they gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. That one is also console-exclusive, so it’s not like I could have waited for a Steam sale to get an even better deal. So mostly, I’ve purchased games that weren’t available on PC or that I could play with my friends who also own the PS4 in the short time I’ve owned the system. So in my usual fashion, I figured I could round up some of my initial impressions of these into a post.

Despite being a game that doesn’t have the name “Souls” in it, Bloodborne was still designed by From Software, so it’s still a Souls game through and through. It does have some distinct differences however, in that the controls are tighter, there isn’t a block function and everything is faster paced. You are rewarded for being more aggressive, whereas I feel you needed to be a bit more passive in the other Souls games I’ve played. To be clear, I’ve only beaten Demon’s Souls back on PS3. I own Dark Souls on PC, but I only played it a little bit. Beating that, and Dark Souls II is still on my list, along with completing Bloodborne itself and eventually picking up Dark Souls III which releases in April. I definitely have my work cut out for me. Graphics and sound are top notch, the setting is decidedly victorian, van helsing and gothic. I’ve loved what I’ve played so far, and I’ve only beaten one boss at this point. I did happen to record the video of the first boss battle, which I will share shortly. Overall, I really enjoy the game and can’t wait to see more of it. Highly recommended if you own a PS4.

I’m as surprised as you are that I now own Destiny. As I mentioned I got a pretty sweet deal on all of the available content to date, and I already know several people that have or are still playing it. I dragged some friends into playing it with me when I first got it all installed and patched up. One thing I can definitely say is that this is not an MMO. It surely has some elements that will make it feel MMO-like, but it’s more shooter than anything. A loot based shooter. At times I felt like I was playing Borderlands. At other times, it felt more like Halo. I’m not the biggest Halo fan but I have played enough of it to find some parts enjoyable. The same goes for this title, in that I really enjoy the gun play, but I could really care less about the story. That tends to be how I feel about most MMOs though, so maybe Destiny is more MMO-like than I want to give it credit for. Either way, it’s something I don’t expect to sink a ton of time into, but it’s still a game that looks to be fun for a while with friends. I don’t have any video or pictures to share from this title just yet, I only played through a handful of missions and hit level 6 before I logged off the other night. I will definitely play some more of it and see if I can’t get some pictures and things to share later on.

I was excited for Street Fighter V the moment I found out about it. I have always loved Street Fighter, and have played nearly every iteration since number two. I will probably always love Street Fighter, so buying this game was a no-brainer. In the age of the Internet, there are always people to play against as well, so until SF6, I don’t have to worry about finding opponents for a few years at least. It was disappointing though, when I already had the game pre-loaded and literally watched the unlock timer count down to zero so I could play right at release, only to find that I couldn’t connect to the servers. It was frustrating, but I played some single player in offline mode and saw the potential this game holds. I really wish devs would get their shit together for releases, especially considering Capcom is a huge company, but it is what it is. I was going to buy this game one way or the other, and I’m not disappointed. The following night I was able to play, and ran through some of the story mode before trying some casual matches against random players. I ended up losing my first match, but it was rather close. I did win my second match, and have the video to share:

Overall I really enjoy the smoothness of the animations, the art direction, the controls and the feel of the game. It’s going to be truly epic when they actually finish the damn thing. There’s probably another rant brewing there, but I’m just going to bask in the glory that is Street Fighter and pretend that it doesn’t have some issues facing it.

That’s all for today. Happy Gaming!