I had a lot going on in November 2020. In this video I recap what went on regarding my channel and regarding my video gaming life. Get ready for a video roundup, podcast roundup, “what I’m playing” roundup, and “what I’m reading”…also a roundup.
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Author: Caleb J. Ross
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Amazon Luna, a live stream, and Cyberpunk 2077 (November 2020 Channel Recap)
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Could Cyberpunk 2077 be a bad video game? Will Cyberpunk 2077 receive negative reviews?
I’ve read a few articles recently that suggest Cyberpunk 2077 may turn out to be a disappointing game. My initial reaction was, yeah, maybe. It’s possible Cyberpunk 2077 could have a low Metacritic score. I didn’t think much more about it.
After all, there’s seemingly plenty of evidence to suggest this. This is CD Projeckt Red’s first attempt at a first-person game, so the developer is working outside its comfort zone. It’s a highly ambitious game meaning the necessary change in design ethos given the first-person perspective only compounds the comfort zone concern. The game has been delayed multiple times. The game is targeting 9 different platforms for a simultaneous launch (PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC, Stadia). I don’t think that has ever been done before.
So, there is some reason to think that Cyberpunk 2077 could turn out to be a disappointment, right? Actually, I don’t think so.
Normally, I would cite fan-personism as a possible reason why a game with a dedicated, expecting fan base can’t fail. I talk a lot about fan-personism on this channel. Couldn’t fanpersonism be enough to make the bold claim that Cyberpunk 2077 can’t fail? After all, if enough people claim a game to be good, if the fan base is passionate enough, that should at least be enough to keep the game out of miserable review territory, right? There’s some logic to that? But I think the issue is much deeper than that.
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Google Stadia vs. Amazon Luna. Who is the Real Stream Dream?
I’ve been promising an Amazon Luna versus Google Stadia game streaming comparison video for a while now. Finally, here it is.
Originally, this versus video was going to be my only Amazon Luna video. But as I played more and more with Luna I realized that I needed to make separate videos dedicated to each of Luna’s important aspects. Those aspects are 1) the controller, 2) the input latency and streaming quality, and then 3) I would also need an overall review video that includes my thoughts on the game selection, user interface, and subscription model. All three of those videos are linked below.
So, now that I’m properly familiar with Amazon Luna, I feel like I can make a better comparison against Google Stadia. How does the input latency compare? How does the controller compare? How does the game selection, user interface, and all the other goodies compare?
Mentioned:
- [VIDEO] Is Amazon Luna the Game Streaming Service of the Future? (a review of Amazon Luna)
- [VIDEO] This Controller Makes my Hand Hurt! (an Amazon Luna Controller Review)
- [VIDEO] Amazon Luna Input Latency and Streaming Quality Review
- [VIDEO] Can Google Stadia Handle Hot-swapping All These Controllers?
- [VIDEO] Game Subscriptions Make it Hard to Vote with my Wallet (Google Stadia, Xbox Game Pass)
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Is Amazon Luna the Game Streaming Service of the Future? (a review of Amazon Luna)
This is a full review of Amazon Luna. I’ve already released dedicated videos about Luna’s input latency, streaming quality, and the Luna controller, so this video will not specifically address those aspects (links to those videos are in the description further below). Rather, in this video I’m going to talk about Luna’s subscription model, the user interface, overall usability, and game selection. I’ll end with my overall thoughts on Amazon Luna and if you, as a lover of video games, should even care about Amazon Luna.
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There’s one BIG problem with the Amazon Luna Controller (an Amazon Luna Controller Review)
The Amazon Luna controller is the latest entry in the world of modern video game controllers. Is it a good controller?
The last few console generations have brought us close to ergonomic controller perfection. The standard d-pad, dual thumbstick, 4 face button, 4 bumper/trigger layout is perfect. Video game controllers in 2020 feel great. The Amazon Luna controller is no different…mostly.
While the Luna controller is similar to all modern controllers in all the ways I mentioned above, it’s most similar to the Nintendo Switch Pro controller in terms of size, weight, and asymmetrical analog stick placement. If you have a Nintendo Switch Pro controller, pick it up and you’ve got a good understanding of what the Luna controller feels like.
But the hand grips on the Luna controller are problematic. The controller handles are shaped such that they force your hand into a weird position that makes reaching every button a bit of a chore. Watch this video to hear more about this big design flaw.
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Amazon Luna Input Latency and Streaming Quality Review
The promise of cloud gaming excites me. In this video I offer my initial thoughts on Amazon Luna. I focus mostly on the quality of the streaming experience and how well Luna handles input lag.
So this video isn’t going to be a full review of the Luna platform. I’ll have a video for that later where I’ll talk about the user interface, the controller, the features, the cost, the game selection, all that fun stuff. And, I’m also working on a direct comparison of Luna vs Stadia, the two cloud gaming platforms I have the most experience with. Go ahead and subscribe to this channel, and click the bell notification icon to ensure you don’t miss those videos.
So, why am I dedicating an entire video just to input latency and stream quality? Why is input lag and streaming quality so important? The easy answer is because input lag and poor streaming quality quite literally break the game. Video games are unique in that they demand skilled user input to function in their world of game rules. If the input is broken, the game is broken. If the input is broken, the rules that govern the game world can no longer be abided by. If the game needs me to time my jump just right but also doesn’t allow me to time my jump just right, the game has lied to me. I don’t like liar games. Same goes for the stream quality. All that crap I just said about breaking the rules and such, that’s all the same when talking about skipped frames due to a poor internet connection.
Watch to find out how well Amazon Luna does in terms of input latency and streaming quality.
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We need another good Fallout game. And let’s get a new Spyro while we’re at it.
I was recently asked by Chronic Spartan to highlight both an ongoing game series I love and also a sadly dormant game series I love. Many thanks to Mr. Spartan for thinking of me.
My favorite ongoing video game series is Fallout. I fell in love with Fallout 3, after a long absence from video games. Imagine a person who hasn’t touched a video game in about 6 years, experiencing that first vault door reveal into the expanse of the wasteland. The vault reveals are already incredibly impactful sequences in some 3D Fallout games even for seasoned gamers, but to someone whose last game experience was Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the Fallout 3 vault exit was quite honestly a paradigm shift for me as a gamer.
The series I’d like to see a brand new game from is the Spyro the Dragon series. Strangely, though, I never played a full Spyro game until the Spyro Reignited Trilogy released in 2018. But that trilogy hooked me.