games – Page 2 – My Game Reviews

The most important reason why Netflix is not worth the money and Tubi is growing in popularity

Netflix just released its Stranger Things Season Five, Volume 1 and it is one of those rare TV events we have in our culture now.

In the past, shows such as the original Shogun were changing watching habits. Shogun in 1980 in particular seems to have reset American attitudes about Japan. My thoughts are that Shogun made people more appreciative of Japanese culture and history.

Now, TV shows are treated like content rather than as events.

However, in spite of its impact on our culture, I believe that Netflix is a waste of money. Here is why.

Netflix is taking away content which was “Original”

It is becoming more apparent to me that Netflix puts the “N” label on its content and then removes it without much ceremony. They do not even say which company owns the content or where you can watch that content, but it is just taken away without any context, and you have no idea when you are going to be watch it again.

This happens alot with content made in Spanish-Speaking countries. Juana Ines was taken away despite the fact that I had watched in 2017 and while I had issues with certain ideological viewpoints or framing of characters, it was an interesting series. The series was just removed from the site and now I cannot watch it without trying to get it through streaming through other channels.

I understand that not everything is an “Original” however, they are so deceptive putting that opening logo when you start an episode. Just show the original makers and that should be it.

This happens with many other series, especially period dramas, which is my favorite genre on Streaming services.

Netflix’s removal of its own content makes the service less valuable in comparison to the past here.

Here is my suggestion:

Try to subscribe only when there is something interesting on the site. When you are done watching those shows, you should unsubscribe,

TUBI: The next thing in Streaming

People should be paying attention to Tubi. There you can get tons of ad-supported content. They are also making their own content also and it is getting traction here. Netflix is providing ad-supported tiers but has less content.

I think I know which one users will want to use.

Will one want to use a service which makes you pay for a smaller library of content with ads?

Will you use a service that has ads and is free and actually has the big movies and shows as well as a growing library of their own originals?

There is a reason why Tubi has been growing quickly with consumers. It promises value with quality.

Netflix has too many reality tv shows and is not having the hits that it used to have.

Competition is needed and Tubi may be one of the few services that may be able to shake up the streaming industry in America. Right now, the industry is stagnant and Tubi is truly having innovative concepts in our age.

What Empire Earth has that Civilization VII still doesn’t have

Civilization VII right before Thanksgiving has only around 7.5 thousand players right now playing it on Steam.

I have already talked about how Civilization VII was a failure and the game is basically the dark ages of the Civilization franchise. The dark ages of course had brightness in it, such as in Charlemagne’s court. Civilization VII burned brightly at the beginning as so many games do and it fails to continue capturing people’s attention.

I watched with great interest at how Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Civilization VII would perform together as they were released close to one another.

They are different genres, but they are both historical games with have audiences that overlap.

It is a tale of two games. Both burn brightly upon release but they are not the same. Kingdom Come 2, in spite of there being a high skill ceiling for this game, managed to tell an interesting story in 15th Century Bohemia and give a narrative from many class perspectives.

Civilization VII simply seems like an entry in a franchise which is exhausted in energy.

The game should have been pc-centric not console centric as it seems that it was. The willingness to put the game in VR makes no sense for a series that has largely been on the PC. Its soul began on the PC, and the console versions were a necessary addition but the main part of the franchise’s energy.

Empire Earth has what a lot of what the gaming industry doesn’t have now. The energy and the soul which makes it special here.

The importance of a holistic integration of many gameplay and design elements into a video game is vital for keeping it going in the memories of gamers.

Why Empire Earth is better than most Modern RTS Games

The Intro Screen of the Russian Campaign in Empire Earth

The Russian Campaign in Empire Earth is one of the reasons why I still love playing this game. I have not actually won the campaign even after so many years. However, its the possibilities that the campaign has which still captivates me. The ability to have a science fiction story set on Earth rather than space in an RTS was a great accomplishment. Regardless of the quality of the voice acting or the plausbility of the story, the campaign is known as the hardest in the game. You really get a sense of a futuristic struggle between Russia and America and other nations which you rarely get to see.

Why is that we cannot see that with modern RTS games. The only RTS game recently to accomplish any dynamicism in its design while honoring the past is Age of Empires IV. While Age of Empires III was in a beautiful obscurity, a middle child one could say, Age of Empires IV has regenerated the franchise and RTS games as whole. Starcraft II’s hold on the RTS genre along with other offshoot genres. However, one game cannot do it on its own here. There needs to be more RTS games out there as I see the genre as a virtual chess style game which can help enhance people’s minds here.

Instead of focusing on esports, maybe developers should focus on making their profits sustainable versus a constant stream which eventually tires out and then they have no artistic integrity. Video game companies need to start paying attention to the tension between art and business. Without capital, most art could not start but they should not let business take their soul away from their jobs. Such a compromise ends up damaging many businesses. Somehow, Japan, with its harsher corporate culture has managed to keep the soul of its IPs intact versus the West here.

Empire Earth has a been game that I have played for over twenty years. There is a reason why it stays with me. Nostalgia, a very much misused word in our age, isn’t really for software. It’s more for our physical places and the sense of time passing and a willingness to come back to it. The technical aspect of a video game isn’t what we are sentimental about here, but the atmosphere around playing the game. The game’s technical aspects are solid, not prefect, but better than what you see now, regardless of sentimental aspects surrounding our playing of the game.

Empire Earth has something unique about it. The AI cheats in the game, but it is competent and the battles, even when annoying are also exciting. There is something about the quality of the battles where every unit has a role to play, big and small. Unlike so many RTS games now, I feel the gameplay loop is similar to Skyrim’s. It has a mythic quality while still personable. This is an issue that Starfield had, where its huge nature made the player seem too small and not distinctive enough. This is another issue I have with Stellaris, inspire of its great gameplay. The mythic nature is so huge, that the player just seems to be clicking buttons on a screen.

What we need in video games again is a sense of personal stakes and personality again. Not just moving digital information on the screen.

The reason why Empire Earth is still played by players is really down to its technical brillancce combined with the memories of an industry that wasn’t perfect but knew how to make games over assets for investors in corporations.