Gaming is such an enriching experience in so many ways because in reality, there is a game out there for every single mood that you can imagine. If you're wanting something dark and terrifying there are plenty of horror games or psychological thrillers to stimulate your mind.

Or, if you're hoping instead to perhaps explore a massive world and live vicariously through characters anywhere in time and space there are plenty of games to give you that experience as well. Hell, you can even be a sports star and lead your team to the championship and enjoy the role of the hero. But sometimes you simply want to settle in and live an interactive movie if you will. One that gives you an enriching story and ups the ante with action and excitement and one such game like that recently found its way back into my Xbox One is Rainbow Six: Vegas. 

Now this is a game I stumbled upon at the store and well, the cover alone had my attention. I love Vegas, I love a good thriller so why not give it a try and needless to say it had hold of me from the first few minutes I settled in to play it. This thrilling story puts you in the shoes of Rainbow Team Leader Logan Keller as he and his team try their best to help rescue the city of Las Vegas as it finds itself under siege from a massive full-scale terrorist attack. I won't say much more than that because this is a story that is filled to the brim with twists and turns that take you by surprise, and it’s best you experience it for yourself.

​But the gameplay itself is an absolute blast with gorgeous graphics that are a feast for the eyes as you battle your way through colorful casinos and Nevada landmarks in a desperate bid to save the day. I was also a big fan of the physics engine that works in this game because of the amount of realism you'll find, especially when it comes to aiming because it takes more than a bullet in the arm to drop the bad guy. Plus, you can only carry a finite number of weapons and ammo so you cannot just spray away, and the guns have limitations on what they can hit at a distance and what kind of power they can pack. That alone forces you to approach this game from a different way of thinking, but the magic of this game doesn't end there.

This game is also a big-time pride killer. I say that, simply because, while there are plenty of  first-person shooters out there where you can get lost in the moment and unleash your inner Schwarzenegger and go in guns blazing, here you will quickly learn that doing that will get you cyber killed pretty damn quick. Heck, there are even times where an enemy is hiding around the corner and manages to wax you regardless of any mistakes you may or may not have made. It makes for a rich and dynamic experience in this game where strategy trumps bravado.

Either way, I'm glad I started playing this one again, it's an absolute blast of a game and I meant what I said earlier about this game feeling at times like an interactive movie since all the best parts of Tom Clancy's work are evident as you progress through the story and there's something to be said about the fun factor when you're battling it out on Fremont Street with the bright lights of Vegas shining down upon you.  

There are a great many reasons to fall in love with the Star Trek franchise as a whole, since it features powerful stories that are relevant to our times, alongside a beautiful future for mankind wherein war and hunger are eradicated, and we are able to travel amongst and explore the stars. But while all of those elements have made for some magnificent stories throughout the years, there is something present in this the franchise that I personally don’t think we as fans celebrate enough, and that’s the rich history of the future that the saga has put together.
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In fact, there’s so much history to come in Star Trek, that one can get lost while pouring over all the important formative moments of every race and faction present in the 22nd Century and on. And I’ve always been in awe of how much detail the franchise dives into when it comes this fictional history and of the many important milestones that mankind and other species have used as a stepping stone toward a better tomorrow, one that has always captivated me, is mankind’s first encounter with an alien species, an event simply known as ‘First Contact Day’. For on this day, hours after Zephram Cochrane successfully tested the first warp drive aboard his ship, the Phoenix (with an assist from Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E), mankind garnered the attention of the Vulcans, who came to Earth to meet this new warp-faring species and the rest as they say, is future history.

If anything, it may well be the most pivotal moment in the history of the franchise and it’s one that I’ve rambled about and geeked out over simply because even Star Trek Online understands its importance and significance, to the point where a special First Contact Day event was recently available in game and well, you darn well know I was going to take part in this. Because this particular event offered up a unique opportunity, a chance to travel down to Bozeman, Montana and honor Cochrane and his contributions to history by participating in a grand series of activities that put me (and others) in his shoes, by allowing for us to scavenge parts like he did centuries ago to build our own tiny Phoenix replica and launch it and while this is silly and fun in its own right, it’s the location that truly matters the most here.

Because you’re standing on the very site where the Vulcans landed to say hello, and you’re able to see the launch facility of that historic ship, the buildings where Cochrane lived and ate and drank (a lot), and of course, the statue that then Commander Geordi LaForge referred to, is present here as well, and the game even went so far as to license Steppenwolf’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ to play during the launch sequence to add to the experience and honestly, this legitimately feels like visiting a real life museum. And while I fully understand that none of this is real, the nerd in me could not help but smile over the fact that I was standing atop the Phoenix complex, mere feet away from where First Contact took place and I made sure to say to stick around after the event was over to soak up all the wonder and the history of this magical place.

Either way, it was a lot of fun to run around the complex to build that rocket, and even more fun to stand before that iconic statue and it’s little moments such as these that make STO such an enriching and entertaining experience and when you’re a massive nerd like me, you really cannot ask for better fan service than this. If anything, this event, and the recent addition of the Battle of the Binary Stars in TFO, leaves me wondering if more important moments from the history of Star Trek are going to appear here and I honestly hope they do. In part to allow for hardcore fans to experience moments they’ve only dreamed about participating in, and to also teach those unfamiliar with the saga more about the incredible universe they’re soaring through. Until next time.

It would be easy to immediately call the Spyro Reignited Trilogy another half-hearted nostalgia cash-in and consign it to the pile of mediocrity that so many other remakes and remasters reside upon. It would be easy to do this, but it would be wrong.
 
The gaming audience has grown so large and gained so long a memory that various reissues of classic games are becoming almost standard. Where once you would have had to jealously guard your original hardware and keep you discs safe and secure if you wanted to ever have hope of playing your beloved childhood memories again, now it’s a much easier and more predictable idea to just wait for its inevitable re-release. Whether it’s a graphical remaster, an outright remake, or just a one-for-one re-release, more and more old games are finding their way to modern gaming machines.
 
Some of these reissues are simple, made in an attempt to reap some money from nostalgia with minimal effort. Others are proper updates or labors of love, and others still attempt to re-invent or update certain game features which were or now are clunky or frustrating. Still, effort from the producers is no guarantee of fun: even when genuine care and passion are put into each prettied-up pixel and polygon, the game itself might not be as good as we remember it when pushed into the harsh light of now.
 
I am glad to report that the Spyro Reignited Trilogy suffers from none of these typical remaster shortcomings. The remastering itself is a beautifully executed, lovingly detailed update of everything about the old games. Everything is prettier, more beautiful, and more detailed than you remember. The animations are gorgeous and smooth, and the absolutely stunning overall presentation really makes the originals show their age. There is an all-new soundtrack written by the original composer that is excellent, although I must confess to not remembering the original soundtrack particularly well. Whether this is because it didn’t stand out to me or my memory simply doesn’t reach back quite that far I cannot be sure, but those who do remember it can switch over to the original soundtrack at any time for an extra shot of nostalgia, and those who don’t can get a taste of the past.
 
Of course, the visual update is only one part of a remaster. How the gameplay holds up is always its own adventure. Sometimes game mechanics which were tolerable or even standard in their own time have become clunky or frustrating nowadays, next to smoother and more convenient systems. Some remasters will remedy these issues by redesigning certain systems, while others take a ‘warts and all’ approach that unapologetically makes zero changes. This second approach was taken for the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, but thankfully there weren’t many warts to come along for the ride. Although no game systems or mechanics were changed or updated to reflect modern tastes, none of them had to be; the original games were so well-crafted, so tightly designed, that they are still an absolute joy to play almost 20 years later. While some levels or minigames are still unforgiving in their level of challenge, this is largely due to their natural difficulty, and not due to any flaw in the design or concept. Many things were easier for me now than they were in childhood, likely because I’m older and more experienced in gaming, but others were just as difficult as I remember them, likely because I’m not actually as good as I’d like to be. The one minor quibble I still have is that some of Spyro’s comrades in the third game, Year of the Dragon, who you control for various side-missions, have controls which are a little clunky. That said, I would be hard-pressed to come up with alternative control schemes for all except the ray-gun shooting Agent 9, but choosing to update only one character and leave the rest untouched would have felt disingenuous and against the spirit of celebration carried by the rest of the remaster.
 
Summed up, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy doesn’t sound terribly spectacular: they’re the same exact games as they used to be but now, they have modern graphics. However, that’s really all they needed because they are, quite simply, good games. Being prettied up for modern screens was the only requirement to make them as relevant as ever, proving that good gameplay really is the most important thing in gaming - fancy technical achievements are only clothing. As long as a game can keep up with the aesthetic fashions of each decade, it can still please almost any crowd. As long as Spyro continues to get new clothing every so often, he could continue to entertain for years to come.

​There have been quite a number of changes made to Star Trek Online in the past year or so and each one of them have been in my opinion, for the better. For the new missions and stories have been the best the game has offered up to date, especially ‘Victory is Life’, and the Endeavor System was a welcome addition to the game as well, since it prompts the player to log on more often to try and earn more energy credits and Dilithium in order to build their dream ship or fleet, and I’ve been enjoying that a plenty since you never know what missions or tasks are going to show up on that list, since a recent update added new TFO tasks into the mix.
 
But something that hit PC before Console, because I’m an Xbox Trekker, finally arrived on console this past week, further enhancing our experience in game; the wondrous Personal Endeavor System. Now this new wrinkle to the proverbial fold, allows for multiple Endeavor Missions to get underway, since the ‘every other day’ tasks still continue along, while at the same time, new daily missions populate in your Endeavor roster. Now, I know what you’re thinking, that’s a grind of extraordinary magnitude, but I honestly don’t think so. Simply because, I’m not required to do it every single day, and if I don’t have the time, I don’t have the time. But, the benefit in my mind, is that, in the event I’m jonesing for a taste of this game, which is…often, I can log on and have something to do and that is just delightful. 
 
However, what matters more, is that the mix of missions and tasks is quite robust and dynamic since the first set of Personal Endeavors sent me all over the galaxy as I worked to dole out some Anti-Proton damage on the ground, thank you New Romulus for the assist there, before heading out to battle some Terran Empire and Tzenkethi ships. And what makes these missions so intriguing, is that, they offer you a chance to complete an Easy, Medium and Hard task with varying rewards based upon what you manage to accomplish and thus far, the rewards have been pretty handsome since there’s been plenty of Dilithium and energy credits to be found the longer I play, and along the way, I even had the opportunity to complete all of my Daily Endeavors in one single fell swoop.
 
Because I needed to bring down five Borg ships, drop twenty drones and dole out twenty-thousand units in Phaser damage and it just so happens that one of the opening missions of the Borg story arc took care of that no problem, and I thought it was quite cool to know that a single mission might handle some of these matters, and the real icing on the cake, is that I have to admit, some of these challenges are actually pretty daunting and who doesn’t love a challenge in this game? Plus, these missions have also managed to plunge me into some new TFO challenges that are cool as all hell, like the one pictured here entitled, ‘The Conduit’, since it forces you and others to face off against one hell of a Borg flotilla and I needed to make mention of this, simply because, the Borg do override your comm system in order to send their trademark and chilling message and that’s just epic.
 
In the end however, the new Personal Endeavor System is straight up just a ton of fun. It really does offer up wonderful new challenges and I love that these aren’t simple tasks that wrap up in a matter of minutes. These take some time and some dedication and what I’m loving the most, is that these missions do a fine job of keeping one busy as we wait for the next wave of story based missions to arrive, and as an added bonus, I forgot to mention that some of the XP rewards that come with this, help to strengthen your characters in various ways and when all is said and done, I’ll definitely be logging on more often to complete more of these because like a box of tribbles, you never know what you’re going to get. So, if you’ll excuse me, I think Admiral Quinn has a new set of missions for me to accomplish, and I’d like to pack in as many as possible before settling in to discuss a special event with all of you. Until then.  

​It’s funny how sometimes a seemingly innocuous plot point in a story can grow into something more, and for proof, look no further than Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. For this motion picture, featured the genesis of the Kobayashi Maru Test, a simulation designed to teach cadets/future Captains of the risks inherent to space travel and combat wherein they may face imminent doom and a no-win scenario. And I call this plot nugget innocuous, because it was designed to serve as a bookend piece for Admiral Kirk, when he admitted, that he doesn’t like to lose and cheated on the test and well, I’m just shocked at what all of that grew into when it comes to Star Trek lore as the years rolled on.
 
First and foremost, it finally showed James Tiberius Kirk as a man, one with flaws who has in fact failed in life, and that made him more relatable in my eyes since he was a master of bravado before this and second…the fans, myself included, were truly intrigued when it comes to  this test. Because it was simply fascinating to know that Starfleet would ask its future commanders to look death straight in the eye and ponder upon the fact they may outright die in combat and the darkness and bluntness of that test, turned those two plot points into something legendary, to the point where the test found itself integrated into the fabric of the franchise as a whole.
 
But why all of this matters to me today, is two-fold. For one, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to sit in the captain’s chair and take this all-important test and see how I would fare with my crew’s back against the wall, and also because, Star Trek Online was able to grant me that wish. For this game always finds new ways to enhance the mythos and lore that comes with this storied franchise and they’ve found a way to keep the mystique of the Kobayashi Maru test alive, by outright including it into the game and well, last weekend I finally took this legendary test and it turned out to be far more difficult than I ever imagined.
 
That’s due in large part to the fact that the test has been updated to reflect the dangers and challenges of the 25th Century. For it no longer involves a solo ship squaring off against a flotilla of Klingon ships, now you’re part of a fleet that faces waves of enemies, made up of some of the strongest enemies in the galaxy and the sheer volume of bad guys warping in to destroy the Kobayashi Maru is overwhelming to the least, and my heart definitely dropped on several occasions when I saw massive fleets of Jem’Hadar, Iconian and Borg fleets arrive to challenge us and while small victories were possible on a regular basis, it is what the test stands for that makes it overwhelming.
 
Because this truly is a no-win scenario, and no matter how hard I tried, or how hard I fought, eventually the Kobayashi Maru was destroyed and man, that did not sit well with me at all. In fact, the prospect of losing motivated me to try the test twice more and the best I could muster progress wise was six rounds of combat, only to find defeat at the hands of the Borg in that round and well, now I truly understand this test and the importance of it. Because this sucker is a pride killer, one that definitely humbles a captain, and it reminds you to not head into a situation with phasers blazing and most importantly, it really does remind you that you will lose from time to time…
 
But, all of the important lessons aside, I won’t lie, this test did bring out the geek in me. I mean come on, they use the exact same audio of the distress call used in Star Trek II and…I got to freakin’ take the Kobayashi Maru test! It just doesn’t get much geekier than that, and I am so glad that I finally had the opportunity to experience this now iconic part of Star Trek lore and well, perhaps it could not have come at a better time. For new challenges arrived shortly after I took the test by way of the new Personal Endeavor System, and everything this new aspect of the game has to offer, is where we will pick up next time. Until then.