Honest Abe

A Rare Beauty (Spoiler-Free) It's simple and kept so, eloquently. This story never tries to be more than it is, but wow is it good. From a story point of view, it was imaginative yet familiar. Unlike many movies of today, the plot wasn't told to us, but rather shown. We were respected as semi-intelligent viewers in that they refused to just exposition away its universe. Thus, instead of narration and power points, we received beautiful scenes that told us who these characters were and why their story mattered. The casting was phenomenal, each actor embodying their character flawlessly. Each character story arc developed beautifully, and matured by the end of the film. These arcs were complex, in that they each bled into each other, adding new depths for the sake of good story telling. No character felt unnecessary, no one out of place. The main cast felt like a family on screen, and therefore gave us a reason to care about their story. The cinematography was a work of art. Each shot felt important and the scenes were beautifully woven together. Since no moment was wasted, we were constantly given no choice but to empathize with our protagonists. We witnessed and felt their growth, their vulnerability, their fear, regret, anger, and most importantly, their catharsis. Each emotion made possible by the perfect camerawork, directing, and acting. In the end, I found myself excited to see what a possible sequel might hold. I've grown fond of this sub-genre of hero movies, where they feel less like a fantasy and more of a possibility. For what it was, it was beautiful. And I wouldn't change a thing. Oh, and trust me. Watch it twice. You'll appreciate it so much more.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: An emotional masterpiece, Firewatch takes storytelling to a new and deeper level. What appears to be a simple tale of two young lovers turns into a wild adventure where Henry (you) uncover mysteries that lead to a much darker and disheartening truth. Pair this beautiful story with two wonderfully voiced characters and you have recipe for maximum empathy. I felt Henry's regret, his fear, his relief. Every choice I, as the player, made also felt morally weighted. It was easy to relate with Henry as I chose his every response to Delilah throughout the entire experience. Lastly, the visuals were as beautiful as the story. Very similar to 'Dishonored,' the landscapes felt like a painting that had come to life. Never did I find this game hard to look at, and if anything I found myself just taking in the valley I had been assigned to. All the while, you are given a disposable film camera and the freedom to take pictures of whatever you want. Since I wasn't given any reason to believe this item was to be used for anything in specific, I quite often found myself treating the camera like a tool to acquire evidence. In this, I created my own game mechanic while exploring. It's only when the game ends that you find out it was just a way for you to relive the memories of the story you just regretfully finished. In the end, you're rewarded with catharsis and gifted your photos as a way to remember the experience; each photo available for download, and high enough resolution to use as a desktop background. Overall, a wonderful experience with little-to-no complaints. Highly recommend giving this game a chance, just go in knowing this is a game you won't quickly forget.

This game has mechanics that the community clearly loves, but with only a BR option and slow matchmaking times this game takes a LONG time to master. As a new player, you jump in and are quickly killed off by much more experienced players. You are then thrust back into the lobby and forced to queue up another game without having had the time to learn anything. Because of this, you spend more time in menus and loading screens than you do in-game which is a horrible system. This alone is enough to chase off new players, which is unfortunate because it is a very good game. It's like teaching someone who has never driven a car to drive manual, handing them the keys, and saying, "Good luck. Now drive up this hill." In theory, yes, you will EVENTUALLY figure it out and get better, but that doesn't mean it's a good way to learn. By introducing other game-modes, you allow the player to learn in a more forgiving environment. This game has already proven that it has the potential to be greater than any of the current shooters on the market. It came out and took the BR genre by force, but since then it has stagnated whereas other games have evolved. Apex is being left in the shadows of these more adaptive titles. I can confidently say, much like other Respawn titles before it, Apex Legends will die soon UNLESS it releases other game-modes. And YES, there is Titanfall 2 as an alternative, but if I wanted to play titanfall, I would just play titanfall.

Two main problems with this game: -Riddled with bugs -Disrespectful writing Let me explain. Due to, in my opinion, game-breaking bugs and frame drops, I lost characters early on. During quick-time events, I pressed the correct prompts, but was rewarded with a frame drop and the death of the character. This happened, twice within one scene, leading to a series of events that changed my ENTIRE story in a way that could have easily been avoided. In a game based around decision-making, I felt robbed of my actual choice because of this, and simply had to accept it and move forward. In regards to disrespectful writing, this game takes the cake. It is clear that the writers intended to patronize the player by constantly presenting them with mixed options that would lead to a bad decision. This would "encourage" the player to replay the whole story again in hopes of changing these "mistakes." Unfortunately, as mentioned, these decisions were made based of CUNNING quick-time responses that were changed at key points resulting in avoidable mistakes. (eg. quick-time events replaced with rapid button tapping for no logical reason, button prompts followed by instructions instead of instructions being presented first) Not only were there forcefully manipulative techniques, but the story was all-too-predictable. In fact, it as so obvious that I was able to predict the "source" of the horror within the first hour. Even with this being said, the true nature of the horror was forcibly thrust into the players face on MULTIPLE accounts. The writers clearly assumed the audience wasn't intelligent enough, and just settled with constantly forcing the plot down their throats. Considering the combination of buggy game-play, deceptive/cunning quick-time events, and patronizing writing, this game should be avoided entirely. The visuals were beautiful, and often times I found myself wandering simply so I could explore the scene that had been laid out for me. The roster was much smaller than Until Dawn, making it so I could more deeply connect with each of the characters. Beautifully voiced and visually stunning, I felt attached to each character and hated to see any of them die. Unfortunately, these positives are heavily outweighed by the negative. You're better off watching someone else play than attempting it yourself. Save your money. Supermassive Games should consider respecting their audience more, lest they hide in the shadow of more critically acclaimed titles.