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The PS4 becomes the second best selling home console of all time!!!

It looks like 2019 will be known as the year that the PlayStation 4 made history within the gaming world as far as success is concerned. It has been recently announced that Sony’s PlayStation 4 console which was initially released back in November 2013 has reached over 102.8 million units in worldwide sales. This means that the PlayStation 4 has outsold the Wii console which came out in November 2006. Since its respective release almost thirteen years ago the Wii game system had reached over 101.63 million in in worldwide sales and is considered to Nintendo’s best selling home console of the 00’s. It should also be noted that the PS4 has also surpassed the original PS1 game system which came out December of 1994. The original PlayStation console was the best selling game console of the 90’s with the inclusion of big titles such as Final Fantasy VII, Gran Turismo, Tekken 3 and many others. Since its release almost twenty-five years ago the PS1 has managed to reach approximately 102.49 million units worldwide. Despite, how successful the PS1 and the PlayStation 4 have been since their initial releases they both pale in comparison to the PS2 in terms of sales.

The PlayStation 2 is still considered to be the best selling game console of all time. Since its release back in November 2000 the PlayStation 2 has managed to reach over 150 million units worldwide and had countless games that were considered to be classics. On the PS2 we got games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas, Gran Turismo 3, Gran Turismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty, Final Fantasy X and others from the 00’s that many people would still play to this day. Even though, the PS4 was not as successful as the PS2 it still managed to sell more than its last generation predecessor the PS3 and had so many titles within the past six years that were awesome. We got to see titles such as God Of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, The Last Of Us Remastered and others between the late-2013 and 2018 and they are among the best video games of the 10’s decade. Sony has managed to surpass its competitors Microsoft & Nintendo as it pertains to home consoles in both the 00’s and the 10’s and many people wonder how successful the PS5 will be in the 20’s decade following its upcoming release during the fourth quarter of next year.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (2008)

When people think about high profile action-adventure stealth titles from the 00’s decade that were highly successful one of the few games that instantly comes to mind is Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 4. As a PlayStation 3 exclusive this particular installment within the Metal Gear Solid series was one that really stood out following its release in June 2008. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots was considered to be the direct sequel to the critically Metal Gear Solid 2: Son’s Of Liberty game from ’01. The setting for this game took place five years following the events of MGS II as players controlled Old Snake in the year 2014. Its during this time period where the world relies on wars concerning private military companies and soldiers are equipped with high tech gadgets such as nanomachines which enhances their performances during missions within the battlefield controlled by the Sons Of Patriots system. As far as the plot is concerned the storytelling aspect of Metal Gear Solid IV was outstanding. The shocking revelations that players learn about characters such as the initial fate of Raiden & Rose following their separation after the Big Shell Incident along with Naomi’s tragic demise due to illness contributed to the overall dark and realistic tone that Metal Gear Solid IV had presented. There were many people who checked out Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty who were surprised to see that Big Boss had survived and was comatosed until the end of the game and eventually perished from the FOXDIE virus.

It should also be noted that Old Snake had aged considerably due to a illness that was similar to Werner syndrome known as the FOXDIE virus. The fact that the main character had an illness that was a danger to the worldwide population was one that added to the seriousness of Metal Gear Solid IV which already had a dark tone. In this game Old Snake’s main objective was to destroy Liquid Ocelot who had his sights on world domination. In Metal Gear Solid IV Liquid Ocelot was arguably more dangerous than Revolver Ocelot was in any of the previous MGS games since ’98 since he had managed to create the Beauty and the Beast Unit by praying on mentally unstable women to develop elite agents such as Crying Wolf, Laughing Octopus and Raging Raven. The visuals for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots was beautiful and there were various aspects about the gameplay that people absolutely loved.

The inclusion of a Psyche Meter was a pretty innovative in-game mechanic and added to the realism of the gameplay as players controlled Old Snake throughout the game. Not only did the Psyche Meter affect the regeneration of Old Snake’s life bar it also decreased in battle as well. The amount of stressors that Old Snake received during action affected his combat abilities if his stress meter was too high it was visible for players to see. As far success is concerned Metal Gear Solid IV managed to reach over six million copies in sales following its release. In fact, Konami had reportedly earned at least $1.5 billion in revenue from Metal Gear Solid IV shortly after its release before the end of 2008. While many fans of the MGS series have their preferences on which installment within the entire series is the best; there no doubt that Metal Gear Solid VI can be considered one of the top action-adventure stealth games of the 00’s decade.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Mirror’s Edge: (2008)

When it comes down to innovative action-adventure platform titles from the 00’s decade one of the few titles instantly comes to mind is Mirror’s Edge from 2008. Mirror’s Edge was developed by Swedish game maker EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts and was a title where the setting of the game took place within a unnamed utopian-like city controlled by a totalitarian government. This game had a female protagonist in her early 20’s named Faith Connors who is against the totalitarian government and their regulations. Connor’s perception of the city’s government was mainly shaped by what happened to her parents who were killed off for being protesters against the established regime eighteen years prior to the setting of the game. As players progress throughout the game they eventually learn that Faith’s sister Kate has been framed for the murder of the Pope. Despite, her innocence Kate is seen as the assailant for the crime while Faith tries to find answers regarding circumstances surrounding the Pope’s death. Faith eventually learns from a former Runner named “Jacknife” that the Pope’s assassination may have been planned by the head of his security force who is a former wrestler named Travis Burfield.

In addition, to learning the assassination of the Pope players learn about the conspiracy between his security force and the police in regards to cracking down on Runners such as Faith through a parkour program known as “Project Icarus”. It turns out that Project Icarus was designed to train people in parkour to eliminate the Runners. While learning more about the true extent regarding the corruption of the city’s totalitarian government Faith eventually tries to set her sister Kate free with the help of some friends after she is convicted of the Pope’s murder. Not only did Mirrors Edge have an interesting plot full of twists and turns the game itself was a visual masterpiece especially since it utilized the Unreal Engine 3. Mirror’s Edge give players control of Faith Connors from a first person perspective as they have the ability to traverse throughout the city using parkour moves on various buildings & rooftops. The cool thing about Mirrors Edge was the fact that the a game achieved such a high profile during a time period where first person shooters had become increasingly popular.

Its no secret that the 00’s was the decade of the shooter genre of gaming and seeing a action-adventure platform title from a first person perspective was something that kinda new at the time. If Mirror’s Edge was played from a third person perspective it may not have been as popular as it was following its release in November 2008. Also, as impressive as parkour may be there was really no high profile video games like Mirror’s Edge that combined such a activity with a storyline that had a dark & serious tone. Mirror’s Edge was praised by various fans & critics following its release over a decade ago and is still considered to be one of the best action-adventure platform titles from 2008.

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Retro Gaming 10’s- Red Dead Redemption: (2010)

When we think about some of most popular action-adventure titles from the early 10’s titles such as Dishonored, Assassin’s Creed III & IV, God Of War III and others from that particular time period. However, of the few titles that instantly comes to mind in relation to memorable high profile action-adventure titles is RockStar’s Red Dead Redemption game from 2010. This third-person western themed video game is considered to be one of the best action-adventure titles of the 10’s decade for various reasons including its single-player/multiplayer gameplay along with the storytelling aspects featured in Red Dead Redemption. There was so much time invested in the development of Red Dead Redemption especially since it took approximately five years to complete the game before it was officially released. It should also be noted that the original Red Dead Redemption game has a budget of $100 million dollars and is considered to be one of the most expensive video games ever developed along with the likes of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto V and Destiny. The plot for Red Dead Redemption starts off in the early part of the 20th century in the fictionalized setting of Western America and Mexico in 1911.

In Red Dead Redemption players control an outlaw by the name of John Marston who is also the main protagonist of the game. Following his separation from his family by the Bureau of Investigation Marston is offered a pardon for his past crimes following his agreement to bring down past fellow gang members in order to turn them over to justice. After being extorted by the Bureau Of Investigation Marston eventually forms various alliances throughout the game to help take down former comrades. The storytelling in Red Dead Redemption 2 was very intriguing due to its unpredictability in relation to the twists and turns that played out in the game. An example would be Agustín Allende’s betrayal of Marston in order to aid the rebels considering the fact that he was a Mexican Army Colonel. Allende’s double-crossing of Marston was shocking because players eventually discovered that former ally Bill Williamson was being protected by him after Javier Escuella is discovered by John & Abraham Reyes and spills beans. Marston was also double-crossed Edgar Ross who eventually orders for John’s execution by sending numerous soldiers and government officials after him despite fulfilling his obligations to him and Archer Fordham.

The death of John Marston was dark & tragic which many people would argue made for a great story since it was realistic. John Marston was mainly an anti-hero he ultimately became a victim in the end as corrupt authority figures used him to do their bidding and broke their promise to him making Ross & Fordham the true villains of Red Dead Redemption. Along with having a fantastic story the gameplay for Red Dead Redemption was praised by both fans and critics with the “Most Wanted” system being similar to the criminal rating mechanic from the GTA series. The inclusion of a bounty count made the “Most Wanted” system more realistic as players were pursued by more hunters depending on how many crimes they committed. The online multiplayer gameplay was also a strong positive in Red Dead Redemption especially considering the fact it allowed up sixteen players simultaneously as it related co-op and competition action. Not only was Red Dead Redemption considered be one of the best games of 2010 but its also viewed as of top action-adventure titles of the 10’s decade. Red Dead Redemption eventually spawned a highly successful sequel entitled Red Dead Redemption 2 released back in October 2018 which has managed to reach over 23 million copies within a year. The very first Red Dead Redemption was without a doubt one of the best games to have come out of the early 10’s; its also a memorable gem for the PS3 & Xbox 360 that people still talk about to this day.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Assassin’s Creed II: (2009)

When we think about some of the best action-adventure games to have been released during the 00’s decade one of the few titles that many people instantly think about is Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II from 2009. Assassin’s Creed II was the highly anticipated sequel of its predecessor from 2007 which appeared on multiple game game systems such as Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows between November 2009 and March 2010. One of the most interesting things about Assassin’s Creed II was how the storyline for the game had included various historical figures such Niccolò Machiavelli, Leonardo Da Vinci, Bartolomeo d’ Alviano, Pope Alexander VI and others while the setting took place during the late 15th-early 16th century time period. The main protagonist Ezio Auditore has a rather dark but interesting backstory when players learn that his family had been brutally executed during the conflict involving the Assassins and the Knights Templar during the Renaissance era in Italy. The events surrounding Ezio Auditore is framed in the 21st century by a descendant within his bloodline named Desmond Miles which contributes to overall quality of the storytelling aspect of Assassin’s Creed II.

In this game players start out as Desmond who is eventually taught assassin skills by an undercover assassin named Lucy Stillman through a technique known as the “Bleeding Effect”. Shortly, afterwards Desmond learns more about his ancestor’s past when he discovers Ezio’s goal to retrieve information regarding the pieces of Eden. During Ezio’s journey players eventually cross path with the main antagonist Rodrigo Borgia who possessed one of the pieces of Eden while eventually becoming Pope Alexander VI. While Ezio eventually takes a piece of Eden from Borgia its eventually discovered that his father and brother were both condemned to death by hanging for treason by a despotic magistrate within Italy. Fueled by vengeance Ezio wanted to use his combat/stealth abilities to destroy every individual who was involved in his father’s death despite their occupation. His quest to destroy his father’s murderers is meet with aid as he trains with ancient order Assassin members who assist him along his quest. Throughout, the game players engage in various missions accompanied with non-linear gameplay and world maps that feature historical locations within Italy such as Florence, Venice, Forlì and others.

The addition of new in game mechanics such as swimming and “Eagle Vision” were features that many people found appealing comparison to the original Assassin’s Creed title from ’07. The ability to hire skilled non-playable characters from thieves all the way down to mercenaries to battle adversarial forces was also a plus; because it gave players more independence to develop creative strategies in order to complete certain parts of the game. There was also more realism added to the game with the introduction of a day/night cycle and a more robust yet effective combat system especially when it came down to countering the attacks of enemies. Along with impressive storytelling full of twists and turns, ancient landmarks, historical characters from the Renaissance era of Italy the visuals for Assassin’s Creed II was amazing back in ’09 thanks to the AnvilNext game engine.

Since its release back in November 2009 Assassin’s Creed II had received three downloadable expansion packs which kept players interested in the game before the release of Assassin’s Creed III in 2012. As far overall success in relation to sales it was reported that Assassin’s Creed II has reportedly sold over 1.6 million within its first week which was a pretty big deal at the time. In fact, Assassin’s Creed II is arguably the best installment within the series despite the fact that it was released a decade ago. The story for Assassin’s Creed II felt somewhat similar to Dishonored from 2012 in the sense where the story emphasizes corruption among authority figures and is accompanied with a dark and tragic backstory leading the main protagonists to align themselves with resistant rebels forces who end up becoming avengers. As a action-adventure stealth from the 00’s Assassin’s Creed II was quite the best video game from that 00’s decade and its a title that some might still enjoy on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to this day.

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Retro Gaming 10’s- Dishonored: (2012)

When it comes down to action-adventure titles from the early 10’s one of the many names that people think about is Bethesda’s Dishonored game from 2012. Dishonored was developed by Arkane Studios and was released for multiple game consoles such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and eventually the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. This first person action-adventure stealth game was one that was interesting especially considering the fact that the setting took place within a fictional industrial city between the later part of the 19th century and the early half of the 20th century. The plot for Dishonored is rather dark but intriguing since emphasis is placed on government corruption in relation to Dunwall which is considered to be the capital of the Empire Of Isles. It turns out Dunwall is powered by whale oil which turns out to be a resource that has ultimately lead to government corruption within the city. The creation of advanced weapons from whale oil and the government’s desire for control has contributed to the suffering of civilians. The Dunwall government had planed to separate the rich from the low class citizens of the city who live in deplorable conditions as a scheme to wipe them out from existence.

The story about the corrupt government regime in Dunwall is even darker considering the fact that their rise to power came following the demise of the city’s Empress and abduction of her daughter. A resistance group known as the Loyalists make it their main goal to overthrow the corrupt government in order for the Empress’s daughter to take her rightful place as the ruler of Dunwall. In Dishonored players control a skilled assassin by the name of Corvo Attano. One of the few things about the Corvo character that was a bit interesting was the fact that he was silent protagonist. The idea of the main protagonist being silent while being accused of murdering Empress felt creative; mainly because there are not too many games that sees a silent protagonist in such a dark storyline where they are initially believed to be villains. While Corvo eventually aligns himself with the Loyalists players get to use him and his supernatural abilities given to him by the Outsider to complete various missions throughout the game.

The stealth and combat elements of Dishonored are the things that people were highly fond about following its release; along with the narrative as it relates to the storytelling aspect of the game. The revelation of Lord Regent’s involvement in the assassination of the Empress while framing Corvo made him out to be a very sinister antagonist. The fact that Lord Regent’s wanted to put Corvo to death after framing him spoke volumes on the amount of despotism that existed among government in Dunwall. In addition to having a superb storyline the inclusion of good/evil endings depending on how many people the player had killed throughout the game was also a pretty cool feature as well. While Dishonored did go on to have a successful sequel in 2015 some would argue that the original game was the best of the two. Not only did Dishonored receive high praise & ratings from various gaming publications but it was also considered to be one of the best action-adventure games of 2012.

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Upcoming Games- Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019)

One of the hottest upcoming games that everyone is currently talking about in relation to October 2019 is the release of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare published by Activision and developed by Infinity Ward. This game will appear on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows and comes one year following the release Call Of Duty: Black Ops VI which came out in October 2018. While the main attraction for Call Of Duty: Black Ops VI was the online multiplayer Battle Royale mode the game lacked a single-player campaign mode which received mixed reception by critics alike. For those who have enjoyed the campaign modes for any of the previous Call Of Duty games from the 10’s decade you will be happy to know that this feature will make a return in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare. As far as the campaign mode for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare is concerned we have learned that creators have placed more emphasis on “emotion” in relation to decision-making and actions that players decide to take throughout the game. Similar to general RPG’s that we see nowadays Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare will have a moral system which is based on decision-making.

The decisions that players will be able to make in Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare might intrigue some fans of the series especially since they will have the opportunity to partake or skip certain missions in relation to killing others. The narrative based story mode for Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare will see the return of Captain Price from previous installments within in the series as players control a former officer of the British Army known Sergeant Kyle Garrick. During the first half of the game players will progress throughout the story as Garrick before controlling a CIA Agent named Alex during the second half of the game. The split-decision making mechanic is one of the few features that will contribute to the over quality of COD: Modern Warfare in relation to realism as it relates to dealing with non-playable characters. In some cases NPC’s can become a threat to the player and they are given a letter grade rank based on threat assessment and how they deal with certain situations.

Another feature that Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare will have which is considered to be strong positive includes non-linearity as relation to completing missions. While there is plenty to look forward in the upcoming Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare game some people will probably be bummed by the fact that Zombies Mode will be absent in this installment. However, Infinity Ward has decided to bring back the co-op “Spec Op” mode which was popular on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2-3 between 2009-2011. As a first-person shooter Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare will most likely be one of the biggest attractions of 2019. As it currently stands Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare is set to be released on October 25th. With the holiday season around the corner many people are wondering how much the 16th installment within the Call Of Duty will sell comparison to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare from last year.