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Welcome to 2021! I’m sure this year will be at least somewhat better than 2020. At the moment, I’m beginning my next round of blog posts with more game reviews. I’m sure various games and consoles will play an important part of this year, so let’s see what happens. It might be a good idea to have a laid back approach to 2021, especially at the beginning.  If you enjoy military shooters and dystopian settings, you’ll probably like Wolfenstein: The Two Pack, which includes Wolfenstein: The New Order and a prequel titled Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. I don’t mesh with this series very well, but it has quick pacing, plenty of action, impressive weapons, and interesting storylines. It’s an alternate version of World War II where the Axis defeated the Allies. These games also include several sci-fi elements like robots, zombies, monsters, alternate dimensions, etc. In the end, I’ve played all of the Wolfenstein games and it’s just too hard. This series is super intense, kind of like the Dark Souls games. It’s so frantic, dizzying, frustrating, and difficult. Also, this series is exclusively in first person view and it actually makes the gameplay harder. For example, I died numerous times because enemies shot me outside of my vision. You can literally run around in circles without finding your enemies. I certainly don’t recommend this series for casual gamers and people who get frustrated easily. However, the Wolfenstein games might be appealing to more competitive players who want an ultra challenging experience. Truthfully, I wouldn’t bother with the two pack. If you really want to play the Wolfenstein games, buy The Alternate History Collection because it includes the entire series.  No, Maneater isn’t a horror game in the vein of Jaws. It’s much sillier. You play as a shark who swims around, gobbling up anything and everyone in sight until poachers try to kill you. It’s basically a glorified cell phone game. Some players might find Maneater novel, fun, and amusing. I’ll give it credit for being a lot different than the average first person shooter or role-playing game. Sadly, this game disappointed me. Seriously, I felt really excited to play as a ravenous shark, but the gameplay is repetitive and it drags along. The story isn’t remotely interesting, the game lacks variety, and the graphics are quite subpar for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Apparently, it was also released on the PlayStation 5 and I don’t know if that makes a difference. It’s not even funny enough. This game tries to be a comedy, but it's awfully tame. Overall, I would say most gamers can skip Maneater. Honestly, I find the Hungry Shark games significantly more entertaining on my cell phone. I would only recommend Maneater if you subscribe to PlayStation Plus. At that point, it’s just part of your subscription.  Daymare 1998 is a survival horror game that functions as a call back to the Resident Evil series and similar titles. Don’t overcomplicate it. You’re just a survivor who’s killing zombies. Personally, I think this game is terrible, but some people will probably find it nostalgic. Here’s the main issue. Daymare 1998 has really bad controls, repetitive gameplay, and very little scare value. It’s not fun or entertaining at all. The environment is bland and I don’t know why this game is called Daymare because the entire story takes place at night. Check out the cover art. Idris Elba isn’t in this game. They just used his image for the box. We already had remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3. This game simply isn’t necessary and the actual Resident Evil titles are superior. You can definitely skip this game. I believe in supporting indie games, but this one doesn’t play very well.  Do you enjoy the Fallout series? The Outer Worlds is basically Fallout in space. It’s a first person RPG with a big emphasis on adventure, storytelling, and characters. This game is thoroughly entertaining with a variety of alien worlds, creatures, zany weapons, side missions, and supporting characters. It’s quite inventive, witty, and right up my alley with pleasantly challenging gameplay. The Outer Worlds also gives the player a lot of power for customization. Your characters will build skills and you can choose different aptitudes, such as strength, dexterity, intelligence, health, etc. Also, I played through the entire game without major bugs, glitches, or system crashes. What’s the catch? Truthfully, I would recommend it to everyone. It just doesn’t let you go back and explore the world after you finish the main campaign. You have to start at the beginning again, which is a bummer. The Outer Worlds was one my favorite gaming experiences last year. Try it on the Xbox or PlayStation. I heard the Switch version has problems. This game is fun, well rounded, and immersive. Despite having similarities with Fallout, I wouldn’t call it a ripoff. Check it out and enjoy your space adventures!  Spirit of the North is little more than a walking simulator with a fox. It takes influences from Norse mythology, but I wouldn’t say it has a plot with full development. This game has beautiful scenery and soothing music. Some gamers might appreciate a laid back experience, wandering through the environment without combat. Plus, you get to be a fox and that’s a perk. However, I had issues with this game. Spirit of the North doesn’t have any direction at all. It doesn’t provide a map, hints, objectives, waypoints, or anything. You’re just a fox who’s wandering through the environment aimlessly. Well, that gets pretty old and frustrating after a while. I don’t mind playing a game without combat, but a little direction would be nice. In general, I don’t recommend this game. Most gamers would find it boring and confusing. If you really love foxes, it might be worth a try, but don’t have unrealistic expectations. You’ll have a strong chance of milling around lost.  Did we finally get a good Terminator game? Terminator: Resistance is an original game that doesn’t take any storylines from the movies. It’s a basic first person shooter with an original protagonist, but the game still takes many elements from the overall franchise. I wouldn’t call Resistance good, but it’s definitely not awful. Fans of the Terminator series might find this game decent enough to play.
Basically, I find this game unmemorable, dull, and basic. It’s just a generic sci-fi action game. I didn’t have particularly high expectations, but the gameplay is very simple, the plot and enemies are forgettable, the graphics look cheap, and it just seems like another licensed property that was churned out quickly. Most gamers don’t need to bother with this game. However, devout Terminator fans could try it out. I like the franchise and this game didn’t feel satisfying, so that might not be a good sign. I think Microsoft and Sony need to learn some lessons from the previous generation of game systems. Gaming should be about quality over quantity. They released a ton of games for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but many of them were mediocre. I realize they need to make a lot of games to sell for a profit, but gamers will lose interest if the quality drops too much. Let’s see what happens this year. I’m sure it will be quite an adventure. Stay safe and watch out for next week’s post. Enjoy the rest of your New Year's weekend!
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 Seasons greetings! Woman Woman 1984 was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max for the Christmas weekend. It’s the first movie in Warner Bros.’ ambitious experiment to fight back against the pandemic. Will this strategy work or will it backfire? Maybe some of both, considering how much criticism Warner Bros. is receiving from the film industry. Personally, I grateful to see this film at home and you should too. I’ll give you a full review below.
Wonder Woman 1984 takes place during a time of excessive commodity. A greedy businessman named Maxwell Lord takes advantage of the public’s desires with a mythical wishing stone. However, these wishes come with serious consequences. Diana Prince is still fighting crime as Wonder Woman, but Lord proves to be a difficult foe because she also falls victim to the stone. Her fallen love interest named Steve Trevor comes back to life and his resurrection doesn’t come for free. Pretty soon, the entire globe might come unraveled if our heroes don’t find a solution. In general, I really like this movie and it’s probably not a bias from the pandemic. Believe me. I’ve seen a lot of bad movies this year. This unusual sequel is thrilling, entertaining, humorous, and filled with eighties cheese. It’s a lovely throw back to the Wonder Woman comic books and tv series with Lynda Carter. This film is significantly different than the first Wonder Woman entry with more whimsy and unashamed goofiness. It just takes a number of popular concepts from the eighties and runs wild. You might feel skeptical, but it actually works. The pacing is also very good. It runs for two and half hours, but the story moves along quite briskly. Also, check out the soundtrack. The score by Hans Zimmer was quite fun and appropriate for this type of movie. Like the first Wonder Woman film, this one has a big emphasis on characters, warmth, morality, entertainment value, and authenticity to the source material. Wonder Woman is a still an ingenue who sees the best in mankind, even if we don’t deserve it. Steve Trevor is still a strong leading man who compliments Diana well. Pedro Pascal steals the show as Maxwell Lord. He’s a charismatic and over the top villain who embodies the public’s endless greed. I didn’t even mind Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah. It seems like critics are generally less receptive to her character, but she’s ultimately an accurate representation of Cheetah in various works. I like this movie, but it has several flaws. The VFX look really cheap, even though the film had a huge budget. It has a lot of slow motion and unrealistic wire stunts. The production design is fine, but the costumes and hair are inconsistent. For example, Wonder Woman’s traditional superhero outfit looks like a regular cosplay costume and Pedro Pascal’s hair looks awful. This film just has a sporadic feeling of cheap quality. More importantly, I don’t think everyone will love this movie. You’re either on the bandwagon or not. I found Wonder Woman 1984 delightful, but I’m sure some viewers will believe it’s silly, nonsensical, cartoonish, and a big step backwards from the first movie. If you already subscribe to HBO Max, that’s great! Go ahead and watch this film. After all, it’s only available for a month before reverting to a solo theatrical release. However, should you pay for a subscription to specifically watch this movie? I would recommend subscribing if you’re genuinely curious about Wonder Woman 1984. Don’t subscribe if this movie looks unappealing. Keep something in mind. This film has a strong message that’s surprisingly relevant to our current situation. Back in the eighties, people wanted it all without consequence and we never got away from that train of thought. Well, that’s a problem during a global pandemic. You can’t have it all and that’s the truth. In the real world and Wonder Woman 1984, excessive greed comes with a price. Have you seen this movie yet? What did you think? Tell me all about it. We’re almost done with 2020 and thank goodness! Eventually, I'll recap my thoughts about the 2020 movie slate. I want to watch a few more films after New Year's, including Monster Hunter, The Empty Man, and Synchronic. Maybe I'll even check out Tenet, even though it looks really weird. Thanks a lot for hanging in there and being a trooper during a frustrating time period. We're going to finish 2020 together. I’ll give you some updates about 2021 in the near future. Come back again next week and be safe. Good night! |
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May 2019
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