GrumpyUncleNick 20

Imagine having an acid trip while watching independence day and you'll have an interesting afternoon. But if you want something less destructive with the same mentality play Saints Row IV. After a disappointing Saints Row The Third I had little hope for this game, but I was was genuinely surprised to find one of my favorite open world experiences to date. Saints Row 4 does not take itself seriously and it's goal is to poke fun at the gaming art form while also ending the story of The Third Street Saints. And its succeeds at both these things. Heart warming moments between series characters are juxtaposed by robot fights featuring phallic shaped baseball bats. One issue I had was the reuse of Saints Row 3's boring and lifeless open world. But thanks to the addition of super movement and activities scattered everywhere, this issue is mostly forgotten. You owe it to yourself to play the masterful series that volition has put together and to experience what might be my favorite send off to a gaming franchise ever.

Call of Duty 2 is the biggest surprise I think I’ve had in gaming since Spec Ops the Line. I bought this game when it was on sale after watching Raycevich’s video on “How Call of Duty Lost Its Identity” expecting what would be a passable, but in the end bland WW2 shooter.. As for years I have flown the flag that the series only ever peaked with the original Modern Warfare… but after playing through the game twice and beginning my third play through within the same week I bought it, I can definity say… I was completely wrong. Call of Duty 2 is not only the best WW2 shooters ever made, but also one of the best shooters ever made. Each level is open ended with multiple objectives forcing players to explore the environment for cover and flanking positions. Gun play is ahead of its time, feeling just as good as the games made today. Enemies are really intelligent, constantly pushing trying desperately to get the upper hand in battle. And the atmosphere is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. The best part of the game is the level design. As stated before, each mini sandbox allows a multitude of ways for players to achieve objectives. There is just enough cover to allow players time to collect their thoughts, but never so much that the game becomes Gears of War stop and pop style shooting galleries. Buildings are tight forcing players to be slow and tactical while entering, but have multiple entry points, allowing for some decision making from the player. And vantage points are always found when taking these buildings giving players a gameplay incentive to fight for them. Whether it be pushing up the cliffs of Normandy, fighting in the deserts of Africa, or partaking in the battle of Stalin Grad, each level provides the most it can with its setting. The gameplay is just solid enough to be fun, but a few weapons do display some vintage levels of jank. Rifles and machine guns all work to do specific jobs making players have to constantly search environments and switch weapons to continue their attack/hold out their defense. Sometimes weapons (mostly handguns) feel like pea shooters, making players usually decide to switch them out with a bolt action rifle, but besides that, combat is engaging and as stated before the expert level design and intelligent enemies do most of the heavy lifting when discussing player interaction. Enemies are able to lay down suppressive fire, flank allied soldiers, make strong offensive pushes, and hold down defended areas. The AI helps keep the action up and the player thinking about their next move, as well as keep the immersion from ever breaking. Sometimes their scripting can be a little stupid (like mortar teams refusing to leave their positions when under sniper fire) but 9/10 times I found myself surprised at just how well the AI holds up today. As one can see from the reasons listed above, Call of Duty 2 is one of the greatest games I think I have ever played. Though I have no intention of taking part in the multiplayer (as that quickly opens up the possibility to toxic and annoying communities) I can definitely see myself replaying this game throughout the years, and with me being locked inside due to the CoronaVirus, it couldn’t have come at a better time. So if Raycevich is reading this review I have two things to say to him… please do an “X” years later on the Bioshock franchise, and thank you for the recommendation.

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is a painfully butchered attempt of a sequel to The Sands Of Time. This was a noble attempt fixing my major issue of the boring combat, but they seem to do a 180 and ruin everything else that made the game great. The characters were all ruined with the Prince's original fun and quippy persona being swapped out with "IT'S NOT A PHASE MOM!" teenage angst that anyone over the age of twelve will find annoying and unbearable. The level design tries to copy God Of War linear set pieces but fails due to the lack of imagination on display. The dark brown haze filter makes all shots look equally terrible and nausea inducing. But as stated before the combat is actually really good even if it does feel like a slightly shallower God Of War. If you were a fan of Sands of Time or Two Thrones I would not recommend this game. But I will say that playing it has at least made me come to love the rest of the series even more then I already did.

The argument of whether games need to be fun will go on for as long as the medium will exist (if not longer). But I see games as an artform who doesn't need to be constrained by ideas of living up to a fun fantasy of being a jumping plumber or a pizza thing searching for pills. Games like Silent Hill 2 and Paratopic show that there is far more to this medium then being "toys of entertainment." But none of this applies to Death Stranding which I found to be engaging, entertaining, awe inspiring, and yes... fun. Fun in a way that only avid hiking enthusiasts are likely to appreciate. People go into this game expecting a "walking simulator" where you point the character in the direction of your goal and push forward in the D pad. Granted, I understand why people would think this way, as the medium never has tried to make the act of walking more complex then this equation. But once you go at the game with understanding of cross country hiking your experience will benefit greatly. For instance: instead of walking straight up a mountain, try walking perpendicular to the slope, while also leaning towards said slope. Extendable ladders, placable climbing anchors, and weightlifting exosuits help facilitate this gameplay loop of being a cross country "delivery-boy." A quiet multiplayer system of cooperative infrastructure helps make this loop simpler, but the basic gameplay loop never really evolves into anything different. Granted there are stakes. Ghosts and bandit camps litter the GINORMOUS map forcing player to prepare for potential combat encounters, but with some quick and quiet footwork players are able to easily sneak by these halts in progress. This being a Hideo Kojima game, one should be going in expecting long winded dialogues about things ranging from, what it means to be human, to whatever band Kojima is listening to while he wrote the first draft. I usually find these long story moments hilarious to watch and fun to pick apart... except this time. Unlike Metal Gear Solid which always had a deeper meaning to its insanity, Death Stranding seems to lack depth in expository story telling. The gameplay does a much better job discussing the theme of reconnecting America following an awful event leading to an isolated and fractured populous (the theming is anything but subtle). Death Stranding... is great, and different. Which is really what I wanted going in. It provided a new take on the action adventure genre while also making confusing attempts at political commentary (the Death Stranding is Donald Trump if you couldn't tell). Definitely go play this game, hopefully its success will lead to an era of weird AAA projects.

Very recently I wrote a review for The Last of Us 2 and in said review I compared the backlash that game got to the backlash following the release of this movie. As I wrote the review I realized that it had been almost two years since I had last seen The Last Jedi (TLJ). So I decided to change that and after watching TLJ once more I can definitely say… its fine...alright… equally flawed and well crafted. Which to be honest makes the movie even more interesting than it would have been without those flaws making me believe this is another example of a film whose quality was affected by Disney fingers lodged in the hypothetical TLJ pie. This movie is flawed in many ways that should have been dealt with at the peer review of the script. Finn (the child soldier) does not need to be taught that war is hell by a new character. Holdo shouldn’t be so reserved when discussing a plan with the rest of the rebels. The plot twist involving DJ was pointless and added nothing to the plot… but Rey and Luke's arch deals with some of, if not the most complex ideas Star Wars has ever pondered. The meaning of tradition, the importance of failure, the draw to the darkside and the effects it can have on those many worship as heroes. And at the same time Kylo Ren is consistently the best part of this trilogy with his uncertainty of his place in the galaxy and the guilt he feels for his major choice in the last movie, making these two arch some of my favorite in the entire franchise. But across the board the thing this movie does consistently well is the cinematography. Shots convey so much emotion without saying anything. Battles in space and on ground are breathtaking visual affairs. And as usual, the soundtrack is almost perfect. This is why the Last Jedi is so confusing to me. With every strive it takes foreward it stumbles a little with each step. If I convinced you to give this movie another chance I would recommend going in with an open mind and you might come out with a much more positive look on this confused film. And if you still hate it, you can make money complaining about it on the internet like so many already have.

There's something inherently beautiful about horror media. Finding the courage to face the unknown despite the odds being stacked against you is an experience which I constantly find myself being intoxicated by. Yet horror is a slippery slope, many horror entertainments lose their fear factor the second time around. You’ve already seen the monsters, shot the zombies, and turned on the metaphorical lights, most horror medias have nothing else to offer in a second playthrough or viewing… Resident Evil Remake is different. Atmosphere is the most important part of any horror experience, when done right you can get the feeling you’re never in control, that someone- or something is always watching you. Resident Evil Remake uses all of its tools to create a dark and unnerving atmosphere. The game uses the classic horror staple of a “fixed camera” to show players their environment. At the time of release, this method of presentation was scrutinized for limiting the players understanding and control of combat situations, in an oversaturated market of games whose implementation of the system wasn’t natural. But in a time where this kind of AAA horror is rare if not non-existent, I now understand this only adds to the experience allowing the game designers complete control of what the player needs to see, and what they shouldn’t. Gameplay is clunky for a reason. Moving Jill and Chris feels like piloting a tank instead of a special agent, but when considering the situation they are in, would you be so nimble? People tense up when scared, and take time to convince themselves to act in the face of the unknown, despite their training I doubt either of the playable characters were prepared to fight the undead. This clunky movement was chosen to push this feeling of tense and intentional movement. The enemies that you will fight range the gambit from vanilla zombies, mutated reptiles, to hellish undead creatures who look as though they were pulled through a steel grate. Each creature fights differently forcing players to count their bullets and rethink their strategies when entering rooms. The levels are cramped, dark, and tightly connected to the point I would consider calling it Metroid inspired, Almost all rooms hide something useful, whether that be a key or a few rounds of ammunition. And very few rooms will only be visited once, as hallways and living quarters believable lead into each other. Resident Evil is known for its music (especially its save themes) and Remake provides one of the best soundtracks.in the series. Using deep strings and wind instruments, the soundtrack is able to disarm the player's sense of belonging. Most instruments play single drawn out sounds to keep tension rising before finally silencing at the opening of the door, or intensifying with the entrance of an enemy. A resident evil game is only as good as its save room theme, and by God… this game has the best of the series (in my opinion). The slow use of piano chords in a repeated melody do provide the closest thing to comfort in the entire game, but never enough comfort to let you forget about the horror outside the locked door. And the story is… not great. Though the backstory or the mansion and its inhabitants is smart and well told, the story of STARS is not. Bland voice acting and very generically obvious villains do dampen serious scenes, but environmental storytelling and a subplot about a girl in the cabin do make the script enjoyable. Whether it be your first, second, or fifth time running in the Spencer Mansion there seems to always be something new to appreciate.

You know, I was planning on writing a review for Nausicaa tonight but then I realized I haven't had the chance to HATE something on the internet in quiet a while. So here it goes, I REALLY don't like GTA V, or any of the Grand Theft Auto games for that matter. I've played each for at least five hours and always come away with a hazy feeling of immense disappointment. The gaming community loves to prop this series on a high pedestal, for reasons unknown to me. Maybe it could be nostalgia, or it could be the fact Rockstar makes them, but what ever it is, it's baffling. Well now that I'm done complaining about the fan base it's time to complain about the game. The game is as bare bones as they come. Its as if you took a Ubisoft sandbox but removed the "gimmick" that they seem to have. The open world is detailed but lacks any emotion... if that makes sense? Like on a technical level, the world is impressive due to its size, but that size has lead to content being spread thin. Granted, at those points where content is added to the map, there's plenty to do and see. However these locations are few and far between taking up only the top and bottom of the ginormous map. The gameplay is really bad, like if any other studio decided to use the combat template that GTA does they would be laughed out of business. The euphoria engine pushes realism over playability, making gunshots and movement stiff and unsatisfying. The story is also really bad, and inconsistent. Like usual Rockstar decides to feature the most linear and unsatisfying level design in any modern AAA feature. There is no room for player expression in this game, and any attempt to go off the beaten path is met with an immediate game over. The actual writing part of the story pulls dozens of punches and is exclusively based on shock value. A scene that sticks out to me happens after Trevor (one of the player characters) decides to torture someone on a whim. But after the torturing is said and done, Trevor decides to grow a heart and take the victim to the airport so he can leak these crimes to the media. The amount of contextual whiplash I felt almost broke my neck. I think people give the story credit as the final mission is the best in ANY Rockstar title and with the addition of sentimental music to the credits it could have emotionally manipulated people into thinking they enjoyed it. But it did little in changing my opinion. The driving's good though... I do not like this game, I do not like this series, and I definitely do not like the nightmare horror stories of this games development. Like usual Rockstar forced its employees into unbelievable periods of crunch to push out this installment. Personally I do not think crunch culture should be apart of any game no matter its quality, and I think Rockstar keeps getting away with it because of peoples positive opinion on their titles. I bring this up because not enough people do, and having this at the back of my head while playing this game makes me even more sick of this series. So please Rockstar, if you're reading this... before you fix your games maybe consider fixing yourself and the disgusting practices you push within your company... ok... I think I'm gonna review Nausicaa now.