Since gaming went 3D, its pretty much all been about shooting peoples heads off. WWII gunners shined for a while and sci-fi space marines had their day, but thanks to the hottest Westeros trends, medieval fantasy and bladed combat have found an upswing. Dark Souls brutally stat-centric melee variety and The Witchers tactile, tuck n roll brawls have earned massive followings bolstered by fanatic word of mouth and quality reputations. Skyrim took the world by storm, establishing the potential for high-fantasy RPGs where you shout at dragons to be considered viably cool in the public perception. It also had loads of swords. Cant ignore that. Clearly, theres a craving for quality digital steel. Perhaps an oversaturation of shiny shooters is starting to feel old fashioned. Maybe firing metal from a distance just isnt as new-gen as swinging it straight into someones face. Whatever the reason, gamers and swordsman alike have a lot to look forward to
7. Assassin's Creed Unity
The harrowing combat in Assassins Creed has always been functionally rooted in intricate, counter-animation systems full of Hollywood swordplay and it's always been a blast to bask in the blood of a few dozen chumps. That said, the relative ease with which we've dispatched literal hordes in the past has always seemed at odds with the tension you'd expect from AC's high stakes stealth scenarios. With Unity, not only is Ubisoft looking to push period-accurate scale in a monumental way, but the parkour and combat mechanics have been completely retooled for the sake of fluidity and a greater emphasis on stealth mechanics. Apparently, more than a few enemies at once can become quite overwhelming in Assassin's Creed Unity. Running for your life is now more viable an option than ever before, but you'll be far from helpless, should you stand your ground. Infinite countering has been a game-breaking crutch for so long that it's difficult to visualize Unity's approach to its deconstruction. In Ubi's official developer blog, Lead Game Designer Alex Pedneault claims they "still have counter moves like the parry, perfect parry and dodge but it is much harder to kill NPCs right away. And that changes the way the fight feels. Instead of simply pressing B, you now have to work for the kill."
Real Science Magazine called James' addiction to video games "sexually attractive." He also worked really hard and got really lucky in college and earned some awards for acting, improv and stand-up, but nobody cares about that out here in LA. So... He's starting over fresh, performing when He can. His profile picture features James as Serbian, vampire comic Dorde Mehailo with His anonymous Brother and Uncle at the Nerdmelt Showroom in West Hollywood. In James' spare time, he engages in acting, writing, athletics, hydration, hours of great pondering and generally wishing you'd like him.
