Titan Fall 2 [First Impressions]

After putting in a massive chunk of time in Titan Fall 2’s open beta I didn’t expect to be too excited about the actual game. I base this opinion how much I played the original Titan Fall, Boy was I wrong. My initial thought was to just jump into the multiplayer because hey that’s what the first one was all about and it was a blast. However I forced myself to start the campaign just to see what Respawn had cooked up.


Let me start off with what I was expecting; first the marketing budget behind this game must have been massive because it seemed like every day I was seeing some type of advertisement promoting the single player campaign. Almost to the point that it was sad that they were so excited to have it included (in 2016) and felt almost guilty that the original was void of any single player experience. So needless to say my expectations for the single player were extremely reserve and I wasn’t expecting much in the way of engaging narrative, interesting character development & an overall exciting experience. I’m here to tell you that I was dead wrong.


The beginning of single player experience was hands down one of the most exciting adventures I’ve played in a while. The combat pacing was great, they walked a very careful line, on one side they could have given you all the toys and said go for it on the other side given you nothing and said figure out a way. I feel that with this first person shooter and their target audience they hit the nail right on the head. The one thing that seemed just a little out of place but was a fantastic experience, was the tutorial. While I enjoyed it as a whole and it was well put together I feel that this should either be an optional feature or have it baked into the game a little better than, “This is the tutorial” level run, jump, shoot the targets. I understand that tutorials are mostly meant for new players to ensure they have an optimal experience but if that’s the only reason for it please make it just that. Why does the tutorial have to be a training exercise?


As you get into the game you are introduced to a handful of characters and weapons. Respawn does keep you out of titans for the first 30-45 minutes of the game, to which I felt this is a great way to give everyone a grounded experience and make the titans have that much more impact. I would have like to see a little more time/activity before actually getting the titan. To me these beasts should be this huge event with fireworks, guns blazing, mini boss fights, epic cinematic or something to make the player say “Holy shit this game means business.”


At the end of my time with Titan Fall 2 I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on the game and story telling that I can recommend it to any fan of the original Titan Fall. The question is can I recommend it for everyone else? The short answer is, “yes”. This game takes a proven concept of there is always a newer/bigger/better toy to play with and repeats that process over and over again. The original already had tight controls and easy pick up and play components and the sequel just builds on that original formula. If you are looking for an entertaining story and experience this title is for you.


Note: I have not played the multiplayer for Titan Fall 2. Look for a future post talking about my experience with that portion of the game.

We'll see you guys next time - MOX

Where to buy Titan Fall 2
Xbox One: https://www.amazon.com/Titanfall-2-Deluxe-Xbox-One/dp/B01GKGVI9Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1481577978&sr=1-2&keywords=titanfall+2
PlayStation 4: https://www.amazon.com/Titanfall-2-PlayStation-4/dp/B01GKGVI8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1481577978&sr=1-1&keywords=titanfall+2

For more reactions to Titan Fall 2 check out Episode 197 of The Ball & Chain Podcast: https://youtu.be/OociS0D3VzM

Pixelation: Reborn

We are back! 2013 has already turned the corner and we are playing catch up. We've got a lot happening at this event. First up we have a Standard Swiss Magic The Gathering Tournament. Cover charge is going to be $10 per player. We have booster packs for the the top 5 players. We also have lined up a 2v2 Black Ops 2 tournaments, which is free to play so bring a friend and enjoy the carnage as we play all night long! We also have Halo CE-4, Street Fighter 4, Rock Band 3 on tap. So "Tell a buddy, bring a friend. You're not going to want to miss this big gu...er GAME LAN!"

Pixelation: Retro

I'm proud to announce our next Pixelation Event! This will be our second gathering for 2012 and it's going to be a massive gathering of 72dpi clan members and community! We are planning on hosting all the best classic games from our childhood. You'll see Atari 2600, NES, SNES, Sega CD & more!

The Party starts at 8pm at eD & E Brake's place on April 21! their is no cost to get into the party and all the tournaments held that night will be free to play. I'm also told there would be some Dance Central 2 happening! So this is going to be an event you don't want to miss!

Any questions contact us here, at 72dpionline@gmail.com or ed & e brake on Facebook! See you guys Saturday nigh!

How The Hell Are Ya!?

Hey guys sorry it's been so long since the last blog post but a lot has been going on as of late. First off I just wanted to get everyone a overall heads up that Pixelation is back in full force so keep an eye on here, the website, facebook & your email for notifications on the next event!

So what has been going on in the world of 72dpi? Well the Ball & Chain Podcast has been going strong week after week giving our listeners some great info as well as some new content & segments. We recently added "5 Minutes In Heaven" to our show. This segment will basicacly give us roughly 5 minutes to talk about an old school game that we've recently went back and played. The past episode 140 & 141 included 1080 Snowboarding (N64) & NBA Street (Game Cube) respectively. Look for this segment to be sticking around for the long haul as it's a great reminder of what games were like back then and how far they've come.

We have also added another unnamed segment to our show. We've had some 72dpi Clan members join us via Skype and caught up with them and what they're playing. Episode 129 & 141 had special guest PhaseSIS & Pase12345 respectively. As I said, this isn't going to be a weekly segment but I am impressed with the sound quality that we received during these 2 episodes. With that said, we will be doing it again. (if you would like to be on the show shoot me a message.)

In other 72dpi news, our last Pixelation Event (February) we had a small turn out but we were able to get some Gotham City Impostors, MW3 & Mario Kart 64 in. I'm really hoping the low turnout was due to the Sunday Event Date. So with that kind of turn out we will be moving events back to Saturdays. Look for the next Pixelation event info to be announced by the end of this week!

I would also like to talk about our Tuesday Night Magic events. We have been having some really good turnouts on our bi-weekly events. I'm really impressed the members that have taken a liking to these events and shown their support week after week! Keep it up guys! There is a new set of Magic cards coming out at the end of April and we might do a special event for that release. More details will be discussed and posted later!

Other than tha,t look for Gaming Nights to come back soon! Here is the short list of games you should be looking to purchase if you are interested in participating with us at these online gatherings.

Gaming Night Titles
Halo Reach
Modern Warfare 3
Gotham City Impostors
South Park: Go Go Tower Defense
League of Legends


Well guys till next time! I'll hop on here next time I have some big news to talk about...which if you read above, I'll be announcing something by the end of this week! As always visit our website 72dpionline.com & watch our weekly podacst at stickam.com/ballandchainpodcast every thursday at 9pm!

See you guys online,
Mox Born Again

Pixelation: LAN Console Event | Feb. 26, 2012

Hey guys! It's here, the first event of the 2012! Who's ready to get their game on!? We will be hosting a wide range of games and tournaments at this event. There will be something there for everyone, so come on out and enjoy some good food, great games & one hell of an awesome clan event! Gaming starts at 1pm & goes all night!
-Mox

2012 Here We Come!

Well 2011 has come to a close. This past year has been a great year for us as a clan. 72dpi launched 3 very successful LAN events in 2011. Our clan has added a couple new members and is growing stronger every year. We have had some established members make great strides in become more active within the clan. For instance, this blog, E Brake 14 has done a great job building this thing up from nothing. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she has planned for 2012. Gaming Nights is another corner stone of our clan, Ultima Weapon24 has come back strong with these online meet ups. Modern Warfare 3 seems to be the clear favorite within our clan, but don't let that get you down if you are not a MW3 player. I know personally I have 2 or 3 games I would like to add to the Gaming Nights List (cough League of Legends...cough..).

I would also like to mention, Ball & Chain Podcast. This is our little weekly podcast that has been going on for years. We are still going strong, in fact 2011 saw the purchase of a new 6 channel mixer, new microphones & new recording software! So 2012 will be the year that our podcast really starts to shine. I've been working on our online quality, right now that seems to be our weakest point.

Lets talk about 2012 for just a quick second. Everyone has been asking about our Pixelation events for 2012. Even with the huge success that Pixelation has seen in the public eye, we are pulling the events back to a 72dpi clan event. It was a very hard decision to make but we felt that the public events were taking away from our normal clan events. So what does this mean for you the public? You must become more active with our community/clan to be invited to our Pixelation events. You can do this by joining us in online sessions, watching podcasts, commenting on blog posts & just making yourself more known to the clan. Does this mean public events will never happen again? We still have not ironed out all the kinks in that master plan yet. Please note that it is still on the table, it's just going to be under a different banner & approach. Keep your eyes on www.72dpionline.com & this blog for more information on that topic.

All in all 2012 is going to be a big year for 72dpi. This a great time for our community to grow & bring on additional clan members. Open enrollment is still going on right now, so if you would like to join shoot us an email at 72dpionline@gmail.com ~Mox Born Again

GREAT SUCCESS!!

Were you at Pixelation 2v2 July? If you weren't you missed a fab time. This was our clan's first real attempt at a public paying tournament, and I have to say it couldn't have done any better! We had 8 teams come out to play some hardcore REACH and the competition was rather fierce. Shock and Awe ended up taking home the big bucks but everyone put up a good fight! We have to give a TON of thanks to the guys at Krystal Keep for having us out and inviting us back, Mohawk Mike from CinciFrag for covering the event, CPU magazine for advertising us, and the clan for their hard work and dedication to make this come together. A BIG thanks to MoxBornAgain for his tireless efforts for advertising and mad graphic design skillz that def make these events what they are.

Now, with that all said, October is when we are hoping to pull this off again, and we want your opinion. Please let us know what game YOU want to play. Respond to this blog post, or let us know via Facebook or website. Can't wait to see you there!

Until next time gamers!

EBrake14

Gaming Trivia (July 2011)

What were the names of the 8 racers you could pick from in Mario Kart 64? Send your answers to 72dpionline@gmail.com!

From the Editors Desk (July 2011)

June was such a busy month for our clan that I did not even get a chance to update the blog with the monthly posts! We had Pixelation: June which was a huge success, as well as the triumphant  return of The Ball & Chain Podcast! Not to mention the upcoming Pixelation: 2v2 prep. Speaking of Pixelation: 2v2 we play tested a large number of the maps and game types the final changes will be made and available for download July 11th.  So keep your eyes locked on 72dpionline.com for that info!

July is going to bring back the 72dpi Gaming Nights program which Ultima Weapon24 has grabbed up the reins and will be make this a more weekly event, that I'm personally looking forward to.


I hope everyone has a great July and I hope we see you on July 30th for Pixelation: 2v2 at Krystal Keep.

Holding Your Hand (July 2011)

Playing Portal 2 for review this past month has really opened my eyes to the amount of hand holding that goes on in our current gaming environment. I remember the days when you had a mini map to help you locate where you were in the world. Even older games were shipped with a paper map that you would have to navigate on your own. Those were the days of hardcore quests!

Now I understand that you can pump up the difficulty to make the game more challenging, but how about turning off some of the on-screen help features. For example the flashing arrows or the huge glowing parts of enemy's weak points. These are two of my most hated features in gaming, give me other cues that I'm doing the correct action, maybe through sound effects or visual cues. Instead of having the huge glowing weak point on an enemy maybe have the weak point spew large amounts of blood and cause my target to limp or retreat to a safe location?


Just these small changes to our already amazing video game library would prove to be worth their weight in gold, if we could just get one studio to take that first step.

-Mox Born Again