Modern Warfare is good?

What's up, ladies and gentlemen of the internet, I am Eros Helios, and I am here to talk about games today. More specifically, one game; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare(2019 edition). Now make no mistake, Call of Duty was not the only game that happened to launch this past week, but it is the one that I actually got to play a fair bit of, and I really enjoyed it.

First things first, it's not perfect. Some things could have been done better, but I think, for the most part, it is a really good Call of Duty game. The in-game engine is phenomenal. The graphics on the PS4 Pro are some of the best, and the story, while not the most detailed was adequate, especially after the loss of a campaign mode in Black Ops 4. The story is a standard multi-locale narrative, pitting Marines, Freedom fighters, and of course, British SAS against a terrorist organization that is a not so subtle stand-in for Al-Queda. When a warehouse for chemical weapons is attacked, whilst being attacked by our Marine, Alex, the mystery of who is attacking and stealing the chemical weapons is what we are left to begin to unravel. I played through in a couple of days, needing to take a little time to recoup after getting hit with a migraine(those things suck), but I finished the story mode today, and I was content with the ending. There were many reports that the game included some controversial aspects such as child soldiers and suicide bombers. While there were indeed a  few instances of suicide bombers, there were no "Child soldier" missions, but missions in which a child defends themselves from some evil men, with evil intentions. The scene is jarring, but given the setting, and remembering that things like this DO take place in the real world, I didn't see them as controversial. To me, it was much less controversial than something like the "No Russian" mission from Modern Warfare 2.

With the ending and MCU like post-credits cutscene, Infinity Ward isn't just making this a one-game reboot, but with at least a years worth of content on the way, we shall see what is announced and what happens after support ends.

Speaking of, according to Infinity Ward, there will be no post-launch cost for maps in Modern Warfare. We believe that there will be some sort of monetization since this is Activision publishing the game after all. There are daily missions to unlock skins and other alterations for weapons. There are also ways to unlock weapon charms, and weapon camos, but that's nothing new.

The multi-player mode is where the "end-game" exists. Unlike a game like Destiny, or Borderlands, the campaign or side story is really a small part of the whole. PVP is the end all, be all of Call of Duty games and as such, it has to be a rich environment of choice. There are so many options this year that I was quite shocked really. You have basic core PVP, where you can filter out what game modes you'd rather play. In that filter, there is Team Deathmatch, Cyber Attack, Domination, Search and Destroy, Headquarters, 20 person Team Deathmatch and 20 person Domination. After that, there's Ground War, Gunfight, Free-for-All, Realism(Which I believe is the new Hardcore mode) and a private match. I haven't even gotten to touch the Spec-Ops mode, which is a co-op mode that is apparently only on Playstation until October 2020. I don't know how true that is since it is downloadable on the Xbox one.

The bottom line is this, in my opinion, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 is the Call of Duty that fans have wanted for the last few years. It's a helluva return to form, and it's great to see an old character like Price return. This is so far, my favorite Call of Duty since Black ops 2, and I give it 4.5 Helios flares out of 5

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now on Playstation 4, XBOX One, PC, and of course from Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop if you prefer physical editions.

Not Enough, or The lack of Effort in Trying

What's up, ladies and gentlemen? I am your blogger, Erik, and I'm back with another helping of this lovely view and the thoughts that pour out of my mind. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the fall weather. As a gamer, I'm excited for a few games that are coming out or are already out. I've played the first couple of missions of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot, and my goodness, it is a beautiful piece of art. There's a few more that I can't wait for, but then again, I can. The Avengers game coming out in 2020 looks really good, along with DragonBall Z: Kakarot, which I hope will be similar to the old Budokai series, where we play the story of Dragonball Z. I'd kinda like a game that follows from the original Dragonball, all the way through DragonBall Super(which is the most recent story of the Z warriors). Coming this holiday season, though, is Pokemon: Sword and Shield. Two separate games that will follow the same sales strategy that Gamefreak/Nintendo has used since the inception of Pokemon. I doubt that they will make a third game in the vein of Pokemon Crystal, and Sapphire, but here's to hoping. There's a few more that I am excited for, and I'm hoping that game developers and publishers are finally starting to realize that gamers, whether they are adult gamers like me, or children whose parents have to fund the countless DLC, microtransactions, and all the extra purchases that have become commonplace, are no longer welcome. I don't hate DLC as a bonus for preordering, but I do mind paying 50% of the main purchase price for extra characters, or a very short story addition.

Recently, I had to go to the doctors to give/get a little bit of an update on certain things, and I found out that over the last couple of months, I've lost ten pounds. I'm not exactly sad about it, but I also kinda feel like I could have done much better. I know ten pounds doesn't sound like a lot to me. But I also know that when I pick up a ten-pound weight, I know that I've picked up a ten-pound weight. I'm glad that I'm finally losing something. I'm glad that I'm finally going down, not up, but I really thought I could have done better. I'm working on myself in more ways than one. I'm trying to go to bed earlier, eat better(I've failed this weekend) and I'm trying to make responsible decisions with my finances(again, not doing the best this week, but not as bad as I once was).

There are some things that I'm not comfortable sharing right now, but just know that I am working on myself in more ways than one. I'm doing my best to get to the next best version of myself. I'm doing my best to shoot up from the bottom, and really find exactly who I'm meant to be.

Ya'll, it's time for me to go, and I can't wait to keep up on this journey, and I hope that you keep on keepin' on with me. Thanks for reading and hanging out and checking out this view, and I hope you have a bright day.

Forgotten moments

Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the View from the Sun. At first, I had literally forgotten what I was going to write about, but after a quick nap, and a mid-sleep wake up from my cats, I remembered exactly what I was going to say.

Sometimes to finish your dreams, you have to start over. I know, it sounds antithetical, but a good restart is something that can really spur your mind, body, and soul or heart or whatever you want to call it. Not long ago, I wrote about trying new things, and working towards a goal. A few goals, actually. But what I didn't mention was that I had kinda given up at one point. I felt destined to just be a failure, completing menial tasks and eventually just dying, never having lived a life worth living. Just, existing. Nothing more, nothing less. I haven't been to the gym to workout in months because I had this mindset. I hide my emotions well, because I have to. But, I'm resetting. I'm looking at life from a different perspective, because I am no longer satisfied with just existing. I'm no longer happy keeping the status quo. I want my life to mean something, and since I have no legacy to raise, I'll create my own legacy.

I'm not sure what life will hold in the end for me, but I hope that if I don't find success, it isn't because I didn't work as hard as I could, to become the best version of me that is possible. Thanks for reading hanging out, and remember, the View is always sunny here.

Something I Never Wanted to Become

What's up, ladies and gentlemen, I am the eternal Heart of the Sun, and we are here for the View from the Sun. I've been trying to branch out in my creative areas because, well, as much as I love my job(sorta) I don't think I want to drive forever and ever. I've been trying my hand at streaming over on Twitch.tv/FilthyCasualXL, but I've also been working on learning some new skills for Youtube content. It's tough, especially since the market is saturated, but I'm also working on some other irons in that fire. Slowly but surely, I'm learning.

Today, I'd like to talk about something that I never thought that I'd become, or wanted to become. I've always been heavy. I've always had more fat than most. I've had times in the past where I worked some off, but never sustained. I've never been as consistent as I should be. I had always fallen off my wagon and I've been disappointed, saddened, destroyed, and downtrodden due to my lack of drive to keep going. I used to see people who were obese, and I mean bigger than I was, and I vowed, I swore to myself that I would control it. I wouldn't let myself become that large. I have failed myself. I don't have any reasons why at least not discernable reasons. I never wanted to look in the mirror and be completely ashamed of what I'd see. I don't know what exactly drove me to the point where I weigh more than 550lbs. I don't expect sympathy, but what I'd like is some assistance in any way you can. Cheer me, send me tips, tricks, healthy recipes, healthy meal plans, workout regimens that have worked for you. I'm at my wits end at times, and I have some workout plans, but you can never have too many options so if one doesn't seem to work, there's another that you can use.

In addition to some gaming and nerdy content, I want to chronicle my journey. I don't want to fail, because I feel like I only have a few more tries left before I run out. I want to chronicle my weight loss, healthy change, both the good and the bad. When I have bad days, I know my Casual Loungers will have my back, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you to let me know when I'm effin' up. I know the internet can be cruel, and dark, but the armor that I have acquired recently will help me through it all. And of course, any and all of my supporters.

Thank you for reading my little corner of the internet. I hope to see you over in my casual lounge on twitch, and of course when I get those Youtube videos up and running consistently, right there on Youtube. I appreciate you taking this time to check me out, and I hope you have a bright, sunny day. Unless you're not into that sort of thing, then I hope you have a bright, moonlit night.

Casually yours,
The FilthyCasualXL - ErosHelios - Erik

Sporadic moments of living

What's up, ladies and gentlemen of the internet? It's me, once again beaming down from the Sun. I know it's been a while and for that, I do apologize because I realize that consistency is a necessary thing to grow, or shrink in some cases, and I just haven't been consistent in much for a while. I could come in and blog with all sorts of platitudes about how I'm gonna do better, but let's be real and honest with each other, just saying something means little to nothing without actions behind them.


There's something that I've noticed with myself, I seem to avoid real introspection anytime something alerts me to it. As I re-read the previous paragraph, my mind wanted to switch activities to avoid the realization that, I avoid or try to avoid the act of real thought about myself. Not, I think, because I think I don't need to change, but the fact that I'm ashamed of what I have become. I'm ashamed of how I don't take the proper steps to change. I'm ashamed that I let the wrong things define who I am, and who I ought to be.

This has taken me three weeks to finish. I keep putting things off, and that's not good for me. I'm trying to keep myself accountable. I'm also learning to be better than I was. Better every day, to become the person that I know I can be. I think people see someone like me, and they think that I'm happy. That I'm content with not being where I should be in life, and I definitely am not.

I'm learning to take care of my mental health, which is just as important as my physical health. I don't want to be the person that loses their life due to inaction of self. I also want your help. No, I NEED your help. I need you to help me stay accountable.

Not a lot of people know this about me, but when I was younger, I wanted to entertain. I came up with stories and acted them out with action figures, and it brought me so much joy. I'd like to transfer that to entertaining people. Making people laugh, and feel joy. I want people to feel. I'm transitioning into other parts of my life. I'm working on learning some things that may help me in the end. One thing is certain, I'm going to take my shots because everyone deserves to strive towards their dream.

In that vein, I stream live every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday over at twitch.tv/filthyCasualXL I hope to see you in the Casual Lounge. Come say hi, and have a chat. I'm also working towards content on Youtube, but that's not ready yet. I will be keeping you updated on this progress.

Until next time, thanks for reading, bye-bye from the Sun.
Erik

*edit* I had this completed and worded differently until I couldn't publish or save, so lesson learned, always save or write in Word.

Games I'm excited for from E3 2018(Subject to Change) *UPDATE*

If you're a gamer, like me, then you know that E3 is in full swing, and here are some of the games that I personally am interested in. Now, this is as of Monday at 01:12 AM, so there's sure to be additions to this, and I'm only going to be delving into the games that are confirmed, and not rumored. So, this is my update now that the year is almost up and some of my thoughts from last years E3 Convention have not held up very well, be it because I didn't purchase/play said game yet, or because the game straight up sucked. New thoughts will be in red, following the old thoughts. So, here we go. 

Anthem - Won't be out until next year, but this is in my potential file. I'm a bit iffy because as much as EA claims that they are trying to learn from the backlash over their many mistakes, I'm not 100% sure they are being honest. Anthem floundered straight out of the gate with a launch that not only disappointed gamers, but also broke some PS4s, like literally turned them into $400 dollar bricks. I had high hopes for this game, and sadly EA disappointed again, which is doubly troublesome due to the fact that Mass Effect: Andromeda was reportedly another casualty because of Anthem development. 

Assassin's Creed Odyssey - No release date as of yet and I do need to get through Origins, but I was sufficiently impressed with the bit of Origins that I did play, to put this next iteration on my list. Also, Ancient Greece? I'm a huge mythology fan, so that's a bonus. I'm sad to report that I have not been able to get this game out of my backlog. I got it as a present for Christmas, and while I really wanted to have played it by now, other games/work has gotten in the way. I'm still working on AC: Origins, to be honest. I've heard nothing but good things about this game though, so when I get to play, I hope I'm blown away.

Battlefield V - Because Battlefield(though it's an EA title) does have a good track record, for the most part. I'm hoping that between this and another potential on my list Call of Duty, the battle royale genre will be playable without constant crashes(Ahem, PUBG on Xbox). I've played some of this game. What I did play, played like any other Battlefield game. I don't know what I really could want from an FPS, to be honest. I think the microtransactions in other games has kinda ruined it for me. I'm hoping that there is hope for the FPS genre, and something, somewhere draws me back in to play non-Destiny FPS on a regular basis again. 

Beyond Good and Evil 2 - Announced last year, this game looks fun and I'm actually a noob because I haven't gotten to play the first one, which I need to do. This game hasn't actually come out yet. I still haven't played Beyond Good and Evil, so maybe that's a good thing. 

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 - This is a very tentative title on my list because I'm not a fan of not having a campaign mode, and the futuristic warfare. However, Call of Duty, even if it's not exactly what I think it should be, it's almost always fun. This was an even bigger disappointment than Tim Horton's Oreo Muffins. A $60 dollar game that should have been, by all accounts, a $30 dollar or free to play game. They adopted the Fortnite battle pass mechanic, and on top of that, put in the same COD point microtransaction system that plagued the last 4 or so COD games. Oh, and they also never came out with a campaign mode, so...

Crackdown 3 - This is a game that I'm not very familiar with in terms of its canon and mythology, but come on, Terry Crews! Terry is one of the most entertaining men to perform in the entertainment industry, and lending his voice and likeness to a game like Crackdown 3 seems to be a match made in heaven. This is another game that I've not gotten to play, but from reviews, it looks good with an asterisk. On the surface it's fun, but some of the decisions in-game are head scratch inducing. The multiplayer mode has no squad system, so you can't play with friends unless you are lucky enough to make it into the same lobby. On the other side of the coin, I've not heard a lot from the campaign mode, so once I barrel through 1 and 2, I'll finally get to 3.

Death Stranding - This game looks effin' weird, and that's in a good way. Plus, again I'm going to have to give it up to the actors for piquing my interest. Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen send my interest in this game into overload. This is another game that has yet to come out. Rumor has it, it will be a 2020 game, so we'll see. 

Devil May Cry 5 - Devil May Cry is just a fun series, and this game looks to expand on the mythology, and fun. I'm almost ashamed to say I haven't played the predecessors, but I also haven't gotten to this either. I've played a bit of DMC the spin-off of Devil May Cry, and I enjoyed that so I'm hopeful for this game.

The Division 2 - The first Division was riddled with launch issues, and well, while the storyline was okay the lack of endgame content and dark zone issues was a problem for a game that seemed like it was meant to compete with Destiny. This game improved so much over the past two years, that that makes me excited for its sequel. I have not gotten to play this yet, but from everything I've heard, it's head and shoulders above the original. I can't wait to get to play this, and hopefully, I will fully enjoy it when I do.

Doom Eternal - Doom is such a fun series. It's not for everyone, but who doesn't like heading to Hell to slaughter demons and monsters? I don't know why I'm interested in this since I haven't finished the previous DOOM game, but I am. I'm not sure when this will be coming out, but sign me up when it does.

Fallout 76 - An interesting direction to take the series, but it definitely has potential. Being able to play solo or with friends is cool, but my biggest issue is with it being "completely online". That's the exact same way Destiny and Destiny 2 are, so if the servers are attacked or if a player has a bad internet connection, you have a $60 dollar frisbee(if you didn't buy digital). That being said, I'm looking forward to what it has to show. As someone who wasn't really interested in this series, Fallout 76 seemed like a good place to jump in, and I'm glad I didn't. This game was riddled with bugs and issues from the start. I believe it still is saddled with bugs, with rumors that it will go free to play at some point.

Gears 5 - The Gears of War series is so good. I think it's "bro-speak" writing is actually smarter than most people give it credit for. Multi-player is a lot of fun, and the story is interesting. Gears 5 hasn't yet launched, which is good for me. I made it through 1-3, but I still need to play Gears 4, and not just the PVP.

Halo Infinite - I like Halo, or I like the thought of it since I've not actually played through the series despite owning the Master Chief Collection(I should probably get on that). To be honest, this still excites me, but I still haven't gotten on the Master Chief Collection.

Mega Man 11 - Because who doesn't love Mega Man?

I haven't yet played this, but it is still on my to-play list. I've never really played any of the others, so I'd like to get the collections and play them first.

Metro Exodus - This game looks intense. I don't know though, how much longer the zombie apocalypse trope is going to be viable. There are so many other zombie games either out or coming out that the genre is actually getting saturated. I suppose if the FPS genre isn't dying yet, perhaps the Zombie genre isn't quite ready to fully die yet either. I have yet to play this, so that really uh speaks for how excited I am for it. 

Pokemon Let's go Pikachu/Eevee - I'm very sketchy about this game. I played Pokemon go, and Eh, it's okay in my opinion. I'm not sure about mixing console/mobile pokemon games. It looks like it could be a fun game for kids though, and I'm okay with getting more Pokemon players in this world. I did get this. I ended up choosing Let's go Pikachu and I honestly had such a great time with it. I actually wouldn't mind re-purchasing it to play it again. 

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - This game looks like it has many mechanics similar to For Honor. In fact, a friend of mine and I both thought it was a For Honor sequel. That being said, it does look interesting. I had this pre-ordered and then I realized I had overextended myself so I had to pull out. I will get this at some point, as it looks phenomenal now that it's actually out and real footage has been seen.

Skull and Bones - This game has been on my radar since it was announced last year at E3, and it will definitely satisfy my desire to pirate. Still not out. And it was pushed back, I do believe. 

SoulCalibur VI - I haven't played a SoulCalibur game since the third iteration of the game, so I can't wait to get back to the world of SoulCalibur when it arrives.
I haven't played a ton of this, and from what I did play, it was fun as hell. I missed the over the top, 3D fighting mechanic. I can't wait to actually dive in and play for many more hours.

Spider-Man - My god, this game has so much to live up to and I'm not sure if it will do so. The last Spider-man games have left a disappointing feeling with me, and I'm sure many other gamers. There's nothing so freeing(in gaming) like web-slinging. Not even flying around as a superhero in a game like DCUO is quite as fun.
So Fucking WORTH IT! I loved everything about this game. The story was great, the writing was perfect, the VA was on the mark. I loved this game so, so much. I know I shouldn't think this way, but I can't wait for the sequel.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy - The memories of playing the original Spyro games have been stirred by this and, I hope that it's not just "rose-colored glasses" talking. Crash Bandicoot N'sane trilogy is a fun flashback to my youth, and I doubt Spyro will let me down. This one is still on my list, because of the same reasons I gave last year. Spyro is always a fun romp through my childhood, and hopefully, I'll be able to share that with the next generation. 

Super Smash Bros. - This is definitely gonna be a fun one. I think my niece and I will spend time beating the tar out of each other(virtually, of course) with some of the funnest characters in the video gaming world.

This game is exactly the amount of fun I thought it would be. It has great replayability, and you can create your own levels. 

This is my list for now. This is subject to change not only by new announcements but also in the future if a game is shown to look like it may be sucky, then my mind will likely change. If you're a gamer, it's both a fun and worrying time due to certain controversies in the community, but I think that if we as gamers put aside or minuscule differences, we can come together and have fun playing awesome games, offer constructive criticism, and improve the industry.

There have been some ups and some downs this year, and the gaming industry isn't perfect, but I have hope for it to thrive and to live up to what it can be. E3 is next week, and I can't wait, as always. Sony, this year, has elected to forgo coming to E3, so all the other vendors have the chance to really step it up, and I hope they do. 

Thanks for reading, Eros.