Shortie

With the success of the Switch and the Steam Deck it is pretty much inevitable now that we will probably see more companies coming out with their own versions of these consoles that can also be handhelds. I have said it for the longest time and even now I would still love to see it and that is for Xbox to jump on the handheld. Something like a console that is also a handheld I feel would be amazing and very popular from Xbox.

Very much so a charging station for sure. I have a charging dock myself that I got with my controller a few months ago and if I am honest, it was the best thing I got as I haven't had any issues with my battery dying on me as I always keep it on the dock when I am not using it. Also, thumb grips as well are something else I would recommend. I have been using my thumb grips now since around May 2020 and now when I use a controller without thumb grips, I find it so uncomfortable and can never understand how I used to play without.

I think heading towards a future of no physical media or discs would be a blow to be honest. So many people still prefer to pick up physical games even now and taking the ability away from them to do that would affect them badly. I feel what Xbox has done with their consoles, one with a disc tray and one without is a better option going forward as it gives the consumer the chance to choose which one they would prefer and still be able to go either physical or digital.

I don't know what Fortnite did to their game but I noticed that the game seems a lot brighter now than it ever was before and even though I turn down the brightness in the game settings I always find it doesn't really make any difference at all. Because of this I tend to get headaches when playing and it can be quite frustrating as I do enjoy the game.

I haven't played a video game in well over a week as I have been so busy with work but the last game I played was Fortnite after the Winterfest update left. I played a few games after the update and then had to get back to work as I was a little swamped after Christmas and New Year.

Working as a game tester was something I had a strong interest in if I am honest but never knew where to start. I don't think it's as big a thing now as it was a while back though or at least I don't seem to see it as much as I used to now so it's something I kind of pushed to the back of my mind. It would be quite cool to be part of the testing of new video games though and be helping developers with bugs and such.

Not going to lie if we ever saw a remake of Simpsons Hit and Run on Playstation and for some reason it didn't come to Xbox (even though I feel that would be very rare) this would be a game I would jump on Playstation for. I played Hit and Run so much and have been wanting a remake or remaster for the longest time so no matter what console that may come out on, I would be sure to jump on it. Still surprised that we haven't seen a remaster yet being that so many are crying out for it.

So this past Christmas, my youngest son took an interest in UNO and wanted me to get him the UNO cards as a Christmas gift. I managed to get these for him and even though he understands much of the rules for UNO, he does struggle on some things and I felt that if he was able to play UNO on say Xbox or Nintendo Switch he may learn in a little better than him being told as he has a tendency to seem to be listening but doesn't really take it in and he seems to learn better when playing. I myself have UNO on my Xbox as I bought it a few years ago when it was on offer and even though I enjoy it and have played it a few times, it's kinda just sat there. I also noticed that UNO is on offer on the Nintendo Switch as well which would be perfect for my son as he could play it on the go if he wanted to. Have you ever played UNO on console? Do you find it easier to learn on the console than say playing with the cards?

We have spent so much time playing video games over the course of 2022 with many playing on more than one console/platform. With each different game we can sometimes find it better to play on a specific platform per game, for example I prefer to play shooters on my Xbox but I love to play games such as House Flipper, Powerwash Simulator and such on my PC if I can. What platform did you find you spent most of your time on in 2022? I myself found that I spent most of my game play time on Xbox over anywhere else and that was because I was playing a lot of Fortnite and Apex throughout 2022.

With Fortnite still being such a popular game now 5+ years on, we will still be seeing more and more new people coming to the game who have never played Fortnite before who would need some tips and pointers on where to start out or what their best strategy would be. What would your tips be to someone who was just starting out playing Fortnite? Would there be anything specific that you would say to them before they played their first game? For me I feel the only tips I could give someone new to the game would be to play zero build at first if they were jumping into their first battle royale match and to ensure that they had an assault rifle, shotgun and an SMG as well as meds. I would also advise them not to rush if they seem someone but to play more tactically and keep a good eye on their surroundings. One extra tip I would give that took me a while to get used to myself would also be NEVER med up in the open. The amount of times I did that and got sniped was too much! LOL

At the moment, the most used currency to buy video games or even buy in game addons or items is your currency for your country so say dollars, pounds, euros and more. Cryptocurrency whilst it is still in it's infancy is becoming more and more recognized as a currency that is accepted as payment for so many things and it got me thinking. Do you think we will ever see cryptocurrency used more frequently in gaming to buy say games, addons or in game items?

Can you believe it! It's 2023 already and with it comes more time to play the games we love and find out what games we may be seeing this year as well. In any New Year there is always that first game that you play on the very first day of the start of a New Year and my question to you is, what was the very first game you played in 2023? For me it was Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 online multiplayer. My boyfriend and I decided to play a few games after New Year hit and even though I wasn't playing the greatest I did have a lot of fun and may be spending more time playing this game in the New Year.

Something that I have noticed is quite popular among many people including live streamers is speed running through video games. They tend to play the game first and go through it all to understand what comes up and to understand the game as a whole. Once they have completed the game at least once they will then opt to speed run through the game on certain difficulties. Are you someone who has ever speed run through a video game you have already completed before? What game was it and how did your first speed run go?

Overwatch 2 has now been out for just over a few months and as many will now know, the game has gone free to play. Along with it going free to play, we have also lost things like loot boxes and now it seems that most cosmetics in game are extra purchases rather than you being able to earn them in game like you used to be able to with the loot boxes. I personally myself as much as I hated that the loot boxes were more of a gamble for those who purchased them, miss the fact that they completely took out the ability for you to earn them by playing the game. I used to love playing the game and reaching new levels to get a new loot box to open for a new in game cosmetic. I really feel that them keeping them in to earn would have been a better way of removing them all together. What are your thoughts on Overwatch 2 since it's release?

Mario would be awesome, not going to lie. I would love to be able to run around the Fortnite Island as Mario. Yes, they do have John Cena and I was actually quite surprised we didn't get anymore than that. We do kind of have The Rock I guess but we have him as Black Adam and also as The Foundation as well which is part of the story line but seeing him in there as a wrestler would be cool as well. I like where you are going with Mortal Kombat characters as well and having Sonic as well would be amazing. There is so much they can do with skins it's just a case of them having the rights and getting it done. I guess we can only hope 🙂

Haha.. I would like to say the same thing myself but unfortunately I can't. I don't buy them for myself but my sons who love FIFA and like to play the latest game each year because their friends have it even though nothing much really changes between each game. Being that it's released around the same time each year I plan for it to get them it.

I tend to clean it at least once a day to get any kind of dust or dirt off with something that I know will not harm the keyboard when using it. Usually a duster of some kind or an antibacterial wipe that isn't too wet works well to keep it clean and dust and germ free. I have never disassembled my keyboard as I would be worried that I would break it so for the harder to reach places I will always use canned air to get to those.

I can't say I have ever used a stationary mouse myself, I have seen them but the thought of using them just doesn't appeal to me and wouldn't be something I would like if I am honest. I have always used the traditional mouse and at the moment I have a gaming one that came with my PC when I purchased it.

I last played some Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 last night online, it was the first time in a while that I had played the game and it being New Year I was a little drunk lol so it didn't go as well as I had planned but I did have fun playing. May have to jump back on again at some point to play again.

I wish I could say the same if I am honest. I don't play the games myself anymore like I used to when it was games like Smackdown vs Raw but my sons are huge WWE fans and they like to have the newest releases each year. I was lucky this year as they did take a break due to the pandemic and they did make some really good changes within that time frame for WWE 2K23 but I see them releasing another game next year and it being more of an update than a newer game. I myself don't play any of the mobile games anymore but for a while I was playing WWE Champions which was a lot of fun. My 3 boys play WWE Supercards and have done for some years now on mobile.

Usually always the case I find, lol. I always find myself when there is a deal I want I don't always have the funds and when I have the funds they don't do the deal I am looking for and it's like a vicious circle of when it will be on offer again and whether I will have the funds. The joys of being a gamer.

I agree. From what I have read, Phil Spencer does seem to be quite eager to want to bring it back and usually when he gets an idea in his head, he will always attempt to make it a reality so even though this hasn't happened yet, we may see it some time in the future hopefully. Something to get the whole Xbox community together would be amazing though for real prizes as well. Fingers crossed we see something as it would be amazing!

One thing I have always noticed with people who are not into gaming as much as some of us is that, we seem to give the impression that because we play video games we are lonely people. The amount of times I have heard people say to me and others when we mention that we like to play video games about us needing to get out more, needing to make more friends has been overwhelming and often leads me to believe that many think we really are lonely people with no friends or social life. Would you agree that gamers are lonely people? Even though we may have contact with people online on video games whether it be multiplayer or even single player games that may have online co-op? Is it just a stereotype that we will always hear from people who are not as into gaming like we are?

Let's say that you were given an opportunity to create a WWE game that would end up being released as WWE's new game release one year and you had the option to choose what you wanted the game to entail and how you'd want the game to pan out with storyline and even smaller game modes. What would you choose to put in the game and what changes would you make compared to other WWE games that have been released? Would there be any games modes that you would want to add into a new WWE game if it was your choice that you have never seen before?

I agree. The amount of games I have played in the past that have had the option of two choices and you sit there and think to yourself "why is there not more options" and you often think of options that you would have like to see there but aren't. These kind of games that only give you two options often result in sometimes being quick games that you complete and you end up feeling disappointed with the game.