A few weeks ago I was invited to try out a newer gaming app called “FUZE.”
I had never heard of this app before, but I was curious when the creator reached out to me. He was pretty upfront about it being a new service, but that in some ways could be a part of the appeal. It’s something new so it’s not already filled with millions of people to flood the service with their own content. In other words, things you say or post, are more likely to be seen in this stage. Of course, the more members the better, but starting out it allows individuals have a bit more of a voice.
Anyway, I figured I’d go ahead and try the app out, and see what it was really all about. Now, full disclosure, Netto’s Game Room is also now featured on the “News” tab in the app, but that’s not going to stop me from sharing my full honest opinion of the service. The short version of that opinion being: it’s a nice app overall, but it is for sure still in early development, and it shows.
That doesn’t mean it won’t get better though!
Creating a FUZE Account and Customization:
When you first sign up for FUZE you are asked to create a username, and an avatar. The avatar is a full 3D animated model, and you have a verity of face options, eyes, hair, clothing, etc, to pick from. The options when you first join FUZE are limited, but other options are locked behind “level” progress.
Staying true to the gaming world it’s aimed at, the app acts as a game where everything you do gives you experience. Once you hit a set amount of experience you’ll level up, and leveling up in return unlocks more for your character. Even with unlocking additional content, the selection is still pretty minimum at the moment, but is something that will continue to be expanded upon as time goes on. This is the initial stage of the system.
Video Game List and Backlog:
Moving past the standard customization, members are able to create custom game lists, and begin adding games to said lists. These lists can be something as simple as “my top 10 games of all time,” or “my favorite Sonic games,” or honestly anything else you can think of. It’s just a way to show off your personal likes, or dislikes, and it lets you customize your profile a bit more.
Besides these lists however, you can also add games to your “backlog.” Marking games as completed will add it to your beaten list, while marking it as now playing or unfinished will put it in said backlog. It’s a way to keep track of everything you’ve done in your gaming life, while also showing off that progress to the world. You can even rate the games by how much you liked, or disliked them, and add your own comments/reviews to the service. To do this however, you do need to find the games, and add them physically.
Adding games to any of these lists can actually be done in two different ways. First is by searching them and adding them to your profile, or you can allow the app access to your camera. Using the camera option, you can actually point your phone at your physical game boxes, and the app will find and add them for you. If you don’t want to do this however, simply typing in the name isn’t the search bar works just as well. Sometimes it might take a bit to find the specific game or version you’re looking for, but eventually you’ll come across it. As the app tracks nearly every game and every release of said game, there is a lot to go through, so don’t always expect to find your games asap.
Xbox and PlayStation Connection:
The third, and final way, to show games on your profile is by linking your existing PlayStation, or Xbox account. While this wont add the games to your beaten list or backlog (although the developer said it’s a possible future feature), it does show your trophy and achievement progress within each game. This will be displayed when you view the games on the app, and allows you to collect nearly all of your achievements on a single service. Of course FUZE is not the first to offer a feature like this (GameSpot’s old site comes to mind, or even services like GOG Galaxy), but it’s still a cool feature either way.
Member Posts:
As the service is a social media app, members are allowed to post nearly whatever they want. Making posts will show up publicly for others to comment on or like, and you can set parameters for your posts. The service uses a double hashtag system (for example, ##MegaMan would tag MegaMan), but it can be automatically done by selecting a game you are discussing. In fact the top of every post has an option for you to select which specific game your post is about, but it’s not a requirement to be used. After that, others can comment on what you have to say, and you in return can reply to them or follow them to see more of their content.
Again, it is a full on social media service, and anyone who has used any form of social media will be familiar with these features. It has nearly all of the core features you would expect, and using the search function allows you to find specific content you are looking for. It also shows trending topics, as well as other recently added content to the app.
Mobile Only:
Unfortunately, the app is currently just that; an app. There is no mobile web version of the app, and that can make sharing content a bit difficult. For example, Netto’s Game Room posts (including this one) will be added to the News feed automatically. The developers were kind enough to put in extra work to make it work on their end (which I am VERY grateful for!), but as a simple member, sharing content isn’t always the easiest.
If I were to write a detailed review or post about a specific game, it has to be fully done through the mobile app. It is doable through a phone, sure, but it’s really not ideal. Thankfully in my case I can use my iPad Pro (which I’m also using to write this article), but for those with only a PC and phone, they can’t really do that easily. FUZE isn’t supported on mobile emulators either, such as Bluestacks, so you can’t really get around the fact that it is a mobile app.
While it is true that most people use social media on their phones or tablets, it’s still a shame that a web based version hasn’t been released yet. They have a fancy website to lead you to the download though!
Is it worth using?
FUZE is an interesting app for sure, and it offers a lot for gamers. That being said, if you aren't into video games, then there isn't much of a reason for you to use this app. It is fully built and designed with gaming in mind, and offers little else. Sure you can talk about whatever subject you want, but you can do the same with other social media pages as well. This app is specialized for gaming, and offers features that really only gamers would appreciate.
With that being said, it is a nice little app for the gaming community. There is no denying that it is still missing major features like a web version, but what is here works nicely. It is an app that is going to keep improving over time, and the developers are very much open to feedback. It's going to be a slow process, taking it step by step, but it'll eventually be able to become something great.
Until then, it's a nice hangout spot for gamers, and the game tracking and rating options are nice. The app is also very easy to use, and it didn't take me too long to play around with it and discover the main features. Did I find/use everything? Maybe not, but I have made use out of the main features and liked what I saw.
I will continue using the app from here on, as it really is a great way to reach out to the gaming community, which is the main reason this blog even got its start. I enjoy talking about games with fellow gamers, and this app allows me to do just that.
If you are interested in it at all, I recommend checking it out for yourself, but just keep in mind that this is a new service, and things will be changing over time.
For more, you can head on over to the official website:
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