New Free to Play- Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign

Remember that one time Thor, Iron Man and Spider-Man rearranged jewels to defeat villains?

To start, I would like to say this is not a review.  As a free-to-play game, Marvel Puzzle Quest: Dark Reign is pretty fun.  It's major downfall is that, well, it's free to play...requiring micro-transactions and laughably high amounts of money for its DLC content.

If you're not familiar with Puzzle Quest, the concept is rather simple.  Puzzle Quest fuses classic RPG elements, such leveling up and acquiring better skills, with Bejewled-style gameplay, in which 3 or more jewels have to be rearranged on a grid to inflict damage against your enemy.  The Marvel entry changes a few things, including the ability to collect comic book covers to not only unlock characters, but unlock their skills as well.  Many of these are randomly obtained, and some "rarer" items can only be acquired with pure luck; for example I unlocked a level 6 Ms. Marvel moments into the game, making the earlier missions a breeze.

There are minor plot structures in each fight, usually prompting you toward a singular goal of defeating a particular villain, such as Juggernaut or Dr. Doom.  Sometimes during these fights, you are required to use a certain version of a certain character, let's say a level 3 Black Widow for example, because she is already there as part of the plot's structure.  This is both cool yet infuriating at the same time; sometimes, you'll get a high-powered character, other times you'll already have a version of that character which is better in your deck, only to have him/her be replaced with one that is far inferior for the fight.

A large majority of the game revolves around luck.  You can grind to your hearts content on earlier fights to attempt to obtain better gear or money, but this won't help if you stumble upon a fight you're advancing into where you get beaten multiple times in a row.  Death comes with a cost in this game, literally, since every time a character dies, in between fights you will either have to wait for a very long cool down for them to revive, replace them with a different character, or use a med-kit to revive them.  Character health regenerates at a very slow rate, as do the med-kits, mirroring elements of other free-to-play games where there is lengthy cool-down to continue with the game's progression.

The weirdest thing about this game is the leveling up system.  You have to spend a version of the in-game currency to level up your character.  However, before doing so, you need to obtain the characters skills, or higher levels of the skills, by obtaining the covers, which are randomized drops, either as a reward from a fight, or from a purchase.  This does not occur often enough, and you will be stuck with many low level characters, while having a select few who are at the level they should be, which is an odd circumstance to be involved with.

It doesn't hurt to try the game.  It's free on Steam right now, so go ahead and download it.  While it's not revolutionary by any means, and it seems like there's no "end-game" so to speak, its a great time waster, and the excitement of getting a good character emulates the experience of getting a super rare card in a pack of trading cards, a joyous feeling that brings out one's inner-child.  Speaking of children, if you have a kid planning on playing this, make sure there is not a credit card attached to the Steam account; there is currently a DLC floating around on Steam that costs $99.99.  For real.

Batman: Arkham Origins Review (Xbox 360)

Bane and Batman have a nice dance at the winter ball.

Warning: The following review contains mild spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

Batman: Arkham Origins is the third installment in the franchise, following Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.  Arkham Asylum, while a great game, suffered from linearity issues and lacked the extra "oomph" it needed to be an excellent game.  Arkham City upped the ante, delivering a phenominal game, giving the player free reign to explore a large open world by their own, while solving seemingly endless puzzles, challenges, and side-missions.  Arkham Origins, while still a good game in its own right, ultimately fails to surpass the second installment in every way.

So, right off the "bat" (HA!), why is the game called Arkham Origins, you may ask?  At the beginning of the game, the player picks up the controller (or perhaps mouse/keyboard if that's your cup of tea) as Bruce Wayne, two years into being Batman.  While the game does not necessarily show the "origins" promised by the title, it does delve into Batman's introduction with the Joker, shows Harley Quinn before she's...um...Harley Quinn, and shows a young Gordan, who has not quite reached the status of "Commissioner" yet.  Also worth mentioning is the very strong supporting character to be found in Alfred, since his communication with Batman is an integral part of the game.

The main story, while interesting at points, can falter with overly long, repetitive missions, involving Batman using the same couple of gadgets to overcome light environmental puzzles, all while delivering beat downs to groups of thugs.  Occasionally, segments exist where stealth is key, due to enemies carrying around weapons.  During these points, the player needs to think outside the box, picking off enemies one by one silently, all while using Batman's somewhat impressive repertoire of gadgets (I say "somewhat" because besides a few new additions to his arsenal, a majority of the items are the same, or function identically to those found in the previous installments).  These segments can become frustratingly difficult if you are trying to clear out the room without being seen, since it seems like the surrounding enemies always have a tendency of spotting you, no matter how isolated you are.  To me, the stealth mechanics are one of the weakest elements of the game; whether this is due to poor game design, or plainly my stupidity is up for debate.

During the story missions, there will be boss encounters that are initially impressive.  While fights with Deathstroke and Bane are some of the highlights, every single boss fight essentially devolves into repeating the same 2-3 moves over and over again, and countering attacks like mad.  This can be frustrating, because after the "wow" factor wears off, these fights become incredibly repetitive.  Cutscenes pop in from time to time to progress the fights, and it is usually during these boss fight moments when Batman's suit damage is sustained (a neat little visual treat found in the prior games as well; as the game progresses, Batman gets more and more bullet marks on his suit, scratches, and rips in his cape when the storyline is progressed).

The actual "story" itself is simply okay.  Some moments border on greatness, while others leave the player wondering why it was implemented (there is a scene where you play as the Joker briefly, and while cool, it adds nothing noteworthy to the story due to how bizarre it is).  The dynamic between Batman and the various villains is interesting as always, but due to Batman's self-righteous "I don't kill anyone" rule, you're left hanging with some moments that make you question "why did he establish this in the first place?"  There are key points where villains could have been stopped multiple times...and for damn good reasons...but he simply does not want to kill them.  Then they go on to do horrible things, severely endangering the lives of many.  Yet, he can beat on a group of thugs, snap their legs/arms, and leave them in the snow.

Outside the story missions, there is quite a bit to do.  "Most Wanted" missions pop up from time to time, which serve as this games side-missions.  These range from finding a large amount of Riddler collectables, to tracking down villians and having boss encounters with them.  Some of these prove to be very interesting, such as the Mad Hatter's mission, which changes up the feel of the game drastically, accommodating for more of a side-scrolling platformer feel.  Besides these, there are a number of symbols to find, crime scenes to complete, challenges to take part in (which give you medals upon completion for reaching certain goals, such as a score or a particular objective), and a lackluster multiplayer mode that at best, exists as an okay distraction to break up the single player.  Also, after the completion of the story mode, you get a New Game Plus mode, where you can retain all XP, items acquired, and collectables, while making the game harder with more difficult enemy variations and no "counter" notifications.  After completion of New Game Plus is...a mode that is frustratingly difficult, where you have one life and no saves, to complete the entire game.  This one is for the hardcore gamers out there.

The gameplay elements remain largely unchanged from the prior installment, save one thing, which is actually one of my favorite tasks to accomplish in this game: the crime scenes.  When investigating these scenes using Batman's "Detective Mode," footage based on what he has pieced together can be rewound/fast-forwarded to watch the crime unfold in front of you.  This element has to be used to find items such as the murder weapon, a point of impact, or even a splatter of blood.  Batman is always referred to as a "master detective" and we didn't really get a huge feel for that in the prior games, but this new implementation is rather neat because it shows us just how intelligent of a person he is.

Although combat remains unchanged, it is still as fluid and fun as ever.  Late in the game, you acquire "shock gloves" which make combat a breeze.  Up until this point, however, the game ramps up in difficulty more and more, leaving the player to think on their feet about what types of moves they need to go against particular enemy types, such as body-armor enemies, shield-wielding enemies, enemies with knives/swords, and so on.  The only issue I have with combat is sometimes, while Batman is performing a lengthy move (such as a jumping kick to the face), it leaves you entirely vulnerable and unable to counter any attacks, which is frustrating if you are racking up a high combo.

The biggest complaint I have with this game boils down to its technical difficulties.  Over the course of gameplay (I invested at least 30 hours into the game), my game froze on three separate occassions.  While this isn't a huge deal, it is incredibly frustrating, especially if on the way to an objective in the distance.  There was an instance where I was climbing a ladder and a cutscene was supposed to initiate, but instead, Batman got stuck in the ceiling and I could not do anything, forcing me to restart from the last checkpoint and play the past 10 minutes all over again.  There was a moment when a prisoner I needed for a Most Wanted mission did not appear for a very long time, and when he finally did, it was out of nowhere, right in front of my face, like he magically warped into existence.  Finally, when gliding off of a rooftop, I landed atop a car; when this happened, Batman hung suspended in the air, in a gliding pose, unmovable, forcing me yet again, to restart from the prior checkpoint.  While these are not game-breaking moments, they are very frustrating, especially when you are having an otherwise good time in the open world environment.  This game lacks the amount of polish found in the last games, and I do not know whether or not this is due to the absence of Rocksteady's involvement with this particular installment.

Ultimately, this is not a bad game by any means.  Some lackluster, repetitive missions and boss fights lack the variety that made the other games so special.  The story, while decent, had too many weak moments that sort of pull one out of the experience entirely.  The Most Wanted missions are fun to complete, the crime scenes are a blast, and its still incredibly satisfying to glide around as Batman in an open world interpretation of Gotham, aside from the numerous technical difficulties I encountered during this experience, which hampered my gameplay slightly.  Combat is still satisfying, although the gadgets are not improved that much at all.  Stealth sections seem to lack the "tightness" that they had in the previous installment, but that boils down to my own opinion, because I was not necessarily a huge fan of them to start off with.  Multiplayer feels tacked on, and really did not even need to be included into the package.  Arkham Origins is definitely worth a shot if you're a Batman fan, just don't go in expecting this to surpass Arkham City in any way, shape or form.

Rating:

7/10

 (7 out of 10)

Almost Human Review- "The Bends"

I let him know the rating I was about to give in advance.  This was his reaction.

Warning: The following review does not contain any spoilers whatsoever because I don't want to waste my breath.  Just kidding.  It has some spoilers.

What the hell did I just watch?  Did you ever not care about an episode of a television show so much, your brain wanders and you feel comatose?  Well, that's exactly what happened when I watched this new entry of Almost Human, I felt like I wanted to inflict a serious amount of pain to the people responsible for coming up with this shoddy excuse of an episode.  Was it that bad?  Yes it was.  There, I just answered my own question.

Alright, I'll tone it down a bit.  Phew.  Here we go.  Dorian and Kennex send in Rudy Lom to demonstrate his "cooking" abilities to some criminals and gather intel via a wire, in which he conceals by ingesting a substance that makes him...pass gas...a few times in the episode.  That's mighty funny, except for the fact that it's not at all.  In the slightest.

The whole episode was just dull.  Even the action sequences near the end between Dorian and the other android faltered due to its incredible cheesiness.  While I commend them for trying to save the episode with a well-needed injection of action, this was a lame attempt at that.

I'm all for new ideas, and haven't given up on the show just yet, but this episode just seemed like a stereotypical episode of a cable-based cop show.  There was nothing interesting.  There was nothing innovative.  There was nothing that I took away from the episode.  Even the dynamic between Kennex and Dorian that thrived so much in the past episodes was seemingly non-existent here.  That's a big no-no, considering I have said multiple times that they are the saving grace of the show and more than likely the sole reason viewers keep tuning in.

In retrospect, I would like to forget this episode entirely.  I really have nothing much more to say.  I could pick apart every piece of this episode, but that would just be a ridiculous rant.   The last episode of the show was rather good, in fact, it was my favorite episode of the show thus far.  I said the following at the end of last week's episode:

"Now that we are away from the first couple of episodes, the real question is whether or not the writers can provide consistently entertaining material and varied situations.  If the show continues on in the same fashion as tonight's episode, I think it's in good hands."


Well, it didn't.  And it's a damn shame.  A couple more episodes like this, and I'll be sad.  Sad by the fact that an abundance of potential was wasted on what could have been a great show.

  Rating:

3/10

 (3 out of 10)

The Walking Dead Review- "Too Far Gone"

Rick showing the Governor how his wedding band and gun match.

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

If there is one word to describe this episode, it's "wow."  Within the latter half of the episode, so many things happen, it's almost like sensory overload.  The showdown between Rick and his group and the Governor, who dragged along his newly formed wolf pack, did not disappoint one bit.

The first half of the episode set up everything.  The Governor gave a fancy speech about who he intended to go after and why.  The people, somewhat unwillingly, joined him in his plan to "take over" the prison.  From here, we witness Megan being bit (sad, shocking, and a vital part to this episode), Rick giving an amazing speech to try and talk the Governor down,  Hershel being decapitated by Michonne's sword at the hand of the Governor, and an extended chaotic battle sequence between the two sides.

Without delving too deep into the plot of the episode (the shootout is awesome to watch, but very difficult to describe detail by detail), I will mention a couple of things.  First of all, the way in which the Governor was killed was pretty damn awesome.  After Rick gets his face beaten in repeatedly, the audience sees a shot of Michonne's sword going through the chest of the Governor.  While she doesn't finish him off, Lilly comes in and puts a bullet in his head, symbolically stepping over the chess piece, which is hinting at the game of chess her daughter Megan and the Governor played.  This was executed so brilliantly, I give massive credit to the writers of the show for pulling this off.

Next, I'll look into some of the individual characters.  Rick gets his ass handed to him, stumbling back to the group shouting for Carl, before being (somewhat) saved by him.  Earlier on, Carl has a nice moment of dialogue with Daryl where he says he could take the shot and "end this right now."  The dynamic between Rick and Carl at the end of the episode is absolutely heartbreaking when they see Judith missing from her seat.  Is she dead?  If not, who has her?  I will delve into my theory further down.

To no surprise whatsoever, Daryl was amazing this episode.  He kills a few people, uses a zombie as a meat shield, and blows up the friggin' tank.  I can see many fans rooting for him while they watched the episode; I completely understand people who say they are going to be "pissed" and "stop watching" if Daryl is killed off, since he is a massive fan favorite due to moments like this.

Michonne has little to do this episode, but was responsible for stopping the Governor and saving Rick, which was a huge moment for her.  Glenn...got put on a bus against his will by Maggie.  Maggie went to look for Beth, who in turn, went to look for baby Judith.  The bus takes off, rather ominously, so we are left to wonder as to if anyone else got on board.  Tyreese's sister, Sasha, and Bob didn't do too much either, other than the fact Bob got shot.  But, to be honest, I don't think anyone really cares; he's such a poor character.

This leads me to the last person I want to talk about.  Tyreese.  Come on, man.  My favorite character from the comics was absolutely useless in this entire episode, and after taking cover, is saved by two children.  Tyreese, I expected better from you.  He had potential after seeing the swarm of walkers surrounding him as he popped away at them one by one with his trusty hammer earlier this season, but ultimately, he is yet another character who fell flat.  Hopefully the second half of the season we will see him shine.  Since I just said that, I probably jinxed it and he'll die a horrible death.

The final thing I have to say about this episode regards dear baby Judith.  What happened to her?  I do not think she is dead.  I believe somebody took her.  I have two theories as to who did so.  My first is that Glenn grabbed her and took her on the bus with him.  The look of dismay on his face that he expressed to Maggie as he was put on the bus, and his eagerness to help even though he is sick, leads me to believe that he performed an act of heroism.  Or, maybe not.  My second theory is that Michonne scooped her up.  The way that Michonne held Judith earlier in the season, while rocking with her and crying, shows that she treasures Judith for what she is worth.  Plus, there was blood on the seat, possibly indicating that someone with blood on them took her.  The only logical people that could of had blood on them are Rick (we know it's not him), and Michonne (from stabbing the Governor).  Perhaps there were others, but the second half of the episode went so quick, I was completely invested into it.

At the end of the episode, I was in awe.  The series of events that unfolded in the episode were breath-taking to say the least.  Aside from an episode or two of Game of Thrones, I have not seen a television episode this fantastic in a very, very long time.  That's saying a lot, because I can tend to be very critical of things I watch and play, over analyzing them after the fact.  That's why I started reviewing them.  To share my thoughts, opinions, and nitpicky-worthy moments with all of you.  And that's why I am happy to say that this is the very first ten I will be giving out on this blog.  Congratulations "Too Far Gone," your ten is well-deserved for providing a flawless hour of television to a bunch of us fans.  Now then, off to watch it again.

Rating:

10/10

 (10 out of 10)

 

Upcoming Reviews

As a result of an increasingly busy workload due to the Holidays, coupled with some well-needed Vacation time, I have been unable to contribute to this blog recently.  However, I am back and the following are my upcoming reviews in progress, which will be up by the end of this week.

The Walking Dead-"Too Far Gone"

 

Almost Human-"The Bends"

 

Batman: Arkham Origins (Xbox 360)*

 

*Batman: Arkham Origins marks my first video game review.  These will be written slightly different than television reviews.

Almost Human Review: Are You Receiving?

If he was still playing Bones, this scene would have gone much smoother.

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

 

Finally.  After a rather lackluster first couple of episodes, Almost Human seems to break itself out of its "familiar" territory.  While almost the entire first half hour is Kennex and Dorian climbing a staircase, this builds tension leading to a great ending sequence where we see both leads display some worthy gunplay.  Although hostage situations have been done multiple times in television shows and films, the one presented in tonight's episode provided enough entertainment, keeping viewers interested in how it was all going to play out in the end.

 

There's not too much to say about plot, because, quite frankly, there's not a lot of it.  Like I already mentioned, Kennex and Dorian are climbing a staircase almost the entire episode, trying to get closer to a hostage situation, while Kennex is staying on the line with a hostage who is speaking to him on her cell phone.  During the Kennex/Dorian scenes, we start seeing that Kennex, underneath his tough exterior, is actually a really good guy.  He tries calming the woman by telling her a story, while finding out more and more about the hostages/armed assailants and  eventually a robbery at a separate building.  There is also a side-story happening with a "decoy" being built to give to the men as per their demands but it was really just there for plot progression.

 

A very interesting moment occurs after a shootout, when Dorian is shot in the head.  Initially not phased by it, he slowly loses functionality and lets Kennex know that "in 5 minutes" he wouldn't be able to walk.  Kennex tries his best to repair this wound by using a nail clipper and a dirty cotton swab, but fails at doing so.  As a last resort, he pulls a piece of gum out of the garbage can, and after chewing it briefly, sticks it in the wound, bringing Dorian back.  While comedic, not only because of the tools he was using (but because in his last role under the guidance of Abrams, he was Bones), I also found this scene touching because he was really trying the hardest he could to bring Dorian back with what little he had to work with.

 

During the ending sequence, Dorian really stands out, going in guns blazing to help save the hostages. In his moment of defeat, we realize that one of the guards standing by is actually Kennex in disguise, who quickly dispatches the final two armed men.  The car ride back at the end, Dorian and Kennex have a touching talk about "death" before Dorian rocks out to some Elton John (watch the episode to get the joke).

 

This episode, in my opinion, was significantly better than the first two.  The first episode, while not "bad" by any means, was rather weak for a pilot.  The second episode was utterly ridiculous and, as I stated in that review, felt like a mid-season filler episode.  This episode was unique and much more entertaining than the initial two-night premiere, as it actually inserted the characters in a situation the viewers cared about.  We see Kennex's ability to have a tough exterior, but a heart deep down.  We see that Dorian, while very intelligent, posses the ability to be efficient in combat situations, and more importantly, feel human emotion.  While these were outlined in the first couple of episodes, this episode did the best job of displaying these sides of the characters.

 

Although the episode provided nothing more than a simple hostage situation, it really fell on Urban and Ealy's performances during the lengthy stair climbing sequence.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, the highlight of the show is, and will always be, the performances by the two leads.  Whether there's an attempt at humor, an action sequence, or something as lackluster as stair climbing, these guys are able to pull it off effortlessly.  Now that we are away from the first couple of episodes, the real question is whether or not the writers can provide consistently entertaining material and varied situations.  If the show continues on in the same fashion as tonight's episode, I think it's in good hands.

 

Rating:

8.5/10

 (8.5 out of 10)

 

Next Gen? Not Now.

I want to play with them, but I have to wait for the right moment.

The Ps4 or the Xbox One?  Which one?  To be honest, neither right now.  It is simply not worth it.

Where to start?  The hardware problems, the unavailability, or the lack of good games to give us an incentive to buy the system?  I guess we'll take a look at the problems plaguing both systems.

So, apparently the Ps4's release was immediately followed by two problems, one where the HDMI port was pretty much unusable, and one where consoles were bricking by providing a constant blue light.  The Xbox One, on the other hand, has a problem with the disc reader, where it will emit a "grinding" noise and not read any game disc.  That's great.  As with any other launch, it doesn't surprise me that there are problems being found with the systems so soon.

Everywhere, and I mean everywhere, is sold out of both systems.  Since it is so close to the Holiday season, this was inevitable.  Retail stores and online shops both suffer from a lack of consoles.  If you can find one, and really want one at this point in time, go ahead, scoop it up.

My biggest problem is the lack of good games and exclusives for the systems.  Now, this is a point of contention, so I will elaborate.  Battlefield 4, Call of Duty:Ghosts, Assassins Creed 4, NBA 2K, FIFA, etc. are all available for both systems.  Not only are they available for these systems, but they are all available for prior systems.  Granted, features such as increased number of players online, and stunning graphics may be enough for someone to warrant the purchase, but if I already played through the new Call of Duty on the Ps3, what reason will I have for justifying another purchase for the new systems?  Although, if you have a new system, and haven't played these titles prior to their release on said systems, you're better off going with the new systems versions, as they are mildly superior in every way.  Except for Battlefield 4 on the Ps4.  Stay far away from that until it is fixed.  For those of you who do not know, Battlefield 4 is unplayable right now; the game keeps crashing in multiplayer, and corrupts saves for the campaign.  It's not pretty.

Exclusives at launch were boiled down to Killzone: Shadow Fall and Knack for the Ps4 and Dead Rising 3/Ryse/Crimson Dragon/Forza 5 for the Xbox One.  I am leaving out downloadable titles, Kinect-Centric titles, and titles that did not garner enough attention to even warrant being talked about (and those I simply forgot about, since this is just being done off the top of my head).  Killzone was praised for its fantastic graphics and solid multiplayer, but suffers from a very lackluster campaign.  Dead Rising 3 is getting hate for its sub-par visuals and excessive loading times.  In Knack, there is an overly repetitive, linear experience to be found.  In Ryse, the same can be said, with the game borrowing heavily from similar games of the same style, such as God of War.  Forza 5 is just...another car game, which I guess is okay if that's your thing (certainly not mine).  Finally, Crimson Dragon's simply looks very unappealing and, dare I say again, repetitive.

For those who want the big titles for both systems, you'll have to wait, and while waiting, be stuck with these same games. Games such as Infamous: Second Son, The Order: 1886, Metal Gear Solid 5, Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy 15, Halo 5, Titanfall are releasing in the future (some far earlier than others) and are the reasons I want the consoles.  Not for the games they have currently.

Some of the games mentioned in the prior paragraph are, to my surprise, being released for both systems (Kingdom Hearts 3, Metal Gear Solid 5...I believe that Final Fantasy 15 initially was but is no longer...).  So this brings up the question:  Should I get both systems?  If you really love Halo, but you also really love Uncharted, maybe.  But if you're perfectly content with one system's exclusives over the other, there is no point in purchasing both other than setting your finances back.

I don't blame people for purchasing the new consoles.  I am not throwing them under the bus.  I know that the new systems do have some decent games at launch.  Remember, this is all my opinion.  For me, personally, I just do not like the lineup.  If the Ps4 launched with Uncharted 4, I would instantly get it.  If the Xbox One launched with Halo 5, I would instantly get it.  If they both launched with both the games I just mentioned, and I only could get one system, the decision I would have to make would be a moral conundrum that would endanger my well-being.  I'd go all "The Shining" trying to compare the pros and cons of both game series.

The above was based purely on the "gaming" aspect of the consoles.  For the overall media experience, i.e, if you want a blu-ray player because you haven't had one, or one of many other things, you are much more inclined to get one than I am.  I am perfectly happy with using my Media Laptop for all music, blu-ray playing, and Netflix watching that I desire.  And I desire much of these things.

As an excessive gamer, I feel like I am going against everything I know and love by feeling this way.  But, the truth is, there is no reason to be overly excited about these consoles at this moment.  Why not hold off on getting these, and enjoy your Holiday season, by not dropping hundreds of dollars one of two consoles that have not reached their potential yet?  Oh, you're buying it for your kid?  Never mind then, if you don't get them it, they'll hate you.  Disregard everything I've said.

The Walking Dead Review: Dead Weight

The Governor's got some balls.  No, seriously.  Look in his hands.

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

 

This week, we see a slow return to the classic Governor.  While not necessarily a poor episode (certainly better than last week's episode), a lack of characters we care about ultimately makes this week's episode falter.  What revives it, however, is its ability to make the Governor a villain all over again, and that's pretty damn neat.

 

Picking up right after last week's episode, we start the episode with the Governor and Megan in the pit.  Martinez, finding them, helps them out, and brings the Governor and the family he is with back to their "camp."  What ensues slowly turns into a horror movie, with the Governor playing the part of the man to be feared.

 

The Governor doesn't like the answer he receives from Martinez as to whether or not he could provide necessary protection for the group, so Martinez gets a club to the head, followed by a kick off the trailer, followed by a dragging to the walker pit where he is subsequently mauled head first, all while drunkenly playing golf on the roof of an RV.  Precious.  Later on, another dude is shived brutally by the Governor, because he was "good" in the sense he did not want to rob a small group found in the woods of their supplies.  This man is thrown to the bottom of a body of water, and there is a nice scene where the Governor is looking at the newly-turned zombie struggling to get back up.

 

The ending to the episode sees the Governor outside the prison gates, first spotting Rick and Carl, then seeing Michonne speaking with Hershel.  He raises his gun and points it at Michonne, then it cuts to black.  A fantastic cliffhanger, leading into what seems to be a fantastic mid-season finale.

 

The Governor is a complex character.  Last week, we saw many of the Governor's good aspects.  Megan, reminding him of his daughter, brought about a change in him that made him much more sympathetic.  This episode took the concept of the Governor possibly changing, and tore it to shreds.  This isn't a bad thing at all, considering viewers are looking forward to the next confrontation between Rick's group and the Governor's.

 

While on the topic of the Governor's group, with the exception of Megan, they seem very dull.  There is a lesbian relationship that is explored in a relatively odd manner, seemingly popping out of nowhere after a couple of comments exchanged between two people.  I do not think that this was unnecessary by any means, it was just approached in a lazy fashion, feeling very rushed.  The other members of the new group of people...are pretty much just bodies to be killed off when the shit hits the fan.  We, as viewers, really don't care about any of them.  Although a rather harsh statement, if all of them die I really don't care, and neither will the viewers.  Except for little Megan.  We don't even know their names, save a select few.

The two-episode Governor centric story-arc, while an interesting distraction from Rick's group, falls short as a whole.  This episode did a great job of making the Governor someone to be feared again, but the other members of the group provide absolutely nothing noteworthy.  The death of Martinez was a great scene, powerfully conveying the animal that the Governor can become.  Besides the Governor's villainous intentions, everything else was uninteresting.  I do like that the arc brought us from the end of Season 3 right up to the present from the Governor's point of view, with a fantastic performance from Morrissey, but I feel that two entire episodes dedicated to this "character study" of sorts seems to be a bit too much.  Hopefully, it will all pay off and pave way to a great mid-season finale.

 

Rating:

7/10

 (7 out of 10)

 

 

 

Netflix Quick Picks (November)

The red screen of happiness.

Ah, Netflix.  How we love you so.  Even though sometimes your new releases aren't really "new" and you can take forever to get a new season, we will always find something else to occupy our time while we eagerly await new content.

Speaking of new content, there have been quite a few standouts that hit Netflix within the last month or so that are well worth watching.  Followed are my recommendations, with my "quick reviews" provided, for the month of November.  Enjoy!

Skyfall

Daniel Craig's third outing as Bond is his best yet.  An all-around great film, even for non-Bond fans.  The first emotional Bond flick to delve into his back story hits you in the gut with its fantastic conclusion.

Rating- 8 out of 10

Olympus Has Fallen

Gerard Butler's best performance since 300 is essentially Die Hard at the White House.  Brutal, unrelenting action sequences make this one hell of a thrill ride.  Marred only by its occasional cheesiness and moments of poor acting.  That being said, if you're an 80's action movie kind of person, this is right up your alley.

 Rating- 7 out of 10

In Bruges

A darkly comedic film featuring gory moments of violence while somehow feeling sweet and light-hearted throughout its entirety.  A definite gem, considering it flew under the radar for many moviegoers (myself included).

 Rating- 9 out of 10

Arrow (Television)

 The soap opera-ish elements between the Queen family may turn some off, but Arrow, at times, can be one of the most compelling shows out now.  When the hood is on, it's amazing.  When the hood is off, so is the acting, which is mediocre at best.

 Rating-7.5 out of 10

Almost Human Review: Skin (Pilot, Part 2)

Just tinkering around with a good ol' sexbot...

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

What a weird way to follow up last night's episode.  Last night's episode, although not perfect, provided viewers with a good introduction to both of the characters.  This episode, thinking it would continue on in this fashion, and flesh out the characters more, really did not.  Aside from Kennex's moments with a kid.  "Skin" felt like more of a mid-season filler episode than the second half of a premiere.

This episode provided all flash, with little substance.  Sexbots, sexbots, sexbots were the talk (and theme) of the entire episode.  So much so, in fact, that Karl Urban said the word probably a dozen times at least.  To be honest, it almost bordered on cringe-worthy.  Perfect idea for a drinking game: everytime the word is mentioned, drink.  You'll be hammered by the halfway mark.

Surprisingly enough, the moments of humor in this episode worked rather well.  I laughed during the "never scan my testicles again" scene between Kennex and Dorian.  Kennex's tough-guy act is the perfect companion to Dorian's display of intelligence and curiosity.

To me, the episode just did not seem to comprehend what it was trying to go for thematically.  Initially reminiscent of a CSI episode, I quickly saw hints of "Dollhouse" as the episode progressed, although that may just be me.  Some of the bits of humor were even reminiscent of Whedon's style.

Again, the show feels like it is continuing to borrow from other shows and films.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since most of what it borrows from is decent enough, but the show needs to establish its own identity soon.  Throughout the last two episodes, I kept getting the "Been there...done that..." feeling, but I can't help but commend the show for its two lead performances and it's visual style.

Essentially, this is what went down for the entire episode: there are sexbots, we find out those sexbots have human DNA, those sexbots that have human DNA have the DNA from kidnapped women, another woman is kidnapped to use in one of these bots, but her son is left behind, Kennex has an emotional moment with the son to find out where his mom went, they find another sexbot with human DNA from a prior kidnapped woman and determine her "birthplace" to find out where the manufacturers are, and stop them while saving the son's mother.  Say that three times fast.

 

During the course of the episode, I was never compelled by what was happening, because quite frankly, "Skin" did not have a good plot.  Urban and Ealy's performances are the highlight of the show, but with such mediocre material to work with, the episode falls flat.  The attempts at humor and the dynamic between the two characters were strong, but the disappointment settles in when you find out the episode really goes nowhere.

Rating:

6/10

 (6 out of 10)

 

 

Upcoming Television Review 11-18-2013

Almost Human- Premiere Part Two- 8:00 EST on FOX

 

Eastbound and Down Review: Chapter 29 (Series Finale)

Farewell, Kenny.  We'll miss you dearly.

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

Eastbound and Down was a breath of fresh air when it debuted.  A dirty, outrageous comedy involving baseball.  Who would have thought?  As the seasons continued, the progression of the show had it's ups and downs, but there was certainly no lack of consistently funny moments presented.  The show eventually gained its footing again and presented us with a different side of Kenny, a family-oriented side.  But, not for long.  The struggle between fame and family was the primary theme of Season 4.  What would emerge victorious?

Kenny Powers (hilariously portrayed by Danny McBride) was always a love/hate character.  He could be the biggest ass at times, but deep down, viewers were always rooting for him to pull through...and that's exactly what he ends up doing.  Providing great laugh-out-loud moments and some very bizarre guest appearances, this episode provided a truly perfect ending to one of the funniest shows around.

The episode begins with, of all people, Sacha Baron Cohen in a random situation on an airplane.  Delving into it is NSFW, so I'll leave it at that.  Eventually, this ties in with the story of the finale...Cohen's character is a producer that presents Kenny an offer; Kenny will host a new talk show where his first guest will be Guy Young to offer him a chance at redemption.  Ultimately, Kenny realizes that the producer wants him to humiliate Young, which Kenny does not do, much to the audience's dismay, giving a very heartfelt speech about how he's been such a jerk to everyone his entire life.

Nearing the end of the episode, Kenny visits April with the signed divorce proceeding papers, and lets her know that family is most important to him.  She, with a change of heart, does not go through with the divorce.  What follows is a very bizarre ending that involves a montage of Kenny growing older, along with his children (Kenny's daughter portrayed by Lindsay Lohan), and April.  Eventually, April is shot dead in an alleyway, Kenny kills the attackers, and in the future, after dismounting a hovercraft-style motorcycle, falls in love with a woman in Africa, where he eventually dies of old age before his children (and Stevie, wearing a Star Trek-inspired visor) arrive to see him.  WHAT!?

Phew.  Turns out it was the ending of the screenplay he was writing.  We're now back to Kenny sitting at a computer desk, with April asking if he was "done."  Kenny, holding a baseball, mentions he is, placing it down and walking away.

Due to the absurdity of the "screenplay" events being presented to the viewers, I would have personally been pissed if this was the actual ending to the show due to how incredibly random it was.  This almost bordered on the point of being too much, but is worth it for a couple of laughs.  Seeing Lindsay Lohan was a true "why?" moment because I feel like the scene did not benefit whatsoever from her presence.

While Kenny's journey had its ups and downs, the finale provides viewers with the comfort knowing that everything works out for him in the end. While it may have had a few bizarre moments (Cohen's intro and screenplay ending), this was a downright funny episode from beginning to end.  I can not think of a better ending for the show and for a final episode, that's all that matters.

Rating:

8.5/10

 (8.5 out of 10)

The Walking Dead Review: Live Bait

Some people just want to watch the world burn.  Even though they have one eye.

Warning: The following review definitely contains spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

Alright, let's get it out of the way.  Tonight's episode of The Walking Dead was not at all what I expected.  With the return of the Governor teased by last week's promo, I thought we would be seeing evil in its purest form, rearing its ugly head to attack Rick and his group of survivors at the prison.  What we got was something emotional, heartfelt, and very similar to a Lifetime channel movie...except for the rare occurrence of some zombies.

Instead of progressing with the story, we are instead taken to the end of season 3.  Here, we see the aftermath of the Governor slaughtering his crew, a very emotionally broken-down man who simply does not have the will to live anymore.  Abandoned by his men, the governor returns to Woodbury and torches it (above) before coming across a little girl in a window.  Then things take a turn.

Due in part to David Morrissey's amazing portrayal of a man who you actually begin to feel sorry for, this episode starts to get very depressing.  The little girl, Megan, reminds him of his own daughter, and the remaining survivors of this small group start asking him for small favors.  Eventually, there comes a point where the Governor has to venture out and acquire a few oxygen tanks for the father, who is dying of cancer.  Inevitably...he dies, which is not a shocker.  His passing delivers a very intense moment where the Governor bashes the newly-turned-zombie in the head with an oxygen tank, making the little girl begin to fear him.

Skipping over some of the non-crucial plot points, the ending proves to be powerful, when after falling into a pit with Megan, the Governor protects her by fighting off a few zombies, telling her he would "never" let anything happen to her.  Aww, how cute.

In retrospect, I get what this episode was trying to do.  It is establishing a side of the Governor nobody has seen since early on in season 3.  We are meant to see that he, much like the other characters on the show, are capable of emotion; capable of being good.  However, out of the episodes that heavily rely on one character for their entirety, I found this to be the weakest (I am referring to the pilot of the show, Merle's fantastic farewell, and the last episode, in which Hershel is given his time to shine).

I have come to realize this was a very long hour of television.  While I commend Morrissey's performance (although he said but a few words the entire episode) and the differing viewpoint, this is the furthest from a Walking Dead episode you can possibly get with it still bearing the name of the show.  Drama is appreciated in small doses to make us feel for the characters.  However, with the exception of a few episodes this season, there seems to be a whole hell of a lot of it lately.  While not necessarily a terrible episode, this show needs to do something drastic, and quick, before it begins to lose viewership.

The Walking Dead is on Sunday night at 9:00 EST on AMC.

Rating:

6/10

 (6 out of 10)

Almost Human Review: Pilot, Part One

Karl Urban and Michael Ealy stand out amongst the crowd.

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers.  Read at your own risk.

The premiere of Almost Human marks another entry into the sci-fi genre from mastermind J.J. Abrams.  If you are not familiar with J.J. Abrams yet, he has gained some serious street-cred for being behind the new Star Trek films and Fringe (not to mention he is currently prepping for the distant, yet highly anticipated Star Wars flicks).  J.J. Abrams proves, for the most part, to be a "force" to be reckoned with in this genre.  See what I did there?

Much like the picture above, the performances by Karl Urban and Michael Ealy are what give this show its substance.  The dynamic between the characters, although not explored extensively in the first part of the premiere, provides the opportunity for interesting dialogue exchange and situations in which we see a level of trust slowly being established for one another.  The characters, while being dramatically different from one another, share the similarity of essentially being the "outcasts."

The show starts off with a bang, literally.  The opening action sequence is mesmerizing to say the least.  This sequence displays fantastic visuals (by television standards) and is a great way to begin the series.  After this brief sequence, we are slowly introduced to gruff, arrogant Detective Kennex (Urban) by learning about his PTSD and small glimpses of his past, which leads to my biggest gripe with the premiere: it's pacing.

The show, immediately after the rather slow intro to Kennex, seems to ramp up the speed at which the viewer has to follow along and initially it is jarring.  This fast forward progression is peppered with random flashback sequences, so it seems to be bouncing forward, back, then forward again, trying to fit as much as possible into its first hour.  It is certainly an interesting way to approach things, but can be very confusing if the viewer becomes lost at any point.

After a while, we are introduced to Dorian (Ealy).  As the show progressed, I began to find him very interesting.  Dorian, being an older version of the androids, is "almost human," making him incredibly different from the rest.  Dorian exists as an intelligent being, while Kennex serves more as the show's action hero, making them a great pair.

While not groundbreaking or new by any sense (parallels can be drawn between Terminator, I, Robot, Blade Runner...etc,) the first part of the premiere combined very interesting elements to deliver an, overall, above-average entry for sci-fi fans.  While there are some gripes with the speed at which the show is presented, and the fact that it is not an entirely new concept, there is bound to be a compelling new show here to tune in to despite its shortcomings.

Be sure to tune into the second part of the premiere, airing Monday, November 18th at 8:00 EST on FOX.

 

Rating:

7/10

 (7 out of 10)

Wait...is this a game or a movie?

In recent years, gamers may have been noticing something very peculiar about their video game characters.  They are beginning to be portrayed by real actors.  What started off as "Oh, that voice sounds familiar" has evolved into something far greater.

Let's look at the Call of Duty series as an example of this.  When Call of Duty: Black Ops released, the game garnered attention for it's voice cast.  Sam Worthington led the surprising voice cast, accompanied by Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, and Ice Cube.  While certain subtle facial features may have carried over from the voice actors, the character models as a whole did not resemble the likeness of their respective voice actors.  Other actors have been featured in more recent Call of Duty titles, but not to the extent of this game.

Changing pace, LA Noire, while not a perfect game, attempted something very unique.  Advanced facial recognition technology was used to capture all of the performers and all of the facial exaggerations made.  As a result, in interrogation sequences, faces would react accordingly to display the sense of emotion they were feeling, or to provide the player with a hint that someone was lying.  While the actors did a fantastic job, many would argue that there was far too much repetition and simply not enough "game play" to be had.

Mad Men's Aaron Staton, portraying protagonist Cole Phelps

As a game I have yet to play, the visuals of Beyond: Two Souls still amaze me and this stands as the definitive example of this post.  Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe's likenesses are captured so perfectly, that it almost feels eerie:

Green Goblin's totally gonna get Juno.

All in all, the advancements that have been made are staggering.  At points, the line between video game and movie is so minimal, that it feels like someone is playing their way through a blockbuster film.  As we move into the next generation of gaming, with the release of the PS4 and the soon-to-be released Xbox One, who knows who will hop on board to come and invade our games...

Omar's coming.

 Who would you like to see?

Upcoming Television Reviews 11-17-2013

Almost Human- Premiere Part One- 8:00 EST on FOX

The Walking Dead- 9:00 EST on AMC.

Eastbound and Down- Series Finale- 10:00 EST on HBO.

Hello!

Hello...Welcome!  The purpose of this blog is simple: to provide unbiased media-related news and material for people to enjoy.
What exactly does this entail, you ask?

Honest reviews, news, and opinion pieces on everything "media."  Including, but not limited to, video games, movies, music, television shows, and technology.

While I am a very busy person, I will attempt to provide updates at least once a day.  Keep in mind my opinions may differ from yours on many things.  That's okay.  I won't hate you for it...I promise.