Video Game Movies: Are They As Bad As People Think?

By lx7384ul • April 24, 2021 Games, Movies

There have been many examples over the years of a film or film franchise based solely on a video game or video game franchise, creating a new story from it or trying to follow the same storyline, if loosely, featured in the games. Usually, studios choose the latter. But some games, like Resident Evil, for instance, have so many diverging and converging storylines that it’s impossible to fit it all into a single film or even a film series, so they created a story inside the same universe with recognizable characters and basically make a fanfiction for money. And overall, the majority of these films, whether they be originals or retellings, are usually poorly received. There are exceptions to this, the latest being Detective Pikachu and the Sonic the Hedgehog film, both of which were released in the last couple of years and received props for keeping some of the whimsy that the games instilled in their players. But what about the rest in the bargain bin? Well, I’m here to look at each of them and determine if the hate is justified. So, here are three major blockbuster video game movies and my reviews for them.

Quick side note, there are movies worse off than the ones I mention on this list, but I have not seen them because I didn’t know some of them even existed. For instance, you could look at the films I chose and say “Well this other movie has 1% on Rotten Tomatoes, these ones have higher ratings.” And while I do look at the ratings for some of these films, I also go to watch them, and I will not watch any movie that has that kind of rating just to determine if it’s bad or not because I already know it is. I also won’t include franchises like Resident Evil on this list, because those movies especially overlap and don’t really get worse or better in my opinion.

1. Mortal Kombat (1995)

If you’re a fan of video games AT ALL you’ve probably heard of the 1995 blockbuster bomb that was Mortal Kombat. Now, this film was infamous for a small budget but large takeaway, making nearly 10 times more than what it spent. However, because of that small budget, we were also greeted with some subpar acting, cheesy fighting sequences, and early CGI that made me gag when I watched it. But I also had to account for the time period. Computer animation EXPLODED in the 1990s and, frankly, this is some of the better 90s animations that I’ve seen in live-action films, even if watching that creature slowly emerge from Scorpian’s hand gave me nightmares after I first saw it.

I also can’t argue that it was enjoyable to watch, I mean compared to the fighting game it was based on, this film actually made an entertaining story out of what was basically nothing but character descriptions, and because there was no congruent story to use with these characters, they had to write one of their own containing some interesting backstories and some bland ones. In particular, I enjoyed how Johnny Cage was seen as a fake fighter throughout the first half simply because he was an actor. There were also plenty of no-names in this film, people who to this day only have this film in their filmography as an acclaimed role, and the only actors I recognized at first were Christopher Lambert who played Raiden, and Kevin Michael Richardson, who was the voice actor for Goro, both of whom I felt did very well in their respective roles.

People disliked this movie for quite a long time, mostly because it simply came before many of the worse off films both on and off of this list, and in recent years it’s seen more acceptance from fans, even if it’s still not a perfect film adaptation. Overall this movie is a cheesy, corny performance of martial arts and magic, but it’s an enjoyable watch and one of the better video game movies that I’ve seen.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking: What about the sequel? A film that was notoriously worse than this one? One that you will find is actually linked to another sequel to yet ANOTHER film on this list? Mortal Kombat: Annihilation falls into that unarguably bad percentile of films that reviewing it would be pointless as there is no possibility of redemption for it, unlike its predecessor.

2. Doom (2005)

As it was with Mortal Kombat, Doom also received its own film adaptation due to its overwhelming popularity. Starring a new to acting Dwane “The Rock” Johnson and Karl Urban, this shared a similar sentiment, at least in my point of view, to that of Mortal Kombat with cheesy acting and fight scenes, an ok story idea, and CGI that has since aged like milk. Though, to be honest, I find this movie much worse off than Mortal Kombat. And you might be thinking: “It has the Rock in it, how could it be bad?” Well, this was a time before the Rock took acting classes. His performance didn’t feel believable at times, and he delivered lines in a very strange, emersion-breaking manner. Not to mention he was the villain in this movie, in the end, how many movies can you say the Rock’s been a bad guy in? Karl Urban plays the Doom Slayer but his name is John Grimm in this, and, as we all know, Doomguy doesn’t have a name! And I get it, it’s a movie, they have to call him something and give him speaking parts, but it was sort of like a Master Chief situation in the games where he was a silent hero with an ominous backstory. I mean the Rock’s character was just named Sarge, and he wasn’t even the protagonist.

The way that this whole movie played out reminded me more of Dead Space than of Doom, I mean Karl Urban’s character had to go save his wife, that’s like one of the main things in the first Dead Space game. Overall this movie feels phoned in and lazy in a bunch of parts with a story that felt less believable than Mortal Kombat’s, but I can appreciate some of the special PRACTICAL effects with some of the monsters that appeared in the film, and even the Rock’s crazy infected/transformation make-up near the end.

Side note, I mentioned Mortal Kombat: Annihilation before saying it would relate to yet another film on this list. This is the one. For you see Doom from 2005 actually has a sequel as well, and an even WORSE one that I want to give a little honorable mention just because of how bad it is.

DOOM: ANNIHILATION, that’s right, it’s got the same name! This film came out in 2019 and follows the Phobos storyline from the games, taking place on Phobos, one of Mars’s moons, and, while it’s not a direct sequel to the first film, is still considered one by me. This movie is bad, it has terrible special effects for the modern era, the cinematography looks like something from a Hallmark soap opera adapted for use in a horror film, the acting is atrocious, this feels like a fan film made by someone on YouTube that Universal Pictures, in their infinite wisdom, decided to slap their name onto, but nope it’s professionally made. And it doesn’t even have Doomguy in it! Don’t see this movie, it is not worth it. It’s confusing, shoddy, and boring, so much worse than the first title. I didn’t include it as a place taker because it was straight to DVD, or in this case straight to Netflix and Amazon because no one knew about or wanted it. I mean only seven real critics decided to review this thing, which is why it has a higher rating critically, but audiences, thank god, put it lower than the first film.

3. Assassin’s Creed (2016)

By far the most disappointing modern Video Game film on this list. I had high HIGH hopes for this film, I love the Assassin’s Creed games and to see them get an adaptation into film, especially starring Michael freaking Fassbender, made me ecstatic beyond belief. The outcome though was a bunch of questions with no answers. This wasn’t based, as far as I can tell, on an existing story within the Assassin’s Creed mythos, but a new one based in the same universe with a similar goal as the games. I can’t deny that it did its job in delivering a singular story as Fassbender’s character becomes more aware of his lineage within the Assassin order, but we didn’t get much else about the world or history surrounding it. Granted the games accomplished most of this already, but I felt an attempt should have been made to try and open the world a bit, go all in considering the vastness of the Assassin’s Creed universe. But they didn’t, and it wasn’t until the end of the film that we saw some semblance of what the world was like and even then we were still left confused.

For the most part, I think the film focused more on the psychological aspects of the Animus, the tool used to tap into ancestral memories. For some reason, it looked completely different than it did in the games, having Fassbender go through the sequences in real-time instead of just tapping into the memory and living it out like a lucid dream. I think this was meant for the audience; to deliver a more entertaining experience, but I feel like they could have stuck to the source material and focused more on OTHER aspects.

Fassbender delivered a solid performance as Aguilar if brief compared to his modern-day character Cal Lynch, and no one will debate that Jeremy Irons delivered the same as the Templar Alan Rikkin, but that cannot make up for an overall boring and confusing film that made any possibility of a sequel dead in the water.

Conclusion

Trying to adapt something so beloved as a book or video game into a film is risky, to say the least. Sometimes filmmakers trip over themselves on a few things, sometimes they deliver something solid, but it seems that with the majority of video game movies they stumble and fall. However, in recent years we’ve seen that they can be done right, and with the upcoming public release of the new Mortal Kombat film, already doing better than its 1995 counterpart, we may see a better era of adaptations, ones done correctly and with the help of those who know more about the games than just the bare minimum.

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Is Solar Opposites a Worse Rick and Morty?

By my0824yv • April 16, 2021 Uncategorized

Streaming exclusives: they’re great when they’re on the platform you have but beyond frustrating when they’re on the one don’t, and with every producer and their brother getting their streaming platform these days that’s becoming more and more common. The big two for exclusives would be Netflix and Hulu, platforms that most of the general population is going to have at least one of, and lucky for us, the show we’re talking about today is available exclusively on Hulu; a gag they run with a lot throughout the show.

So, what’s the deal with Solar Opposites? Odds are if you’ve been scrolling through Hulu you’ve seen the thumbnail pop up from time to time and perhaps have even caught an advertisement for it between watching your favorite shows. If you’re a fan of adult animation, like myself, you’re going to instantly recognize it as being very similar to another famous adult cartoon: Rick and Morty. Well, big surprise, it’s created by Justin Roiland who co-created the hit comedy. The biggest thing people want to know about Solar Opposites is if it’s just a watered-down version of Rick and Morty? Is it just the creator recreating similar success he had on one of his previous shows and now is trying to expand his shows for more revenue? Basically, is it the American Dad/Cleveland Show to Rick and Morty’s Family Guy?

Short answer: No. And yes.

Okay, I know that’s the most annoying and pretentious thing to read a reviewer say but you have to stick with me here because the more I compare the two the trickier it is. Let’s go back to the last example; is it doing the same thing Seth MacFarlane does with his animated comedies and by that I mean is it the same jokes with a different family? I would confidently say no. Everyone has their preference of which Seth MacFarlane they like. You have the classic that started it all: Family Guy. Then there’s a spinoff in the (basically) completely unrelated universe of American Dad which focuses on more family-based comedy over incessant pop culture references, though it doesn’t shy away completely thanks to that damn alien. And then there’s the Cleveland Show, which is Family Guy but black. Sure, the jokes are different but they’re the same formula, that strange and disjointed MacFarlane bit with the constant flashbacks and unrelated jokes that rely less on context and more on brief sketches as filler for their show.

So what’s the style of comedy for Rick and Morty as it pertains to Solar Opposites then? I’m not going to go too deep into the “genius” of Rick and Morty, many egotistical internet blowhards are happy to do that for me but I do enjoy the show. In a nutshell, it’s a multigenerational family sci-fi adventure that focuses on the relationship between a random and chaotic universe where nothing matters and the bonds and responsibilities of family. It’s irreverent and shocking at times but many fans of the show will reference many of the gut-punch moments where the show pumped the brakes on the fart jokes and violent comedy and tried to address some very real and scary issues such as loneliness, depression, and hopelessness. Solar Opposites does not do this. I mean, at all. You’ll find more serious moments in Spongebob Squarepants than you will on Solar Opposites.

The two Justin Roiland shows are very connected in animation and theme: God-like science fiction technology existing in the modern age able to do anything the characters needing it to do and their subsequent troubles stemming from that insane power. But it’s the dynamics and story it’s trying to tell that convince me that this isn’t just a rip-off of the creator’s huge success. For starters, the main characters are all aliens from another world. They exist in this universe among humans after the destruction of their planet and besides a little discrimination, everyone seems to be pretty aloof of the fact that they’re living amongst extraterrestrial life. And before someone with a film degree tells me this could represent the discrimination refugees face every day in America (taken from an actual Reddit comment), it’s not. Don’t even try to make that argument, all you’ll do is ruin a good thing. This isn’t even me trying to keep politics out of cartoons either, deep analysis of this show goes against what it’s trying to be. Let Rick and Morty have the deep existential questions and let Solar Opposites be what it is: a spoof on contemporary humanity.

Seriously, that’s all I can see it being. After watching the first season twice and just finishing the second one I’ve come to the conclusion that this show simply exists to make fun of us and I am absolutely in love with it. It starts right away with the irresponsible Terry, who shirked his scientific responsibilities to fully ingratiate himself with Earth culture by collecting pointless pop culture memorabilia and wearing dorky shirts from famous franchises like Harry Potter or twilight. He is the stand-in for human culture with an outside perspective, we get to see him fall into intense fandom with all of these fads that have passed only a few short years ago and by doing so we see how ridiculous we all looked during them. And it’s a lot of fun. The second main alien, Korvo, brings that same outsider’s perspective to our culture but in a more cynical tone. In fact, at the beginning of every episode after the introduction sequence we hear the main character vent about some facet of human life that seems so strange to him and normal to us – of course with that Justin Roiland shocking twist to it like some of the following:

“…people are stupid! They’re always talking about how they love their family, but they’re never making their family gigantic. They’re all normal-sized! If you like something you should be trying to make it gigantic!”

Or my favorite: “…people are stupid! Everyone claims to like old people, but they’re not fucking them! I fuck old people all the time, they love me!”

The two alien children, or “replicates”, meanwhile have to deal with the turmoil of high school. Something that’s a must for almost every comedy. They wind up with their issues and struggles of fitting in and while Jesse, the sweet young alien girl, tries to solve her issues with compassion and friendship, Yumyulack, the headstrong boy alien, tends to solve his problems using his advanced technology and intellect. Most importantly, he does this by utilizing a “shrink ray” to shrink people down and imprison them in this giant terrarium they keep in their bedroom.

By why are the shrink ray and terrarium so important? Because it brings us back to something similar that Rick and Morty uses; a disconnected in-universe plot with its characters and developments completely unrelated from the main cast. While I said I would argue that Just Roiland doesn’t just recreate the formula for Rick and Morty for another cheap show, he does take parts of it that have been successful and use them here. Notably: the wall.

The wall does the same thing that the “evil Morty” universe does in its namesakes show. Basically, there is a whole series of events going on that don’t concern our main characters, but through the spans of multiple episodes, we get drawn into them almost as little vignettes of these brief and interesting worlds. In Rick and Morty it was the council of Ricks and the citadel and Evil Morty’s brutal take over of the government. In Solar Opposites, the people that Yumyulack has so casually pumped into his terrarium have started a culture and lifestyle of their own to adapt. The show goes deep into the daily life of the people living here: how they adapt to the struggles of being tiny, the government, society, it could be an HBO series on its own if it took itself a little more seriously. I don’t want to go too far into it because I don’t want to spoil anything but it does an interesting thing where it eases the gas on humor just a little bit. It tells a story of control and insurrection, sacrifice, and freedom all in the context of this ridiculous world where people shoot toothpicks as arrows or milk rats for fresh dairy. You become more interested in the main plot and the rules of the wall and don’t find yourself missing the humor as much as you think you would, not to say it’s completely dour and serious but it doesn’t have the irreverent punch that the alien’s storylines do.

What I’m getting at here is Solar Opposites stand on their own legs. Of course, the elements from Rick and Morty are there I mean look at the animation style, it’s the same animators. But so what? Futurama and the Simpsons did it and you can’t tell me those are even close to being the same show. Bobs Burgers and The Great White North also share the same animators and they’re not nearly the same either. So yes, they’re different shows, but they use the same themes and rules of the universe to tell their jokes and make their points. I guess the big question is “If I like Rick and Morty will I like Solar Opposites?” and I would say it depends. What did you like about Rick and Morty? Was it the brutally dark comedy or the aloof nature of the characters in the face of all these dangers and questions? Then yes, you probably will. Did you like Rick and Morty because liking it made you feel smart or you like shows that have an emotional punch and depth to them? Maybe not, though I will say without spoiling that there was a scene from the wall’s storyline that got me very close to tears and I’m man enough to admit it.

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Bomb or Blast: Justice League (Snyder Cut)

By lx7384ul • April 10, 2021 Movies, Uncategorized

In all my years of movie viewing, I have never seen…a four-hour-long movie. I know that a few famous titles like Lord of The Rings and Kill Bill both have extended cuts that reach the four-hour mark, but I simply have had neither the time nor interest to watch either of those. But you also may ask: “Why did you skip over those two critically acclaimed films to watch a movie that wasn’t good, to begin with?” And I would answer: “Because I believe in change!” I believed in it when I went to go see The Rise of Skywalker, even though I was still disappointed, and I believed in it when I watched this. I have a great love for the DC universe and its characters, and giving second chances to movies isn’t exactly a new concept, so the thought that they could give me a good Justice League movie was too good to pass up. Now for a little context. Justice League was a film released originally in 2017 and was co-directed by Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder. The two directors, admittedly, had different artistic views of the finished film, with Joss Whedon’s version ultimately being shipped out to theaters, and was immediately panned by critics, and me because it ruined one of my favorite superheroes. If you can guess which one before I explain it, you win a prize. Anyway, what ruined the movie?

First, Whedon didn’t consider building on the characters and instead focused on the bare minimum, getting through with a couple fight scenes, determining that people would already understand characters right out of the gate, and giving the film a very paltry villain that no one cared for. Second, he also threw completely new actors into roles that were too big for their first big-screen appearances, but we’ll get into that later. Anyway, Whedon’s version was hated by fans of DC and was declared a failure. A couple years pass and eventually rumors circulate about the film’s re-release with the Snyder Cut. No one knew at the time what would be different, but as information kept coming in and getting leaked, fans became all the more excited. Now by this point, Henry Cavil and Ben Affleck had both retired the capes of Superman and Batman as they went on to other things, with much more focus being put on the Aquaman and Shazam! films, but fans still held out hope for the release of a better Justice League film that could utilize these actors better than they had been. And finally, in March of 2021, the Snyder Cut was released on HBO Max. People have since given it positive reviews and even critics put it in the 70s on Rotten Tomatoes.

But what did I think of it? Well, it’s an improvement…in some ways. You have to remember going into this that none of these scenes are new, they had all been shot and made for the movie back in 2017, but half of them never saw the light of day due to time constraints and the opinions of Joss Whedon. So nothing new could be added and they simply worked with what they had, and thankfully there turned out to be a good movie in a few of these scenes because adding them made all the difference. But it still fell short I think, and I’ll tell you why in this next installment of Bomb or Blast. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Film Work

The first version of this film was known to be an eyesore to some fans as the camera angles and cinematography were so inconsistent that it didn’t feel like the same movie at times. They improved this a little in the Snyder cut by giving us better transitions to follow, but the cinematography was still so everywhere. In one of the last scenes of the film, we see an interaction between Batman and the Joker in a post-apocalyptic dream sequence where the camera focuses in and out on the Joker’s face. It was a confusing effect that kind of broke emersion half of the time, and they had some weird close-ups with the Joker’s face as well that had a similar effect. Overall the camera work was good but a little all over the place in some parts of the film.

Next was the special effects. If there was ever a time that I said “Ugh!” out loud, it would be during this film. I disliked the special effects in the first version of the film, and they were not improved very much at all in this version. Cyborg is a prime example of why. I consider him one of my favorite characters in DC, and they ruined his look. His render, the way his body moved, and the way his actual face interacted with the CGI on screen, it just didn’t work. And his body’s design was terrible, it’s so jagged and complex that it’s hard to look at times. I had a friend give me this wonderful comment for his character: “Practical effects would have worked better,” to which I wholeheartedly agreed. It really disappointed me because I thought that they would make him look a bit better than he had in the original, but they didn’t even touch him in that regard except for the mask they gave him for when he flies. And even worse in the last scene we see him in, which is Batman’s apocalyptic dream sequence, he has one of his smaller back arms holding a minigun and it looks so clumsily put together like the arm was just pasted into the image.

Next, there was the most noticeable change. Steppenwolf, the main villain for this film. In the original, he had a rather bland design which was a common suit of armor and a helmet to cover his horns. In this version, they redesigned his figure, making him more monstrous, and gave him an extremely flexible suite of moving armor that was a lot to look at. It was a great improvement from the original, but it also gave me a bit of sensory overload because of all of the moving parts.

Now there was some good CGI in this movie. The completed form of Darkseid was incredible, I absolutely loved how he looked and I thought they nailed the design for Martian Manhunter who was only in the film for a few brief scenes, but the fact that he was there at all made it all the better. They replaced the scene of Steppenwolf taking Earth with Darkseid doing the same, making the scene all the more intriguing with closer visuals and a better storyline.

Overall the CGI in this movie was lax, with very noticeable flaws and errors, but there was enough good to make up for the bad in the end. But decent CGI isn’t the only thing that’s needed for the improvement of a film

Story

Next to Steppenwolf’s redesign, the story was the most notable change throughout the film. Originally, the film was centered around Steppenwolf attempting to take back Earth and the mother boxes after he failed to destroy the planet millennia prior to the Justice League’s existence. It also very loosely covered the backstories of each hero in the league, but not enough to make us care about any of them other than perhaps Superman or Wonder Woman. In a lot of ways, the 2017 version of the story felt bland and phoned in, and, again, only covering the bare minimum.

Now the 2021 version of the story is much more interesting. Instead of focusing entirely on Steppenwolf, they give plenty of scenes to the main villain of DC, Darkseid who made his first live-action debut in the film. They replaced Steppenwolf’s failed attempt at Earth with Darkseid’s failed attempt, switching him out for his relatively boring subordinate in the flashback. They also mentioned the Anti-Life Equation, which is Darkseid’s main goal in the comics, using it to condemn every planet he comes across and control everything through anti-life. So the main objective of the film was morphed to fit this and it made much more sense.

Next, there was the addition of several character backstories. In the original film, we got a single glimpse of the lives of The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman. However, in the 2021 version, we get a bit more background on them as people to show their humanity, their relatability, and their flaws, which the original did rather poorly. They showed their ties with their family, their day-to-day lives living with their abilities, how they seem more like outcasts. This made me more enthused and engaged with the film, so I’d say this was a major improvement from Whedon’s take on the characters. They also added Martian Manhunter as an observatory character which I thought was less than he should have been, but I can see how working him in would be a difficult thing to do.

The only downside to the story is that there is far more exposition than I thought was necessary; single scenes without dialogue or action that dragged on for longer than they should have. Adding backstory to characters is good, but extending certain scenes that are unnecessary to the story seems like a waste of time, though I understand this is the uncut version.

So overall, the additions and replacements made to the story improved the film, even if some parts felt longer than others.

Acting

Most of the main cast has plenty of acting experience and impressive filmographies and most of them played their parts with gusto. My personal favorite performances were by Henry Cavill and Gal Gadoe as they both fell into their characters beautifully. Steppenwolf’s voice was drastically improved in the 2021 version, still very well done. The only performance I disliked was was Ray Fisher as Cyborg. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not a bad actor, I just feel like he doesn’t exactly click with the role. He had some good moments, but at times his acting felt bland and monotone. Jason Momoa was kind of the same at times, but I felt his performance was better delivered so it made up for it. This was also Fisher’s first major on-screen role according to his filmography so that was also a bit of a red flag. Perhaps I’m being biased, after all, I grew up watching Teen Titans, the show that put Cyborg out there, to begin with, and perhaps I have a set appearance and behavior for that character. However, I can’t help but wonder what a recast would look like with someone a bit more experienced. Michael B. Jordan, even after his less-than-great run-in with superhero movies, would be a much better choice, again in my opinion. Although, I admit that Jason Momoa did poorly in the 2017 version. In his own film, he improved by quite a bit. Perhaps Ray Fisher will change in a similar way when the Cyborg movie comes out in 2022.

Bonus: Audience Approval.

Now audiences have a hard time saying no when it comes to superhero movies. The 2017 version of this film divided fans, much the same as it did with Star Wars: The Last Jedi where half loved it and the other despised it. Don’t let the audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes fool you too much is all I’m saying. In the 2021 version, I found that many DC fans like myself immensely enjoyed the film with how it improved. I was worried about it a bit because if fans don’t like it they’ll let you know. I remember being told by a friend of mine who was a DC nut that the Snyder Cut would pave the way for future DC/Justice League films, and after watching the film itself I may have to agree, especially since critics love it as much as audiences do.

Conclusion

Overall, even with its staggering length, noticeable flaws, and some sub-par acting, this film is one of the best DC movies I’ve seen. The way they brought out the characters, the stronger story, the way they redesigned an awful villain into a cool one, and the addition to a possible sequel in the works all make this movie a blast for those who watch it, and it brings hope that there will be more to DC than just animation.

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Should You Buy: Mansions of Madness?

By my0824yv • April 2, 2021 Uncategorized

Horrifying eldritch monsters, creepy and iconic locations straight out of 1920’s New England, and a plethora of items, weapons, and spells to defend not only your physical well-being and health but your sanity as well. All of these and more are something you can expect after you pick up the box set of Mansions of Madness vol. 2. Inspired by the Lovecraftian lore, specifically the Cthulu mythos, Mansions of Madness is a recent entry into the Arkham Horror franchise by fantasy flight games. Is it right for you? Is it the type of game that might be next for your upcoming board game night? Read on ahead and decide for yourself!

To address the last question posed: is it a game that your friends and family would enjoy on your next board game night? The first thing to consider is how long you have. The scenarios that come on the required free app have adjusted time frames for how long an expected game could last based on the depth and complexity of each mission. The first “introductory” scenario, which takes the player into a mansion to attempt to put a halt to a summoning ritual that would invite terrifying and powerful cosmic beings into our world, can take up to 2 hours, and you should give yourself some extra time just in case. That first scenario is the shortest duration so that should give you a sense of just how long the game can last. The last scenario in the free app suggests that it can take up to five hours, which might seem like a lot because, well, it is. The scenario I mentioned before takes the investigators to the hostile town of Innsmouth where a transformation is taking place to sink the city. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy the game so much, but it took about three and a half hours and time flew by.

The length of the game may put some people off, as well as the plethora of cards, tokens, and sheets that are included with the game. Looking at the components and giving the rulebook a once-over can seem daunting, but give the game one player whose familiar with the rules and has played before and you’ll have people understanding the concept and game in no time flat. Suggesting that you have someone who played the game before in a guide to help you figure out if you should buy it in the first place might seem a bit of a paradox but one of the great things about this particular set is that it’s possible to be played single player. Of course, people don’t typically get board games to play them solo, and the game is absolutely more fun with friends, but having a set of rules that allows a person to go into the game and figure things out for themselves before inviting friends and helping them along as the game plays. The thing that seems to daunt people so much are the number and stat systems, many people see all these different numbers and think the game is going to require some kind of complex crunching and memorizing when in reality all the numbers indicate is the number of dice rolled on the test in question. That’s kind of the overarching thing of the game; seems complex, really isn’t.

The game has one of my favorite techniques for looking up rules that board games can do: a separate rulebook of alphabetized terms for quick reference. This helps the game run smoothly and easily and negates the searching and flipping through the entire rulebook to find one specific entry. Enough about the rules, let’s get into how the game runs. You might remember earlier that I mentioned a “Free App” that’s required to play the game. The app runs simultaneously with your game, and updates along with the board – controlling the events and developments as a sort of “virtual dungeon master”. This is what allows the game to be played single-player and how it functions as a cooperative game. For me, that’s why this game is so unique. Of course, there’s plenty of cooperative board games but the use of an external app delivering flavor text and updates creates a nice level of immersion and flow. I could see how some people may not like the idea of having to have an app that’s crucial for the game to be played, though it’s worth noting the app doesn’t need a wifi connection which won’t leave you stranded without a connection or burn through all your data. It’s even better when you have a smart tv or some kind of casting device so you can pull it up on the living room television for everyone to see.

The game operates in two phases: the investigator phase, where the players conduct their investigations and take whatever actions they need to and the mythos phase: where the game progresses and develops the story as well as controlling the NPC’s and the environment around the game. The modular game updates slightly differently each time the scenario is played to keep it from becoming stale and predictable, but for the most part, the game boards are similar and only diverge in a few rooms or locations. As the game goes on the players have to protect their health and sanity, but an interesting wrinkle comes in that keeps the game interesting and bold comes from the player gaining a detriment whenever their health reaches a certain threshold. For the player’s physical health these are pretty straightforward: the player loses the ability to run as far, their melee stats go down, etc. But the game becomes fascinating when a player becomes insane. With this little twist, the player’s investigator takes on a secret quirk or objective. Something that they keep to themselves at the help or detriment of the others. It’s a fascinating mechanic that helps to build mistrust and tension as the game goes on. Some of these effects are strange but don’t hurt the other players too much like the player not being able to talk and only communicating with gestures and grunts. Or it could be something brutal like the player secretly wants to set every room on fire or possibly even have one of the investigators perish in it.

So is this game right for you? Depends on your group. Do you have a long time to sit down and engage with the game? Do the people you play with like getting involved in a rich world and work together to survive the otherworldly terrors stretching out from beyond the infinite abyss of blackness and time? If you’re looking for something quick and straightforward like Catan or monopoly, this game probably won’t be a hit. Perhaps you’re interested in painting and collecting models? The game comes with a large number of plastic figurines detailed enough to point easily enough which can be a fun way to showcase your painting skills to friends and family. The game is a bit of an investment, averaging about $80-$90, but with the time it takes to play and the depth involved in the game you will get your money’s worth out of Mansions of Madness.

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Bomb or Blast: Raya and The Last Dragon

By lx7384ul • March 26, 2021 Movies

“Disney did good this time.” These were the words out of the mouth of a friend of mine who accompanied me to our local theater a couple weeks ago where we saw Raya and The Last Dragon, a Disney-Pixar film directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada and stars Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina. This film was an important moment for two reasons. 1. This was the first Disney-Pixar movie released in 2021. 2. This was my first visit to a movie theater in a YEAR. I love movies, I love watching movies in movie theaters, I like the surround sound, the giant screen, the sometimes overpriced popcorn, soda, and candy; and sometimes I like other people being there with me to share my reaction to the film. And I can safely say that it was all that I remembered, except the popcorn came in a plastic bag for some reason. But was the film worthy of my first visit to a theater since Covid hit? Yes, and this comes from a guy who did almost no research on the film or the adorable dancing short that accompanied it.

I usually don’t read into movies before seeing them, but sometimes I’ll read reviews before seeing movies if I’m not sure about them. And animated Disney films, for the most part, require no looking into, and thankfully I was relieved to learn that Disney still knew how to make good ones. Now I make fun of Disney for several things, crappy live-action remakes, ruining Star Wars, etc, but with animated films from them and Pixar, you honestly can’t go wrong. So when I walked into Raya and The Last Dragon, I was not pleasantly surprised that it was good, in fact, I had a similar reaction that I had when I watched other animated films: It’s good, I liked it, but it’s not perfect. No film certainly is perfect, there are always a few flaws, but some are more noticeable than others, and this one has kind of a big one.

But anyway, this is part of a new series called Bomb or Blast, where I’ll review a single film or video game based on three criteria: Film work (Animation, graphics, Cinematography, Editing, etc), Story, and Acting/Voice Acting. I know I’m not the first to do a series like this, either on blogs or on social media, but I feel that my opinion is as valid as everyone else’s. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD. So let’s start with Film Work.

Film Work

I love everything about the animation and editing in this movie. This is something that Disney-Pixar is famous for and it only gets better with each passing year. The concept art for it alone looks astounding, but to see it come to life in that same breathtaking way is, well, breathtaking. The way the different parts of the world look so completely different, from the ice forests of Spine to the terrifying deserts of Tail, it shows just how different the world really is. The animated people weren’t all completely flawless in the film, which is a good thing. Disney-Pixar films sometimes showed true escapism with physically flawless characters, like in the 2016 film Moana where everyone looked absolutely immaculate.

This isn’t a bad thing, not for Moana at least, but for a film like Raya that focuses on humanities imperfections, you need to actually show those imperfections and they did with a few key characters like Tong, a protagonist in the film that looks like a softer version of the antagonist from Disney’s Mulan (1998), Shan Yu. Also, the Druun, the killer clouds of negative human emotions and qualities that turn people to stone, are layers upon layers of unstable, chaotic animation that’s even more impressive. I feel like the editing was top-notch as well, with very fluid segways between scenes that didn’t feel out of place in any way. But again, this is to be expected from companies as famous as Disney and Pixar with their animated films.

Story

The story was solid, if predictable, and formulaic…but it was also the movie’s greatest weakness. To summarize, Raya, daughter of Chief Benja of Heart, one of the five Chiefs, sets out on a quest to find the last dragon named Sisu so they can reunite pieces of a magic orb to banish an evil force known as the Druun, and reunite the five tribes of Heart, Talon, Fang, Spine, and Tail after centuries of war and infighting. The movie has a strong message of needing unification and trust in a world that is void of it; one would say a little too strong, though. Now I understand that this movie is primarily for kids, some of whom may not understand subtle messages and must be told at least a couple of times the main point of the film. But even with that, they did it far too often. Heck, they smacked you in the face with that message every time a trailer popped up on tv, youtube, etc. That’s one of the few things that I dislike about this film. Now a message of unification, especially in the current world climate, is certainly justified and very necessary, but I also feel that a little bit more subtlety could have been used to reinforce it, maybe not saying “The world is broken” as much as Raya did.

I also say the story is formulaic because it’s not too far off the beaten path of other Disney-Pixar movies. Going back to Moana, I got some serious similarities from that: Girl has a glowing rock that everyone else wants, she must protect it while bringing back an ancient, god-like being to save a world that seems to be stuck in a complacent existence while it is slowly being destroyed. The only key difference between those films is the message. Moana’s is Change. Stop being complacent while our world is dying, reach outside your comfort zone, that kind of thing. Raya’s is basically “forgive and forget” by the end of the film. I want to stress again that I liked the story, I didn’t find it stressed or convoluted, but all and all the message of the film was stressed just a little too much.

Voice Acting

The voice acting was great for the most part, very well performed. What delighted me about this film was that the majority of roles were played by Asian actors in a world where everyone is of Asian ethnicity, all except for Alan Tudyk who did the noises for Tuk Tuk, Raya’s giant Hamster/Armadillo. As I said in the beginning, Kelly Marie Tran stars in the film as Raya, which I’m also glad for. This actress has had a rough few years due to the hate received by Star Wars fans after her big role in The Last Jedi as Rose Tico, so it’s good that Disney didn’t throw her under the bus. Other actors, besides her and Alan Tudyk, include singer-songwriter Awkwafina as Sisu, The Last Dragon, Gemma Chan as Namaari, who was my favorite character, and Benedict Wong as Tong.

The only performance that I disliked was Benedict Wong’s voice acting, at least in the beginning. Now I love Benedict Wong as a live-action actor, but this was not his best work. When the character was introduced, his voice was nothing like Ben Wong’s real voice. It sounded rough and scratchy, which was consistent, but it felt like Wong didn’t know quite what he wanted the character to sound like, like he didn’t have the voice on lockdown; he didn’t know whether he should be chipper, depressed, crazy, etc. Later on, they locked on to a consistent voice and emotions for the character, but it broke the immersion of the film in that one beginning scene for me.

Conclusion

Overall I’d say this movie was a well-calculated but predictable blast in theaters with an entertaining story, beautiful visuals, and interesting characters, something that is well expected of Disney. However, I don’t think it’s the movie everyone was expecting, a little weaker perhaps, but in no way a disappointment for audiences.

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Tabletop Gaming in the Digital Age

By my0824yv • March 19, 2021 Games

Gaming has come a far way. Normally, when people make that claim it’s usually accompanied by a side-by-side graphical comparison or reference to map size. What I’m talking about, however, involves the good old-fashioned pen and paper RPG. It’s strange to think of innovation with a type of game that relies on something so basic: pen, paper, math, dice, and whatever props you and your table deem necessary. The only innovations that came to mind were updates in rules/gameplay through the release of new games or editions. Then I realized, the internet is a thing! I’ve made a lot of like-minded nerd friends who’ve enjoyed tabletop gaming and as life goes on we find ourselves scattered across the country, but thanks to the previously mentioned internet we’ve been able to still find ways to play our favorite tabletop RPG’s no matter where we are. I’ve used a few different programs and applications and have learned some of the pros and cons of each. To use a cliché that we’re all tired of; this year has been different and some people are still a little uncomfortable with interacting face to face with a group of people. Others may not want to wear a mask during their weekly table sessions (which is understandable unless you’re role-playing a character that wears a mask I suppose) and some people might just be too far away from their friends to keep playing. If you’re trying to get into the world of online tabletop RPGs, here are a few ways to do it and some information to help you determine which one is right for you.

Tabletop Simulator

My first foray into online DM’ing. Tabletop Simulator, available on Steam, is a virtual space for you and your friends to do any kind of table gaming you can think of. From chess to poker to monopoly, Tabletop Sim has you covered. A friend and I have even used it to play games of Warhammer 40,000 remotely which is an absolute dream come true for me, not only because I get to stay in touch with my friend, but also because it saves me thousands of dollars on little plastic figurines.

The great thing about TTS is its versatility and depth. The game (though game might be a bit of a stretch as it’s more of an application) offers a lot of components built right into the file such as dice and little figurines but it’s the modding community that gives you all the tools you could want. There are thousands of assets, for free, in the steam workshop that any DM would die to have in their house. From mats and maps to character tokens and special dice Tabletop Sim gives you the chance to build your game exactly how you want to do it; a lot of bang for your buck at $20.00 as of this writing. IF you’re fortunate enough to have a VR headset and compatible system, TTS also gives you the option to slap that bad boy on and get even more immersed with the table, literally navigating yourself through virtual space. Though there are some assets for character sheets, one of the issues I’ve had comes from keeping and maintaining the character and stat sheets in-game. We used physical ones that we kept on our person as a workaround for that but it can be a touch frustrating to not be able to see and interact with each other’s stats.

Why you should get Tabletop Simulator: You’re someone who wants a lot of depth and a lot of variety. You appreciate the 3D playing field and the freedom to run your game however you see fit. You enjoy mods and all the craziness people can come up with and want to see it in your campaign. You and your group all have working PCs, a steam account, and $20.00.

Roll20

One of the more popular TTRPG sites out there, Roll20 is often the go-to for remote gaming. With tons of built-in assets and features, there’s a lot you can utilize to make your game work. From dice to character sheets for a huge variety of games, Roll20 has earned its reputation as a solid and reliable platform to launch your adventures from. One of the bigger draws is that it can be played for free, with optional premium subscriptions available monthly for $4.16/month or the super-premium version for $8.33/month unlocking more features and tools for DM’s and players alike. If you’ve ever watched a DnD video on YouTube, or any other related game, there’s a very good chance that the people were using Roll20.

Another feature that Roll20 boasts is its large community of players. Always wanted to play DnD but can’t find a group? Maybe there’s that new TTRPG that you’ve always been curious about but are wary to spend the money on the books? Roll20 has you covered with huge lists of players with games open to the public. Just check the prerequisites, request to join the game, and hopefully next thing you know you’ll be in a brand new game with a group of new friends!

A hiccup I’ve run into trying to utilize this site is it can be a bit daunting. It’s not the most user-friendly site to use and if you’re anything like me you’re probably going to be watching a few YouTube videos that break it down, which is helpful if you’re having a hard time making heads or tails of the included tutorial. Like Tabletop Simulator, Roll20 gives you a plethora of options for customization, including many built-in assets such as maps or character tokens to help build your world; though if you want to really flesh out your campaign you’re probably going to have to hand over a little bit of that hard-earned money for the premium subscription.

Why you should use Roll20: You want a free website that you can get you and all your friends on to start gaming. You have the time to figure out how it works and enjoy the built-in communication settings instead of having to rely on third-party programs like discord or Teamspeak. Perhaps you’re unable to find a group to play your fantasy games and want to meet up with new people and make different connections as well as broadening your horizons.

Fantasy Grounds

First things first: if you are going to get this program don’t make the mistake I did. You want fantasy grounds unity, not just fantasy grounds. Thank God for steam refunds. That being said let’s move on. Fantasy Grounds is the only entry on this list that can boast its official status as being partnered with Dungeons and Dragons and when you look at the program it shows. Just because it’s official for one game doesn’t mean it’s restricted to that, however, and exists with the same idea of being a virtual space for any tabletop game. It comes preloaded with a huge amount of content for specific games that are meant to make prepping much more of a breeze than in the conventional way.

Fantasy Grounds also works as a “DM hub”, so even if you’re still able to meet in person it’s still useful as a way to compile all your information and keep the game running seamlessly instead of having to shuffle through a mess of papers and disjointed files while your party eagerly awaits to find out whether or not the room was booby-trapped. I can’t help but feel like the interface is a little dated, however. Some of the files and the way things are constructed come off as rudimentary and just give me the feeling that this is an older type of program that really should have a new coat of polish on it by now. To be fair, the unity version did address a lot of these concerns and it looks much better now but it still comes off as confusing and awkward at times. The other issue is the price.

You’re getting what you pay for with the preloaded assets and sheets but at a whopping $40.00 it’s going to be difficult to convince everyone in your party to grab it unless you’re playing with some serious gamers. At that price point, it seems like it would work better as a DM’s assistant for in-person games, and although that’s not the point of this list it’s worth noting that we won’t be separated forever.

Why you should use Fantasy Grounds: You love Dungeons and Dragons and have the coin and time to understand the interface. You want to flesh out a campaign and go deep into all the features that are available in TTRPG. You like to run the games and want to have a competent and organized way of keeping the game running and you plan on playing games in person.

Whatever program you use, just make sure you’re having fun using it! Things kind of suck right now, but if we look on the bright side we’ll see that we have all these awesome ways to stay in touch with our friends and keep the fun alive. There’s a huge community for support with virtual tabletop gaming and whatever issue you may run into there are probably a hundred youtube videos or articles explaining how to work around it, so don’t get discouraged! So give your friends a text, throw them the information on where/how/when to play, and go on an adventure already!

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Bioware: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

By lx7384ul • March 5, 2021 Games

Since 1995, Bioware has been creating games that have cemented themselves in history as some of the greatest titles ever made. Games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, and both the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series’. However, the studio has run into a rough patch, or rather a rough mile. In the last decade, the company has seen a bit of a decline due to underwhelming and overall bad titles. Three games, in particular, seem to be the source of this, each of them ranging in quality and each of them disappointing in some way to consumers. In my personal opinion, having played all two out of three of these games, I feel that some were given too much hate a little too soon and that fans expected a well-known, well-reputed company like Bioware to make polished masterpieces. I want to be clear and state that it is usually not entirely Bioware’s fault for their games being faulty when they are, but we’ll get into that soon enough. Without further ado, here are the three games that are responsible for Bioware’s decline, whether you like them or not.

The Good – Dragon Age: Inquisition

Many fans, including myself, will say that out of the last three major titles released by Bioware, Dragon Age: Inquisition is the best on the list. With an excellent cast of actors, both new and returning, with well-written characters to boot. But why did I put this on the “Bioware’s decline” list? Well, because it’s not the best game they’ve ever made. And that’s all. Granted this is one of my personal favorite games, I’ve played it through three times, but my reasoning for putting it on this list is simply because, as much as I liked it, it left some fans underwhelmed. Now years before, 2011 specifically, was a big moment for Bioware after the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, a game that MSNBC declared best MMO of the year.

Then in 2012, Mass Effect 3 was released and deemed good but not quite as good as the second installment. Then, in 2014, Inquisition was released to the public with a similar reaction. Now you could argue that Mass Effect 3 was the start of the decline, but really it was only thought of like a hiccup, a suitable ending but not necessarily a strong one. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a realization that, while Bioware was still doing well, they were starting to stall, showing that their creative talents may have reached their limit.

There’s nothing wrong with the game, heck fans agree it’s not even the worst of the three Dragon Age games, but it still wasn’t the improvement from the second title they had hoped for. It had a few unfixable glitches that, while harmless, broke the immersion of the game. There were also LONG loading screens, sometimes up to two minutes just to get to a single cut scene. And finally, and probably most importantly, the combat was very unappealing. Hits didn’t seem to register at times and some heavy attacks would make the animation skip, so NPCs would immediately end up on the ground instead of falling back like an actual person would. The game makes up for this in its story and characters; honestly, I like the characters in this game more than any other game I’ve played. So overall it’s good, but it’s still technically at fault in my opinion.

The Bad – Anthem

Bet everyone saw this coming right? I’ll admit right away, I haven’t played this game. Nor do I want to, nor do I have to play it to understand how much of a monumental flop it is. Considered the absolute worst game made by Bioware, Anthem is an unfinished sci-fi game released in 2019 where you fly around in a jetpack with a cool suit of armor and fight beasts on a jungle world. That’s pretty much it. But the game itself isn’t what fans initially dislike/hate, no, they hate that EA pushed it out into the public far too quickly. Bioware wanted to wait and finish the game properly, but EA, desperate to improve their image due to so many red flags pointed out by fans, hit the big red launch button and sent the Iron Man knock-off off to the races.

Once they had, people immediately panned it on all social media platforms, saying that the game was a massive disappointment due to all the hype and barely any content. All bark and no bite, if you will. So what’s being done to fix this? Surely Bioware and EA would want to fix their blunder, right? Not anymore. As of late February of 2021, EA and Bioware announced they were “ceasing production” on Anthem to focus on other projects, which we’ll also get to later. So after making millions in profits, EA and Bioware both have shut down development on a game people paid $60.00+ for, and rightfully expected them to fix. Personally, I think this game probably could have turned out right if EA didn’t push for its release so quickly like it did with our next title.

The Ugly – Mass Effect: Andromeda

I’ve heard many quotes from friends about this game; “Dead on arrival,” or “Unfinished” and “Sloppy,” and none of them is incorrect. In 2017, with fans overjoyed that Mass Effect was seeing a revival, EA and Bioware released Mass Effect: Andromeda to the public, a stand-alone game outside of the main trilogy. However, and this was only the start of EA’s blunders, they released it too early. Because of this, it was drawn and quartered by fans, as the game was so glitchy at launch that it was hard to play at times. I personally arrived after the game was patched, so I have no real knowledge of the glitches other than what I’ve seen and heard from friends, and of course the various memes about Peebee, an Asari companion in the game. Outside of that though, I really enjoyed playing this game. The bugs I did notice were small and didn’t hurt the game in any way, and the character models for the main characters that you constantly interacted with were good as well. I also liked a few of the characters, though most of them were admittedly stale.

So it’s fixed, right? I like it, so why did I name this ugly? Because there was a lot of ugliness to get to where it is now, fans blacklisting the game, terrible bugs and character models in the beginning, and ultimately the truth that the game will most likely not see a sequel, at least not in the near future, since it was left on a cliff hanger. There are two reasons for this: 1. The game was so poorly received that it’s going to take years for fans to trust a sequel. 2. Bioware is focused completely on reviving the milky way based games, with a legendary edition of the trilogy set to be released this year, and a sequel game to that in the works, so attention will be as far away from Andromeda as we actually are. So overall, with a crashing start and a few scars, Mass Effect: Andromeda is ugly but functional as a game, though there’s not much more I can say about it.

Conclusion

Bioware has been given a bad rep, and EA was the one to blame for it ultimately, pushing games too early and hurting both of their images, and some fans might say that it’s a bit of a copout relying on their established Mass Effect games, albeit 4K Ultra-HD enhanced and remastered versions of those games, while they work on their other projects. I think the games deserve a remaster to keep up with the times, but because of the timing, especially with the fresh news that they’re scrapping Anthem, it makes them look all the more suspicious. I’m hoping that the next full game that they release, which is set to be Dragon Age 4, will quell some of the justified anger brought on by years of cutting corners, but in the meantime, Bioware will have to deal with the fact that the only thing helping their image is rehashing.

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Valheim: Early Access Done Right

By my0824yv • February 26, 2021 Games

It seemed that for the longest time, we were trapped in “early-access” hell. Copy and pasted titles were dropping almost weekly all promising the same kind of experience: an open-world crafting/survival experience with friends. The concepts were intriguing and gameplay footage would get enough people interested in perhaps throwing it on their wish lists or perhaps even risking it and purchasing the game outright. But there was always one little tag on its Steam page, one little category that all of them had belonged to. Early access.

Early access is a great concept. It gives us the chance to support and feed creators for the promise of something better tomorrow while we pay less today. It’s not a hard concept to get your head around and in the right circumstances, it’s even a pretty good deal. But then, after a while, it felt like they were just getting worse. They were coming out with less and less polish, horribly broken and unplayable with delayed and stagnant updates and patches. There’s a game-breaking glitch that causes your character to get constantly trapped between two trees and somehow take fall damage until they die? Don’t worry player, we hear you and we’re happy to announce that our next patch will finally improve the lighting inside the tavern!

They’re not supposed to be finished when they’re made available to the public, but you should be able to play them, and by play them I mean sink some serious time in, not play for three hours and think “Yeah there’s not much to do now but it could be cool someday.” My advice: if you come away from a game and that’s your first thought, request a refund. They don’t usually get to that level and you’ll have just another program taking up space in your Steam library that you never touch.

All of this is why I’m not sure why I’ve been loving Valheim so much. Is it because I’ve slowly become so disillusioned with the survival/crafting genre and broken early access snoozefests that I’ve needed something resembling an interesting experience like a dying man needs water? Or is it just because the game is really good? My first steps in the world were filled with the same amount of trepidation I always feel when booting up a new game of this genre. As I picked up rocks and sticks and got into a couple of fistfights with boars, the whole time one nagging question stuck at the back of my mind, “At what point am I going to get bored with this game?”.

It’s a valid question, and it happens with every game we play sooner or later. The big question is will it be in four hours or forty? As of writing this I’m thirty hours in and have no intention of stopping, in fact, I probably would have had this written and a lot more work is done already had I not got into this game. Suffice to say my fears of getting bored of the game are no longer a concern.

Everyone is talking about this game at present, and for good reason. I’m going to offer some advice that I usually stay away from: the best time to get this game is right now. I like to tell people to wait on certain things if they’re unsure, I mean it’s a digital file for a game it’s not going anywhere and it can only get better over time, right? Well, yeah actually. The developers have released the 2021 roadmap and these updates and events truly are going to be game-changing. With the massive success of the game, there’s no reason these patches shouldn’t be released on time and complete. The reason you should get it now is that I really feel like we’re at the beginning of one of those great games that are going to stick around for a long while. The type of game that someday people will be nervous to get into because it’s been out for so long they would feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of different things to do and experience (which is the reason I still have yet to play Rust, and after this game, I may never attempt to). Getting in on a great game at the beginning is exciting and doesn’t happen often but this one is easy to get in on because it’s inexpensive ($20.00 as of this writing), it works, and it’s fun.

First off, who doesn’t like Vikings? Vikings are cool, they’ve got awesome beards and badass lore that works perfectly for video games. The setting takes place in the 10^th realm, a kind of purgatory between Earth and Valhalla and your character has to prove their worth to enter Viking heaven by slaying a number of champions in Valheim. That’s it, that’s the plot. A bird takes you to this strange new world, plops you down, gives you a few tutorial hints, and pretty much slaps you on the ass, and tells you to get to killing. Anything you want to discover in the story you have to do so yourself; reading rune stones, listening to the crow, etc. It doesn’t shove story and exposition down your throat which makes you want to learn it yourself. In a game about Vikings, it’s pretty subtle with the whole Norse thing unlike the recently released Assassins Creed: Valhalla which portrayed Vikings as these ridiculous caricature buffoons who can’t go five seconds without mentioning Odin or Thor and have visions for breakfast.

I’ve always loved the Viking aesthetic which is another hook into why I’m so obsessed with the game. One of the first things you’ll notice when logging into the game for the first time is that the graphics are a little…pixelated. It’s kind of a shock at first but once you get into the game and begin playing you start to appreciate the unique and stylized look of the game. The beautiful lighting and weather effects add fantastical whimsy to the experience and I don’t think I’ll ever forget looking up into the night sky for the first time. I’ll let you experience it for yourself. The stylized method of graphics accomplishes two things: Firstly, it helped the developers create the game faster and with fewer issues, helping them focus on gameplay and creating a working product. Second, they’ll keep the game from looking out of date for a long time. No one complains about Minecraft graphics because the game was made with a specific style in mind and it works for what it’s trying to accomplish.

The most difficult part for me has been avoiding news and screenshots from the game. It’s always a good feeling to discover something for yourself in a game but so many of these crafting games have me getting instantly frustrated and just minimizing the game, opening google and having someone tell me what to do. Valheim makes you want to do it for yourself because when you do it is just so, so satisfying. Aside from the clips they play on their store page, I haven’t seen any of the upcoming locations or enemies and I don’t want to. The panic and excitement that comes from facing a brand new enemy, not knowing what its capabilities are or what it’s going to do to you, it’s how these games are meant to feel.

The game feels totally organic. No scripts, no railroading, nothing. It gives you a goal to work towards but you do with it what you will. You want to work on finding dungeons and fighting trolls and skeletons? Go for it. Want to kick back and build a gigantic mead hall instead? Sounds fun to me. Setting out to an unknown location comes with such a swell of the excitement of not knowing what you’re going to find. The first time we set sail across the ocean might be one of my favorite gaming memories just for how everything happened and how unprepared I was for it. (If you want to follow my method of avoiding “spoiling” the game I’d suggest you skip this paragraph).

The sun was rising over Valheim. I’d finally gotten my three fellow adventurers filled up on food, gear, and to the ship (which is an accomplishment of its own if you know the people I play with. Think “herding cats”). After setting out onto the ocean, congratulating ourselves on finally building a ship and taking to the sea like real Vikings, something troubling was occurring. Off the front of a ship, a giant toothy head emerged from the water, roaring, and hissing at the ship with its lashing tongue. Maybe we expected something to happen but a sea serpent? Just outside the starting area? That we were not ready for. We sailed the ship as fast as it would go, avoiding its bite as best we could while the rest of us feebly flung arrows as it chased us. We managed to avoid sinking, but just barely when we realized we needed to land somewhere to make repairs to the ship. Just ahead, a small island floated in the middle of the water. It wasn’t a base destination by any means but it would do. When we landed on it, we noticed strange barnacles on the island. In Valheim, whenever you find something new you have to harvest it because that’s how it progresses. So we get to swinging and the island starts to shake. Nothing happens at first and we keep swinging but the island shakes again but this time, it roars and begins to submerge. That was when we realized we escaped the attack of the serpent only to land on the back of a gigantic turtle, who does not appreciate us hitting his shell.

The rest of the adventure went on and we even discovered a new area which we got to explore for all of five minutes before we were brutally and systematically murdered by the new monsters. And we wanted to keep on playing.

To reemphasize the point of this post, Valheim is an early access game that feels like it’s complete. In the immortal words of Todd Howard “It just works.”. I’ve played thirty hours and feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is out there and what I can experience. I’ve killed one boss and have found the location of the other but it’s so far away I have a lot of work to do before I find myself in its neck of the woods and I absolutely love it. Currently, I’ve stuck a pin in exploring and upgrading my gear and am constructing the massive mead hall I’ve always wanted. The Greydwarfs and Trolls can try to knock my walls down all they want, but my roots are sunk deep, and I’m going to be in Valheim for a very, very long time.

If you’re interested in the future roadmap for the game, just follow this link: https://www.pcgamer.com/valheim-roadmap/

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Movies of 2021: Prequels, Sequels, and Remakes, oh my!

By lx7384ul • February 13, 2021 Movies

It goes without saying that 2020 was a year unlike any other. People were trapped in their houses for a few months, travel was all but forbidden, and many industries took a toll, one of which was the film industry. Movies were delayed, projects were canceled, and theaters were closed all across the nation. Because of this, ready-made films that were supposed to be released in theaters were held back as well. Now, as we open back up, movie production has gone into overdrive. The list of films set to release this year is massive. However, many of them, you will find, are Prequels, Sequels, and Remakes of already standing films. I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal, every year we get a couple of these big blockbuster movies. However, this year seems to be mostly made up of these continuations or retellings of existing stories, with only a couple of original films in between, which will leave fans…suspicious and cautious, because with each of these types of films, there always comes the risk that it will be worse than the first installment. But which of these films are thrown that caution? And which are anticipated?

Now obviously, I don’t have the time, nor the page space to cover all of these movies. Instead, I will look over two in each category, one anticipated and wanted film and one that will just make audiences shake their heads in caution and disappointment.

PREQUELS

It’s no secret that the word “Prequel” in cinema is a bit of a…trigger word. But in recent years, it’s proven to be a resounding success with movies goers, especially within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s where Black Widow comes in, set to be the first Marvel movie released in 2021. The story involves the backstory of the famous heroin Black Widow, set before her death in Avengers: End Game. Its original release date was set to be back in May of 2020, already having been pushed back once before, and because of Covid, it was pushed back once more, now setting it a full year later in May of 2021. Yet this has not deterred fans of the MCU, as many still look forward to seeing it in theaters by May of this year, and may continue to do so even if it is delayed again.

Returning to my first statement, “Prequel” is still considered a trigger word. Especially with films that audiences have grown and been taught to hate. Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru is one such film. Set decades before the blockbuster success Despicable Me, Minions: The Rise of Gru is a prequel-sequel, banking off of the financial success of the first Minions Film. In it, we follow the titular/immortal little yellow creatures as they follow a young Gru at the beginning of his career as a villain. Like many films, it was pushed back to 2021 due to Covid and is now set to be released in July, but to be frank, not many people, other than small children, were looking forward to watching it. It has become a bit of a meme on the internet that companies like Illumination take advantage of trends or a single successful concept and attempt to milk. It. Dry, meaning they release certain films only to make money, not caring about the film itself, or its quality. With audiences, this film and its predecessor both line up with that analysis and as long as little kids force their parents to watch it, Illumination and others like them will make more just like them until there’s no interest whatsoever.

SEQUELS

Sequels are usually known as the default reaction to a good and/or successful movie, with some franchises grossing sequels in the double digits. These include the MCU, Star Trek and Star Wars, James Bond, and of course the big bad lizard himself: Godzilla. The newest in his collection of 36 films, Godzilla Vs. Kong, is set to be one of the most anticipated films of 2021. Also pushed back to 2021 due to Covid, and set to come out in March, this film will be one of the first blockbusters to hit theaters and streaming services, pinning two monster movie titans against each other in this epic, third installment of the modern Godzilla series. I could also rope it in with the “Milk it dry” concept, but subjectively, everyone loves these movies. No one watches a modern Godzilla movie for the plot, they go to see giant, well-designed CGI monsters beat each other up and destroy everything. It may not win Best Picture at the Oscars, but it will certainly satisfy viewers’ need for action, destruction, and designs pleasing to the eye.

There is also the adage that a sequel is usually worse than the first movie. This is usually the case for films like Transformers, Fantastic Beasts, and an old franchise up there with Godzilla in the number of films: Tom and Jerry. Kids will watch anything with fun, colorful cartoon characters, and Tom and Jerry films are usually full of them. This film however only features a select few as Tom and Jerry chase each other throughout a real-life hotel in New York and beyond. These films are also known to be bad in both quality and substance and gain bad reviews from critics and audiences alike, but if it makes the kids laugh, then milk it dry, right? The film is set to be released on February 26th and is being shown in theaters and on HBO Max. Let’s hope people get their money’s worth.

REMAKES/REBOOTS

The crown jewel of controversy in Hollywood and as of late a headache for many viewers, remakes and reboots are a slippery slope for studios, as bringing back a well-loved film and changing it completely can leave fans irritated, hurtful, and murderous. But, in some rare cases, it can leave them delightfully surprised. I believe one of these rare gems will be Dune, a remake of the 1984 film under the same name. Considered a cult classic by fans, and slow by critics, 1984’s Dune was a Sci-Fi epic with a Game of Thrones vibe containing court intrigue, assassinations, and giant sandworm battles with weapons that use sonic waves to make things explode! It used very early 3D special effects and models, as stunning as they looked, and I, among many others, are curious in a good way as to what they will improve in the upcoming modern adaptation with modern CGI. The film is set to be released in October later this year, so fingers crossed it remains that way.

Then there are films that create headaches for viewers, many of which are produced by Disney, and oh boy have they really taken the cake with one of their latest films: Cinderella ….AGAIN. If that sounds confusing, let me explain. Cinderella is a classic Disney renaissance story that was released in 1950. However, the film was remade into live-action back in 2015 and was a resounding success with audiences and critics alike. But now, Disney has decided to do it again this year, supposedly with a release date in July. From what I can tell this is a separate movie from the 2015 version as it employs a completely new cast of actors. The reason I think people will shake their heads at this is that Disney live-action movies in the last few years have been frowned upon by audiences, and a remake of a remake seems like the last thing they should do to garner support for that group of films.

There are many more to count in these categories. While I can’t speak on what the quality of all of these films will be like, since they haven’t been released yet, I can look at previous films related to these titles and their various reputations on the internet, as well as audiences feelings about what these three categories represent for the industry. We will simply have to wait and see as studios begin to hype these films more and more until their release to the public.

INFO AND IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/black-widow-still-set-for-may-theater-debut

https://www.minionsmovie.com/

https://www.republicworld.com/entertainment-news/hollywood-news/godzilla-vs-kong-cast-plot-release-date-and-more-details.html

https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Tom_and_Jerry_(2021_film)

https://www.playbill.com/article/cinderella-movie-starring-camila-cabello-billy-porter-and-idina-menzel-delayed-to-summer

https://variety.com/2020/film/box-office/dune-release-date-delayed-2021-1234767105/

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Hello world!

By my0824yv • February 2, 2021 Movies, Uncategorized

Welcome to your brand new blog at St. Cloud State Sites.

To get started, simply log in, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.

Nerd Center:

Video Game Movies: Are They As Bad As People Think?

1. Mortal Kombat (1995)

2. Doom (2005)

3. Assassin’s Creed (2016)

Conclusion

Is Solar Opposites a Worse Rick and Morty?

Bomb or Blast: Justice League (Snyder Cut)

Film Work

Story

Acting

Bonus: Audience Approval.

Conclusion

Should You Buy: Mansions of Madness?

Bomb or Blast: Raya and The Last Dragon

Film Work

Story

Voice Acting

Conclusion

Tabletop Gaming in the Digital Age

Tabletop Simulator

Roll20

Fantasy Grounds

Bioware: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good – Dragon Age: Inquisition

The Bad – Anthem

The Ugly – Mass Effect: Andromeda

Conclusion

Valheim: Early Access Done Right

Movies of 2021: Prequels, Sequels, and Remakes, oh my!

Hello world!

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