Rainbow Six Seige - A Mess in The Making

Rainbow Six Siege used to be our preferred place to be when it came to multiplayer games because it was unique compared to other games. Based on the novel "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Seige," Rainbow is about a fictional group of international counterterrorism specialist operators from all over the world. 

Although Rainbow started back in 1998, it has evolved from campaign mode to multiplayer mode, and by 2015, the game was rebooted with 20 base operators and Year 1 DLC operators: Valkyrie, Blackbeard, Caveira, Capitão, Frost, Buck, Hibana, Echo, and Recruit. The game itself pits the operators against each other in a VR simulation for training purposes. Six is a codename for Captian or Leader, as known by the introduction of Arnot and then Harry, whose job it was to recruit Rainbow operators and train them.

Toxicity through Gameplay

Rainbow was a tactical-based shooter where operators had to work together as a team to either attack or defend. There were several modes available in the beginning, which have again evolved with some improvements, but unfortunately, the major problem in the game has always been friendly fire. There are some players who simply cannot control themselves and play a game of cat and mouse by shooting and killing their own team members or ruining a game by killing the hostage. 

Ubisoft has spent years trying to fix the issue with this instead of simply taking the ability out. Their excuse is that it makes the game more realistic. Why does everything have to be realistic? Killing your own team members because you have no control over your anger is not realistic but downright toxic, hence the reason Rainbow has a bad name for toxicity. Due to this, we abandoned the game as it was simply unplayable or enjoyable because friendly fire was a daily or every other match annoyance.

Mess in the Making 

A few years later, we decided to give it another go and went back to playing, as apparently Ubisoft had made more improvements to the game. No, the friendly fire is still there, and team killing is just as prevalent as it was back then. Although annoying, we continued to play, and suddenly friendly fire, although annoying, took a back seat to what Ubisoft has done to Rainbow.

The game has newer operators and maps, and there have been some changes to the code of conduct where you can build up your reputation or standing with some rewards. Sadly, even this is broken, as the game seems to forget your reputation and standing. Still, this has improved the friendly fire problem, but not immediately, as in our first match, a guy comes in, kills the hostage, then leaves.

But that's not the real problem today, and now we have too many annoying distractions. Rainbow has evolved into Fortnite. Now, I am not judging Fornite; we play it and love it, but it's like Rainbow, another unique game that publishers are intent on destroying. Anyway, back to Rainbow, we now have a bunch of teenagers who treat it like a battle royal game and no longer work as a team but simply do their own thing.

If we go back to when Rainbow was released in 2015, you went through a training process with each operator and learned the game and how to use operators. Now people jump in dressed up as bananas and expect us to take it seriously. I get that people like cosmetics, but now we have this constant distraction that instead of playing a tactical game of 5v5 with specialist operators, we are playing battle royal with a banana (a slight exaggeration, but you get the gist). Its not the events thats the problem its using these skins post event. It's not only annoying to be distracted by ridicula skins, but it also takes away from what made the game truly great.

We are still playing Rainbow, but it's getting harder by the day to see it as what made it truly great, and it's filled with so many bugs to the point of pure annoyance. I have a lot of respect for developers, but I fear there is too much interference from the higher-ups. Ubisoft has this increadable ability to ruin what works to try and reinvent the wheel and turn it into a roadblock, and they do it with almost all of their games. They abandon what makes a game great and improve it by destroying it and turning it into something it is not and should never be. They have vision but have no idea how to implement it into their games.

End note: This is not a review but purely an opinion based on my own experience. I am not here to tell people what to play or how to play it. I'm not suggesting you stop playing either, and if you're happy playing a tactical shooter like a Battle Royal and dressing up as a Unicorn, then that's all that matters.

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Temu Vs Amazon - Gaming Accessories from RGB Lights to Keyboards

 

Nowadays, it's becoming a normal practice to buy lights and items that are more RGB, and it's not always for gamers. Some want to improve the lighting or make their rooms more colorful, whether it's for a gaming room, study space, or simply a place to relax. There are so many places to buy locally or online, but most people turn to Amazon because that's all they know or have Amazon Prime, so that's their preferred place to shop. Some gamers use Amazon, and some turn to other sites like Newegg, but recently Temu, a newer online store, has become the rising star. 

I was looking for some accessories and came across Temu, which had almost the same gear as Amazon but was cheaper. I mostly always used Amazon for lights and other gaming room accessories, but when I came across Temu, my focus changed. Now,  this is not a recommendation for others but rather my choice to try out something different and new to me personally. This is also based on my experience, which may differ depending on what you buy and who the seller is.

Anyway, I decided to try it out and order some stuff. Now,  my expectation was surprisingly low as I had never really thought about anywhere but Amazon, and I chose some items that I needed, but mostly for my study rather than the gaming room. 

The first item on my list was a monitor stand I had seen on Amazon, which was the "Acrylic Computer Monitor Stand Riser with RGB Lights." The stand comes in two styles, Honycomb and Clear, so I ordered the honeycomb, which may look better in natural light. I don't have Amazon Prime, so the delivery time was around the same as Amazon.

I received the stand within the time given by Temu; it was packed very well with no damage and as described on the website. I set it up and was blown away at how something so simple could look so cool yet classy on the desk. Was this a fluke, or did I just receive the best service with a 5/5 rating from a site I had never heard of? Because of this, I decided to try again, but this time with a deal offered to download the app, so I downloaded the Temu App (this link will open a new window) and went ahead to place an order for some more items. This time I went with a Bluetooth speaker and some lights, both also available on Amazon but again cheaper.

I purchased one speaker and two sets of lights in two sizes, again with no expectations for the quality or longevity of each item. Within less than 10 days, both items were received. The speaker looks and works perfectly, and the lights, although not yet placed, work and look really cool. Obviously, it is too soon to tell the longevity of each item, but I will update periodically, so for now, I am absolutely happy with my purchases and the service received. 

 

Both Amazon and Temu have independent sellers who sell on these websites, and I have bought from both. Amazon can be hit or miss, and I also believe that Temu will be the same. Either way, when buying online, it's a game of chance.

 

Temu is definitely the place to shop in today's market, with the rising costs of everything, particularly here in America. It allows people to get the things they need and lets them spend a little on themselves for things they otherwise cannot afford.

 

Amazon offers Prime with two-day shipping and Prime TV, but at a cost of $15 per month. They do have some good deals, but unfortunately, everything you see from independent sellers on Amazon was probably bought from Temu. 

 

End Note: This is based on my own experience with Temu, but it may and could differ for you or anyone. Before buying anything, check for prices; do they offer free returns; and what is the window for returns? If the box is damaged, take a video before opening the package. Amazon also sells most of what is seen on Temu and some other websites, and it depends on the items you are buying, so always be cautious of all online stores and double check who the sellers are. In the end, it's your choice who you shop with and your decision to buy. 

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The Greatness of Assassins Creed Unity

 

"The Creed of the Assassin Brotherhood teaches us that nothing is forbidden to us. Once, I thought that meant we were free to do as we would. To pursue our ideals, no matter the cost. I understand now. Not a grant of permission. The Creed is a warning. Ideals too easily give way to dogma. Dogma becomes fanaticism. No higher power sits in judgment of us. No supreme being watches to punish us for our sins. In the end, only we ourselves can guard against our obsessions. Only we can decide whether the road we walk carries too high a toll. We believe ourselves redeemers, avengers, saviors. We make war on those who oppose us, and they, in turn, make war on us. We dream of leaving our stamp upon the world... even as we give our lives in a conflict that will be recorded in no history book. All that we do, all that we are, begins and ends with ourselves." ~ Arno Dorian

I was a huge fan of Assassin's Creed back in the Ezio days. Not that I didn't like the original; if it wasn't for Altair, the series would have gone nowhere, but there was something about Ezio that everyone fell in love with. His character and watching him grow into one of the greatest assassins—the story itself was phenomenal and taken right out of the history books. So why do I think Assassins Creed Unity excels? It has become one of my favorite AC games and one of the best. 

Being a history buff, AC was always my go-to game, and I loved how they brought history to a new audience, even though some of it was stretching the truth. When they introduced AC Unity and the world surrounding the French Revolution, my excitement level reached a new height, and it was phenomenal in every detail. Sadly, they didn't get a chance to expand or even evolve it further because of a few cheap shots by gaming magazines like IGN and others. 

The French Revolution was a period of uprisings, lies, deceit, and propoganda. Arno was born in 1768 to Charles and Marie Dorian. Marie abandoned the family, leaving Charles to raise his son on his own. After Charles was assassinated, he was adapted by François de la Serre (Templar). Arno was not aware of this or his father's history, so he was simply a boy who fell in love with a girl (Elise), the daughter of Francois, the father figure who raised Arno.

Arno later becomes an Assassin as his father, but he joined to find out who and why Francois was killed in an effort to clear his own name and to rekindle his friendship as he was still in love with Elise. The game itself becomes a murder mystery for Arno; while unknown to him, he was about to walk the shadow line, finding out not only about his birth father but also about Francious and Elise.

The game also contains side missions relevant to that period of time during the class struggles throughout France. It also has co-op for up to 4 players and helix mode, which allows you to play and view genetic memories with the help of Bishop (an unknown identity) and Shaun Hastings, known from previous games. The stealth is fluid and probably the best seen in any of the AC games, as is the combat and movement of Arno as he makes his way through the streets, climbing and entering buildings. The city is rich in characters known from that period of time, and the mission sequences are on point, as is the music for the game.

Assassins Creed Unity did everything right, and if it weren't for a few bugs, it would have been remembered for what it was: truly great. IGN did what they always do: play a game for 5 minutes and destroy it in one. That's why I never trust anything that comes out of their mouth. The most annoying of all was comparing it to Black Flag. AC Black Flag may be a phenomenal game in its own right, but it was a pirate game running under the umbrella of Assassins Creed. It didn't even touch the greatness of Ezio Auditore. 

In their conclusion or verdict, they claimed the character was not strong or interesting enough for THEM (Typical rush-through review) Then there were some control issues that they claimed ruined the game; yes, there was one mission I myself had trouble with, but I soon realized it was more of a player issue, not fully understanding what the game was asking me to do. I played the game on release and didn't see any of the bugs others claimed to have had, maybe because I wasn't playing on a PC. I don't know, but I do know that PC gamers buy games without considering or factoring in their rigs capabilities of running the game the way it is meant to run. 

Then we had people posting bugs in Unity with their caked dusty consoles and wondering why the game doesn't run or having their console trapped in an oven and complaining when the console shuts down but still blaming the game they were playing. I'm not saying that's the main reason for the bugs, but you can rule out a lot of issues simply by looking at some of the pictures being posted. Yes, Unity had bugs like most other games on release day, but let's leave it up to the gamers to decide. No one wants to spend dollars on a game that is unplayable, and there are some that may have been, but Unity was not one of them.

Now a days, most people watch others play demos before they buy a game, like the RadBrad, so they can see how the game runs or looks, or play the demo themselves before making a decision to buy. IGN may be the go-to place for some gamers, but for me, it's an opinionated preference. Ubisoft gave up too quick on Unity, so it never evolved the way it should have, and so they abandoned the franchise as it was and started pushing out games like Odessy, which for me is not an AC game in any shape or form.

Unity was the last AC game that felt like an AC game and even followed the greatness of Ezio, and it was the last of its kind. Mirage was Ubisoft's latest attempt at restoring what was known as an AC game, and it did go back to some roots that made AC great, but for me personally, it was still missing that click of being an assassin. AC Unity will always be remembered as an unfinished game because of IGN and Ubisoft's stone-stepping response to one of their greatest AC games. Unity still holds up today on new generation consoles and is still playable in its current form, but I hope they will one day do a remaster of the game and reintroduce what made it great for younger audiences. So for now lets reminace with this music video from AC Unity.

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Geoff Keightley: Worse Person of The Year Award

 

When we talk about game awards and how they like to get people excited for upcoming games and trailers, Geoff Kneightly is always there, pushing his little agenda while standing on his soap box of lies and deceit. It's no secret that I simply do not like the guy, as he always seems so disingenuous and everything is more about him than any games or developers.

Recently, there have been a mass of layoffs in the gaming industry, which does not surprise me, and with AI, it's only going to get worse. We have a bunch of rich people trying to make quick cash by investing and controlling the gaming world, and the new generation of gamers is giving them a free pass to do it.

Microsoft being allowed to purchase activation blizzards was the start of the domino effect, and Geoff Kneightley is in the middle of clearing a path after having made himself the spokesperson for the gaming world. This was his opportunity to help manipulate gamers with his car sales speech, when in reality he is nothing more than a guy who is on a quick-rich mission and will do everyone's bidding to stay on top.

He doesn't care about gamers or developers, and his recent tweet proves that once again. Not once has he even mentioned the mass layoff, but he is quick to mention Game Scent with a direct link to their page. Not only was this bad timing, but it also shows no respect or care for what is actually happening to thousands of developers or their future. This is coming from the unofficial spokesperson, who has little or no decency but claims he cares so much about games and gamers. 

Rightly so, he was inundated with comments about his timing, lack of care, or consideration for what was happening to developers. So he posted a tweet about it, and then, on the same breath, he talks about the Summer Game Fest 2024. This guy has no moral compass or any kind of human decency; he is about as useful as a chocolate fireguard who pretends to care while tweeting to protect his brand as everyone else goes up in flames.

 

Honestly, I love games, but I'll be damned if I use his outlet to get my gaming news or any updates, and as for his game awards or game fest, he can put it where the sun doesn't shine.

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Final Fantasy Rebirth - Copyright Claims

 

theRadBrad, a popular YouTuber who has over 13 million followers and has always maintained good standing on both YouTube and with his followers, has recently received three copyright strikes. He posted a video about the strikes to explain why he removed Final Fantasy Rebirth walk-through videos from his channel. He apologized to his followers that he was no longer willing to stream the game for fear of losing his channel and even posted the permission slip he received from Square Enix.

Fightin Cowboy another YouTuber, has been more aggressive, saying they are likely fraudulent and that these companies do not have a claim to the music in these videos, and unless the claim comes from Square Enix, they should ignore the copyright notices. Personally I agree with theRadBrad its not worth the risk. 

This has nothing to do with Square Enix and more to do with Reproduction Rights Agency's. The following agencies have raised copyright claims on Final Fantasy Rebirth videos: 

CMBRA, ASCAP, BUMA CS, Polaris Hub AB, Warner Chappel Music Singapore Pte. Ltd, 

LatinAutoPerf, Warner Chappel Music, Singapore Pte. Ltd, Polaris Hub AB, 

JASRAC, PEDL, and ICE Core.

CMBRA. Warner Chappel Music Singapore Pte. Ltd, BUMA CS, Polaris Hub AB, and VCPMC_CS

This will have a huge impact on anyone wishing to stream the game for others, as it could affect their YouTube standing and ultimately have their YouTube accounts removed. As far as I am aware, the copyright claim was put on YouTube and has not yet affected Twitch streamers. I hope SquareEnix will intervene and look into those copyright claims, meanwhile if you are planning to stream Final Fantasy Rebirth, beware of these copyright claims.

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