deerstalker

If you are familiar with the Dynasty Warriors franchise, you know it’s basic gameplay is to either capture the map or defeat certain enemies with flashy over the top button mash gameplay. One would think that this type of gameplay would mesh perfectly with the One Piece franchise and four games lately seems to prove this notion correct. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed entries 1-3, but how does this latest one stack up? We found out in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4.

I hope you are familiar with One Piece and its 900+ chapters of characters and lore because this game is definitely for the fans. Previous games have gone more into depth with the earlier story beats, but this game opts to only touch on 3 major arcs pre-time skip. Not surprisingly in the least, but I was a bit disappointed, that a lot the post-time skip story was glossed over. What we get is the re-introduction on Sabaody Archipelago, Dressrosa, Whole Cake Island, and Wano. Like the previous games since the current arc in Wano is still currently going, the game does its own version and story of it. If all the words and names don’t mean squat to you well this may not be the game for you. It heavily relies on its audience already knowing the story so it doesn’t have to go too in depth. The crux of the game is its gameplay… which can be hit and miss.

Pirate Warriors is an exercise in mindless fun in a good way, you’ll go through scores and scores of enemy fodder easily pulling off some of your favorite character’s most powerful moves. The combat has been expanded since the last game, adding air-combos and more transformations. Each character feels like its own person and feels true to the source material. Some characters excel in the air while others are heavy hitters. At times, you really do feel like your favorite Straw Hat living out that power fantasy.

Unfortunately, other times you feel just plain frustrated. The controls aren’t very tight and can be very squirrely which can be pretty frustrating when you can’t hit your target. Sometimes fighting against the camera can be an uphill battle. While there is a lock on system, it doesn’t lock the camera on the target but your character to the target. And even then you can lose your target pretty easily when there are lot of enemies on screen. It’s hard to control characters who can stay airborne at times since you can’t really control your altitude. And when things get really hectic and fast, I often found my camera caught in a wall or behind a building. It’s not awful, but definitely could be a lot tighter.

Pirate Warriors also has a Free Log mode, which lets you replay any mission with any characters you’ve unlocked and a Treasure Log mode that are missions with different challenges and enemies.  Every mission is ranked so if you want the added challenge you can go for an S rank on everything. There’s enough here to keep you busy for quite some time, especially for those completionist.

This game at its core is plain ol’ mindless fun and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I wish it was more polished. I feel like the last entry offered more and had a tighter control scheme. If you’re a fan of One Piece, this can keep you busy for a while. You’ll get frustrated at times, but overall you’ll have fun. However, if you aren’t into One Piece then I really can’t recommend this to you. With a bunch of other games coming out, I would say just grab one of those.

Want to get Black Nerd Problems updates sent directly to you? Sign up here!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

The post Not Quite the King: ‘One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4’ Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

It’s been 30 years since influential R&B group En Vogue made their debut with Born To Sing and the ladies are celebrating the milestone with a re-release of their debut album and a few new mixes.

The Grammy-nominated group is considered one of the best female R&B groups in music. En Vogue’s platinum debut album includes hits like “Hold On,” “Don’t Go,” and “You Don’t Have to Worry.”

Terry Ellis, a founding member of the group, told ESSENCE that the group never imagined that they’d make such an impact.

“It was something that we dreamed and hoped to,” she said, “but [never dreamed of]. It’s been really amazing and surreal. We’re just very grateful and honored to still be doing what we love to do.”

En Vogue currently consists of Ellis, Cindy Herron, also an original member of the group, and Rhona Bennett, who joined in 2012.

On Friday, the group re-released Born To Sing with remixed versions of “Lies,” “You Don’t Have To Worry,” and “Hold On.”

The post En Vogue Celebrates 30th Anniversary Of Debut Album ‘Born To Sing’ appeared first on Essence.

This month on The Middle Geeks, we’re recording from home, per usual, but it feels different this time as we literally have no other choice of location to do so. It’s Quarantine Edition! In the midst of the craziness that is COVID-19, we discuss how the entertainment industry has been affected, with various movie and […]

Note: There has been zero proof that these “CovMitt-19” gloves work in terms of keeping your hands free of germs. Washing your hands, however, is always good. 

One of the official mantras that’s come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is  “Do not touch your face.” This, of course, is because viruses and other germs that cling to your hands can be inadvertently delivered to your (vulnerable, orifice-filled) face, resulting in infection. But there are ways to keep your hands relatively clean in the first place, like using these “CovMitt-19” safety gloves. Which the FDA have not approved and may or may not be effective.

The CovMitt-19 gloves, which come via Laughing Squid, are available on Etsy for $12 from thedewdrops. For some context: Thedewdrops, owned by Dewey Tan, is a shop that was established in 2018, but seems to have pivoted to sell only these gloves. The shop’s slogan is “Making some fun Pandemic Safety Gear! (2020).”

According to the product description for the gloves, they can “Keep your HANDS CLEAN when opening UNKNOWN UNSANITARY Doors, Knobs, Drawers and even those nasty pin pads at the register!!” (Capitalization theirs.) The description also says that the gloves help you to “Keep yourself as VIRUS/GERM/COOTIES-free as possible!” Plus, the gloves look like cute little animals like a dog and a monkey, and they come attached to retractable leashes for easy grabbin’.

Despite the complete lack of evidence of effectiveness, the intense usage of capitalization, and a reference to cooties, the idea that these mitts could actually, potentially, reduce the amount of germs you’re carrying around on your hands seems plausible. They are made of silicone (hopefully not “silicon” as the product description states), and they obviously work as a barrier between one’s hands and the objects they touch. Although using them flawlessly is hard to imagine, and there’s no question other people are going to want to stick their hands in your mitts.

What do you think about these CovMitt-19 mittens? Are you ready to slip your good doorknob-turning hand into one of these silicone protectors, or are you going to stick to good ol’ fashion soap and water? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments!

Images: thedrewdrops

The post ‘CovMitt-19’ Safety Gloves May Be Handy Germ Blockers appeared first on Nerdist.