Super Mario Odyssey  (Nintendo Switch}
Release Date: 10/27/17
 If you have a friend or family member who was lucky enough to get a Nintendo Switch they will most likely be talking about one game..MARIO! Mario is making its debut on the new console and this one looks like a winner. Taking a little inspiration from the latest Zelda game, the new Mario looks to be bringing an open world "Mario 64" style levels and looks super fun to play. If you own a Switch this will be a must buy.
Age to play: Everyone except possibly newborns..basically anyone that can use a controller

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (PC, PS4, Xbox One) 
Release Date: 10/27/17
Want something that is the complete opposite of Mario? Then go with Wolfenstein which looks bigger, bolder, and bloodier than it's predecessor. I won't lie that took me quite a while play A New Order and I am mad that I did. If you are looking for a great old school first person shooter with amazing graphics and like killing Nazis...it will not disappoint. 
​Age to play: 18+ and make sure the kids are in bed

Assassin's Creed Origins (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Release Date: 10/27/2017
Assassin Creed is back after taking a year off to hopefully revitalize the franchise. I am someone who has played the majority of AC games released, and while it does look like the year off was good for the game, I am in no rush to play it. With the sheer amount of games coming out this holiday this is the type of game you play after the price drop.
Age to play: Usually meant for the 18+ or some teens who need to do better in history class

Farming Simulator 17 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Release Date: Available now
Our potential GOTY candidate is the last and final game...that is right Farming Simulator. Just when you thought farming was at it's best with 14, 15, and even 16, they knock it out of the park with 17. After a long days work in the office there is nothing like coming home, booting up your favorite tractor, and tending some crops.

Make sure when you give this game as a gift you also let them know Pure Farming 18 is coming out March 2018.
Age to play: If your kids are bad, instead of getting coal in their stocking give them farming simulator.

Some other honorable mentions that round out our holiday list:
Call of Duty WWII
South Park: Fractured but whole
Horizon: Zero Dawn: Complete Edition

I dumped a ton of hours into the original Titanfall, when it was released in 2014. Criticized at launch for not having single player game, I found the multiplayer component satisfying enough to keep me vested for many hours. How does the followup game compare? Find out below!

The original Titanfall arrived when the marketplace was already filled with a plentiful amount of shooters. Backed by the man who created the famous Call of Duty 4, Respawn Entertainment marched in with a fast, frantic, and fun take on the shooter franchise. It had the smooth movements of Call of Duty, while layering in double jumps and wall running that was as fluid as the best of them. They also introduced playing as giant Titans, which added more depth to the gameplay, and was something unique added to the first person shooter landscape. It was highly criticized at the time for not including a single player game (Nowadays this sadly isn't as uncommon), but the multiplayer alone satisfied me enough to keep me coming back for numerous hours. So here we are 2 years later with Titanfall 2. The game is still fun to play and the additional single player adds an unique story to tell in the game universe, but overall doesn't offer anything that makes me go "WOW!" like the original did.

Single Player: The story in the first Titanfall was told via intros and voice overs, which you never listened to while playing other players in the multiplayer game. They promised in Titanfall 2 to add a single player game, and to my surprise, while short, it was actually pretty fun.

You play as rifleman Jack Cooper, who due to some unfortunate events stumbles upon, and becomes the pilot of, a Titan BT-7274. From there you go on to a 5 hour buddy movie of finishing a mission together to help save the world...classic. 

The single player showcases the strengths of what makes Titanfall unique. The levels are open and vast, but linear enough to keep the firefights focused. You can stick to the run and gun approach, or use the wall-running and double jumps to leap around the area and take out your foes. Certain parts then require you to jump in your Titan and unleash all the destruction you can. There are also some areas that require a bit of platforming, once again showcasing the movements and fluidity that comes with what makes the game fun. After about 5-7 hours, I completed the campaign and left with a "meh" feeling. It wasn't terrible, but is not something I will tell people to go out and buy specifically for. The real heart, like the original, is the multiplayer.

Multiplayer: The game itself has not undergone a lot of changes, just a few tweaks. Some are good, and some are bad, compared to the original. Every match starts out with player vs player as pilots, with AI characters scattered throughout. As you accumulate kills against pilots or AI, you fill a meter to call in a titan, and rain down the devastation. 

In Titanfall 2, the multiplayer is one word...fast! The gameplay is fast, the rounds are fast, and the unlocks come so quick, you can't keep up. In Titanfall 2, everything levels up...your overall player level, the guns, the Titans, and even the perks. The game requires, even demands, the reflexes to be at the ready, and the trigger finger locked in (bring the Dew!). The new weapons and new titans bring a bit more variety to things, but in the end, you still have that core game you know and love.

Titans also underwent a huge overhaul in the 2nd game, with some aspects I am not fond of. In Titanfall 1, you could pick a Titan chassis (Light, Medium, or Heavy), and from there add abilities and guns as you please. In Titanfall 2, the Titans are now there own "characters", with each Titan having its own preset of weapons and abilities, which cannot be changed. To me, I always liked having the Titans fit my play style. My default set up was always having a smaller Titan that can move quick, but use a more powerful weapon. Well, now having that powerful weapon, means I am stuck with a slowest moving Titan. It is something that it easy to adjust to over time, but just sad that they took away options we once had before. I also noticed that some Titan weapons used in the single player are not found in multiplayer, which leads me to think there will be DLC Titans in the future.

The shooter landscape is very crowded this holiday with Titanfall 2, Battlefield, and Call of Duty, all out at the same time. Battlefield wins in the slower paced, but larger scale combat. Call of Duty is well...shooters in space with Jon Snow...and Titanfall 2 is your fast, frantic, Titan vs Titan shooter. I am still very much enjoying my time with this game (even for being overly critical), and will continue to play it. In the end, it's more or less the same game, but like the title says, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Here at Average Guy Reviews we were ecstatic that Sony themselves were letting us try out their newest virtual reality rig... that my cousin went to GameStop to purchase, and then let me come over to try.

For those not familiar, the PlayStation VR launched this past week, with Sony entering the realm of the potential future of gaming, virtual reality. For those with a PlayStation 4, you are able to pick up this virtual reality headset for a measly $400 dollars, and $500 for those who do not already own the PlayStation camera or motion controllers. Compared to the other VR headsets currently on the market, this one is considerably cheaper, with Oculus Rift  and HTC Vive being priced around $800. That of course, is not including the high end PC you need to run it.

Continue on below to read about my hand's on time with the device and my opinion if this is something the average guy should invest in.

I arrived at my cousin's house, and there it was displayed in all its glory, the PlayStation VR. We wasted no time on introductions and booted it up right away. The VR works as any other secondary device does with a console. You boot up the game in the PlayStation 4, strap on the headset, which can be adjusted and tightened, so that your eyes are completely covered in the screen, letting no outside light in. Depending on what the game allows, you can use the normal controller, or 2 motion controllers. 

The headset itself is pretty light, so there is no worry you would strain your neck for having it on for extended periods of time. The one thing that does happen, since the device is pretty firm around your eyes, almost like a scuba mask, is after about a hour or so, your face does get sweaty. Funny thing is, Sony knew this would happen which is why they give a little cloth to wipe it up, if needed. I know my cousin is family, but I don't need his eye sweat when sharing the headset back and forth.

Whenever I thought of virtual reality, my mind always went to the experience of something like seeing a 3D movie. Now after playing, I couldn't have been more wrong! It feels more like you are inches away from a movie screen. The games don't pop out at you, or give you that feeling you will get hit by something, but it does fully immerse you into the game. We as gamers are programmed to just stare at a TV straight on, so I have to say it's quite the unique experience to be able to rotate 360 degrees, and continuously see the game.

Lastly, I wanted to add, that while I don't usually get motion sick, in general, during my time playing with the headset, I felt 100% fine. Other sites mentioned taking off the headset feels a bit strange, but for me, I didn't have any issues. My wife also tried out the headset and mentioned that the first few minutes did make her a tad dizzy, but she got used to it fairly quickly. If you do get sick from those sort of things, I would try to test it out first, to see how you feel.

The device feels great, but how are the games? I was luckily able to try out a few, which I will talk briefly about.

Danger Ball: Essentially virtual reality pong. Instead of using a controller, you use your head to knock the ball and try to score. The game itself is pretty simple, so I only see this as something you show off to people... "Hey, this is cool!".... but not something you will play all the time.

VR Luge: Downhill luge race, similar to danger ball, where tilting your head left and right helps you turn. The perk of being VR is just feeling like you really are racing through the streets, avoiding traffic, and being inches off the ground while doing so. There is not much else in terms of gameplay variety, just more along the lines of something fun to show off.

London Heist: The best out of the package in my personal opinion. This is an on the rails shooter, playing as a London street criminal, robbing banks, shooting up baddies, and being in epic highway chases. I almost compare this game to the old time crisis arcade games. Instead of stepping on a pedal to take cover, you are using your head in real time. The controls are also quite fun, because when using motion controls, you really do have to pick up ammo, and physically reload your gun. The game starts with you lighting a cigar, and I sadly had way more fun with that than I should have!

This is a different kind of game than what you are used to, in the Arkham series. Gone is the excellent beat 'em up combat and open world. It's replaced with a detective mystery and using virtual reality to play with an array of Batman's gadgets. Right away, virtual reality embraces the "Be the Batman" with the opening sequence, getting to put on the suit first hand. The experience was very surreal and it's hard to explain how unique it is, without trying it for yourself. I only played maybe the first 10 mins, in about a 40 min game, but a few scenes were pretty entertaining (videos below). One hurdle VR will have to figure out is, for a game like this, how will they get the player to move? Batman is essentially just standing still and clicking a button to move to different areas, while the game takes place around him. Right now, this gaming experience feels so new that experience is fine, but over time, they will need to figure out movement without using a controller. Side note... Watch me fail to put together a puzzle in the 2nd video below!

I only played a small slice of these 2 games, but generally they are the same concept and I feel this is where VR shines the most. Being able to sit in a cockpit, or the driver's seat, first hand is a great feeling in VR, mostly because you are so immersed in the world. Like earlier discussed games, Drive Club has you physically moving your head back and forth, to enable you to see cars behind you, while driving. It's so strange, but so fun! The same concept is in EVE, but replaced with a spaceship. I for one can't wait to see what they do for Star Wars with that same cockpit feel.

..The PlayStation VR is very fun, and quite a unique experience, especially if you are a person like me, who has never done VR before. My wife even tried out a few games and said this is pretty cool! While fun, the games themselves aren't as complete as you would expect or like them to be. The launch titles of PlayStation VR tend to feel more like tech demos, or slices of what gameplay will become. These games are the starting point of what VR can do. If you like to have all the fancy new gadgets, and can afford 500 dollars, then go for it! Your friends will most likely want to check it out, and it's a unique experience you really have to try for yourself. If this takes off for the holiday season, like they hope it will, more developers, including AAA, will be hopping on board and making even better games!

If you are like me though, and can't afford the big cost of VR, then I would advise to hold off, either for a price drop or a more affordable version, as it becomes more standard in the market. It's fun to play of course, but within a year, the games and tech will progress to a higher level, which will make the value of the purchase more justifiable. Sony and Microsoft have tried numerous attempts to branch out of their consoles with, PS Move, Kinect, Motion controllers, and have all failed. I am very excited about the future of VR and how it can make games even more immersive! I hope we can look back and say this is when it all started...

Check out the photos and videos below of me trying out VR. Also a shout out and thank you to my cousin David for letting me try out the VR!

As someone who has never played any of the games in the franchise I was told I needed to at least check out Witcher 3. It's boasted as one of the best games of all time, as well as won numerous awards when it was released. I asked myself, "Was it right to start a game in its third entry?" Will I understand the story? Will it be fun? Is it worth my time? The answer is a resounding yes!

I will start by saying this game is massive! The main story is comprised of 3 acts, and even after 20 hours I am still only half way through Act 1. Since I am currently still playing this game I wanted to give my thoughts on what I have played so far, in lieu of a full review.

Story: You play Geralt, a witcher who is on a quest to find another hunter, a young women named Ciri. As you retrace her steps, you run into all sorts of characters, friend and foe, as the story unfolds like an onion, with hundreds of different layers of quests to complete.

Pros:
+ Fans of Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings will love the setting and lore.
+ Gritty fantasy world filled with stories of war, poverty, racism, love, and monster slaying.
+ Open world game that offers main story quests, tons of side missions, and witcher contracts, which can easily take 100+ hours to complete everything.
+While this is the 3rd game of the franchise, the story itself is considered a standalone adventure. Someone coming into the franchise fresh may not know all the names of characters, but there are books and entries to help a newcomer fill in the gaps of who people are.
Cons:
- While length of the game is a positive it is also a negative. This wouldn't be a game I would recommend for someone to just stick to the main story, as some of the side missions and contracts are more fun and engaging. 

I was very skeptical playing a game in its third entry, but even only at 20 hours, I can already see why this game is so special. They have created a fantastic open world and filled it with a million things to do. As you are reading this now, I am probably online still playing this game. If you have the time, I would highly encourage to experience it for yourself.

Every once in a while, you get that itch to want to play something new. I decided to check out the newly released Xbox exclusive Recore. What did I think? Find out below!

My experience with Recore is that it's a game that shines brightly when it comes to it's platforming and shooting game play, but is severely hindered with some tech issues and design choices.

The story itself is fairly basic. You play as a young women Joule who has awoken from a deep sleep on a new planet called Far Eden, where civilization is trying to start over after Earth has been destroyed. When she wakes up she finds that everyone has gone missing, so she ventures off with her robot companion Mack to find out what is going on. 

Yes the load times are terrible, and this is the only drawback to what would make this game pretty great. Fast traveling back to the hub takes about a 1-2 min load screen...which adds up because you need to fast travel A LOT.  Please make sure you also never die in the game because every time you do be prepared to almost wait 2-3 minutes. It may not sound like a lot of time but it really pulls you out of the game and gets very annoying to wait that long.  With the technology these consoles have today loads should not take that long. ​

This game is going to come out of left field.....literally. Little League Baseball: Championship Edition is not only old, but one that may have flown under the radar for many people. This is actually one of the first video games I ever remember playing, on our first system ever, NES. Both my brother and I were huge baseball fans, so naturally, a game that starred kids appealed to us. No big names in this one like Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. , Ozzie Smith or Nolan Ryan. The all-stars in this one were the likes of Daniel, Alan, Happy, and Yodoya. My go-to team was always New York. While I don't support New York teams in human form, you can't deny the 1-2 punch of Ward and Saul in a lineup. A close second is the combination of Wang and Dong for the Chinese Taipei team.....no, I'm not joking there. If I wanted a nice casual game, I faced up against the team from Italy. No disrespect to the Italians in the audience, but this team sucked! I recently picked up the game again and in my first game back,  I beat these scrubs 13-0, with a no-hitter. Ah, 'Merica. While this game is based in 8-Bit NES graphics, I find it still plays pretty smooth and will always be enjoyable. Sure, the game is not perfect, but for it's age, it's still a fun game to play. Nothing better than setting up your opponent with an inside heater, then blowing their minds with a mesmerizing 17 mph floater with a 7 foot break. Just like John Tudor...HA! Tudor.

Games. Games always change. What can I say? This game had it all! I spent so many hours playing this game. I'm a sucker to almost anything post-apocalyptic, but the location, RPG format, humor, music, and 1950's retro-futuristic style blew this game out of the water. The game is endless. I would start on a mission, and find myself exploring a random building for an hour. I'd check every nook and cranny for weapons, caps, and miscellaneous supplies. I quickly became obsessed. It takes place in 2277, which is 200 years after the war and nuclear annihilation. There were survivors. Some lived above, and some below, in Vault-Tec survival shelters. These shelters were meant to be a safe-haven for individuals lucky enough to acquire a spot within. We soon find out that not all vault are created equal, and not all vaults served their advertised purpose. This game is all about exploration in the Wasteland, which lies in the ruins of Washington D.C. Being a huge history buff, as well, I loved exploring real-life, historical areas and finding important artifacts and buildings. The path choices and areas of exploration are all up to you, which makes it that more realistic. For the longest time, when I was younger, I thought all RPG were those turn-based fantasy games. One person attacks at a time? It was crazy talk! I have learned to enjoy those games, as well though! It's hard to even put into the words my feelings of playing this game, but when I stroll up to the Washington Monument with my radio set to Danny Kaye's Civilization, I get chills. I have always been a fan of retro culture, specifically the 40's and 50's. It was such a unique and "simpler" time. Yes, there were certainly bad things about it, but I would love to be able to experience it for a little bit. This took that era and put a futuristic spin on it with robotics, advanced nuclear power, lasers, power armor, and V.A.T.S. In addition to those items, the world has been blanketed with radiation which can be both deadly and helpful.....mostly deadly. It doesn't take long to find out that EVERYTHING in the game wants to kill you. The game provided hours and hours of enjoyment, which increased when they released 5 full-sized campaign DLC packages. In a time where companies nickel and dime you for every amount of gameplay, this game was well worth the price of admission. It will be hard to replicate the feeling of experiencing Fallout 3 for the first time.

Picking five games that made the biggest impact on me was hard enough, but having to decided which was number 1, was damn near impossible. So many games have affected my life in all different ways. I have so many great memories that will stick with me for the rest of my life. However, it's not often that a game comes along that changes your life. Grand theft Auto 3 did that for me. I'll caveat this by saying that this isn't the best Grand Theft Auto ever released, or even my favorite. What is was, was the moment gaming changed forever for me. This open world, free roam and action game was unlike any other, at the time. Taking place in the fictitious Liberty City, this crime/gangster story grabs you from the beginning. The game shifted from the previous overhead view a third person view. For me, it increased the playability 10 fold. You found yourself able to cause as much anarchy as possible with a variety of weapons and vehicles. Need a car? Steal one! Person annoy you? Kill them! Need companionship? Pick up a prostitute! This was the peak of graphic violence and sexual content, only to be topped by the next installment of GTA, and then the next one, and then the next one, and then the next one. This was a game that was made for adults and they loved it! Of course younger individuals, such as myself enjoyed it...Hey, I was close enough! I was enthralled by all you could do and all the places you could go. It was such a complete, graphically-superior game, which was impossible to out down. I played it for the first time at my friend Kasey's house. We would always have sleepovers which involved video games, A&W Cream Soda, and a Pizza Hut Big New Yorker Pizza! When I got to play it for myself, I immediately said I have to have this game. I ended up buying the system just to have this game! That's how much I wanted to play it! I could just sit and cause chaos in Liberty City for hours without even playing a mission. Spawn a tank and run through the streets! The game had a fantastic soundtrack, via vehicle radios, complete with hilarious commercials! My favorite station was actually the talk radio station called Chatterbox. People, always crazy, would call in to talk to Lazlow, having me in stitches. So much learned about the Australian-American War....

The freeform anarchy aside, the game had a deep single player campaign with plenty of side content. The GTA III played like a movie and even had some film stars like Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, and Robert Loggia. Not only was this game an impact on me, but it really revolutionized the gaming industry and popularized the sandbox format, which can be seen in many of the top games in the following years, and even to date. This game has cemented itself as one of the greatest games of all time!

​Is it possible to love something, and hate it at the exact same time? Over Labor Day weekend, EA and DICE released an open demo of Battlefield 1, to let us get a taste of what's to come at the end of October. Is it any good? My impressions below...

While COD keeps striving for futuristic settings and game play, I do find the change back to WWI a nice refresh. With the WWI settings, gone are the classic M4 and futuristic weapons, as we welcome back classic bolt action rifles.  Several of my early games I did struggle with these older guns, as the scopes and size of the map made it hard to hit people. Over time, as I leveled up, I found weapons that were easier to use and made the game a lot more enjoyable. The beta is limited to only a handful of weapons, so early on, players who are not used to shooters will no doubt have some trouble.
​
Being a beta it’s hard to be too critical on something, since there will be obvious improvements, but the menu system has to be updated. The loading of post-game results always took a lot longer than it needed to, and the menu system itself can be hard to navigate. Like Battlefield 4, I don’t know why DICE does not let you customize classes outside of being in the game. ​

The best multiplayer moments were when Andrew and I were playing with another group of friends in a squad. With the large amount of players (64 in total), you can form a team of 5 and spawn on other fellow teammates during the game. This made going into tanks and planes much more exciting, since working as a team always helps in the thick of battle. Battlefield 1 offers many moments of laughter and “oh did you see that?!”, when playing with a group of friends.
​
The COD player in me wanted to be a lone wolf and charge in battle by myself to take everyone on with my rifle in hand. Trying to do that is what left me with a frustrating experience. However, when I finally got together with some buddies, and we worked as a team, the game truly shined. ​