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The Chosen One
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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Top 13 Console Video Games of Generation 8 (2012 – 2019)
Intro/Overview:
Hey everyone, The Gray Talon here, setting his sights on yet another unsuspecting prey and TODAY we are going to be talking and discussing the top 13 console video games of the current console generation. And why 13 some of you may be asking? Because the Gray Talon strikes with all of his 13 claws! Yes, he is that meta. 
So I know for my first list here it’s quite a broad choice, seeing as though we are about a little over 6 years strong into this cycle of console video games. I’m going to do my best here to be as unbiased as I can be, broadening my gaming palette and bringing to you the top 13 titles that I have played in it’s entirety over the past 6 years and felt stood out to me in terms of presentation, performance and overall replay value. And in terms of replay value, I don’t necessarily mean a physical replay value, but rather I ask “Does this game stick around either physically or mentally that resonated with me in the long run?” Another thing to keep in mind is that I am a tremendous fan of narratives and games heavily focused on story, which will play a factor in my list as well as I try to remain unbiased as possible, I do hold a soft spot for games with a focus on a good tale and character development alike.  This list will also try to stray away from remasters, such as The Last of Us for PS4 for example that is a port of a previous generation title without changing anything other than graphics and some technical performance such as framerate. I will be refraining from listing any Indie games as well  as I feel those games have become so prominent over the past few years, that they deserve the respect of having their own special list. And lastly, expect a lot of honorable mentions at the end of the video, because selecting a mere 13 games from a list of some amazing games from over 6 years was increasingly difficult. And yes, as you may have guessed, expect some SPOILERS AHEAD!
So without further delay, let’s get started!
     Number 13:   
Nier: Automata – PS4 – (March 17th 2017 initial release)
What do you get when you combine a pseudo post-apocalyptic android world with, well, this guy (show Yoko Taro pic)? A beautiful recipe of some of the most brilliant forms of mind-fuckery since the likings of Hideo Kojima first tried to scramble our brains when Pyscho Mantis read off our game save files in Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. In this hack and slash with light RPG elements, dive headfirst into a deep and dark narrative, focused on the concept of humanoid replicant androids and sentient robots developing emotions, feelings and even their own personal ideologies, while trying to combat armies of machine robots from distant worlds. It’s one part Blade Runner, one part Matrix, and all parts awesome. Plus it’s made by Platinum Games, the developer’s of Bayonetta and the original Devil May Cry. So if that’s not enough incentive to immediately run out and play this game, I’m not sure what will convince you.
Number 12:
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor – PS4/XB1 – September 30th 2014
Well, this game surely came out of left field, but it sure was a sight for sore eyes. Developed by Monolith Studios, who were responsible for the successful F.E.A.R. games and piggybacking off of the success of the Batman Arkham series, Middle Earth provides some of the most fluid combat and free flowing action since the Arkham titles, indeed, only much, much more brutal. We’re talking more decapitations than the entire Game of Thrones series has accomplished. The story is the other half of the reason why this made my list. It tells the tale of the creation of the ring of power that led to the evil lord Sauron’s rise as you fight within the realm of Mordor before the events that transpired in Lord of the Rings or even The Hobbit as you take on the role of Tallion, a brave and noble ranger who once met his demise and is now joined with a wraith on a quest for vengeance against those who were responsible for his family’s death. A simple quest for revenge will snowball into quite a journey as you build up your armies by capturing orcs and lead the fight back against the evil forces of Sauron. If you’re a fan of action games with a sprinkle of Assassin’s Creed like platforming, then this will be a match made in heaven, or in this case, the hellish land of Mordor.
   Number 11:
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – PS4/XB1 – September 1st 2015
In this final true entry in the Metal Gear Solid series from the renown mind of famed game writer and director, Hideo Kojima, you take on the role of Big Boss from the 80’s. After waking from a 9 year coma following the events of Ground Zeroes, you free roam the vast Afghanistan plains during the Soviet-Afghan war to track down those responsible for the destruction of your old mercenary group, Military Sans Frontieres. Along with returning compadre in arms and once rival, Ocelot, prepare yourself as you take on a slew of missions to uncover the truth about the plot leading to the creation of a new Metal Gear that could potentially destroy the world. The game is fun and addictive, giving you access to an array of dozens of missions and hundreds of side ops alike, ranging from action to stealth as you infiltrate bases, rescue civilians and soldiers, gather intel and take down enemy artillery. You get support characters too such as a dog and Quiet the sniper, who will come in more than useful to you along your journey. And if you stick to it until the very end, you will not be sorry as the saga of Snake comes to a head and a somewhat emotional conclusion too, knowing the history behind the series, legacy and even controversial drama leading up to the inevitable parting of ways with Konami and Hideo Kojima.
Number 10:
Resident Evil 2 (Remake) – PS4/XB1 – January 25th 2019
I know this game just came out a month ago, but I just had to sneak it onto my list here. It was just such a prestigious remake and I know I said I would not include remasters on my list, but this is not your average remaster. It is a complete rebuild of a 21 year old game from the ground up, completely reimagining the horrors and terrors, fusing together the elements of what made the original Resident Evil trilogy truly frightening with the beloved camera and controls of Resident Evil 4. Fear lurks around every turn in tandem with some intense action sequences. There are numerous campaigns to play through as well, 4 in total if you count Leon and Claire’s A and B sides. I am going to link my video review in the description as well for more information and greater detail. It truly is a match made in heaven, or at the very least, a match made in the depth of the darkest labs of the Umbrella Corporation. 
    Number 9:
Horizon: Zero Dawn – PS4 – February 8th 2017
From the developers of Killzone, yes that’s right my young padawans, Killzone, the first person shooter Playstation exclusive series, comes a third person adventure set in a beautifully rendered, lush, post-apocalyptic world with a vivacious and ambitious tale revolving around sentient feral like machines, with resemblance to prehistoric creatures that lived millions of years ago.. You take on the role of Aloy, a fierce female warrior from the 31st century tribe called the Nora. After proving herself when she becomes of age, she obtains an augmented reality device called Focus and after being attacked for looking like a scientist from the old world, she then embarks on a journey that leads to her uncovering quite an incredible story behind the creation of the cybernetic creatures that roam the landscape. The gameplay focuses on a myriad of weapon crafting for your arsenal of spears, bows and quivers, ranging from high end explosives to mines and traps. Crafting plays a big role in the game too as you must gather resources in the environment to build up your ever growing arsenal. Also you can free flow using platforming techniques and zip line from all over the huge map. The game feels like a robust and futuristic Tomb Raider and should not be missed of anyone that is a fan of an empowering action/adventure game mixed in with an interesting narrative along the way.
Number 8:
Dark Souls III – PS4/XB1 – April 12th 2016
Return to Lothric one last time to kindle the bonfires as you set out on a harrowing journey to take on Kiln of the First Flame! You are the Ashen one and must return the Lords of Cinder to their rightful thrones while embarking in a wonderfully interconnected medieval world, littered with brazen creatures, shortcuts, secrets and treasures alike. Well, in case you haven’t guessed, I am a pretty huge fan of the Souls series and the third and final entry in the series is no slouch. With dozens of David and Goliath like boss fights and some challenging sub-boss battles, go it alone or bring 2 other lost souls to team up in co-op as you fight for survival. Experience a variety of builds per class. Become a heavy brute and pound foes into the ground with that sweet ultra greatsword or take on the role of a cleric to zap opponents from afar with spells and hexes. The combinations of character builds are nearly endless and the replay value is incredibly high as you level up to be able to withstand the might of the overbearing world of Lothric. The mechanics are the most fluid and the game’s speed almost resembles From Software’s Bloodborne at times. Plus, with Hidetaka Miyazaki-san returning to direct this time around, it truly feels like the definitive Dark Soul experience. Any fan of hardcore action/RPG’s will be right at home here.
Number 7:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch/Wii U – March 3rd 2017
We return to the ever enchanting land of Hyrule as the heroic Link to embark on yet another tale to once again purge the evil that Ganon has loomed over the land. In this first truly open world Zelda game, you really can feel the utmost sense of wanderlust as you feel the need to explore every nook and cranny of the vast landscape, which seemingly has no limitations whatsoever. That is the biggest draw of this particular Zelda game. The liberating sensation to do almost anything you can imagine, whether it be collecting ingredients to sizzle over a frying pan to cook up that next concoction to withstand the extreme cold of the uncharted Hebra valleys or the intense heat of the Goron volcanic mountain ranges, or climbing up the side of a thousand foot wall to try and reach the top without running out of stamina. The world is truly your oyster here and you can even take on Ganon right out the gate, although I highly recommend you don’t unless you’re some kind of Hylian sorcerer. And lastly, the shrines in the game which provide upgrades either to your stamina or hearts by solving puzzles, are possibly the most addictive part of this game. You will have to literally pry yourself away from the game as you scour the land, high and low, seeking out those hidden little caves of wonders.
 Number 6:
Super Mario: Odyssey – Switch – October 27th 2017
When I first saw the gameplay trailer for the latest 3D Mario title, I knew instantaneously that it would be fun, but I did not realize it would be possibly the best 3D Mario game I would have ever experienced. My all time favorite 3D Mario game is, by quite the unpopular opinion, Super Mario Sunshine. I was glamoured by the freedom of roaming from world to world in tandem with being the sole member of a clean up crew tasked with ridding Isle Delfino with that grimy, inky substance. Plus the normal Mario platforming levels were fun to boot. But now, in Super Mario Odyssey, everything is dialed up to 11 in the Mushroom Kingdom realm. I mean, you can become a freakin’ T-Rex with an Italian mustache  for crying out loud by the simple toss of a hat! Or don the fierce and angry explosive power of a mustached Bullet Bill. Or launch yourself as a Chomp-Chomp to breakdown barriers and obstacles in your path. Plus, the 2D sections are a serious retro nod to Mario games of the time of olde and transition seamlessly from 3D to 2D as you might expect. Lastly, the freaking addiction for shines, well moonshines, this time around becomes real as you pretty much sell your plumbing soul for a shot at getting all of them per world.
 Number 5:
Bloodborne – PS4 – March 21st 2015
From Software really knocked this one hit wonder out of the park. From the makers of the Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls games, comes a dark, gothic title with a dee and, mythic lore.  As a hunter of beasts, try to purge the plague from the land as you fight back against creatures of folklore such as Lycans, Trolls and Cthulhu type monsters.  A game that forces you to face your fears and strike back in the face of towering difficulty and strife in a fast paced, hardcore action/RPG that will cause your blood to boil at times with intense combat sequences, leaving your heart pounding and yearning for more and if you strike back quickly enough you may just regain health after being hit with the regain feature as well. This was my first From Software game that I not only played through once, but twice on it’s new game plus mode as I was consumed within the Hunter’s Dream in the far away land of Yharnam, so it will forever have a special place in my heart. 
 Number 4:
The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt – PS4/XB1 – May 19th 2015:
Well, if it wasn’t for the finale of good ol’ Geralt of Rivia here coming out in 2015, Bloodborne would have been my GOTY (Game of the Year), but, alas, once The Wild Hunt dropped into The Gray Talon’s claws, they were clenched for what felt like an eternity. If anyone asked me what my all time favorite action/RPG is of this generation that is the complete package, the gaming Oscar would go to The Witcher III each and every time. The level of detail present in this game cannot simply be put into words. While the graphics themselves may not be up to par with other games of this generation, the attention to detail in the beautifully crafted Continent Geralt is on is astounding to say the least. For example, you;’ll just be walking into town minding your own business when you’ll happen to notice out of the corner of your eye a water wheel connected to an turnstile system with flowing water that if you follow it closely you’ll begin to see how the irrigation system of that specific town works. The game is just that damn intricate. Not to mention the plethora of quests you can do ranging from aiding warring empires, which makes you feel like you’re playing the unofficial Game of Thrones game, to slaying beasts of burden whilst concocting tonics and potions like the true Witcher you are. Plus the downloadable content is probably better than the main story too, which is possibly the first time that’s ever happened and must be experienced that gives Geralt of Rivia the true ending he so rightfully deserves. 
 Number 3:
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – PS4 – May 10th 2016
Now that we have gotten into the final big three here, I want to remind everyone that the next three games have been personally chosen because of their heavy and robust focus on delivering a strong narrative, which is my one true Achilles’ heel. The final chapter in the Nathan Drake saga goes out with such a beautiful bang, I damn near had to play through it twice just to soak up all of its memorable moments. Everyone from the previous three games returns and in a glorious fashion to boot. From fast paced motorcycle chases in the Middle East to traversing the Sahara by jeep to hike and climb up mountain trails, this final chapter does not pull its punches for anything. There’s even one part of the game where you feel like you’re freaking James Bond, pulling off a heist in an exotic locale that ends in an Indiana Jones infused madness of swinging from whips and ropes through a series of windows and objects to make your daring escape. The Uncharted series to me always felt like a modern day Indiana Jones anyway, which does not disappoint when it is doing what it does best. Exploring mystical lands in hopes of finding famous treasures left behind by legends of the past that usually end with high octane explosions, chases and perilous escapes from life threatening scenarios. Also the story has charm and heart, leaving you more than satisfied more and more with each entry in the series leading to the conclusion in which you cannot help have a smile on your face. The game even ends in a way that the esteemed developer Naughty Dog can even pick up at any time they want in the future. It’s brilliant writing like this that should be commended, recognized and put high up on a pedestal to be praised, such as now in this list.
         Number 2:
Red Dead Redemption II – PS4/XB1 – October 26th 2018
If I was making a top list of games for last generation, Red Dead Redemption 1 would have been my top game hands down. In no way, shape or form would I have ever imagined that  it’s numbered sequel would also make another top tiered game for me in this present day and age. The critically acclaimed developer, Rockstar Games, once again tantalizes and does not disappoint with their newest title. Set approximately 15 years before the events of Red Dead Redemption, the sequel, or prequel rather, sets you into the high top post 19th century boots of Arthur Morgan, right hand man to Dutch Van Der Linde as they all try to learn to adapt to the new 20th century American lifestyle and leave the criminal life behind…or do they? The snowball effect is immensely present as you struggle to survive the onslaught from one bad move to another that Dutch makes for his gang. Without spoiling too much, I will just say to ready those Kleenex, because for those of you who played the first game know, expect one teary eyed ending once again, in both the good, the bad and the ugly. Another reason why this game holds my second place slot securely is because of yet again it’s exasperating attention to detail. If Witcher III was so refined in showcasing the intricate workings of a wooden water wheel, then get ready to completely crap your pantsuit as Red Dead Redemption II dials the attention to detail up to 11, possibly even 12 as they turn it into an obsession to detail with such things as going as far as making a horse’s private parts grow or shrink depending on what climate you are presently in on the map. You can also become dirty and need a bath after traveling for many in game hours along with growing hair and facial hair in real time that can grow as long as a rock star and look like Odin from Asgard if enough time passes. Plus, there are some random encounters that are just as emotional as some of the story segments and can pop up at any given and unprompted time. In terms of the core gameplay, you’re a gunslinger in third person (but there is also a first person option) and use a slow motion deadeye mechanic to carefully pick apart your foes. Take to riding horseback and even carriages to soak up what remains of the old west. Overall this is a game not to be missed by any means necessary and some parts of it’s illustrious and gritty tale will stick with me in my mind until the last day I draw breath.  
     Number 1:
God of War – PS4 – April 20th 2018
From Sony Santa Monica Studios and the ingenious mind of the game’s writer and director Corey Balrog, comes the likes of something we have never bore witness to. A video game franchise that was 13 years old had been completely and utterly transformed and reconstructed from the ground up to feel so fresh and new yet retaining enough familiarity with beloved antihero Kratos and the rich lore found in his previous titles. What shocks and awes me first about this game is while the setting and lore completely shifted to that of Viking mythology, it somehow manages to keep the focus on the weight burden of Kratos and his actions that he has carried over after leaving the ravaged lands of Ancient Greece behind. Kratos not only carries with him a now repressed curse of his choices, but is left with a son as well. (THE BOY!!!) Shortly after losing his wife and mother of his child, Kratos sets off on a simple journey with his son to scatter his mother’s ashes atop a summit on a snowy mountain. However, little did they know the perilous adventure that awaited them. The new God of War delivers such an emotional performance from Kratos with several call backs to previous games in ways that slowly build up and shape his character arc even more than imaginable. He goes from suppressing the all too well known Spartan rage to slowly unleashing it by the journey’s end in ways quite unfathomable. The core gameplay has been completely redesigned as well. The new camera provides a more focused over the shoulder angle and each swing of that ever so faithful Leviathan Axe has an extreme presence as you bear dominance over your foes. Plus, the callback feature of the axe where you press the action button and axe comes flying back into your hands like you’re flipping Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader never gets tiring. There’s a light focus on upgrading your armor and gear this time around too, where the focus is not just weapon or magic upgrading but finding the rarest pieces of armor that scale to your level so you can go toe to toe with some of Norse mythologies most relentless of foul beasts. This title also won many GOTY for 2018 awards and rightfully so.  It has achieved so much and deserves such acknowledgement for breathing a new form of life into this once aging franchise. This is my number 1 game of this generation thus far and while this console generation is not yet laid to rest, I will find it increasingly difficult for the Ghost of Sparta to be toppled anytime soon. 
Conclusion:
So there you have it folks. This was The Gray Talon’s top 13 games of this console generation. Thank you tremendously for watching as always. Please share and like this video and please subscribe so you don’t miss out on the latest content from The Gray Talon’s lair. And finally, please find the honorable mentions listed below:
1. Infamous: Second Son – PS4 – 3/21/2014 
2. Bayonetta 2 – Wii U – 10/24/2014
3. Sunset Overdrive – XB1 – 10/28/2014
4. Yakuza 0 – PS4 – 3/12/2015 
5. Batman: Arkham Knight – PS4/XB1 – 6/23/2015 – (Honorable Mention)
6. Rise of the Tomb Raider – XB1 - 11/10/2015
7. Far Cry: Primal – PS4/XB1 – 2/19/2016 – (Honorable Mention)
8. Doom – PS4/XB1 – 5/13/2016 – (Honorable Mention)
9. Titanfall 2 – PS4/XB1 – 10/28/2016 (Honorable Mention)
10. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – PS4 – 8/8/2017
11. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – PS4/XB1 – 10/27/2017 – (Honorable Mention)
12. Detroit: Become Human – PS4 – 5/25/2018 – (Honorable Mention)
13. Octopath: Traveler – Switch – 7/13/2018 – (Honorable Mention)
14. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise – PS4 – 10/2/2018
15. Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee – Switch – 11/16/2018 – (Honorable Mention)
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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CHECK OUT MY LET’S PLAY STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT: JEDI ACADEMY WITH COMMENTARY!!!
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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CHECK OUT MY RESIDENT EVIL 2 REMAKE VIDEO REVIEW!!!
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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Resident Evil 2 Review (Remake)
Overview:
Hey everyone, once again The Gray Talon takes aim, chooses his targets wisely and considers his prey carefully and TODAY we will be diving back into the zombie infested town of Raccoon City as Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield to see how this remake stacks up. Is it a truly a definitive survival horror modern masterpiece on a title that is over 20 years old or is it a cheap knock off for a quick cash grab like other remakes or remasters rather, have done oh so many times in the past since this console generation started? Let’s jump right in and find out! (And once again I will do my best to not spoil the plot.)
Graphics:
It’s 2019 and in this day and age one may begin to ask how much better can graphics truly get? And the answer lies no further than with Resident Evil 2. The new RE engine that Capcom is using holds such weight and presence here that you will begin to pause for several moments at a time as you take in the awe-inspiring meaty visuals on some of the zombies as they begin to deform and deteriorate before your very eyes whether it be from examining their idle corpses or studying and counting the pieces of brain chunks left after taking their heads off with that faithful shotgun or magnum. In terms of performance, I was playing this on my Xbox 1X and honestly it was damn near flawless. The framerate seemed consistent and almost locked at 60FPS for the most part, except during some intense action sequences when it dipped to below 50FPS but that was few and far between. Output on the 1X was a true 4K at 2160p. From the opening sequence to the part where you turn over that zombie’s head to reveal some juicy chunks of flesh to the first appearance of the horror that is Mr. X, the game is a true delight to witness through and through. 
Gameplay and Control:
What happens when you marry the atmosphere, item crafting, inventory management and horror of RE7 with the camera and control scheme of RE4? Sex, people. Pure, simple, unadulterated, prolific and glorious sex is what you shall receive in return. This is quite possibly the most fluidly controlled RE game I have played since RE4 rolled around 15 years ago. The controls are air tight and responsive, allowing you to navigate the eerie police station and lab with ease. The signature shortcut 180 degree snap feature returns in RE as well that they have trademarked over the last 2 decades, where you hold down on the joystick and press X or A to quickly turn around in the opposite direction. A useful tool indeed when Mr. X comes a’ knockin! Now in terms of movement and combat, the game offers you several options. You can opt to simply run away from all forms of zombies and lickers who are trying to chow down or cop a piece of your ass like you’re grade A top choice meat in the mile high club and the only female member of a flight surrounded by ravenous love starved men. Or on the flipside, if you decide to run and gun your way through, might I suggest heavy emphasis on the GUN aspect and light on the RUN. Especially when lickers are present. You want to tip-toe around them and walk on eggshells whenever you see those Gene Simmons from KISS impostors lurking about. When you fire you always want to aim true for their heads, especially on Mr. X, even though shots only stun him, leaving a small window of time for you to run past and make your escape.  In terms of weapons and upgrades, you start off with a simple handgun and have to work your way to unlocking other weapons via key cards or solving puzzles for guns such as the beloved shotgun, SMG, flamethrower and grenade launcher. You can also unlock greater inventory capacity via weapon holsters that are picked up during each separate campaign that makes life a lot easier. And finally, the puzzles are quite elaborate, just as they were from the original RE2 back in ‘98, so be prepared to put on that thinking cap throughout both Leon and Claire’s campaigns as you scratch your head to solve chemistry puzzles and even have to convert binary code to unlock elaborate doors in the lab sections.
Story/Campaign/Narrative:
The setting is 1998 in a small mid-western town of Raccoon City. You’re playing as rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy going to the police station for his first day on the job and/or a 90′s punk rock poster girl, college student Claire Redfield who’s in search of her brother Chris when all of a sudden the zombie T-Virus has just been unleashed onto the town and their stories converge at the police station where the majority of the game transpires.. For a 21 year old game, Capcom has made sure to make RE2 feel all grown up. While story aspects remain the same from the original release, they hired a brand new cast for voice over work as well as recreated most of the way scenes play out, like the first introduction to the illustrious Mr. X. Each campaign is fresh yet familiar and, for example, Leon’s first sighting of him is nuanced and a slow burn in a dark corridor, whereas on Claire’s run, although  you first spot him in the same place, it is in a completely different and quite sudden, fast paced, way. The core of the narrative revolves around Leon and Claire both trying to achieve the same goal of figuring out a way to survive within the confounds of the Raccoon City police station while working separately in their unique campaigns. Things go awry and snowball downward and take them from the police station to the sewers and right to the laboratory where the T and G viruses are made once good ol’ Mr X shows up. And in case anyone hasn’t a clue who I’m speaking of, let’s just say once Mr. X shows up in his trench coat and fedora, you’ll do whatever it takes to stop yourself from crapping your pants suit while fleeing hastily in his opposite direction because if he catches you, well, then let’s just say he will give it to ya! And you’ll go down harder than than a hooker on a weekend romp in Vegas because this dude moves like the T-800 and hits like Mike Tyson. Prison Mike too mind you so stay frosty! Each campaign is about 6-8 hours long, depending on your pace and offers another set of playthroughs on Leon and Claire’s “B” side, which means you will start off in different areas and end up following different routes and pick up different gear at different times, etc. to receive a new and true ending. I suggest you play Leon A scenario first, then go on over to Claire’s B scenario for the final and let’s say, good ending. So we’re talking a total of about roughly 16 hours, over 24 hours if you play through the game 4 times for shits and gigs. Overall the game is heavily story driven and robust, leaving players feeling the true meaning of survival horror along the way as you try and unlock the mysteries surrounding each of the viruses associated with the aloof Umbrella Corporation.
Sound, Music and Voice:
From the sounds of your character’s breathing as a creaking old wooden floor squeaks beneath you as you’re walking down a supposedly empty hallway to the terrifying growls and grunts of the zombies plowing towards you to munch on your no no parts, the sound effects are simply magnificent and remarkable. Sometimes the sound of silence is the biggest star of the show since Capcom does a tremendous job at making the player feel tensed up as they navigate the dark, gloomy and bloody corners of the police station. Just when you think the coast is clear and you’re about to reach that sweet, sweet save room, something unexpected usually happens that may cause you to almost lose control of your game pad and bowels as well. The music is subtle yet effective. The slow paced ambiance of woefully sounding background noises are a nice touch as you traverse the environment, carefully inspecting your surroundings ensuring your survival. The weapons too, when used, sound just as you would expect them. Nothing quite satisfies to the very core like hearing the sound of a shell of a shotgun or magnum blast and watching the zombie’s head explode in front of you like a popping a fat, overbearing zit. Or using the flamethrower and hearing the cracking sounds of fire as your enemies are burnt to a crisp then listening to the residual hissing sounds after you barbecued them like a rack of ribs on the 4th of July. The voice acting is surprisingly well done too. While not a familiarized sounding Leon from previous RE titles, I am glad they got someone who sounds fitting for the role. Fitting in a sense of a young buck who is just starting off in the real world and has yet to earn his stripes, but by the game’s end does so, ten-fold. Claire, too, sounds good and almost a little too surprisingly upbeat for the madness that is commencing around her. The supporting cast also does a great job to display the weighted turmoil surrounding them and the situation that they are all in. 
Replay Value:
High as a kite on a windy March day! I had to literally drag myself on playing through this game a third time. I was infatuated with the entirety this game had to offer. I have not been this glamoured by a Resident Evil game since the likes of Resident Evil 4. There is just so much to go back and do too in terms of getting all of the playthroughs, weapons, upgrades, items and hey, even speed runs to unlock such things as infinite ammo. Who wouldn’t want to barrage Mr. X with a plethora of rockets or grenades to see if you can actually kill that rat bastard? 
Conclusion:
My final score for Capcom’s Resident Evil 2 Remake is going to have to be a 9.5/10. Simply remarkable on all fronts. The video game industry now has set a new bar and new standard for remakes. Other companies are going to have a tough time toppling this undead opus. After you have finally run through both Leon and Claire’s individual campaign’s and the bittersweet zombie blood smoke has settled, what more can I say about this magnificently crafted game, other than why are you still listening to my dumbass for? Go play it for yourself to experience the horror and greatness!
PRO’S:
A beautifully yet horrifyingly detailed world from characters to environments.
Superb story with many terrifying moments.
Rewarding inventory and upgrades.
Satisfying camera and controls.
Tons of replay value.
CON’S:
If only playing one campaign it may be a bit on the short side for some.
A slightly long learning curve for newcomers as ammo tends to run very scarce at times.
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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Kingdom Hearts III
Alas, The Gray Talon chooses his targets wisely as the hunter considers his prey! 
With that being stated, today we are going to discuss, pick apart and review  the 14 year old game in the making, Kingdom Hearts III seeing as though I have just finished the story last night. First off as always I may slip and include a spoiler here any there so if you don’t want anything ruined you may want to click or look away before we go any further. However, if you don’t mind a mild spoiler or two, let’s jump right in and get started!
Overview:
Square-Enix in association with Yensid, er, I mean Disney, has brought us at long last a true sequel to Kingdom Hearts II. A game that was originally released in Japan in late 2005 and in NA/Europe in spring of 2006. The genre of this title is an action/RPG, with heavy emphasis on the action and a light to moderate notion to the RPG aspect. We will be looking at an array of features in this game ranging from graphics to gameplay and dissecting the story and overall seeing in the end if it’s truly worth your time!
Graphics:
In terms of visual style and representation of the polish, I can say without hesitation that here is one of the few key areas where KH3 shines. And I mean literally shines. By using the Unreal 4 Engine, the shiny and robust environments, textures and landscapes are truly a feast for the eyes. Even the cinematic cutscenes will have your jaw agape in awe that they are using in-engine graphics to undertake those scenes. The transitions from cutscenes to in game action are near flawless as well, allowing you to jump back into the action after a scene plays out without having to wait for a loading screen or any type of fade to black scene to transpire. There is an extremely noticeable difference from past KH titles to KH3. You’ll begin to notice little nuances such as Sora’s hair flowing in the wind as he’s jumping in the air to Donald and Goofy’s clothing swaying as they’re running around. I was playing this on my PS4 Pro and it seems to have an output of 1440p overall and does not include an option for HDR on either versions of the game, which is a little disappointing, but does not hinder the core experience. There is an option for framerate to either be locked at 30FPS or an free flowing framerate mode, which is defaulted from the start. I cannot stress enough that you should just leave the default settings as is because the game runs much, much better without locking up the framerate. The framerate, in fact, on free flow mode is almost consistently over 50FPS, nearing 60, which is impressive considering I was playing the game on the PS4 Pro and not the Xbox 1X, which tends to be more of a powerhouse in terms of hardware. Overall the graphics are pristine and what you would expect from taking a large chunk of an advantage of the Unreal 4 Engine.
Gameplay and Control:
The hack and slash action returns ten-fold in KH3 and honestly more so than I would have liked or expected. Don’t get me wrong, the gameplay works and overtime at that. There’s numerous moments when you’re struggling to keep up with the fast paced mayhem transpiring on screen as you keep mashing X, while waiting for that inevitable Triangle action command to prompt to go into a little mini-game mode with yourself, Donald, Goofy or whichever 4th party member you have from whichever world you are presently in. In my opinion there is just too much relying on mashing 1 or 2 buttons here and in the beginning when you’re in the honeymoon phase with KH3, you will rejoice and possibly say this is the best action game you ever played. However, when you’re 3 or 4 worlds in and doing the exact same carousel or water slide mini-game you’ll begin to feel burnt out from the tediousness that never seems to differ. One of the biggest problems of KH3, besides it’s overly convoluted story, (which don’t worry, we will get to shortly), is it’s over saturated use of relying on 1 or 2 buttons to kill an enemy with the same move over and over again with a teeny weeny hint of magic here and there and washing, rinsing and repeating until the very final moments of the game. The combat honestly feels like it’s just been slightly enhanced from other KH titles and does not do anything to evolve the core fighting mechanics as time goes on. You mash a button or two until something dies, use cure or a potion here and there when need be, and keep on repeating until the credits roll. The controls feel tight, slick and responsive as you move Sora around the map and by the simple press of a button can instantly send him wherever you want to go in whichever fashion you like. The camera works with you too as opposed to against you. The free camera control is always a welcomed sight and the only time the camera almost got in my way was during the final boss fight when it switched to an overhead view to better scope out your surroundings but it was a minor hiccup in the end. But you would think after over a decade in development, Tetsuya Nomura would focus more on the combat aspect instead of just tossing in a mere handful of random action sequences that replay more than a sitcom does reruns in the summer. But no, Nomura-san decided to invest all of his time and energy into providing us with one of the most complex storylines known to man that can even rival trying to figure out the proper timeline in The Legend of Zelda series, only much, much more nonsensical. 
Story/Narrative/Campaign:
Now herein lies the Achilles’ heel to not only KH3, but the plethora of all KH games to date, leading back to KH2 when the overly complicated cast of Kool-Aid cultists known as the Organization XIII were introduced, killed out, reintroduced, renamed and resurrected into different bodies. It’s just plain old unwarranted for a game that revolves around Disney and Final Fantasy characters. Oh, and speaking of Final Fantasy characters, or should I say lack thereof, KH3 shifts the focus to solely Disney and no, delete delete, Pixar characters in it’s entirety. If you have the smallest expectation to see Cloud, Squall, Auron or any of the other beloved FF cast then you best not ever even dare to dream about picking up and playing KH3 for the sheer amount of disappointment that will ensue. There is maybe 1 or 2 references to the FF characters but they are nowhere to be found here in KH3. There is only Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, the Organization XIII wackos and the 4 new Pixar worlds they added in total of 6 worlds in KH3 because a 10 year developmental period only allows for a handful of new worlds to be created. The returning worlds are Olympus Colosseum, which opens up the prologue of the game with (and my personal favorite in the entire game because you fight a ton of titans and Hades with a reprising James Woods doing his role) and for some daft reason Pirates of the Caribbean, because why not? The Pirates of the Caribbean story is also as complicated as a monkey trying to solve Chinese algebra so why not marry it to the conundrum that is the KH storyline? It makes sense right? Yeah, as much sense as strapping your nuts to a car battery because you like the way it feels. Now moving along, besides the lack of FF characters, the story and plot itself is very loosely explained. Sure there are some subtexts you can find and revisit in the main menu, but it rarely does justice as Square and Tetsa Nomura-San really wanted to you play either all 10 of the other KH games prior or by spending full price on the Story So Far PS4 title and watching the 17 hours of cutscenes so you are all caught up, because why else do we exist on this planet, if not to uncover the intricate meanings of a game about why there’s an organization trying to steal people’s hearts who also have a nobody and  unversed counterparts with Disney characters somewhere mixed in? And excuse me, because after reading that sentence back to myself I think I just gave myself Syphilis stage 3. But this is not the sole issue of the KH story. In KH3 especially, there is no focus on the plot, even as complicated as it may be. The vast majority of the game you are trying to get Sora to find the power of waking and from the opening prologue (which I kid you not as you enter Olympus the words spew across the screen Kingdom Hearts 2.9, you sleazy rat bastards) once it is mentioned and as you begin to traverse the worlds, Sora and pals tend to forget what their goal is and what they are doing, other than visiting worlds and getting intertwined with their own unique dramas. In the final act of the game, the story picks back up in tidbits only to try it’s best to close out the supposed final chapter in what has already been a painstakingly long and drawn out franchise. Lastly, if you think the story is over after KH3, hilariously the way the game ends makes it feel like The Dark Knight Rises, where you can create your own ending and definition to the fate of Sora. Only if you manage to collect all Mickey emblems can you see the “true” ending, which again doesn’t even make sense like the rest of this game. Sora and Riku are on some kind of Final Fantasy Versus like world on another adventure insinuating a KH4. Right. KH4, coming in the year 2099 after all the nuke’s finish dumping on the world and all that’s left is KH4 and a handful of mutants. If I had to rate KH3 on it’s narrative alone it would get a C- but luckily the slick gameplay and amazing musical score helps balance out the awkwardness of it’s plot.
Sound, Voice and Music:
Another saving grace in KH3 is in it’s musical opus. When it wants to, the score is reminiscent to that of a grand orchestra, that can damn near rival the likes of such famed composers as Hans Zimmer, Harry-Gregson Williams, Bill Conti and even John Williams at times. Some very familiar tunes return from previous games and the final battle music is a delight to the ears to behold and take in. The copulas sounds of a beautifully integrated choir with a robust orchestra really bring the world around you to life. The voice acting holds up well too for the most part, when they aren’t talking complete gibberish about the plot. Disney characters sound as you imagine they would in their respective films. Although Tom Hanks and Tim Allen couldn’t reprise their roles as Woody and Buzz Lightyear, their stand-ins do just fine to make you feel like you’re playing a side tale of Toy Story. Meanwhile, the return of almost the entire cast of Frozen made you feel like you were watching Frozen 2.0. And lastly, the sound effects in terms of inanimate objects and clashing in the world sounds crisp and clean. There are some stale voice acting, though from time to time. Such as whenever some Organization XIII members try to explain the plot and they sound like they’re reading off of a bad script from an Uwe Boll or Paul W.S. Anderson movie. At the end of the day, the music is exemplary and the voice acting is solid on an average scale.
Replay Value:
At best, it all depends on how big of a fan you are at the end of the day. In the 30 hours I spent with KH3, for me, I am a moderate fan of the series so once I saw those credits roll, I was satisfied. I felt no further need to return to a previous save and collect all of the ingredients for the Ultima Keyblade and/or go around hunting down those fat pieces of flan goo taking pictures of them along with those Mickey emblems for a trophy and a secret/true ending. The amount of tedium present in KH3 is heavy in terms of combat that doesn’t escalate beyond pressing 1 or 2 key buttons and a narration that runs circles around itself providing little to no answers or logical sense. It’s a solid action game at it’s core with lots of flash and little in terms of substance and depth unless you count the ridiculously deep never ending rabbit hole of it’s complex plot. 
Overall Score/Worth Your Time?:
When all is said and done and the smoke and pixie Disney dust has settled I cannot help but give KH3 a 7 out of 10. It upsets and pains me in a sense to have to say this, but after waiting oh so very dearly long (and dearly beloved) for this game to come out, something very, very wrong happened in it’s prolonged and obtuse production and development and it’s really hard to pinpoint exactly where as in a nutshell the game is a bit of a mess all around in most areas. While the gameplay and controls are tight and fluid, it suffers from overusing the same stale combat over and over again in tandem with a story that is just too damn hard to put time and energy into figuring out. The musical score is probably the only area of KH3  where I can safely say it’s flawless. The rest of the game is up in shambles, endlessly clashing with itself and can’t figure out what direction it wanted to go in for the majority of it’s campaign. And that’s not just present in KH3, it’s now present in most of the other KH games after KH1 as well. It seems that Tetsu Nomura bit off more than he can chew when in reality a cute and cozy video game about Disney and Final Fantasy characters should have simply been about crossing over the 2 franchises and not trying to engross the masses in a plot that would make Interstellar, The Matrix and Inception look like Cool Runnings or Encino Man. (Remember Encino Man? Yeah, I liked Brenan Fraser in the 90′s...) But I digress, is Kingdom Hearts 3 worth your time at the end of the day? And in all honesty, unless you’re a super nerd and have played all 10+ games in their entirety and took a course to understand the intricate workings of the story, then no, it is not worth the 30 hours of your life. Go play Resident Evil 2 remake instead, which I beat twice and is simply glorious. 
PRO’S:
Beautifully rendered worlds and graphics with stable framerates.
A simply magical musical score that is a delight to hear.
Tight and responsive controls.
CON’S:
Tedious combat that does not evolve and challenge the player.
Overly saturated and convoluted plot that does not warrant meaning to casual and even some avid gamers.
Absence of all of the beloved Final Fantasy characters.
Only a handful of new worlds to visit (about 4 in total) mostly from the Pixar universe.
Repetitive encounters and battle commands that hinder the excitement.
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thegraytalon-blog · 6 years ago
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Nostalgia is a Hell of a Drug
Remember Chewbacca, everyone? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Stormtroopers everyone? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Darth Vader everyone? Oh I ‘ member!
Remember the Millennium Falcon everyone? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda on Nintendo? Oh I ‘member!
Remember the original Game Boy and Game Gear? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Indiana Jones? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Sonic the Hedgehog and the Sega Genesis? Oh I ‘member!
Remember Mario Kart, Starfox and Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64? Oh I ‘member!
Remember the Sinbad pirate movie that we all swear exists but in reality doesn’t? Oh I ‘member!
 Above are just a few of the many vast examples of nostalgia in the form of media and entertainment for some of us who grew up in the 80’s and the ‘90’s. Now you might be asking yourself, how can a handful of random pop culture references have anything in common? The answer lies in that they all share one crucial thing that is very similar. That being they all represent a form of nostalgia for the most of us who grew up within this era. This is the era that represented the iconic heroes, symbolic artifacts and the rise of video game dominance that we all know and love today. Even such entities that do not really exist and are part of what is called the Mandela Effect, such as that Sinbad movie from the 90’s that we all swore a blood oath existed but have no concrete evidence backing up such a claim. Well, other than the fact that Sinbad himself used to dress up like a pirate and wear some really baggy pirate looking pants in the 90’s. 
So what is it about nostalgia that is such a driving force behind what compels our minds today in such forms of life as decision making and even to the point of crucial thinking? Well, let’s start from the beginning. The majority of the memories that we have stem from early childhood and carry on over into adolescence and lessen by the time we reach and are in our full adulthood. When humans are born and are children from the age of about 3 or 4 we begin to develop our brains more and begin to retain moments that transpire in the world and capture them into an ethereal bubble and store them in our memory banks to recall at anytime we want. That is, if the memory is worth recalling at all. While most forms of nostalgia are positive some memories are not always as pleasant as that moment when you picked up a Nintendo controller for the first time to play the very first level of Super Mario Bros or when you went into that creepy cave and an old man gave a wooden sword to a child because it was too dangerous to go alone into the wilderness in The Legend of Zelda. However, they are still considered nostalgic because they caused such a tremendous impact on one’s life. 
Let’s say Timmy is 5 years old and is learning how to ride a bike without training wheels. During his trials one day he happens to lose balance, fall off and cuts his knees and sprains both ankles at the same time. Timmy then decides he will never learn how to ride a bike again. It’s not a pleasant memory, but little Timmy may carry on this memory for the rest of his life as it had a big impact on his childhood. When he is older and if people ask him if he knows how to ride a bike, he can not only say no but recall the traumatic experience that shaped his bike riding fate into the present day. Now let’s say little Timmy started riding a bike with training wheels at the age of 5 and nothing went wrong and he eventually graduated to riding a bike with two wheels like a champion. Later on during his life if the topic of riding a bike came up, Timmy may not recall the exact moment when he learned how to ride a bike or even his age, just that he knew how to ride a bike and learned when he was a child. The devil is in the details so to speak and the more prominent the events that transpire in your life, good or bad, the more you will recall and retain them and with great detail. 
Now let’s shift our focus back to the positive aspect of nostalgia and what kind of effect it has on our psyches and even physical attributes over a prolonged period of time. I will be using many examples in the form of video games and media for the rest of this entry so strap in and brace yourselves for some serious nostalgic moments! 
Petey is a pre-teen boy in the late 90’s who indulges in a plethora of video games. Sometimes on a weekend he goes over to his relative’s house to enjoy the competitive elements that gaming offers in the form of racing and shooting. He partakes in numerous races of Mario Kart 64, dogfighting matches in StarFox 64 and the tactical espionage shooting of GoldenEye 64. After hours of racing, dodging shells, popping balloons, aiming true and losing friends with that infamous blue shell in Mario Kart and shooting down enemy starships in StarFox and cursing out the kid who picked Odd Job in GoldenEye (even though we said NOBODY PICKS ODDJOB IN GOLDENEYE you cheating, miserable fucks), Petey leaves his relatives house and returns home. The next day at school Petey is in class doing his assignments when he notices out of the corner of his eye a pencil about to roll off the student’s desk that is to the left of him. Immediately Petey jerks his arm to the left and catches the pencil before it falls off and reaches the floor. Petey did not realize it, but by him dodging those shells, lasers and bullets in the games he played the day prior, it allowed him to have a slight form of heightened reflexes as his brain and body worked in unison to move his arm and catch the object before it reached the floor more so than a person who did not attune their senses by engaging in a hobby that tested your hand to eye coordination like video games do. In most video games, repetition is key. By performing various tasks over and over again, a person trains their mind and body to react in ways that are almost considered unnatural by the laws of man. Now I’m not saying that gamers are all Spider-Man or Jedi Knights, but their critical thinking does improve as well as their reflex actions and allows them to think and perform outside of the box more than others from time to time. 
Speaking of critical thinking, let’s say that it’s a bright and sunny Saturday morning in spring of 1987. You are 7 years old and wake up, have your Cookie Crisp or Fruity Pebbles while you pop on some Transformers or Thundercats as you prepare for your day off from school. Then in the early afternoon proceed to your room and take out the gilded cartridge crafted with great care by the Hylian warriors of future’s past, proceed to take a deep breath and blow deeply into the bottom of the cartridge. You then insert the cartridge into your Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and start to hear the whimsical and delightful music of The Legend of Zelda. As your adventure continues across the vast land of Hyrule, you seem to discover many dungeons along your path in which require you to solve puzzles and obtain keys to open your path to venture forward. Most of the puzzle solving includes memorizing geometrical squares or blocks to move them in such a pattern that they will allow secret passages and doors to open so you can continue your hero’s journey. After spending countless hours dungeon crawling , slaying mythical beasts, solving numerous shape shifting puzzles and obtaining the Master Sword to defeat the mighty evil lord Ganon, you put the game to rest for a little while. The next day, Sunday, you go over your friends house to hang out and he has something cool to show you. His mom bought him a new puzzle game called Simon. In this game you have to remember color patterns and memorize them to not fail and go back to the start of the puzzle. Your friend, who is not into video games as much as you, and proceeds to try out the Simon game with you. He gets a score of 4 turns without failing and you happen to score a whopping 12 turns without failing. Could it be that his memory is not as attuned as yours because you just spent the previous day playing The Legend of Zelda and solving pattern memorization puzzles in a plethora of different dungeons? It is indeed very possible and almost factual. Once again, repetition is key and it shapes the mind to retain and remember glimpses of imagery that will help you in such tasks as doing well in a memorization game or exam.  
Video games such as The Legend of Zelda are prime examples of how nostalgia not only plays a factor in critical thinking but also how our minds are shaped for when we become adults and how our way of thinking is affected by experiencing games like this in the past in our childhoods. For the most part, The Legend of Zelda series is aimed at a child base with it’s whimsical characters and environments and tunes. However, deep, beneath it’s surface, those games may contain such a deep nostalgic presence in the form of a darkened and twisted tone, that it can only be harnessed and resonated years to decades later as we reach adulthood and see how we use our intellect and minds to either provide rational thought or even something as trivial as conversing with someone and describing your likes and desires. For example, why do some of us migrate towards TV shows or comics or movies with such dark messages or that have a really sick and twisted meaning? I’ll use The Punisher and Fight Club as examples here. Could it be that our love for these 2 embodiments of physical and psychological warfare on the mind, body and spirit stem from our interaction with let’s say The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy and/or The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for the Nintendo 64? I know I am singling our Zelda games a lot but there’s a reason and method for my madness here, I promise. You see, both of these games in particular in the series have a deeply disturbing underlying message. In Link’s Awakening you play as the famed hero Link who awakes on an island with no memory of how he got there so his goal is to find a way off the island and get back to his homeland in Hyrule. Now SPOILER ALERT because I am about to fast forward to the game’s ending. At the end of the game, Link encounters the Wind Fish, who is a mythical creature and king of the island that informs Link he is part of some kind of deep REM like fever dream that once he wakes up from all of the creatures and inhabitants of the island he is presently on will cease to exist and die pretty much. The game’s theme and message here then becomes somewhat complex. It twists the plot and forces one’s mind into a psychosis that cannot necessarily determine fiction from reality. The same is present in that of the film Fight Club. Again, SPOILER ALERT here as the entire movie we cannot tell what is fact from fiction as the main character slips in and out of a deep schizophrenic psychosis that plays the duality of himself with a character who he may or may not have created, Tyler Durden, who was everything the main character was not. Like seen in Link’s Awakening, the focus of the story is shifted from reality to fantasy in the blink of an eye where you, the player and the main character in Fight Club and Link as well are uncertain whether the world they are living in and characters around or within them are all real or simply part of some kind of imaginative force. Nobody can really pinpoint the truth of the matters, only that there may be multiple outcomes for their unique situations. 
The Punisher and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are also similar in their own diverse ways. Now before I continue I want to go on record for saying I feel Majora’s Mask is the copyrighted and trademarked property of not only Nintendo, but Lucifer as well. That’s right folks, this game is possessed by the devil and I can prove that with hard concrete evidence. Just Google or YouTube “Ben Drowned” after finishing this and I promise you that you will not sleep well tonight after seeing that. Now for a hefty third SPOILER ALERT here as in Majora’s Mask many feel and believe that the story takes place with Link having failed in all his endeavors to stop Ganondorf from taking over the world, Princess Zelda, who he loved, was enslaved and Link himself was dead and the game takes place in the Hylian afterlife where Link has a finite amount of time to save that world from collision with a moon face who kind of looks like he is in the middle of taking the most constipated crap known to man. Now my point is here that Link is dead, he knows his world has ended as he knows it and is now just running through the motions doing what he can to survive while expelling the evil around him, doing and making whatever he can right, until death knocks on his door. The same can be said for the Punisher. The man known as Frank Castle is dead and has been since his family’s cold blooded murder, leaving behind a shell of the former man he once was and he is just simply doing what good he can, righting the wrongs of the world, while being consumed in the hell on Earth he is living in, the same as Link in Majora’s Mask, until that fateful day when the grim reaper comes beckoning. 
Therein lies our attraction to such nostalgic elements of the past to that of the present in a nutshell. But it is only a mere taste of the many nostalgic elements of the past that carry on into our present and future, forever shaping and molding both conscious and subconscious  states of our minds determining our focus and reality. 
Now in conclusion I would like to leave you all with a disturbing thought about a form nostalgia that can pander to even the most enlightened thinkers as hazardous and demeaning. How many of us grew up idolizing Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo and Princess Leia from a galaxy far, far away? How many of us used to cherish those films and even used to dress up like those characters for Halloween or even go to extreme lengths to cosplay at shows such as Comic-Con or just for fun and create videos and role play as them for blogging purposes? George Lucas created something unlike the world has ever seen and even with his infamously criticized prequels, the Star Wars franchise was still a force to be reckoned with and like the Force itself was a powerful ally of nostalgia indeed. Now fast forward a few decades to where we are now. That nostalgia of Star Wars with what once was so illustrious and fruitful has caused us to sheepishly support the ongoing cancer of the new modern world that is known quite simply as the sequel trilogy. The soulless embodiment of corruption, greed and rape of the Star Wars franchise known to man and the majority of us continue to witness the horror, which is the equivalent to watching a train wreck I guess because some of us just cannot look away. And why you may be wondering? That devil is in the details here. Nostalgia is a pathway to many abilities, like I stated earlier, and some are considered to be unnatural. The most frightening ability nostalgia gives us is the ability to go and pay hard earned dollars to experience something that is completely unworthy, unholy and just plain unnecessarily bad for our souls because nostalgia said it was a good idea! This is not only present in such forms of media as Star Wars but in other forms of entertainment as well. How many of us saw Batman VS Superman because we as teenagers or adolescents read Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and thought it would be an exact rendition of that piece of art? Who saw Man of Steel only because they saw the Nolan Brothers names in the credits and thought it would be just as good, if not, better than The Dark Knight? How many of us flocked to theaters to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull because we loved Harrison Ford in the original adventures of Indiana Jones trilogy? Give me the total number of cattle who grazed their way to the theaters to see The Hobbit after the renowned success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy? And even in video games, who ran out and bought The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask because it took place in the same world and timeline as the famed The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? The same with Nintendo and their consoles can be said. How many of you owned a Nintendo Game Boy and had to wait on line for 3 hours to obtain a Nintendo Virtual Boy due to the nostalgia caused by the Game Boy? On the other side of the fence, how many countless people purchased Sonic the Hedgehog for the Xbox 360 because of their fond recollections of Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast? The list goes on and on and on. 
All of these newly released end resulted products listed above have ended in disappointment over their predecessors in some way, shape or form. These letdowns that I just stated cannot hold a candle to their nostalgic ancestral entities  of the past that brought us such warmth and joy. Simply stated, they just do not make them like they used to! So why do we continue to follow this systematic pattern? Does nostalgia alone drive our state of mind or is it something deeper and something even more psychological? I feel that there is another driving force that goes hand in hand in tandem with the nostalgia factor. I strongly believe that married to nostalgia is F.O.M.O. or the “Fear of Missing Out”, which is a syndrome created by chemicals in the brain that develop such an emotional fear that if they were ever to stop witnessing a piece of intellectual property they have invested so much time and energy into that they became terrified as to what the outcome may be, even if there would be no harm done to them physically. Emotionally speaking, these people are frightened to the point of stasis that if they were to miss out on viewing or playing or experiencing something they have dumped a large chunk of their lives to, their minds may collapse into themselves like a neutron star! It fascinates the very mind and can even warrant further study to what drives an individual to such lengths of commitment, with nostalgic fear being one of the leading factors and causes. A prime example of this would be the television show The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s comic series. The show has been renewed for it’s 11th season and has long since lost my interest so I simply stopped watching. But I know people who continue watching even though the show has turned stale. Why? F.O.M.O! Godforbid they miss out on a morsel and crumb of walking down a barren road! And what about the next Star Wars movie? Episode IX is due out in December of 2019 and the majority of people I know are committed to seeing it even after they claimed Episode VIII ruined the franchise for them. Why? F.O.M.O!
  I will leave you all with this final thought to ponder: If one is to break away from the sheepish herd, they must first act and lead like a member of the wolf pack.
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