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.