blakegilbert91

[blakegilbert91]

Resident Evil 7: Early impressions

Recently I have been playing through the early parts of RE7. I have seen a lot of positive reviews of the game. Naturally, being a long-time fan of the series I decided to check it out for myself. Upon booting up the PS4, and pressing START. I was struck by how different the game is compared to its predecessors. The previous games which I am familiar with are RE4, 5, and 6. Those games retained the elements of survival horror; yet introduced big action set pieces. Resident Evil 7 is more in line with the first game in the series. 1996′s Resident Evil for the Sony PlayStation. That first game did not have a lot of action, the same is true for this game. The story centers around Ethan Winters, who is drawn into a derelict plantation in Dulvey Louisiana by a message from his wife Mia. Ethan answers the call, and all hell breaks loose when he arrives at the plantation. The game’s main antagonists are a psychotic family who wants you dead. Naturally, it's your job to piece this story together and find out what’s happening. 

I have not encountered any big set-piece moments in this game, it's very quiet and focused. RE 7 contains elements that made Resident Evil 1 such a classic, most importantly is the fact that this game is actually terrifying to play. The previous games had horror, but some of the scares were pretty weak in comparison to the first game. Playing this game has left me with moments of pure tension, and dread. Furthermore, the audio design in this game is second to none and doesn’t pull any punches. Every action I take I am constantly filled with terror; this extends to the combat also. This game stresses conservation of ammo in a way few games do. Every bullet counts in this game, you can’t run and gun, and dump bullets into enemies. Overall I am very impressed with RE7; it has left me speechless in some scenes, but what keeps me coming back everytime is its focused gameplay. 

[blakegilbert91]

Pokemon Red: My First RPG.

The role-playing genre has become a favorite for many gamers. The genre has allowed non-linear progression, giving the player freedom to accomplish their goals. However, towards the end of the 90′s, 1998 to be specific; one RPG took the industry by storm. Pokémon Red & Blue for the original Gameboy handheld. This game introduced the culture to Japanese role-playing, ushering a phenomenon. While also giving the player complex systems that were easy to understand, but difficult to master. I was aware of the franchise because of the hit animated tv series, but the game snuck up on me. At first, Pokemon Red & Blue reminded me of the Legend of Zelda series with its isometric perspective. Not only that, but combat was not in real time, it was turn-based. I was used to games with full control of the character’s movement, and a lot of action. Pokémon was a little slow for me.   

The game’s structure was pretty cool. You play as a trainer who goes out for adventure in the hopes of being a Pokemon Master. You leave your mom and go see Professor Oak. The Professor allows you to choose of the three Pokemon to use on your adventure. The three comprise three elements fire, water, and grass. I chose the fire type which was Charmander. Now, this is where it gets interesting, most people starting out would choose a water type or grass type Pokémon. Choosing a fire type is not a bad thing, but later on, it could prove to be a bit difficult. You see Pokémon’s combat contains a rock-paper-scissors battle system. 

Water beats fire, fire beats grass, etc. This system was made incredibly easy for children to wrap their brains around. The main goal of the game is to beat the eight gym leaders from the eight provinces. Only then will the player be able to enter the Pokémon League.  The second objective is to collect Pokémon and build your team. You can carry six Poke balls, six Pokémon essentially. You can catch more by wandering the world, searching in tall grass for the little monsters. To catch a wild Pokémon you have to fight it with one of your available Pokémon. Weaken it enough, and you can catch it with a Poke ball. Pretty simple, even in 2017 the playability of finding, fighting, and catching a wild Pokémon is still fun. The creatures fighting have very limited animation, I mean come on people it's 1998, these games are pretty old. The Pokémon games are simple RPGs. They are not terribly hard to understand, but that’s what is so amazing about them.   

They act as a great stepping stone of the genre. To a lot of people, Pokémon Red & Blue was the first video game that got them interested in playing video games. Recently I have been playing through Pokémon Red, and besides getting hit with a dose of nostalgia. I have discovered the essence of what makes this series fun to play. One simple word that best describes this is simplicity. I already explained how primitive the combat is depicted on screen. Yes, there is a lot of grinding to level up your Pokemon. A trope of the RPG genre that has remained to this day. I guess for me personally Pokémon Red doesn't feel like busy work to me.

It feels like I am making progress powering up a strong team of monsters, making choices along the way. While writing this article I do remember that was part of the reason why people were obsessed with this series. Leveling up Pokémon. wondering if I should waste an evolution stone on my Wartortle, to evolve it into a Blastoise. Instead of using it to evolve a fire type Pokémon on my team. Or choosing what TM’s I can add to my team. All of this factors into the player’s overall progression in the game. As it stands, Pokémon is still one of Nintendo’s strongest franchises. A feat that highlight’s the company’s trust in the brand. There are a lot of Pokémon games, but for everyone else, Pokémon Red & Blue stands as the series best.   

[blakegilbert91]

Great critical analysis of Metroid Other M 

[blakegilbert91]

Captain America Civil War Review

   Captain America Civil War is the movie event of the summer; the Avengers are divided and thrown into a conflict with the U.S. government. Some are for government control while others are against it, the film digs deep into the political ideologies between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, while at the same time having the viewer constantly question themselves which side is the right side. Captain America Civil War is the 3rd Captain America film in the trilogy and the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s still Cap’s movie, but pretty much the entire Avengers team shows up to duke it out over who is for the government or against it. The plot of Civil War begins when the Avengers are on a mission in Lagos to take down Brock Rumlow aka the villain Crossbones from stealing a biological weapon. What follows is the most intense and amazing fight choreography I have seen in a comic book film to date, these aren’t your standard punches and kicks being thrown by people dressed in strange costumes this is some straight up Jason Bourne type of fighting; all with glorious shaky cam to showcase the gritty nature of it all. The scene showcases more of the Avengers use of teamwork with Falcon using his exo-suit in combat, Black Widow laying the smack down on Mercs seriously why haven’t we gotten a Black Widow movie yet, and if you liked Scarlet Witch in last year’s Age of Ultron then you will like seeing her display more of her magical powers. Eventually the fight takes a turn for the worst when Crossbones attempts to kill Cap with a live grenade taking them both out, but is quickly deterred by Scarlet with a stasis spell and thrown into the building while the grenade is live causing a giant fireball. The bad news about this fight is that the  people that were in that building were humanitarian workers from Wakanda, and were killed in the explosion, what started as a typical counter-terrorist mission for the Avengers has now turned into an ideological war about meta-humans becoming a danger to the world allowing the question of government intervention to be put on the table to rectify the situation. 

   The Sokovia Accords which are legal documents indicating that the Avengers need governmental oversight in response to the destruction that has followed them in their battle against evil beginning in Avengers 1 in the battle for New York, Washington D.C. in Captain America Winter Soldier, and finally Sokovia in Age of Ultron. The Victims of these events come forward explaining that the Avengers were responsible for the collateral damage that killed their loved ones and they must answer for their crimes. Already we are given a more somber tone then in any other Marvel film to date rivaling X-Men then typical Avengers team movie. It still manages to have lightness to it, amid all the politics and inner turmoil of the team, thanks in part to the brilliant direction of the films two directors Anthony and Joe Russo. They just know how to make drama that is simultaneously fun and thought provoking in a way that challenges the viewer to question either side of the conflict. Make no mistake there is a great deal of conflict between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers who were once good friends, now they are bitter enemies. Stark believes that the Sokovia Accords will help keep the Avengers in check, allowing them to be held responsible for their actions, Steve Rogers doesn’t think it’s a good idea restricting the Avengers freedom, in fact in his mind it would make their enemies stronger knowing that every action they take will be monitored, questioned, put into a committee forum for evaluation while enemies of the world both here and abroad will take advantage of the situation causing further chaos.  

     I really appreciate in a comic book film you have the citizens reacting to the actions of the heroes in a negative way, obviously when you have a group of meta-humans fighting other meta-humans of course there is going to be collateral damage, but having the people holding our heroes feet to the fire is incredibly risky, but it works without a hitch allowing the audience to have a personal connection to the world that is being built within a 2 hour and 27 minute film. In terms of villains Civil War takes a more conservative approach to the bad guys; in regards to the major conflict in the film of Iron Man vs. Captain America, you could argue that depending on whose side you are on any viewer could view the two characters as being villains, but Civil War does have a bad guy in the form of Helmut Zemo who is a Sokovian colonel and professional assassin. He does not have any type superpower he is just a guy who lost someone during the destruction of Sokovia and wants revenge for what the Avengers did. My view of this character is that he is a major player in the story, the catalyst as to why Civil War has erupted; for me personally I enjoyed his story arch and motivation to carry out this task.  

    Civil War introduces two new characters the first being Black Panther played by Chadwick Boseman, to put it simple his character was great he strikes a great balance of being a leader for his country Wakanda while also being a highly skilled warrior who excels in hand to hand combat. His full potential as a powerhouse is not explored until you get to a motorcycle chase involving Winter Soldier, and Cap on the run from GSG9 German special forces. This scene fully cemented Black Panther as a badass because he just doesn’t stop; he keeps on fighting just going after Winter Soldier. The other character is of course Spider Man, while I am going to avoid any type of spoilers for the character I will say that the scenes with Spider Man left me very impressed and excited for the upcoming Spider Man Homecoming film. Spider Man’s fighting techniques are cool to watch, but keeps that childlike charm that we have all been accustomed to I will just say the airport scene is why I enjoyed Spider Man that’s all I am going to say. Look I can’t leave this review without talking about Winter Solider aka Bucky Barnes, at the end of Winter Soldier Bucky is conflicted and lost, Civil War begins with him being hunted down by the government for a crime he did not commit he teams up with Cap to find out the source of who framed him, I got to tell you the friendship between Rogers and Barnes is strong both characters trust each other, showing camaraderie. You care about these two characters so much that when you reach the film’s climax you are literally chopping at the bit if they are going to survive, honestly I have a hard time deciding which action scene is the best the one at the airport where the Avengers are fighting each other or the final action scene with Iron Man fighting Captain America and Winter Soldier. The airport scene is great because you see all the Avengers using all the skills, all the powers that they have against each other; Captain America fighting Black Panther is just epic, Ant Man fighting Black Widow pure joy yes it is complete fan service for people who have read the comic book, but in the hands of two great directors like the Russo’s it goes to that upper echelon of masterful film making that only a select few can attain. Personally I loved the final battle, seeing Tony Stark filled with white hot rage going toe to toe with Captain America was out of this world crazy, making it one of the most memorable fight scenes in all of cinema period.  

    I came  into this film on Team Cap’s side, writing this review I am still on Team Cap. Its funny when you go back watching the first Iron Man film and the first Captain America film the two main characters are radically different in terms of ideology. In Iron Man 1 Tony Stark is against government oversight and enjoys being Iron Man that starts to change once we get to Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Age of Ultron where we see Tony in a different light. The same can said about Captain America where in First Avenger he is all about helping out Uncle Sam and being pro government, that belief does not last long in Winter Soldier where he learns that the government that he believed in back when he was a soldier is now full of corruption. I view the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one big TV series Civil War is the season finale, and this November we begin with a new season with Doctor Strange, Civil War by far is the best Captain America film in the trilogy which astounds me because the first two films are masterful in their own right. The end of Civil War signals a major shift in the world of the Avengers, you can look at it as a happy ending, for me it felt like the ending to Empire Strikes Back where things are left in a darker place then say Avengers Age of Ultron. All I got to say is that the road to Infinity War is getting incredibly exciting.  

[blakegilbert91]

Manhattan Night Review

       In today’s movie landscape you don’t find too many film noir stories, only a handful of directors dabble in the genre, but few are able to do it as well when the genre was at its height in the 40′s. Manhattan Night a film directed by  Brian DeCubellis and staring Adrien Brody and Yvonne Strahovski is a film that is very much a throwback to the crime thrillers of old. It’s the same type of picture that we are presented, but with a new coat of paint that takes the existing tropes that we are familiar with and modernizes it for today’s society. The central narrative revolves around Adrien Brody’s character Porter Wren who is an esteemed columnist for the newspaper that he works at. He also displays a good eye when it comes to investigative journalism having found a little girl who was lost. He attends a big party for his newspaper which has been recently purchased by a rich billionaire Hobbs played by Steven Berkoff. At the party he is greeted by the film’s femme fatale Caroline Crowley played by the stunningly beautiful Yvonne Strahovski, she asks a favor about looking into the death of her late husband who was a famous filmmaker.  Already Wren is enchanted with the enigmatic woman. The chemistry between these two people is very much alive, Porter Wren comes off as the old-school journalist who relies on the printed form of his work, he is a traditionalist but also world weary a trope that is very common in most noir tales. On the other hand Yvonne Strahovski’s Caroline Crowley is the antithesis to Wren’s character, she is incredibly seductive especially during a time when Wren’s relationship with his wife Lisa played by Jennifer Beals is starting to become stale. 

      As the story goes on I found the relationship between the two characters actually pretty good for the most part, obviously with these two characters the interaction has to be strong, it can’t be fake. Porter’s major weakness is that his relationship with his wife is stagnant, it’s just not working out, Caroline feeds on Wren’s sensual desires because of his inner voyeurism this is apparent when Wren leaves his phone at Caroline’s apartment after looking over police files of her late husband’s death. Glancing at her in the shower, and watching her as she pleasures herself, the scene immediately proceeds with the two characters having sex. The scene felt a little abrupt I also found the sex to be a tad bit overkill, yes I buy that Caroline is this seductive siren that is luring Porter into bed with her, but I appreciated the fact that the older films in this genre relied more on subtly instead of just showing you what’s going on, and to be perfectly honest it bothered me a bit. This is not a negative on the film’s part, actually it made the characters come off as tortured souls who are full of corruption, and that is why this story does feel like a traditional noir story because of that exact fact, it’s DNA is literally cut from the mind of Raymond Chandler who was one of the great writers of detective fiction and depicted the seedy side of 40′s Los Angeles. Manhattan Night takes that and puts it into a New York environment along with a subtle jazz soundtrack that immerses you in a world of sex and corruption.  

       I haven’t even touched on the character of Simon Crowley played by actor Campbell Scott; his character is incredibly repulsive and evil. Flashback sequences show a toxic marriage between Caroline and Scott, Simon’s obsession with playing mind games via cameras and watching people playing along with his wicked games was rather uncomfortable to watch. The cameras have a huge impact on the story of the film because Porter Wren gets a hold of the SD Cards that Simon used to capture footage of everything that he did, these SD cards hold the memories of Simon and Caroline’s past allowing Porter to solve the murder of Simon which I will not spoil for you, but I did find the conclusion to the mystery a bit predictable. Manhattan Night’s theme of characters being watched is noticeable, in one scene Caroline calls Porter “a watcher” in the scene where Porter is ogling at Caroline in the shower is another example of privacy being tarnished, even Caroline uses the camera in one of the film’s major plot points with the character Hobbs, Simon’s constant mind games via his camera and delighting in his wife’s suffering at the hands of his cruel jokes shows a perversion that our society has taken in the internet age of people broadcasting everything that is happening to them, some people do it for fun, while other people use it to feed on their own inner fetishes the latter being the theme around which Manhattan Night begins and ends. Films like Manhattan Night don’t come out very often while there are a couple missteps I was still entertained, it may not be for everyone with its dark tale of murder, sex, and blackmail then again films are escapist entertainment that helps us move out of life’s doldrums. 

[blakegilbert91]

Deadpool Review

      Deadpool is a film I was extremely optimistic about, on one hand you have a film that is not your typical superhero movie a character that consistently subverts your expectations of the typical superhero character as being this honorable person who fights for justice. Yes he fights bad guys but he is such a complete joker and killer also the fact I did not read the Deadpool comics, so my familiarity with the character was somewhat lacking. However after seeing the film in theaters I can say with assurance that I know what Deadpool is all about. 

       The film opens with a huge action set piece on a busy highway, its essentially the same fight scene that was used in the leaked test footage that showed up online two years ago. In it Deadpool is fighting thugs one of them being the guy who experimented on him a character by the name of Ajax. He escapes, a couple of flashback scenes play out that tell the viewer why Deadpool is hunting this guy down. Wade Wilson aka Deadpool was a former mercenary for hire who gets cancer he calls up some of his old contacts from his mercenary days and goes to some lab to have the cancer removed. Well that doesn’t go according to plan, Ajax screws him over  and kidnaps his girl Vanessa. The film is a revenge story about Deadpool saving the woman that he loves, yes your probably wondering why a character who is a psychopath and says a lot of crude disgusting jokes can actually have a healthy relationship. The truth is the chemistry works between Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin, they have a lot of funny lines together essentially they are perfect for each other, she is just as crazy as he is. Again before going into this film I would have never have expected to enjoy a superhero film with a romance subplot that actually works, thankfully the writers of Deadpool have an incredible attention to detail and know how film narrative works.  

         I have to give props to the people who handled the choreography of the action Deadpool has some of the best action sequences I have seen in a film, great gun battles between Deadpool and the thugs he is taking down the character is incredibly acrobatic and is able to pull off insane stunts. One important attribute the character has is he can regenerate human tissue, essentially like Wolverine so it doesn’t matter if he gets punched, sliced, or shot he just will not go down. Furthermore mutants are very much apart of this world, it takes place in the X-Men universe Colossus shows up to aid Deadpool in his quest for revenge hilarity ensues due to Deadpool’s constant shenanigans, and telling Colossus he is too self serious. Another mutant by the name of Negasonic Teenage Warhead shows up and her character is pretty cool as well. In terms of the content in this film, it’s R rating is well deserved there is a lot of blood and gore people either get sliced or shot the humor is crude and nasty but at the end of the day the film stays true to the character. The film does not lay out any philosophical ideas it’s not about good vs. evil you are not coming to this film to be preached to, this is just a solid action movie. 

         I liked that Deadpool’s story did not include the obligatory world ending scenario that so many of these films feel tempted to do, rather it takes a more conservative approach of a revenge tale that at the end of the day makes the film work and cuts off the fat. Deadpool was a big surprise for me it could have gone a different way but I am happy it turned out great. This film takes a lot of risks with its violence and humor, this film needed to take those risks it’s unapologetic about what it is and for that it deserves the highest recommendation definitely a must watch for comic book fans and film fans alike.   

[blakegilbert91]

Batman VS. Superman Dawn Of Justice Review

      Batman VS. Superman Dawn Of Justice is one of the most anticipated films of 2016 it is also the first big DC Universe film where the seeds of the Justice League will be planted and the friendship between Batman and Superman is formed. Returning as director Zack Snyder who I believe made Superman a more likable character in Man Of Steel, returns to helm Dawn Of Justice. We are also introduced to our new Batman who is a deadly warrior of the night and a Batman we have never seen before. BvS Dawn Of Justice is the movie that comic book fans and film fans have been waiting for, a movie where Batman and Superman’s worlds meet and the dawn of justice is born. Through amazing visual effects and slick production values BvS lives up to expectations. 

       The film opens with the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents at the hands of a thug, which has been really tiresome to see in a every Batman story where we are reminded time after time that his parents were killed, but the way Zack Snyder does it is simply perfect. He makes it a montage while also showing us a young and vulnerable Bruce Wayne who runs away from his parents funeral due to his grief, falls into a well and encounters a horde of Bats. This is where the visuals of this film are out of this world the Bats swarm Bruce Wayne and he is enveloped by the horde and is lifted out of the well. You can’t deny the symbolism in this film though its visual effects, Bruce Wayne is being born again, experiencing an awaking that will forever change his destiny. We are then taken to the destruction of Metropolis seen in Man Of Steel where Superman and General Zod are fighting, Bruce Wayne arrives on the scene and watches in horror as he sees people he knows and work for him die in the ensuing chaos. It establishes why a person like Batman would go up against Superman. He thinks Superman is dangerous, he could wipe out humanity if he wanted to, that is something that Batman will not stand for. Superman is a god, Batman represents the pinnacle of human conditioning even though Superman is all powerful Batman is scrappy and clever he is not a guy that goes down easily. 

        Make no mistake the title of this film is Batman VS Superman and for me personally the fight between these two characters was incredibly entertaining. There is a clear difference about how these characters fight Superman is like a tank that crashes through buildings but lacks technique while Batman has developed his abilities over time to the point where he knows what his opponent is thinking. This shows why Zack Snyder was a good fit for this film because he is exceptional at directing high octane action. Every punch and kick is fierce, if you have seen Zack Snyder’s previous films 300 and Watchmen you will be satisfied with the action. Now this film is hinting at the formation of the Justice League it shows small cameo’s of these new heroes, but it does not detract from the core story line of Batman VS. Superman. However one character that I was concerned for was Wonder Woman, thankfully she does a great job given that she does not have a lot of scenes or lines. Seeing her fighting alongside with Batman and Superman is incredible and will make the most casual comic book fan grin with excitement. 

           Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne is perfect he plays a guy who is world weary, extremely violent and a Batman who has retired from the cape and cowl, events of the film bring him out of retirement however this Batman is different from previous interpretations of the character the biggest change is that he kills criminals which didn’t bother me, this guy has spent 20 years deep in the criminal underworld fighting super villains there is obviously going to be some mental pain. The criminals are just going to be more violent and there will be escalation Batman is no longer a rookie crime fighter anymore he just doesn’t care he has lost friends in his noble crusade. The world that he is in has become more violent and evil and in turn he must respond in kind. A world that harbors violence and evil is perfectly encapsulated by Lex Luthor who wants Superman dead, this is a guy who thinks of himself as a king he does not want Superman around the character of Lex Luthor succeeds at being a slimy scheming villain who is also very insane and represents the ugly side of humanity defined by its paranoia of something that it does not fully understand namely that Superman is an alien and that he is a false god. Luthor shows an extreme prejudice of Superman the outsider who never wanted to harm humanity but rather he wanted to help inspire the people to do good. 

          Batman VS. Superman Dawn Of Justice is a great film and I enjoyed watching it, for me it was a great experience. Not a lot of people will appreciate the dark tone or the idea of Batman killing criminals and I am not going to force anyone to agree with what my experience was in the theater, film is subjective people have different  tastes. Overall I thought it was excellent and I am looking forward to the Justice League. 

[blakegilbert91]

Replaying Tomb Raider.

      I have been replaying the last Tomb Raider game which was a successful reboot for the franchise. In three weeks the sequel arrives on PC January 28th, and while I am trying to decide if my PC can handle such a game I thought it would be cool to take look at what made the 1st game so entertaining. For starters what I liked about the 1st game was the design of Lara Croft, if you go back to the old Tomb Raider  games her design was very 90′s era video game style heroine, and while a lot of people enjoyed that look it certainly was not realistic. The new design of Lara was a major shift in tone for this series, now gamers could finally take the character seriously and understand her plight. With a realistic look also comes a realistic take on violence. The old games had Lara dual wielding a pair of handguns while also doing crazy back flips and occasionally running into an enemy tiger or a pissed off T-Rex. Indeed the old games were very campy. The reboot gets rid of that stuff and instead focuses on Lara shipwrecked on an island fighting off crazy cultists who worship an ancient Queen who had incredible power.  

      Upon first glance the game looks like a typical third person shooter, but that’s where your wrong, ya you get into cover and shoot a gun, or use a bow if you want to be like Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games. I like taking cover in this game, you don’t have to push the A button or do anything just move Lara into a cover point and she will use cover. You can also upgrade your weapons at bonfire camps which act as checkpoints. The enemies are pretty easy to deal with, dispatching them can be handled with ease provided you always make sure to keep your weapons fully upgraded, there is a touch of Metroid  added to the exploration aspect to the game, you sometimes will have to come back to places you previously could not access until you get the upgrade needed to pass.  

    Tomb Raider  has a real grit to it, you feel like Lara herself is just struggling to survive, but it shows the growth of her character from aspiring archaeologist who is thrust into a situation where the odds are stacked against her, to becoming a complete badass. It’s one of the few video games I have played where I saw the growth of a character,  a person who started from nothing but going through various trials to attaining the legendary moniker Tomb Raider. Overall I look at Tomb Raider  like how everyone looked at  Batman Begins when that came out, where in the greater fiction this reboot is clearly setting up the world of the character, but its basically an origin story, while the eventual sequels will showcase more of what we have come to know her as which is the actual raiding of tombs, but for now this is a story about how Lara Croft became the strong courageous woman that we always knew her to be. 

[blakegilbert91]

What the success for Destiny means for the video game industry.

Bungie's Destiny is one of the most anticipated video games this year, it is a game that focuses on world design immersing the player in the story, and to deliver a great multiplayer experience that is always connected and full of things to do. It has been a game that people in the industry and gamers have been eagerly awaiting for a long time. September 9th is not that far off, everyone has gotten a taste of some of the content of Destiny with the beta, yet the beta only scratched the surface about what is possible. Considering that it is coming from Bungie, a studio that perfected the console first-person shooter with the original Halo, you will be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable shooter with controls that are easily familiar to anyone who has played any of their previous games. The world of Destiny is very interesting, it has a science fiction setting mixed in with some high fantasy, it’s a game that seems really strange to look at first, but the more you keep playing you come to appreciate the world that Bungie created, it’s a great looking game so if you were worried about how it was going to look similar to Halo, you can put those concerns to rest. However the real reason why people are talking about this game is its online play, now unlike Halo where you would match make with people on a server, in Destiny you connect with people in a more natural way, gone are the days of waiting in a matchmaking lobby now you and your friends instantly pop into the world and can invite each other, or just run into each other and join up that way. The PS3 game Journey did the same thing where you didn't connect with players via a matchmaking lobby you just encounter each other in the world, this design choice creates a seamless transition of a solo experience that you are used to in something like Halo, but then you can join up with your friends instantly to tackle the game's biggest challenges. 

This idea is going to be a big deal as this console cycle continues, you are going to see more players interacting with each other, then just sitting in a multiplayer lobby, in a way Destiny is taking inspiration from the MMO genre where you have a huge number of players going out and doing quests together, or tackling raids etc. The thing about MMO's is that all of that content is locked behind a paid subscription service, while Destiny is not. Destiny's theme of multiplayer is gamers being always connected with each other, and interacting with each other within a traditional first-person shooter that delivers intense cinematic combat that MMO's are unable to do. Also if you’re the person that wants to play it solo for the first time, you can it will be interesting to see how a person plays this game solo for the first time without the aid of any other human players. Another thing to point out is that this game is going to be rated T for teen, yes unlike the Halo games which were rated M, Destiny focuses more on pure fantasy and less on pure blood and guts that you see in everyday shooters, which for me is a breath of fresh air not every game needs to be about you blowing someone's head off with a shotgun. Bungie wants Destiny to reach more people than just people that play a lot of shooters, with the teen rating they are able to reach a bigger audience, and get new fans. Bungie has said that Destiny is a 10 year long plan, hopefully it works out for them in the end, there have been some concerns raised from leaks online that there is not that much content in the main game, at this point it’s going to be a wait and see approach until the game finally comes out, what I don't want Destiny to become is games like Titian Fall and Watchdogs which were games that were heavily hyped but failed to deliver, and were forgotten, if Destiny ends up performing like those games then this console cycle is going to be rough. September 9th can't come soon enough.

[blakegilbert91]

Star Wars Republic Commando Review

Release Date: March 9, 2005                Publisher: LucasArts 

Platforms: PC, Xbox                               Developer: LucasArts

ESRB: Rated T for Teen  

Star Wars Republic Commando for the original Xbox and PC is one of my favorite Star Wars games, instead having a game where you play as a Jedi, Republic Commando trades light sabers for blaster rifles and infuses the game with a squad control mechanic that is very fun and easy to use. With smart gameplay and an incredible presentation Republic Commando takes everything we love about the Star Wars fiction and blows it out of the park with a great squad-based shooter. Republic Commando begins with the battle of Geonosis from Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones, the Republic's Clone army is sent in, and are tasked with assassinating a Separatist leader you assume the role of Boss leader of Delta Squad and is voiced by Temuera Morrison who played Jango Fett in the prequel movies. As you progress you’re in the opening hours of the game you meet your squad mates who will be helping you on your missions the remaining three characters in your Squad are Fixer the computer expert, Scorch your explosives expert, and finally Sev who just likes killing things. 

Your squad does a fantastic job at taking out targets and following orders, after all these guys are the best of the best in the Clone army they can accomplish missions that the regular Clones cannot, all of this is made easier with smart A.I. that always listens to your commands. Tell one of them to take up a sniper position to take out Battle Droids that are laying down fire on your squad, they will immediately respond and deliver the firepower, or better yet have one of them use explosive weapons to take out an armored target like a Droid Spider Tank. There are some great moments where you have to do a door breach and it’s really cool, you and the squad open fire on Battle droids it’s just an awesome moment. You fight a wide range of enemies from the basic Battle Droid to the more robust Super Battle Droids, Geonosian warriors, you even fight General Grevious's Droid Bodyguards from the 3rd prequel movie Revenge of the Sith. Delta Squad also runs into a familiar Star Wars alien faction the Trandoshans who are working alongside the Separatists. This game not only has great squad commands, but also is a really fun shooter to play, you get access to a host of cool weaponry like the DC-17 blaster rifle, and a pistol that fires unlimited ammo you get other cool guns like a sniper rifle that is great for headshots, a grenade launcher which is very fun to use especially on a group of droids. Overall the weapons in the game are very fun to use making the encounters with enemies entertaining and fun. Star Wars Republic Commando has a great atmosphere, this is a very different type of Star Wars game its dark, gritty, and violent; the atmosphere works for a story about an elite team of Clones that are sent in to do a dangerous mission, these guys are the Republic's elite special-ops group and to do that you got to get your hands dirty. There is a cool detail in the game of alien blood hitting your visor when you shoot a guy at close range, or manage to stab a guy with your metal shiv on your arm. Actually the HUD design is very detailed, you are seeing the action through the eyes of the character something the Metroid Prime games did very well.

Star Wars Republic Commando exemplifies how a Star Wars game can live up to the quality of the movies that it is based on, with careful attention to detail and a good story of the Republic's use of Spec-Ops troopers in the era of the Clone Wars, Republic Commando succeeds at delivering not only a great Star Wars game, but also delivering a great video game as well. 

Score: 5/5

[blakegilbert91]

The Past Present and Future of World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is one of Blizzard entertainment's biggest properties, the game has brought in a billion dollars since it released in November of 2004. Yes World Of Warcraft is 10 years old I know it’s hard to realize, but for a game to survive that long in the market that's a pretty big deal, I bet other developers making new games for the PS4 and Xbox One would love to have their games last for 10 years, yet somehow people have not gotten tired of the WoW formula. It's a formula that has gotten a lot of upgrades over time, in the form of content patches and big expansion packs that while exceptionally well made, has not been able to shake up the gameplay, you are still doing quests, completing those quests to get XP and level up and get better loot in the process.

I have been playing World Of Warcraft recently and I have found that the game is very well-made, I was always aware the type of game this is, that it is a massively online role-playing game that requires you to be online, and sports a paid subscription model, the thing that has gotten me hooked on the game is its gameplay. People who criticize WoW find that what it asks the player to do is just do a bunch of boring fetch quests for a quest giver, and get XP level up get cool loot rinse and repeat. For me the gameplay of WoW of constantly upgrading your character, and getting awesome weapons still works, that's why I really like the game, because of its social aspects; it’s fun to show off your gear to your friends, it's even more fun to participate in big raids and complete dungeon’s where you and the rest of the team have to learn how to accomplish the mission and have to prepare and find the best solution. The WoW haters love to take the one aspect of this game and keep criticizing it over and over, that the game is very anti-social because it just feels you are on auto-pilot and just filling up a gauge where you become even more awesome, I disagree with this claim WoW to me is the best example of perfect world building, a trait that video games have all but abandoned save for a few titles, the series Warcraft has a rich mythology that is not cookie cutter there is a lot of detail in everything, the game is not about being anti-social it has a huge multiplayer component that is very fun to play, especially if you have great group of friends to play with, and it’s very rewarding when you and your friends finish a  raid or clear a difficult dungeon.  

WoW's gameplay is what I call a carrot on a stick, you want the carrot so bad, but it keeps moving bating you to continue the quest, that's here but in a more interactive sense, making the player constantly wanting self-gratification from the game is important, it makes you feel that you are special in this virtual world, completing these boring tasks in the game's early hours might seem tiresome, but as you keep playing the game, the quests get a bit more intricate and the story of doing the quest becomes a bit more interesting. World of Warcraft has had its share of copycats over the years games like The Lord of the Rings Online, Star Trek Online, Tara, all these games try to become "WoW killer" but they have ended up failing. One game that tried to accomplish that task was Star Wars The Old Republic a game that cost 250 million for EA and was Bioware's first introduction to the MMO genre did not fare any better, it just shows that Blizzard is still king of this genre. Currently I am playing a level 20 human warrior and I am loving the hell out of this game, it’s a great role-playing game that is very balanced and fair and it’s very enjoyable to play. In the coming weeks I will post more articles about my time in Azeroth and look forward to the many surprises that WoW offers, it truly is one of the most important video games of our generation  and hopefully it continues.

[blakegilbert91]

Release: September 14, 2012 Developer: Subset Games

Platforms: PC Publisher: Subset Games

ESRB: Rated E for Everyone

Gamers have always wanted to fly a spaceship setting up shields and guns for an attack on an enemy ship, having to micromanage there crew to divert power to engines and make...

[blakegilbert91]

FTL: Faster Than Light Review

Release: September 14, 2012          Developer: Subset Games

Platforms: PC                                    Publisher: Subset Games

ESRB: Rated E for Everyone

Gamers have always wanted to fly a spaceship setting up shields and guns for an attack on an enemy ship, having to micromanage there crew to divert power to engines and make a warp drive into hyperspace. We all have seen the classic space opera tales of the 70's and have thought what life is like onboard an advanced spaceship. In FTL: Faster Than Light you can do just that, in fact I would go as far to say that FTL is probably one of the best space simulation game you can think of, it tests the player with enough chanllenge and uncertiantiy to keep you consumed in the gameplay. First lets talk about the gameplay, in FTL you can pilot a vast number of ships, but you only get to pilot one default ship the Kestrel, the other ships are unlocked by completeting various challenges in the game. Your part in this story is that you are fleeing from a rebel armanda that is trying to topple the federation government, its your job to get away from the  persurs and deliever information that will help your cause. The game's story is very light, story is not the part why you are playing this game, its the gameplay, and the gameplay is top-notch especaially for an indie studio that was able to produce this game via Kickstarter.

FTL is designed like a tactical turn based game where both you and an enemy ship will take turns shooting at each other, pausing the game is allowed, it works really well if you want to be really tactical and plan out a good strategy to defeating an enemy ship. Speaking about planning you got to have a game plan when playing this game, you have to set up your crew and learn to micromanage them from various parts of the ship, you are going to need a guy that has to operate the shields, or have another crew member manage the ships weapon systems etc. It can become very stressful but once you know what you’re doing, it’s really fun. Your ship can also get upgrades, you can get those by completing quests, or by destroying enemy ships which allows you to upgrade your ships systems weapons, engines, shields, power, etc. Furthermore it allows a lot of deep customization for a game at first glance seems very simple, trust me FTL is anything but simple it’s a hardcore space sim and it executes it perfectly. 

I want to point out the music in this game is very good as well, it has a very space like theme to it, and it works for the game, and makes it more atmospheric. FTL is a great game that should not be missed it's rather sinister difficulty will keep you engaged with the game, and the end boss is pretty tough, just know going in that this game is very challenging and will not let up, once you master it you will find a rich space sim that is nothing short of spectacular.

Score: 5/5

[blakegilbert91]

Dark Souls 2 Review

Release: March 11, 2014                      Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

April 25, 2014 for PC

Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC       Developer: From Software

ESRB: Rated T for Teen      

Dark Souls 2 the sequel to the 2011 cult classic Dark Souls has big shoes to fill, since the release of Dark Souls over games have since copied the death mechanic that Dark Souls perfected, is Dark Souls 2 the sequel we deserve or is it just misplaced hype. Dark Souls 2 is a worthy sequel to the original, and it’s incredibly challenging while also being very rewarding as well. The game opens up in a new kingdom called Drangleic, this new area plays host to all sorts of monstrous foes that would just love to kill you, fortunately the gameplay from Dark Souls 1 remains intact for the sequel, you are able to use swords, maces, shields, bows, and magic’s; you still have to pay attention to the stamina meter when you’re using weapons, and you have limited magic uses so you have to conserve ammo. The new health item Life Gems once you use them, you will regenerate health overtime, Estus Flasks are back and you can increase how many you can carry by finding an item. 

One thing that they have changed in this game is the enemy respawns, in the past all the enemies would respawn once you rested at a bonfire, which made grinding for souls very easy, now its limited if you keep on killing enemies and resting at a bonfire eventually there will be no enemies left to fight, it works well and I found while playing it myself that I never felt stressed that I needed more souls, there was always a good amount, so I never needed to grind. In fact that's the brilliant idea about Dark Souls is that it all depends on player skill, you have to be aware of your surroundings, you have to use the roll maneuver effectively, and know when to block. This information is key because the enemies will not be so merciful, there are a lot of tough enemies in this game, Dark Souls 2 also sports the craziest boss fights I have ever seen in a game, my favorite early on in the game is the Pursuer, a berserker knight that has a big sword and has several attacks, one of them is an instant one-hit kill move that can take you out instantly. 

Dark Souls 2 like Dark Souls 1 trains the player to explore more than your typical modern role-playing game. There is a lot of great loot in the game that you can miss if you don't explore every nook and cranny in the game world, there are some important NPC characters that have high level weapons if you seek them out, item collecting in this game verges on the obsessive compulsive of getting collectibles, normally in something like a Mario game I forget collecting everything and just focus on getting to the destination, in Dark Souls 2 you have to stick your neck out and force yourself to tread dangerous pathways that have treasure that can aid you in your quest. If you don't like playing by yourself you can also bring in a friend to help you in the game, however you have to have humanity to summon people into your world to help beat up some wicked boss encounters, late in the game I did run out of Human Effigy’s,  but was able to find a ring that when I died would keep my humanity and souls intact, the only problem was once you die the ring breaks, but I was able to fix it because I had so many souls and I could just repair it again and again. 

You could say that having that ring on all the time broke the game, and destroyed the notion of death and losing all your souls and humanity, in my opinion if that was the case why did From Software include it in the game, it was a great item and it worked for a lot of tough situations namely boss encounters where you need to feel empowered in order to tackle those type of fights. Dark Souls 2 has tons of variety, yes you can put all your skill points into strength, but why would you, you can put points in various stats, if you’re playing a warrior class, you can put points in magic and you will gain the ability to use magic, see Dark Souls 2 caters to customization, and if you’re the type of gamer that loves that you will fit right in Dark Souls 2. Another thing I adore in these games is the atmosphere, it gives you the feeling of isolation that few games give you nowadays, on top of that the music is very chilling and suspenseful during tough fights with elite enemies and the presentation is pretty good across the board. Overall Dark Souls 2 is a great role-playing experience that will delight fans of the original and proves that video games can be fun and difficult at the same time. 

Score: 5/5

[blakegilbert91]

Re-evaluating Bioshock 2

Bioshock 1 was incredible, Bioshock 2 to some people felt like a disappointment, then along came Bioshock Infinite and people pretty much forgot that Bioshock 2 even happened. I have played Bioshock 2 again recently and I have gained a new appreciation for this game. I really liked the shooting in 2 then 1, now granted the shooting in the first Bioshock felt okay to me when I played it, however 2K Merine the developer of Bioshock 2 made the switching to plasmid to gun much more seamless. It makes since that the shooting in this game is more prominent because they throw more enemies at the player, so you have to contend with a lot of opposition. The Big Daddies are still here and are still really fun to fight, you also have the addition of the Big Sister who randomly shows up and attacks the player. 

However you don’t feel as vulnerable as you did in the first Bioshock game, partly because you are playing as a Big Daddy, Subject Delta to be exact who is on a quest to find a Little Sister Eleanor. Playing the Big Daddy you are always able to overpower your enemies, hell your rivet gun that you have can drop enemy Splicers within seconds, add to that you have a lot of other deadly weapons at your disposal that are incredibly effective, like a shotgun that does a ton of damage, and a machine gun that rips through enemies. I do love the environments in this game, all the Bioshock games have had great environmental design, and Bioshock 2 is no exception. I will keep playing Bioshock 2, because I find the game extremely interesting now post Infinite and want to see the game through again, and figure out why Bioshock 2 was not the critical darling that the first one was.

[blakegilbert91]

The 3 Day Journey of MLG Anaheim

Last weekend I attended MLG Anaheim, it was a three day event, Friday-Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center. As a person who was not very familiar with E-Sports I decided to go and check it out, and as a person who loves video games I just had to see what was going down in Anaheim. First off there was a lot of people, the ages ranged from young to old, and I was able to see who attends these types of events. A lot of people from Twitch, YouTube, and other sites where people stream or record video for games were here in droves, you got to see a community come together and just have fun. The big games that were a part of the competition were Call of Duty Ghosts, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and finally StarCraft 2. All three games had incredible commentary from E-Sports commentators that knew their stuff. One of the people who attended the event was one of the Super Smash Bros. Melee champions Korean DJ who I talked to for a little bit. He explained to me why MLG was important and why it was a great place for gamers to come together as a community and just play video games, in fact the event itself was really well organized, everyone was having fun and enjoyed it. The Smash Bros. Melee tournament was amazing to watch, I never realized how fast pro players could pull off those combos for their characters that quick, now that I was able to see that I have so much respect for those people, and why Melee is an important multiplayer game that is still enjoyed by millions. The StarCraft 2 Tournament was intense, but really cool to watch, all three games had packed seating it was great. The knowledge that I gained from this event was that we gamers love playing video games, and we want to be respected, I now see that video games do have a place in the competitive space of entertainment, and maybe in the future MLG competition's will be broadcast on television. I came out of this event proud of what video games have accomplished in the last 15 years, the industry is bigger than it has ever been thanks in part to the people who stream there game's on Twitch, and put videos on YouTube, overall this was a great event to attend and just cool to watch live.

[blakegilbert91]

The Main Story of E3 2014

    E3 is in the books as we know it, the publishers and developers have shown us there games, and now we must wait for the games to hit their targeted release dates. The general theme of this year's E3 is that 2015 looks like an extremely packed year for video games; granted video games aren’t cheap and the million dollar blockbuster's take time, but there are some pretty cool games coming this year. The one I am really excited for is Far Cry 4, the last one Far Cry 3 was a great game and the new one looks pretty promising. The addition of co-op is a nice touch and the ability to hijack an enemy jeep and driving it over a cliff and then using the wingsuit to fly down to a nearby village sounds awesome. Watching the Super Smash Bros. E3 2014 tournament was very cool and I am really happy that the hardcore fans of that series are super excited for the game.  

Aside from that I am really impressed for indie titles like Ori and the Blind Forest which seems like a great Metroidvania type of game with a heartfelt story. No Man's Sky easily was the favorite of the show, the procedurally generated world that Hello Games have created is nothing short of outstanding, and there are still developing more things to play in that world. The game is going to focus on exploration and resource management, it will have combat in the game, but the developer has promised it won't be mindless shooting gallery nonsense and it will have a gameplay focus. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt and Batman Arkham Knight are the two AAA games for 2015 that I am looking forward to. The Batman Arkham Knight demo left a lasting impression on me, the marketing term used for the game "Be the Batman" to many may seem very corny and dumb, but after you see that demo it actually makes sense. The camera work in that game is nothing short of spectacular, it has a cinematic style that really puts you in the shoes of the famous Dark Knight. I love the atmosphere of the Arkham games and here it’s even more grim, especially Scarecrow. The character of Scarecrow in the Arkham games was cool in all but he certainly was not intimidating, Scarecrow in this game is freaking terrifying in this game and now serves  as a worthy adversary to Batman. 

    The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt looks awe-inspiring, Witcher 2 was close to a perfect game, Witcher 3 for me personally seems to be the game that is going to blend its very linear narrative structure with an open-world that looks huge. In general there were a lot of video games at E3, it still is very odd that E3 is not a public event, I mean a lot of people who don't even play video games know what E3 is because it’s such a big event and local TV stations cover it so it would seem really if the ESA were able to make E3 open to the public. The thing is PAX, Comic-Con, and Gamescom serve that purpose perfectly, yet people are still clamoring for a public event. We will see what happens E3 itself is a big deal for the city of LA and gives them a lot of money, I don't think E3 is going to go away, but what I think will happen is that the format of the show will change and it will get progressively smaller which will make the publishers start to make events for themselves to get the fans excited for these games. Overall the show was really cool and it shows that the video game industry is still healthy, but I do not doubt for a second that E3 will stay the same, it will probably change and this could be the last traditional E3 we will ever get so enjoy it while it lasts.