Pacific Rim (2013)

Do you remember being a kid and playing with your toys with your brother or sister, or in my case, your cousins? Did you ever have a blast coming up with all sorts of scenarios for your toys to interact in and then pretend like it was a movie? Did you give the toys dialogue and make them do crazy badass shit you saw in other movies? Well I sure as hell did. I can remember tons of instances where I would bring some of my toys over to my cousin's house and we would sit there and create these "toy-movies". They were lengthy too, each one taking up at least an hour. I remember being a kid and wishing that in some way all these terribly made imaginative adventures we created for our toys could be real. Now why the hell am I telling you all this? -insert clever segue- Because Pacific Rim reminded me of all that!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was full of action, the plot made sense, and the characters, while in some instances were a tad stock and cliche, fit in perfectly with the overall story. At no point was I sitting in my air-conditioned seat bored out of my mind, or wishing for something to come out and blow my mind. I found it to be highly entertaining. To delve in further, this is a film that does not need to be overly complicated. In fact, I can tell you what it's about in 5 words: Giant Robots versus Giant Monsters. That's it. No, really, THAT'S IT.

Now I don't mean to call the plot simplistic or unimportant in this case. I just want to express that in a film like this, the plot usually takes a back seat to the action. Though I suppose I should give at least a brief summation of it. So in the pacific ocean, there exists a portal to another dimension from which giant fish monsters (the Kaiju) come out and start terrorizing various cities. The countries of the world decide to unify and make Jaegers (Giant robots of awesomeness) to combat them. The problem is that the Jaegers need to be controlled by two people who have to have very good compatibility because the technology fuses their minds together in order for the Jaeger to work. So the film explains it as one person controlling one side of the Jaeger's brain. So the pilots need to work together efficiently to be a great pilot. The film actually details, briefly, the science behind the technology, which basically works like the Mobile Trace System from G Gundam in essence, but let's be honest here, science isn't the reason you should see this film.

What I appreciated about the movie though was the amount of care the director, Guillermo del Toro, placed in Pacific Rim. I could tell that with each scene, he thoroughly enjoyed working on the movie and it shows with every single fight scene. I could tell that he has so much respect for the Giant Monster movie genre and wanted to do it some actual justice. Make a Giant Monster movie the right way. You see, nowadays can you think of an action movie that does NOT take full advantage of CG and make every scene look unnaturally explosive? Well I sure as hell can't, but guess what? Although Pacific Rim uses plenty of CGI, it works in conjunction with the actors, well, acting. You see them in the Jaegers. You see them piloting it, and they sometimes look a little stupid, but that's ok. You know why? Because if you had to pilot a giant robot by wearing a bulky suit that kinda sorta makes you look like Sam Gideon from Vanquish (look it up and tell me I'm wrong), you would look a little stupid. But all that aside, each and every single fight hyped me up to such an extent I was practically screaming in the theater like a little kid. Watching these scenes made me feel like I was 9 years old and watching Dragonball Z again. I loved that feeling. Hell, in the middle of it, I was thinking about making a toy movie with my cousins again. A film that can make me feel all that means that it's definitely worth watching in the theaters at least once. Pacific Rim is a titular summer blockbuster movie and it is unfortunate that it won't get as much recognition and popularity as it deserves. So please watch this amazing movie and support the eventual home release. So yeah, if you'll excuse me, now I have to go hunt down some Pacific Rim toys and play the shit out of them!

Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoooft....

So today I stumbled upon this article on yahoo:

Yahoo Finance: Someone Claiming To Be A Microsoft Engineer Posted A Long Rant About Xbox One On 4Chan Last Week

It struck me as an interesting read. I mean, I already bashed the hell out of the Xbox One and I assumed this was Microsoft's way of saving face and not admitting that they made a huge mistake, but hooo boy was I wrong on this. Basically, some dude who may or may not be a Microsoft engineer came out and posted this in what can be described as either a fed up attitude or an incredibly snide one (bordering douche levels of assholetry - work with me here, I know them words is stupid lol). I will say this, though: if REVOLUTIONIZING the whole gaming industry business model to benefit consumers was Microsoft's goal all along, then why in the flipping HELL would you lead your console's introduction with "LOOK LOOK WE CAN SEAMLESSLY TRANSITION BETWEEN A GAME AND YOUR TV HOLY SHIT!!!!!", instead of breaking down and leveling with your die hard fans about your vision? Why the hell would you decide that rather than calling your new product something synonymous with change or a revolution, you call it the "one"? Hell Xbox 360 sounds fucking badass. Playstation 4 makes me think of Megaman. Why? I'm not sure. I guess it has something to do with my childhood, and something about keeping a numeric value just gives the impression of an evolution of a previous iteration of your product. Xbox One sounds like an obvious step back.

What bothered me also was Microsoft's supposed vision for the One. If they want to make DRM more accessible and less douchey, then why restrict us on any other option? As a gamer, I feel I deserve the option of owning my games physically as well as digitally. If you create a product that is too far ahead in any direction, then a lot of progress can be made for your company. Example, when the Playstation 3 came out how many of us honestly had any Blu-Rays to play? Not many of us, so it took YEARS for the technology to catch on, and that attributed to the mistakes and hardships Sony experienced with the Playstion 3. Xbox One just seems to take its fan base for granted and more than that, it seems to take GAMERS for granted with a device that possesses features we do NOT want. Now there was a part in there where the dude said "We want to own your living room"....WHY? This is where they CLEARLY went wrong. When developing a console I believe that you should always have the gamer's best interests at heart. This is where Sony delivered to us in spades. They came out and not only did they learn from their mistakes, but went the extra mile to ensure that they did not alienate developers. How can this be seen as a negative?? It isn't, it's a strong positive. It also shows people that gamers want a gaming device, everything else comes extra. Within the article, they mentioned Steam and compared their DRM stance to Steam. As a Steam user, I can say this: Steam is awesome. Part of what makes it awesome is that it enhances my PC experience. I have access to tons of great games. But the key difference here is that the computer was designed to be online. For as long as it's turned on, it is constantly connected. This, I believe, is what makes Steam such a success. There is no real negative and us, as gamers, have no risk or inconvenience. When it comes to a game console making internet mandatory, however, things get a little shady due to the question of WHAT a game console should be. Should it be more like a computer, or its own standalone device? It's a question that, presently, I do not possess the answer to. However I try to keep an open mind to things that sound intriguing, not intrusive or restrictive.

Now I know I sound like I'm praising Sony to the highest point of existence, and I will admit that I do possess a nostalgic bias and brand loyalty to them. A lot of my childhood gaming memories happened with the Playstation brand right next to Nintendo. Xbox is new to me, it's strange and I see it as Microsoft extending their reach to line their pockets with more money. I never felt that Microsoft gave a shit about gamers, and yet here I stand, owning a 360 and loving it. What I wish to do here is stress 2 things.

1) MICROSOFT HAS THEIR HEADS SO FAR UP THEIR OWN ASSES THAT THEY CANNOT SEE STRAIGHT ANYMORE

Looking beyond the Xbox brand, let's take a look at Microsoft as a whole. Everywhere you look it seems there are reports about how much the company is in trouble. Now I doubt that they will go under or close down or anything like that, but it seems like their newest OS, Windows 8, is fairly despised by people. They don't like it. It's as clean and simple as that. I tried it out on a friend of mine's laptop. He was having trouble with it and I figured that I'm decent at computers and I know Windows pretty well.....I could not do a god damn thing on it. It was baffling. Although Windows 8 is probably not as terrible as the internet would have you believe, I'm sure it still stands that there is a negative connotation associated with it.

2) Microsofts interests have taken the same twists that Nintendo's has.

Remember the Wii? Wasn't it kind of weird to have a gaming device with gimmicky yet simple motion controls? Wasn't it somewhat interesting to see how many non-gamers were buying the device for various reasons? Despite how terrible of a GAME console the wii turned out to be, Nintendo took the fucking living room by storm. It was an insane phenomena that I cannot understand. Yet it worked. Temporarily. Nowadays, Nintendo is paying for that hubris and have finally dedicated the Wii-U to being a game platform, if their E3 Nintendo Direct was any indication. Bravo, Nintendo, I am proud that you too have leanred from your mistakes. Xbox seems to want to do what Nintendo has done and target the non-gamer. Welp, all I can say is that the same trick probably won't work twice. I say this because your competition's console's are 100+ dollars cheaper than your new supposed revolutionary device. You fucked yourself hard. See, when Nintendo released the Wii, it was $250. Pretty cheap for a revolutionary game console, dont you think?

Well I don't know what will happen with Microsoft and Xbox. I can only hope that with time they realize their mistake and create experiences for the often taken for granted gamer. Now after that loooooong rant, I am going to drink a beer and play some games OH YEAH!!

E3 Thoughs So Far

Well about 2 or 3 weeks ago, I finished my second to last semester of college. As a result, I have gone into what I can only describe as "Decompression", which pretty much means I have become rather lethargic and am being completely lazy about everything. You wanna know something though, hearing about E3 and being very interested in it allowed me to get out of this total lazy streak of mine and now I believe I have something of substance to write here.

This E3 I found to be quite important for all 3 major companies. Can Sony really deliver on the hype and positive hopes for their Playstation 4? Can Microsoft make their Xbox One seem less.....how should I say, umm...Stupid and evil? Can Nintendo gain some respect in the industry as opposed to constantly being called a failing company that is on its way out? Well I have good news, great news, and a rant. I want to make one thing clear though: I openly admit that I have unbridled love for both Nintendo and Sony. I grew up with them and they gave me my childhood and teenage years. I am less partial to Microsoft. Though I will admit that in this current generation, the Xbox 360 is without a doubt the best console. The controller is great and the online interface is amazing. Hell, I enjoy playing games on it. Let me reiterate that I enjoy playing GAMES on it.

Alright allow me to begin -ahem-

Sony

I watched their conference last night (6-10-13) and for the first hour and 20 minutes, I was pretty damn bored. I was uninterested in a lot of what they were saying because it was not about GAMES. They talked about the Vita a little bit, mentioned the Playstation 3, showed off a couple of trailers here and there, but overall, I was bored out of my damn mind. I wanted to know about the Playstation 4, I NEEDED to know more about it and then it happened. They finally showed the friggen thing and I was so impressed. For one, I love how sleek and thin it is. I hated how in this generation, Sony and Microsoft made these morbidly obese consoles that were bulky and cumbersome. They were way too big in my opinion and I'm glad to see that Sony decided to make their console much smaller.

They showed off a few trailers that got me hyped. Final Fantasy XV seems to be promising though I won't put too much hope into it since XIII is, well, terrible in my opinion. But regardless, the game looks great and I'm glad to see that Square-Enix hasn't abandoned the ideas they had with Final Fantasy Versus XIII and chose to evolve into the next installment in their long running series. Kingdom Hearts 3 was shown, FINALLY!!! That one I'm excited for since the damn storyline has to conclude. It's getting way too ridiculous in my opinion. I enjoy the games but they are getting more and more convoluted. I was really impressed with 2 games in particular, Infamous Second Son and Destiny. The demonstrations that were shown impressed me with how great those games look to be. Not to mention that at the very end of their presentation, they announced a $399 price tag, the console has no restrictions on used games, and it does not need a constant internet connection YEAAAAH EVERYONE GOT HYPE IN THE AUDIENCE..FUCK YEAH SONY!!!

So with Sony, I am incredibly hopeful. They clearly made a gaming device that caters directly to us, the individual gamer. They are not trying to restrict us in any way or give us features that we do not want. Sony has made a next generation console that emphasizes the game and the developer. Things can only get better for Sony in my opinion. I know I'm definitly getting a Playstation 4....probably a few months after it's released....damn me for being broke

Nintendo

As a Wii-U owner myself, I have to say I am pretty dissappointed with the lack of available titles on the console. Sure, it has a robust selection of classics via the E-shop and Netflix is pretty damn awesome on it, but there really isn't much to play. Welp, ALL of that changed with their Nintendo Direct earlier today. A HUUUGE plethora of trailers were shown, all of which can be found on youtube and other sites. I am particularly keen on Bayonetta 2. I have not reviewed Bayonetta 1 yet and I do plan to do so, but until that day comes know this: I FUCKING LOVE BAYONETTA. I love the super fast and slick combat, the sexy protagonist, the humor, the levels, utilizing witch time in order to cripple your foes and the epic-ass boss fights. I LOVE THIS GAME and being able to see a sequel got me so hype that I could not stop screaming about it for like an hour. Of course another game by Monolith Soft is in development and as far as I can tell, it doesn't have a name, so I guess it's to be known as X for the time being. That game looks pretty good too, but I wanna see more before I can pass judgment. Monolith you have my interest, I know damn well you can deliver, so take your time with this baby, ok?

Naturally, since this was a Nintendo press conference, first party Nintendo games were the main focus. I won't go into all of them but I will highlight things that got me super excited. Mega Man in the next Smash Bros game, 'nuff said. Another Donkey Kong Country game (I hope this game has much better controls because I hated the ones in the first game) with Dixie back in it, and Super Mario 3D World. I am somewhat on the fence with this one. While the game looks to be a lot of fun and beautiful, it borrows heavily from the 3DS title, Super Mario 3D Land, a game that I did not enjoy very much due to its laughably easy difficulty. Though I will say that the ideas and levels within the game were some of the coolest I have seen in a Mario game. So hopefully Nintendo makes this one more challenging.

Nintendo definitely brought their A-game and pretty much said "Hey we messed up with the Wii-U launch and we have been real slow to deliver on the great games, but all that will change now" and for that I am happy with Nintendo. Honestly I am probably gonna be flat broke with the release of all the games they are releasing within the next year. I'm gonna need a job....or sell blood or something.

Microsoft

Well ever since they announced the Xbox One, I have been so disgusted at Microsoft. Yeah at their conference, they announced Halo 5 and Forza, and whatever other exclusives out there, but to be honest, I don't care about the games. The console that they spent all this time promoting has been such an insult to gamers. How can you as a company make the greatest gaming machine of this generation and make something so blatantly asinine that essentially boils down to a slap in the face to the gamers that love the Xbox 360? Granted, they have some pretty interesting ideas. A seamless transition from gaming to television is cool but you should NOT make that your console's main strength. What happened to catering to the gamers, you know, the people who MADE YOU A SUCCESS THIS GENERATION?! Why would you build a device that needs a fucking camera hooked up at all times, that needs a constant internet connection (albeit for a check in that is required at least once every 24 hours) and make this fucking shit cost 500 dollars?! (and don't even get me started on the used games bullshit!!) I don't know what Microsoft is thinking. But I do know that their die-hard fans will buy their console but THAT'S IT. Most gamers are gonna shit to the Playstation 4 and be happy. So Microsoft, I hope you enjoy being in last place next generation because your Xbox One just does not have anything remotley interesting to me. In fact as a gamer, it insults me. -Whew- I need a drink after all that.

So yeah those are my thoughts on E3. I know this is a bit long but hey, I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. Regardless though, this year we're seeing a lot of great games announced, so no matter what we gamers will be the real winners of this so called Console War right?

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Last week I finished Metal Gear Rising. Upon finishing the game, my hype level (yes this is a real thing) was so high that it has taken me roughly a week to calm down from the high of this awesome game. This game made me feel like such a total badass. It was challenging, cool, just about everything that I would have come to expect from a game by Platinum Games. This review I'm gonna do something different. I'm gonna try to streamline my review while simultaneously describing the hype-ness that I experienced while playing it. So without further ado here we go.

First Impressions

I almost peed myself when I saw this. So much hype

From the moment I bought the game I knew this was gonna be a total badass experience I mean look at the front cover. How fuckin cool is that?! It makes me wanna pop it in and play it already. Not to mention look at the disc! It's so cool! Raiden standing there with a dog thing! It's so epic that you need to know what happened to Raiden that he 1) Gets this new body and 2) Gets a dog robot thing. This is how I felt when I first got the game. So after a mandatory install (thank you Sony. Seriously what is up with that shit) I was able to go to the title screen and holy shit. I almost shit my pants in pure excitement and anticipation. I pressed start, picked my difficulty, and began playing...

Story

I won't spoil any important plot details, so I'll just give a very brief summary of the plot and what the ultimate goal of the game is. In Metal Gear Rising you take control of Raiden (obviously, I  mean, come on), four years after the events of MGS4, who now works for a private military company running protection detail for important politicians and the like. You begin the game in Africa and your client gets kidnapped and you have to go after him. So you get your ass handed to you early on and Raiden's body (which is very reminiscent to how he looked in MGS4, albeit with a few aesthetic changes) gets pretty badly injured. He also loses his left eye. Reference to his roots to Solidus much? So Raiden gets equipped with a new body that is stronger, faster, and better than his previous body in order to go after the people who killed his client. Since "Metal Gear" is in the title you can expect that not everything is as simple as getting Revengeance (yeah used it as a word) on your enemies. Expect the plot to take a few twisted turns before ultimately revealing itself. It's not anything too complicated but for a game that is dropping the stealth mechanic of its predecessors and going for a more action-oriented experience, it works really well.

Graphics

Yeah Metal Gear Rising, much like all the Metal Gear games, has amazing graphics. Everything looks so clear and real. The game predominantly takes place in a war torn area and yet it looks so beautiful. If there weren't cyborgs and unmanned UG's (remember those from MGS4?)  trying to kill me, I would have just stared in awe of how beautifully detailed everything looks. What I find interesting is that in today's world, for something to look good, it should be in 1080p. Yet this game's resolution is 720p and it looks a HELL of a lot better than most of the games that have come out recently. I would go so far as to say that it looks just as great as Metal Gear Solid 4 and that game was came out so long ago yet few games ever reached its level of detail and graphical power. Hell the Assassin's Creed games look terrible in front of Rising. If graphics mean a lot to you, this game has you covered.

Gameplay

Alright so if you have been following this game for as long as I have then you know that it was advertised that as well as letting you control cyborg Raiden, as the true badass that he was in MGS4, there was also going to be some sort of Cut mechanic within the game. "CUT WHAT YOU WILL" is what it says on the back of this box. What this means is that throughout the game, you will be able to go into "blade mode" and cut the shit out of your enemies. It's so satisfying and violent but it never stops being cool. Now remember what I said earlier about Raiden's new body? Well in order to maintain it, he needs to absorb electrolytes from his foes. The most effective way to do this is to perform what the game calls a "Zandatsu". Now you must be asking yourself well what the hell does that mean?! Well often times while you are in Blade Mode, Raiden's body will scan the enemy you are cutting to show you where the electrolytes are hidden. If you slice this area you will have a button prompt and Raiden will step forward and take the electrolytes. The stipulations are that 1) You can destroy the electrolytes if you cut too much and 2) You can also lose the opportunity to absorb them if your foe collapses while in Blade Mode. Thankfully, since time slows while you are in Blade Mode, you have a bit of leeway in how to cut.

This game can be described as a hack and slash and as such, you will be doing a lot of cutting. So you will be stringing combos along your enemies by pressing the square and triangle buttons to attack. This seems obvious, yeah, but you must be mindful of a few things. 1) Raiden does not lock on to enemies automatically. I did not mind this much since in previous games by Platinum, such as Bayonetta or Vanquish, you pretty much were left on your own in terms of taking out your enemies. Thankfully locking on wasn't too mandatory in those games. This cannot be said for Rising. In Rising, locking on is ESSENTIAL. You can get away with not locking on for maybe the first few fights, but after that, expect to get your ass kicked repeatedly once enemies start to grow in numbers and gang up on you. This brings me to 2) Learning to Parry is mandatory. If you skip the tutorial (like I did since I played the demo) you probably will assume that there is not a blocking mechanic within the game. Well guess what there is, and it just isn't a traditional block. It's a parry. Basically if you see an enemy about to attack, you move the left stick in the direction of the attack and hit the light attack button. Raiden will block the attack and you can continue slicing up enemies. If you do not learn to properly parry, you will not beat this game. It's as simple as that.

The game is also very challenging which is a good thing. It isn't the cheap kind of difficulty. It's fair and once you learn to lock on and parry, you can really have fun even when the game is kicking your ass. Which it will. Unless you have the reflexes of a god. Or are in a fact a cyborg yourself. Bosses are also challenging and without a doubt, they are what makes this game excel. Every boss you encounter is accompanied by an epic song that hypes you up and puts you in the mood to kick some ass. Personally my favorite boss fight is the rematch with Jetstream Sam. It's hard as hell but its the ambiance that does it for me. Also, once you beat a boss you gain their weapon to purchase and use.

Ahh purchasing. Yeah I almost forgot to talk about the upgrade system in Metal Gear Rising. OK remember Drebin in MGS4? Well he isn't in the game but do you remember having collect points and then buying weapons from him? Well in Rising you do earn points based on what and how you kill and with these points, you can purchase upgrades. You can do this at anytime throughout the game but there is 1 problem. When you do go to the customization screen mid-level the game sets you back to your most recent checkpoint. It isn't game breaking and it's just a bit of a nuisance, so if you wanna upgrade within a level either 1) wait for a checkpoint or 2) wait till the end of a level.

And again, the soundtrack is also pretty damn good. Nuff said.

Conclusion

If you're like me and you love the Metal Gear series, then following this game has been a bit of a rush. When it was first announced years ago, I worried about it straying too far from the source material and that it would ultimately fall flat of the success that the series is associated with. Thankfully since Kojima Productions collaborated with Platinum Games and let them develop it, the game came out amazing. I know there are some people who see that the game is 5 hours long. This time only takes into account the length it takes you to beat the fighting portions of the game. So think of it this way. The game ranks and grades you in battle based on: Your time, how many "Zandatsu" performed, combos, and damage. All in all the game takes the fastest times and gives you a final time when you finished. This time DOES NOT take into account cutscenes, or farting around with the codec (I like calling people in my Metal Gear games), or the number of times you die and retry a fight. With that said though the game isn't like 20 hours long, the action is so good and the gameplay is so rewarding that you ultimately do not feel ripped off. Plus there is a lot to do and collect after you finish the game so replay value is high. It's a well designed game and if you haven't bought it then I strongly urge you to do so!

Have a great day and GO BUY THIS GAME!!

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go replay this game and regain my hype (again).

Dishonored (2012)

I took this picture in my kitchen. Please excuse this amateur photography. I'm a broke college student.

A while back in December (that feels like a looong time ago now doesn't it?), I bought myself Dishonored for the Xbox 360. Truth be told, I bought it because Amazon was having a sale where it was like 30 bucks and a friend of mine kept pestering me to buy it. Well like I said I bought it and I finished it roughly a month ago. Now you may be asking yourself why I picked NOW to review this game. Simply put, after I finished it I didn't really know how I felt about it until further reflection. I won't say I hated it. But there was a lot about it that bothered me.

Dishonored was made by Arkane Studios (a developer I am not familiar with at all) and published by Bethesda (Fallout, Elder Scrolls, you know pretty much any RPG where you can possibly kill everything that moves) which to me, means that it's a first person perspective. Now I personally am tired of the overuse of first person perspective in today's gaming. I don't really like it all that much especially since nine times outta ten, I also have a gun in my hand and I have to take orders from people. But thankfully, Dishonored does not play like a traditional first person game.

Dishonored's setting is a steampunk industrial city called Dunwall where The Plague has ravaged its inhabitants. There is a hierarchy in place and the people love their queen. You play as Corvo, a dude who's job it was to protect the queen and her daughter. Then these assassins appear, or warp in, and kill her right in front of you and then you get blamed for it by the new corrupt regime that takes over after the queen (he's been DISHONORED get it?? GET IT??). So after you break out of confinement and meet these rebels of the new regime, you have to now assassinate everyone responsible for the death of your lovely queen.

The gameplay, as I said, is in a first person perspective and although you have a pistol (the only gun you actually have), you have a plethora of other items and weapons to help you towards your goal of bloody vengeance. This includes crossbows (with different bolts like sleep dart and incendiary bolts), your blade (which is a pretty badass lookin sword), grenades (which exist for some reason in this world), and a trip wire to set to kill foes. Now along with the weapons, you have these unique magic spells. These spells allow you to slow down time, turn dead bodies to ash, be able to see where your enemies are, turn into a rat (I'm not sure why there is a rat obsession in this game), summon rats (again why the hell are there so many rats in this game? I hate rats in real life), and a whirlwind spell, just to name a few. The most useful skill in my opinion is called Blink. This spell lets you warp/teleport to a given target. Think of it this way: when activated, there will be an orb-like energy floating. You move it to where you wanna appear and then BAM you're there. It's pretty awesome and the game definitly makes you use it quite often. It's especially important if you wanna play the game stealthily. Ahh the stealth aspect. Let's talk about that for a bit.

Dishonored is labeled as a stealth game. Now to me, this means that the goal of the game is to proceed through it without being seen by your enemies. If you are, then more enemies should converge onto your position, thus making your mission extremely difficult carry out. Now for a game that gives you stealth as an option of play, I feel it does not encourage it. Look at the weapons and spells I listed. Do you really feel like you should play the game stealthily? Given the game's setting, I feel that no, it isn't encouraged. If anything, it's discouraged. Now as a fan of Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, and Assassin's Creed (I know the game barely counts as stealth but you do have some missions where it's required) I feel like I have some general experience when it comes to being stealthy. You see, in those games when you were being stealthy, it was awesome and badass. You felt smarter than your enemy and you felt like a pretty cool strategist for not even being seen. Dishonored is a bit of a drag to play stealthily. It's boring and you constantly have to wait around for guards to move. Now sure, you can knock them out or kill them unnoticed, but the second blood is spilled, two things happen 1) an achievement/trophy is missed out on for not killing and 2) some character  may say something to make you feel like a dick for killing.

This is where Dishonored gets a little more interesting. It's described as a stealth game, yet you can choose how you want to play it, stealthy or not. I honestly feel that after finishing it that Dishonored does not encourage you to not kill or to be stealthy. I say this because 1) The game is not built to support nonlethal combat and 2) The game is such a drag without its combat. Allow me to explain -ahem- Take Metal Gear Solid, Snake has the ability to use CQC (or punch people in the older games) which allowed him to keep his cover and eliminate a guard without killing them. If Corvo gets caught or spotted by a guard he instinctively draws his blade and you have no choice but to kill them, unless you blink away and then wait for the guards to leave, which they will not do without taking forever to investigate. Of course you could save every 3 seconds and then reload your save file every time you get caught. BUT THAT ISN'T FUN. It's tedious and it doesn't make you feel badass so much as it makes you feel like you're being cheated out of playing stealthy or not wanting to kill. The key difference here is that stealth and not killing are being intertwined since Corvo doesn't wanna flip his blade to beat people instead of murdering them. This is what makes the game so frustrating in my eyes.

To be honest if you throw stealth out the window and embrace the combat, Dishonored is a very fun game. It's entertaining but its also short. So I guess the game wants you to learn it so that in future playthroughs, you can perform stealth tactics more easily. But in my opinion, if you're gonna be a stealth game, then reward stealth. Otherwise you're a first person adventure game with shooter and fantasy elements. Give it a shot if you're into that sort of thing. Otherwise if you're curious, rent it or borrow it from a friend. Well I hope this helped you in deciding on Dishonored. Thanks for reading!

The Reverse box art is pretty damn good. It looks epic as hell. Wait he has his blade drawn...THE ART WORK OF THE GAME WANTS YOU TO KILL see what I mean? Again please excuse this amateur photography. I wish I could record footage and make screenshots but I don't have the means to do so. Hey wait a sec I just realized the game takes place in a world where the plague runs rampant. So why the hell does Corvo not have gloves on? What kind of shit is that. It's like he's asking to be infected. I dunno maybe I'm nitpicking but if I were an assassin I'd at least have some gloves on. Especially if the world were infected with DISEASE.

Django Unchained (2012)

Well there's a big surprise right? There were NO hints or suggestions that this would be the next thing that I'd review. Nope, none whatsoever. I'm so cool. Anyway, you know what sucks? Having the flu around New Year's when you make a decision that you post on the internet about doing something with your life. Yeah I've had the flu. It's a pretty bad flu but hey, I survived. But anyway, you know what's worse than the flu?? Come on think about it. It's pretty damn bad.

Ok, you give up?? SLAVERY. Yeah what an excellent segue. Anyway Django Unchained!!

This movie is AWESOME!!! I want a scarf Like Django there.

I have to admit that when I first heard about this film, I was a bit nervous. I figured that Tarantino would get a lot of flak for making a movie dealing with slavery and that people would be throwing fits on the internet and calling it racist or something. Personally, I figured that since Quentin Tarantino was directing this that the movie would undoubtedly be entertaining and that there would be some bloody satisfaction. Fortunately, I was right. As a Tarantino fan, I'm blown away, and as a media junkie, I cannot wait to see it again!

So you must be wondering just what makes this movie so good. Well first off it isn't good, it's DAMN good. Quentin Tarantino has an excellent track record of being able to create insanely eclectic characters in a truly disturbed setting. Take a look at Inglorious Bastards, in particular Brad Pitt's character and you'll know what I mean. Getting back to my point, as a Tarantino fan I knew right off the bat what to expect. Although the film itself is named after Django, I found the character of King Schultz to be the most interesting character. When you watch it, you'll see why, so without spoiling too much let me just say that he has a carriage with a tooth on it, used to be a dentist (so he has the title of doctor), believes in equality and the enlightenment that all men are equal (therefore hates slavery which makes him awesome), and is a badass bounty hunter who can shoot ridiculously well. I also find his accent to quite charming and his beard is pretty badass to me, so yeah.

As for Django himself, I feel that the movie poster says it all. I'll give you like 3 seconds to scroll back up and look at it.....Ok you done? Good! Anyway The way Django is positioned tells you that the film more or less centers around him and while it does do that, I found that it was not so much his character that gets developed so much as his own skills. He goes from being a slave to a truly badass bounty hunter with some of the best lines in the film. He also does not really say much which is a slight shame since Jamie Foxx did such a great job of being Django. Now to be honest I don't really see this as a flaw so much as I see it as a form of assistance. It helps Django to be the badass that he deserves to be. Simply put you can fuck around a bit with Schultz but God help you if you fuck with Django. (*GASP* Phil said -er- TYPED a baaad word!)

I feel that I should mention Leonardo DiCaprio too. You know how in Kill Bill (which you all know I love) the antagonist Bill was in my opinion the best character. Now you have heard me gush about Schultz and describe how cool he is, but DiCaprio plays a real bastard  in this movie. You really grow to hate him and his acting just blew me away. Especially since he says some really racist and messed up things (Eskimo Joe anyone??). He plays a perfect antagonist and fits the setting perfectly. He just seems like one of those truly disgusting people who loved slavery and thrived on racism. Calvin Candy. What a douche and yet he is played by a great actor so kudos to you DiCaprio! Though he plays a real evil despicable person there is one person that I feel is even WORSE than Mr. Candy.

Ohhhh yeah. His character pissed me off. I liked his cane though. It was a cool cane

Yeah Samuel L Jackson is in this too. He plays a character who deeply disturbed me especially given the time. Simply put he's a kiss-ass slave named Stephen. He possesses no desire to be freed and actually suppresses all the other slaves and keeps them in line. Although in a slightly ironic sense he has no problem running his mouth to Calvin Candy about how he wants things to go. Without spoiling too much, let me just say that umm...he fucks shit up for Django and Schultz. You really have to see it to believe it. It's been about 3 weeks since I saw the film and I still get disturbed by his character. It's almost like he pierced his way into my soul and deeply disturbed me...hmm. Well since he affected me so much I have to say that Samuel L Jackson did a really good job with his acting for this role. It worked out perfectly and I really cannot imagine anyone else playing his role.

As for what you can expect from the film's style: well it's a western fused with a lot comedic elements. Now I'm not talking gag or slapstick or stand-up. No no. I'm talking about whole scenes dedicated to jackasses arguing about their white hoods or Django telling a hillbilly the proper way to say his name or a plantation owner figuring out how to tell a slave woman how he wants her to treat Django as his guest. The comedy does not come from anything that can be described as funny, so much as it stems from disrupting the flow of a movie and making fun of a truly messed up time in our country. Anyway the absolute best part of the film I would have to say is the last 45 minutes or so where Django really steps up and shows us how strong his resolve is. He displays such amazing acts of gun play and watching him attain his vengeance is what makes this film work. In many ways it reminds me of Kill Bill Volume 2 and for those same reasons, the film succeeds. So maybe now I got you curious or maybe you have already seen it and agree with me somewhat. Maybe you hated it and think I'm out of my mind. Regardless I urge you to watch this film. I can guarantee that it's a hell of a lot better than what's been released in recent weeks.

If you don't he will haunt you. He will look inside your souuuuuul

So it's New Year's Eve.....yeaaah

It's been a long time since i wrote anything. Too long if you ask me. I haven't given up on this here blog, I just haven't been in the right mindset to really sit down and write. 2012 to be honest has been a real shitty year for me. This past semester has been one of the most difficult I have ever had to force myself to push through. Simply put I'm worn out from all the bullshit of class, papers, exams and such. I guess I should explain just why this semester was so bad, even just a little.

Well the first reason is that early in this semester I lost someone that I loved, my Father to be exact. He passed away in October. I won't delve into all that but it's been really difficult having to go to class with this on your mind. Try taking tests or doing readings for a class....It's not easy. I found myself not caring. I was still trying to process just what the hell happened. I learned one thing though, though your world may be shaken and stop the real world that YOU are a PART of does not stop. Oh nooo that bastard keeps moving at it's pace and you can either give up on keeping pace or try even harder to keep up. Essentially it's sink or swim. Thankfully I was able to swim, albeit slowwwwwly and lazily. What I went through is something that everyone will suffer through in one way or another so take comfort in this. Where there is loss there most certainly will be gain. I'm glad to say that in my loss I gained a lot back. I got old friends, people that I stupidly cut out of my life, back. Things may be sorta weird with us but I'm glad I at least can talk to them. So yeah though the times may be dark, there inevitably will be a light. Just gotta keep walking till you find it. It can get pretty dark though but never give up. Play Earthbound and you'll know exactly what I'm saying.

Anyway tragedies aside, The next reason for my lack of posting is the amount of stress I had with my classes. I only took 4 this particular semester but Goddamn did I have a lot of reading and writing to do. While i wasn't doing that I was dreading about future readings and exams and stuff. Simply put after having to read and write for so long the last thing I would wanna do is sit here and write some more. Maybe that's lazy? I dunno. But I definitely was in no mood to write. Ironically though taking classes that specialized in television and film styles sort of re-awakened this feeling in me to wanna write about different medias. In fact I wanna do more than just write, but well let me not stick my foot in my mouth with that because knowing me it'll be like 17648579 years before I get started on any of that.

As for what I have been doing in my spare time, I played some games, obviously! Watched a couple of movies (literally a couple i have only seen 2 Dredd 3D and Django Unchained- which was so damn good). I have listened to new music as well. Blink-182's Dogs Eating Dogs is like the most beautiful and orgasmic thing my ears have heard all damn semester. Of course a very special person bought me A Lot Like Bird's CD Conversation Piece, which if you like post hardcore I strongly recommend because this shit is blowing my mind with the beautiful noise (yeah I just called screaming beautiful noise...hmm note to self, If I ever make an Album call it Screaming Beautiful Noise). Oh and then Nintendo Power ceased publication which makes me feel old and that a huge part of my childhood just disappeared. But uhh at least it went out with a bang!!! (and I helped with that!!!!!!!! More on that later) I also watched The Sopranos which has been a huge means of relaxation to me as well as a fantastic piece of television. Damn I really miss watching Tony beating someone up....

still got it baby!!! I think this is from the episode where he has food poisoning

Anyway It's New Year's Eve and as such people tend to have resolutions. Now usually in the 21 years of my living I never had a good one. Well I have 2. The first is this. The blog I mean. i wanna do more with it. I wanna be more active with it and dammit I'm gonna make sure I am. I'm gonna do some more things than just reviews, I'm gonna give it more of a personality. Something. You'll see....all the like 5 people who check this lol. The other resolution I'll keep to myself. But anyway please keep checking back on this stupid little blog of mine. I got some grand ideas and unless some more tragedy or laziness strikes me, it wont be too long before you see. Anyways take care, thanks for reading, and above all spend your holidays with your loved ones. Friend and Family alike. Till we meet again!!

Phil

-Django Unchained was an amazing movie....go watch it..NOW seriously go NOW NOW NOW. HURRRRRY ok ok I'm done...bye

seriously go watch it

Let's Talk About: Super Mario Bros. (sort of)

That's what you call Old School.

You see that? That's my Nintendo. I've had it for as long as I can remember. It's also the same Super Mario Bros. game I've had too. One of my earliest memories was me on my mother's lap while she was playing and she had lost all her lives and she let me try. I got stuck trying to get a Fire Flower and so i gave up and she tried to get it for me. For some reason we could not get the flower. So after trying for like 3 minutes on this damn power up, my mother tells me to wait until my dad comes by and he'll get it. Apparently he was the master of Super Mario Bros. while I was 4 years old. While I had just started playing for the first time ever. I remember vaguely watching my dad getting the Fire Flower. It was right then and there where I felt that I wanted to play and beat him. It didn't really take me long before I made it farther in the game than he. Hell I discovered the warp zones long before he did. I also seem to remember him watching me one day and I made it to like world 6 or so. I died of course and he, well, let's just say his expertise ends after the 2nd world. Anyway you may be asking yourself why I am boring you with this story. Well it serves as a testament as to what got into gaming and to a slightly lesser degree, media. It also serves as an excellent example of what I'm about to talk about here.

The NES was around in the 80's and with it Super Mario Bros. Something that I've noticed some 20 plus years after it's existence is that Nintendo games have a unique ability to bring people together. Now my parents are not gamers. Hell even the games they liked they were awful at. But they loved playing Mario with me. Specifically my father (my mother is currently more of a Professor Layton fan but still enjoys the occasional Mario game). Anyway my point being that Mario has always been something that brought people together. Now the difference between back then and now is the difficulty. When I go back and play this game or any Mario game before (and including) Super Mario Sunshine, I tend to die a bit. I feel challenged. I also feel pretty damn hype once I beat a particular level. This is something that has sadly gone away in recent outings of Mario. the games have just been to damn easy. It looks like Nintendo is making their games for inexperienced kids and forgetting about the audience that has nostalgic memories of a mario game that was the perfect blend of tricky dicky and easy. I miss my old Mario games. Nintendo please make your Mario game challenging again. I'll be happy with a Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty select at the beginning of your game. I wanna be challenged dammit!

Anyway all that aside, I really do find it amazing how simple a Mario game is. Princess Peach gets kidnapped and Mario has to save her. It rarely ever gets more complicated than this. But that just adds to how approachable the Mario series is. The games are fun, imaginative, and they totally immerse you in this bright and colorful world so well. I mean everytime I play I always feel like I have a small window looking into a truly beautiful world. Then I start to think about how boring our world is and then I wanna start jumping around. That's what makes Mario games a beautiful thing. I urge everyone to play at least one game.  Anyway I wanna end this post with this. Whenever I play a Mario game, ANY Mario game. My thoughts always drift to that memory I described earlier. I think it was probably one of the first things me and my father ever shared in life. A love and fondness for good ol' Mario games. Well Dad wherever you are, I want you to know that this one is for you. I love you and I miss you.

Phil

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Well it's the fourth of July today and you know what that means right? Fireworks, hot dogs, hamburgers, beers, more fireworks, more beer, even more fireworks, and finally an accident having to do with beer and fireworks (hopefully not but hey since when does alcohol and fire ever NOT create an accident?). Anyway today I'm pumped as hell. So pumped I decided to watch Captain America since I missed out when it first came out (for good reasons which means mostly just laziness....yeaaah). I mean come on it's America's birthday how else should I have celebrated? The man has friggen AMERICA in his name so clearly it should be like the greatest movie ever made with lots of explosions and patriotism right?? Well I did not like the movie lol (big surprise there eh?). But that's not to say its an all out terrible movie.

I admit right off the bat that I'm not a fan of Captain America. I don't know much about him other than he has a shield that he hurls at people and the shield is pretty much indestructible. There was always one thing that I never understood about him though. His shield is a circle (obviously) and it covers a good portion of his body. You know like your torso, all the important and vital organs. I was always curious why NO ONE has ever though to like shoot him in the foot when he has his shield raised. I mean think about you shoot a dude in the leg he'll drop whatever he's carrying to grab his foot in pain and agony (unless he's bulletproof which I'm actually not sure of wait then he wouldn't need a shield in the first place so what the hell enemies?!). So I was never quite sure why his enemies never thought to do that. I was kind of hoping that the movie would answer that question for me but alas, it did not. Anyway other than that I don't know anything about the guy or his enemies. I had a toy of him when I was younger (and that toy was friggen amazing! It was very well built. Ahh where has the time gone. I sort of miss being a kid and playing with toys). Anyway I also hoped that the movie would make me want to follow the good ol' captain's comic. Well actually the movie succeeded in that regard. If only so I can see how much of the movie was bullshit lol.

aw shit AMERICA!!! (I've been saying that all day)

Anyway before I start rambling yet again. I'm gonna start discussing why I did not like the movie. One thing I always enjoy is to get to know my main characters you know. I love seeing the choices they have to make, some back-story behind their existence, but more importantly their dialogue. For me thats incredibly important and in this movie the Captain barely spoke. When he did it was just answering a question. Rarely did he ever say anything that made me feel like I was actually getting to know good ol' Captain America. When he did it was just some stereotypical heroic statement like how he hates bullies or something. I just never felt connected to him so I found myself not really caring much. Although towards the end of the movie and I mean the end like the last 10 minutes or so I found myself kind of interested with his extremely short-lived romance with Peggy Carter. Anyway another thing I disliked was the overuse of special effects. I'm old school in that sense. I dislike CG effects and 3D gimmicks and all that jazz and this movie had a LOT of special effects. For me it just detracts from the overall experience and magic of movies. Almost like a cop-out. What happened to the old days of building models or making sets or something. Everything is done in CG and it's a it annoying. It is annoying but it still looks damn good so it isn't all bad. Now the final thing about this movie was the villian. I personally felt that he looked really stupid. Besides that I just never quite understood why he's evil. He kind of just is with no real explanation. I mean come one tell me that his dog dies when he was little and ever since then he swore vengeance against the whole world. I'll buy that. It's batshit ridiculous but at least there's an explanation. The whole movie builds up this confrontation with Red Skull and I just never understood why he's so damn evil. It bothered me a lot (and don't tell me it's because he's a nazi. I don't wanna spoil anything but umm yeah he doesn't really follow Hitler's orders much so Agent Red Smith over here just hates the world for some odd reason). Plus every time he came on screen in his mask I kept saying to myself  "Mr. Anderson".

Mr. Ander-AMERICA

Now all that aside Captain America was not a terrible movie. There are a whole hell of a lot more movies that are worse. One thing i know though is that this is the kind of movie to not take seriously. It's much better enjoyed with friends. Maybe I was wrong to expect such complex character development from this but hey I just know what I enjoy. At the same time I understand that one can only do so much with a 2 hour time limit. There is obviously going to be some compromises. So that's why I can say that it wasn't terrible.  I can see the appeal for fans though. If you like Captain America then obviously you would have enjoyed this movie since you know more about him than I do. So enjoy your fourth of July. Set off a bunch of fireworks, drink a lot of beer, and more importantly scream AMERICA out the windows!

AMERICA (ok I'm done with that now seriously)

This Isn't A Review

Ever since my vacation started I found that it's become extremely difficult for me to properly write anything. I have a lot of drafts started. I've taken copious notes and stuff down in my little notebook but I can't seem to string things together. Maybe it's because of the MASSIVE backlog of games that I have facing me everyday that just scream plaaay meeeeeeee plaaaaaaaaay meeeeeeeee (imagine a creepy old man voice or Scooby-Doo villian when you read that). Maybe it's because whenever I'm on vacation i tend to "decompress" (like George Costanza) to such an extent that I get too lazy to do anything (even play games....ohh noo). Or it could have something to do with the overabundance of ideas that I've had. Things for reviews and other purposes that I've put on the back burner for when I have more time to focus on them. Now that I have the time I just feel totally overwhelmed with both good ideas and laziness (quite the difficult combination. I feel like a scientist that just does NOT want to put on his lab coat to like split an atom or something...If that makes ANY sense at all). However I have found in recent times (like yesterday) that if I relax and just play a fun game, I feel a lot better. My head does not feel cluttered with ideas and I can start to form topics and want to write. Of course that's where my laziness comes into play which explains why I'm writing this a day later and after my shower (which tends to give me a LOT of great ideas and observations for some reason. I dunno there's just something about standing in running water butt-naked that gives me great material to work with. Honestly I don't know why. It just does).

One thing I have wanted to do with this humble little blog of mine is demonstrate how far video games have come. If you're a fan of games like I am and have been playing them for as long as you can remember than I'm sure you can relate to this. I feel that video games have slowly been becoming more than just art, but rather the new frontier for some great story telling. But what I have noticed is that only in recent years have video games actually gotten some proper recognition in this aspect. My personal opinion is that video games are far superior to any movie for these reasons:

1) Video games are not limited to a 2 hour time limit, unlike most movies (unless Peter Jackson is involved then it gets pushed to like 5 hours), which allows the writers to properly flesh out themes and character development that they want.

2) Video games are able to engage their audience in a far greater way than movies by not only immersing them into a new world, but, through the controller allowing them to interact with the world and thus develop a connection.

3) When someone plays a video game it's usually done in the comfort of their home. As opposed to being in a dark room that may or may not be filled with a bunch of people that are either talking or using their phones during the movie, which if you ask me is a HELL of lot more annoying.

Anyway what I'm trying to say here is that I feel video games are so much more than simple little distractions. Also just to clarify I don't hate movies or going to a movie theater. What I do hate is what has happened to the industry. It's all about making money not telling stories and entertaining your audience. Not to mention the lack of anything really spectacular to watch. I mean look at how many movies are made nowadays that are based off of books or are remakes of older classics, or are copies of movies that were released not only a year ago (I'm looking at you snow white movies seriously what the hell was that about?). I think Hollywood has tapped out of creativity in their desire for money. I know the ultimate goal of any industry is money but the way I see it is that you need to make a quality product first and to do that you need to put your heart into it and come up with something completely unique. Now with that said, I am trying to get more into independent movies. Or movies that do not get a nationwide screening (as those movies tend to have the heart I look for in media), but that is pretty difficult for me since well I don;t exactly live near any of these theaters that show them. So I'm kinda stuck with Hollywood or games and I think you know what I choose.

When it all boils down I'm not someone who thinks video games are never wrong. What I feel is that they possess much more heart and polish that Hollywood seems to have forgotten all about. That's what I really look for in media. I don't care if it's on television, in a book, a movie, or a game. As long as there is heart behind it I'll always appreciate the effort. I noticed now I keep saying "heart" just to clarify, when I say heart, I mean that there's an effort that isn't fueled by money. The effort is purely for making a great story and telling it in the best possible way they can. For now I'm gonna focus on talking about games that I feel demonstrate this quality. I'm not giving up on movies though. But for now I'm gonna talk more about games since well I love them and have been neglecting them here on my blog. You can expect some interesting views on them as well as something a bit different that I'd like to start. Anyway hopefully I did not come off as some all movie hating person but I do hope that you can see where I stand when it comes to games and stuff. Well thanks for reading and have a great day.

Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Alright my first video game review awesome! Well I'll start this one off by stating that Red Dead Redemption is currently my third favorite game of all time. Simply put it an amazing game. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that. It's sold millions of copies and I'm sure that every person who has played it feels similar to me. But that just begs the question, what exactly makes this game so brilliant? Well I can't speak for the millions of people who have experienced it. But at the very least I can explain why I love it so damn much. Then again that is generally the point of me having this blog right?

I wish I could have a beard like that. It just screams badass....or his hat.

Well first I think I should tackle this from a gaming perspective. The game takes place in 1911 in the old west. You play as John Marston, a former outlaw now trying to make a much better life for his family. However, it turns out that his family is being held captive by the government and he's now being manipulated to hunt down his former gang and kill them in exchange for his family. It's a brilliant setting for a game and it establishes a very strong reason for John to go pick up his gun again. Anyway as far as the graphics go, they are amazing. The entire game is so beautiful and it really gives you the feeling of being out there in the deserts and wastelands. I especially like the level of detail to John's face, specifically his scars. He looks like he could be a real person. As for gameplay, the controls are a bit weird to get used to, especially the whole Dead Eye targeting. What is Dead Eye you ask? well it's what makes gunplay so damn cool in this game. Basically time slows for a period of time and you can target specific things with the targeting reticule. Then you shoot and John blows away all the targets in an epic way that is not unlike something out of an old Western movie. It's epic as hell but it requires a bit of practice. At least for me it especially in the beginning of the game. It's the kind of game that you need to play it in order to get good at it. In other words, don't expect to immediately pick it up and be amazing at it. You need to take the time to learn everything. Luckily though the game gives you more than enough opportunity for practice. It's an extremely polished game with so much attention to even the slightest of details. The best part is that Red Dead Redemption has something for everyone. If you enjoy an awesome story that grips you from the beginning all the way to the end, you'll enjoy this game. If you like collecting things and getting everything, this game possesses tons of side missions to occupy your time. Trust me, some of those challenges are difficult to do. If you just play games to pass the time and see them as nothing more than a distraction, well Red Dead Redemption allows you to be an outlaw in the old west, not to mention the Dead Eye function. How fun is THAT?!

Now that I discussed why the game is good from a gaming perspective I'm gonna talk about why I personally like the game so much. First of all to me a game is nothing without characters. John Marston is an incredibly accessible character. He's a nice guy stuck in a bad situation. All he's trying to do is create a new life for himself and his family, hence "Redemption". It's easy to relate to him and feel sorry for him. It makes you want to keep playing to see how things work out for him. Of course along the way you do learn of his outlaw past and how he used to live, as well as why he left the gang. Now for me some of the best interactions are between John and his son Jack. When you see the two of them speak you can tell that John wants only the best for Jack and that desire is what makes him a good father in my opinion. So yeah, basically John is simply one of the best characters I've seen in quite a while.  He makes Red Dead Redemption more than just your average game.

The second thing about Red Dead Redemption is just how poetic and philosophical it is. I won't spoil anything here (lucky for you  if you haven't played the game, I don't believe in spoilers!) but trust me the whole game just makes you think about what the words redemption, betrayal and what "Outlaws To The End" really means. Not to mention John Marston is a surprisingly deep person. Some of his dialogue is just filled with an insane amount of depth that just makes you think real hard about pretty much everything. If you're like me you'll spend countless hours just reexamining life. Yeah this is what happens to me when a piece of media resonates with my soul lol. Well that's how it impacted me. Especially that ending. Damn that was a good ending. It left a huge impression on me. Yes a video game left a huge impression on me....and that's exactly why it stands as one of my all-time favorite games. In my honest opinion I think the plot of Red Dead Redemption is waaaay better than some of the crap Hollywood has been shitting out in the past few years. Plus it kind of makes my prediction of games being the new (possibly even better) medium for telling stories all the more plausible. So yeah if you haven't played Red Dead Redemption yet.......what the hell is wrong with you?! Go get yourself a copy and play this amazing game! Red Dead Redemption is more than just a game...It's an experience! Now go right now and experience it!

"Outlaws To The End" seemingly shallow words, deceptively deep.

Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law

Have you ever sat back at home and wished for a different kind of comedy show? How about one where an old cartoon icon from the 60's plays a lawyer? How about a comedy that pokes fun at serious topics while at the very same time not taking itself too seriously? Well I think I may have found one for you.

I remember a few years back I was up late and I stumbled upon Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. The show was so damn hilarious I couldn't stop laughing even hours after I had just watched it. This was late night by the way so uhh cue creepy images of me laughing hysterically at 3 AM (Hmm, I wonder if my neighbors heard me. Oh well). It wasn't until years after that night that I actually got the show and began watching it from the beginning. It started off a bit slow but it definitely picks up. Remember everything I said at the start of this post? Well all that stands as an accurate definition of the show. It stars Birdman playing not the role of the hero he once was in the 60's, but as an inept attorney who gets assigned these insanely weird cases which spoofs our own judicial system and in many ways, our very political system. All of the cases have to deal with old Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters. I know it sounds weird, but it just adds to the high amount of creativity this show has. I also see that as an incredibly clever move on the side of the show's creators. Think about it, these cartoon characters were beloved back in the day right? What better way to bring them back to the present day, especially when the ones who watched the old cartoons from the 60's would more than likely be adults now and would require entertainment geared toward them? I dunno maybe I'm over-analyzing this a bit too much but I like to think I made a pretty damn good observation.

One thing I mentioned that the show does extremely well is make light of issues that have occurred (or are still occurring) in our country. Some of the issues satirized are: corporate ownership of media, global warming, lobbying, gun control, women's rights, animal rights, time traveling (in some episodes), and gay marriage. Now what this show does with these topics is very carefully makes fun of while at the same time bringing them to light. The end result is that the episode makes you crack up and then think. That's what I like the most about it. It's something unique to this show, laughing and thinking. Anyway, all that only makes up half of the show. The other half comes in the form of the voice acting. All the characters have fantastic voice actors. My favorite would have to Stephen Colbert who actually voices Birdman's boss, Phil Ken Sebben. The actors all fit the characters perfectly and it gives the impression that they actually enjoy the work and that makes all the difference when it comes to animated shows.

Well if you have never watched the show, I suggest you do so. You won't regret it (at least I hope you don't...I didn't). It has something for everyone, except kids obviously. It's ridiculous and silly, but it's never too silly to the extent where it starts to become annoying. The sole negative is that there are only 39 episodes and they're each about 11 minutes long. It's a damn shame there couldn't be more. But such is the case for such clever television. Oh and for a taste of what to expect from it I have included a picture. Look at it. Thank you for reading this and have a great day!

Can you tell me what the hell is going on here? No? Well go watch episode 14: Back To The Present

Garden State (2004)

It's been quite some time since I reviewed anything, let alone a movie. So what better way to get back into the swing of things then to discuss one of my personal favorites. Garden State, written, directed, and starring Zach Braff (that's pretty damn impressive in my opinion), is essentially a coming of age movie that centers around themes of identity, self discovery, love, friendship, family, the idea of home, loss, and destiny. The film has such strong feelings of humbleness and contains a heartfelt presence emanating. It feels like you're watching something that someone really put their heart into. I think that's what really makes this movie succeed. It doesn't try to be anything more than it is. It has comedic elements to and it has dramatic elements, but no matter what part of the movie you are watching you feel like you are a part of this carefully created world.

I really want a bike like that. Seriously.

The plot centers around Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) returning home for a funeral. It is his first time being home in quite some time. During his stay there He meets a woman named Sam (played by Natalie Portman, yeah I was kind of shocked she was in this movie. I'm not quite sure why.) who ends up playing a massive part in this story. Along the way Andrew discovers what has changed about his friends, his hometown, and begins to make realizations about his family, specifically his father, and living life in general. The bulk of the movie comes in the form of the interactions between Sam and Andrew. The two of them are near opposite personality-wise and they make you, the audience, identify with them. Second to that would be the interactions between Andrew and his father. The tension between the two of them is intense. Throughout the movie I actually felt a bit awkward seeing the two of them speak. It made me feel like I was in the room with them.

That is where Garden State succeeds as a film. I know I keep talking about that it made me feel like I was in their world. Well I'll elaborate on that. The movie contains a bunch of other characters all of them being Andrew's old friends. While they do serve as important to the plot and enhancing the themes I listed before, they also help make the movie into something people can relate to. As I was watching I couldn't help but notice parallels between Andrew's friends and my own. I mean come one we all have that one friend who always puts us in odd situations. But when all is said and done they also give us fantastic stories to tell for years to come. Though I will admit this could be due to the fact that I identified with Andrew quite a bit, which was probably due to Zach Braff's acting as Andrew. Zach Braff does such an excellent job acting that I find myself identifying with quite a few of his roles. I think that can be credited to his charisma. He's just such a likable guy. I can't help BUT like him. Natalie Portman, however, outshines his acting in my opinion. She was spectacular as Sam. Trust me, when you see how quirky Sam is you sort of start to think Natalie herself is just as quirky.

There are reasons why this movie is one of my all-time favorites. The heartfelt presence emanating from it combined with the plot and the themes present in it left me thinking about life. As soon as the end credits started I found myself reexamining  my life and thinking about well everything. In my opinion, if a piece of media makes you think. Then it's a good piece of media and that is something that is somewhat rare in today's world. Most things lack passion and are only done for money. Luckily Garden State is just full of passion and that is what makes the movie stand out. It also has an amazing soundtrack. I read that Zach Braff picked the music. Well he did a damn good job! I get the feeling he and I would have some similar taste. Though I doubt he would like some of the bands I listen to...hmm.

BAM!! See I got him as he's eating

I think I made it clear how awesome this movie is. If I haven't made you want to see it maybe this odd and random piece of trivia will. Do you like Jim Parsons? If you do he has a very small part in this movie. I wont spoil what it is, but trust me its random as hell when you see him. If you don't believe me I have a picture of him just to prove it.

So that's my review of Garden State. Go watch it if you haven't already.  By the way, if you're wondering why this picture is so odd. It's because I have a weird gift for pausing movies at juuust the right time when someone is making a really weird face. Maybe one day I'll share some of the ones I have...hmm maybe. Alright that's all for now. Thank you for reading this and have a great day!

Theodore (Sofia Fasos)

I'll start this off by being completely honest. I don't read much. The most recent book I've read would have to be umm hmm.....You know I can't even remember (Yeah that says a lot about me doesn't it?). Anyway when I do read I try to make a general effort to make sure it's a good book at least.Usually one that is recommended to me by people. So that brings me here with Theodore by Sofia Fasos. Now this book was not recommended to me. In fact it was required reading for a class I'm taking right now. My expectations for it were kind of low I'll admit. I was expecting it to confuse me. Leave me wondering "why the hell was this mandatory reading?". Or something along those lines. But you know what ended up happening? The book left a huge impression on me. Something I was not expecting at all. I found myself intrigued by it. I needed to keep reading to see what would happen next.

In a nutshell the book is great. Definitely one of the most intriguing books I've read in a long time. Now you may be asking yourself "Gee what exactly makes this book so good Phil?" Well, to start off it has a very diverse set of characters. Each one shrouded in their own secrets. Obviously you have a young man named Theodore and the book mostly centers around his life and whats going on with his immediate family. Specifically his mother, Medea. The two of them have such a, let's call it "unique" relationship. Reading to see how the two interact is one of the best things about the book. There are plenty of other characters in the book and it would take me far too long to list each one of them. But in my opinion, what happens with them pales in comparison to the interactions of Theodore and his mother. Of course with such a huge cast of characters it may get just a bit confusing remembering who these people are or who's married to who but by the end of the it you should be more or less familiar with them.

The novel also does a fantastic job of showcasing the Greek culture. I mean you could use it as a window to Greece. From the in depth details of the locales to the explanation of customs and culture. Sofia Fasos really wants the reader to learn about Greece. It carefully and explicitly explains the customs, words, and locales. To be honest I felt like I had just took a trip to Greece, met a disturbed family, lived with them for a brief period of time and left knowing I had a bunch of stories to tell for the years to come. That should illustrate to you how vivid the writing is. The book is very detailed. Especially in the darker parts of the story. Ahh yes. The novel is dark. Very dark. It starts off with a pretty weird and detailed scene that left me wondering if I even bought the right book (and that's all I'm saying about that...).

My favorite aspect of this book ,however, has nothing to do with the characters or anything about the setting. Simply put I love the amount of charm that is present in the book. Sofia Fasos really did a great job with the writing. As I kept reading I noticed that the book itself did not really feel like a book. After a while I felt that the book served as a blueprint to what could possibly be a really interesting movie. (Hopefully an independent movie since well Hollywood is....actually let me not get into that now. I'll rant on for hours...OK back to the review!) In fact it reminded me a lot of Garden State and The Royal Tenenbaums. I first felt that way when i noticed early on in the book that every chapter introduced a new character. This confused me a lot in the beginning. I remember thinking back and saying to myself "Who are these people?! What happened to the people at the end of the last chapter?!" As I read on of course I saw that every chapter could be a transition of scene. That by the middle of the book everyone came together. Like a web, there are many strands in this massive Greek family. So each chapter early on ended up being dedicated to introducing the reader to a different family member and how they impact other main characters.

Within this lovely novel are issues of homosexuality, social identity, and perhaps the most important theme, self. You see Theodore figure who he is and most importantly what he isn't. It's really what makes the novel so interesting. Trying to figure out and guess where Theodore will ultimately end up. There is also murder in the book so really it lends itself to anyone with even a remote interest in books. Hopefully this review made you curious about the book. I can't recommend it enough. I believe there is something here for everyone. It's not a long book either so that's even better! I do have to thank my professor for making this mandatory reading. Otherwise I would have missed out on this gem of a novel. So do yourself a favor and buy yourself a copy. You won't be disappointed. You will also have a deeper appreciation for hamsters. I'm not kidding about that.

It's been a looooong time (so here's some nostalgia)

Geez, the last time I posted anything it was....woaaah back in November. Damn, that's a loong time. Well to be honest, I sort of got overwhelmed towards the end of my semester and I just wanted my vacation to start so that I could try out different things for my reviews. As you can tell, I was unsuccessful. I sort of lost the spark I had when it came to my reviews. In other words, I had a lot on my mind. For one thing, I sort of freaked myself out with the realization that I'm 20 years old and in a few more months, I'll be 21 (I can totally buy booze, hooray). I felt like I was losing my sense of identity. I remember being a kid and playing games. Where did that go? I remember having a blast as a senior in high school and now I'm in my third year of college. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!?. Yeah this is what was going on with me all winter break. However, because of that I discovered just how important memories are and how powerful nostalgia can be. See, no matter how old I get, no matter how scattered or lost I feel, there's one thing that will always calm me down. It's one of my greatest treasures...As a kid I loved this game. It pretty much defined my years before high school. The music, the messages, the characters, they all really impacted me growing up. It was chock full of humor combined with an epic story of a kid saving the world with the help of some truly loyal friends who fought with him through thick and thin.

My greatest treasure. My initials included

OK ok alright....I'm talking about Earthbound for the Super Nintendo. That game amazes me even to this day. It's the one familiar thing I can count on in from my childhood that hasn't changed. It has been and will probably always be my favorite game. Now that doesn't mean I don't like any other games. Quite the contrary, in fact I love me multiple games. Hell if you want, I can go in depth for like 4 hours talking about Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (or "Snack Eater" if you prefer....he does eat a lot in the game after all) and how it's about life and stuff like that. When I got my wisdom teeth removed and I was drugged up on Vicodin, I played Red Dead Redemption somehow and got me the American Standardbred horse....though to be honest I really have no recollection of doing that. My friend had to tell me that I did that because I kept sending weird texts about horses that didn't make ANY sense (it's especially weird when after you run out of Vicodin you turn on the game only to have a black horse run at you and you're like where the hell did this come from?!?!). But I digress, my point here is that although Earthbound is my all time favorite game, I have love for a LOT of games. For example the Mario, Zelda, and Kirby games hold a special place for me because they got me into games. My earliest memories consist of sitting on my mom's lap while she played (or rather TRIED to play) the first Zelda game. She also showed me how to play Mario. But Kirby...that was all mine. I played that game a lot more than the others. I don't really know why. OH WAIT I KNOW!!! It was because of the ball power. I thought it was the coolest thing. ANYWAY Nintendo has made such a huge impact on my life with pretty much anything they have made and continue to make and I'm sure that this is the case for the millions of people who buy their systems and games. For me, when I pop in a Zelda game and hear that all too familiar song of figuring out a puzzle or discovering a hidden chest, I feel my old self laughing and smiling at that. When I play a new Mario game and see Mario himself running and jumping, I feel the same way, as is the same with Kirby ('cept for Epic Yarn....well almost, since the last world is what saved it for me).

The point of this post isn't so much a review as it is a lesson. Don't let life sneak up on you. Don't let time speed on by. Don't walk away from all the things from childhood. Nostalgia is a hell of a thing. It keeps the kid inside of you alive and it helps put things in perspective. It allows one to smile in a truly imperfect and cruel world. I'm sure there's something from your childhood that you miss. Go find it. Take a trip down memory lane. It helps....especially if you're feeling lost and freaked out by the fact that you're suddenly so old.

Seriously I ask "What's my age again?" because surely, I'm not a normal 20 year old....I sound like an old man lol. Welp, I guess it's part of my charm. If you read this whole thing you have my thanks. Now go experience some nostalgia and have a great day/night/afternoon/etc etc and come on by for my next review...which will be.......I don't have a damn clue lol.

Remember when games looked like this?

Ahh Nintendo.....