If you are like me, you probably grew up watching the Griswold family go on assorted vacations, such as Christmas Vacation. 2015’s Vacation was a very poorly received continuation of this series, with Rusty all grown up, played by Ed Helms. Ed does a great job alongside Christina Applegate, continuing the tradition of family vacations that just don’t go so well. Even Chevy Chase returns as Clark towards the end of the movie to guide Rusty at the end of his adventure to get the family to Walley World.
The humour is very hit and miss, unfortunately, with some of the scenes very much being throwbacks to the original films. These are nice for nostalgia purposes, but they don’t exactly age well for newer audiences, and the rest of us have already seen them in the original. Even back in the 80s, these scenes weren’t considered great scenes, such as the woman flirting with Clark while driving down the highway.
That isn’t to say the movie doesn’t have charm in its own right; the entire section where the Griswolds visit Rusty’s sister is fantastic, and Chris Hemsworth really steals the show as Stone, his brother-in-law. The movie isn’t great and deserves the criticism it gets, but it is a fun movie that is worth watching. I would have liked to have seen the cast return for Christmas. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Sonic Wings Reunion is the newest game from Red Art Games, and they were kind enough to toss me a copy. The game is a sequel to Sonic Wings, which was released as Aero Fighters back in 1998 in the West. Now I have some interesting opinions on this game, but I won’t make you read all of that to get to the main point of all that. If you just want to know if this is worth picking up, the quick answer is yes. If you enjoy old-school arcade-style shooters, the game is great.
With 8 initial characters and more to unlock, local co-op, 8 stages, and stories to go along with each character, the content is definitely there. Moreover, the characters will interact with each other depending on who you team up together, Mao Mao and Chaika & Pushka, for example, talk about a singing competition they will compete against each other in (you will discover the winner if you finish the 8 levels)
The damage you do to cities as you fly through the levels and use bombs (that change based on characters) is also impressive. Many games don’t even bother with such details, but here they are pretty well fleshed out. Here is where the game gets a bit odd to me.
Each level starts by telling you to “Gird Your Loins,” which, by the way, is not some messed-up translation issue. This is actually a very old English saying, meaning to prepare yourself for a difficult situation or for something dangerous. The bosses range from things like a rocket to a mechanical gorilla. None of this is ever really explained; this is just the level of insane stuff the game gives you. Sort of like the Russian characters bomb being Russian nesting dolls accompanied by Russian dance music.
None of these are complaints, by the way. This is actually a list of why you should play this game. If games are meant to be fun, this game nails it. Even after I had decided I played this game enough to review it, I found myself wanting to play more. That, to me, is the sign of a good game. It is an 8/10 experience that lets you make it as hard or as easy as you want. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Sinister 2 is obviously the Sequel to the first film, and it was not received well at all. Seriously, if you look it up over on Rotten Tomatoes, people did not like this movie at all. I honestly do not really see why. Shannyn Sossamon and James Ransone do a great job in their roles.
The story of an old pagan god that uses movies from previous kills to convince kids to murder their families isn’t exactly something that is overly done or seen either. We aren’t exactly rehashing old material here. While the movie absolutely has its faults, for example, it does use jump scares more often than I would like. It also does a fantastic job of setting up a creepy atmosphere alongside those scares.
The ghost children in the movie also manage to be downright creepy. Right from the very start, their monotone delivery alongside their happiness to deliver these other kids to damnation is spooky. I enjoyed watching them manipulate these kids into the murder plot right from the start, even if it was easy to see what they were doing.
Sinister 2 is one of those movies, while I understand it isn’t a great movie, I don’t see how so many people consider it a bad movie. It was definitely worth a watch. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Skygard Arena is a turn-based tactical game from the people over at Gemelli Games, and they were kind enough to send me a copy to check out. I always appreciate this, and this was a fun one to play. It has very positive reviews over on Steam, and it is easy to see why. While the game isn’t perfect, it does a lot of things right.
I won’t spoil the story for you; suffice it to say there is one, and I enjoyed it. Basically, there is a tournament amongst the five floating kingdoms, and this year, there is an added bonus where the winner gets to claim a newly discovered magical item. As the leader of the cloud people, you want to stop it from falling into the wrong hands. It isn’t anything groundbreaking, but it is still enjoyable.
The gameplay itself is where the game shines, mostly. The battles play out in a sort of MOBA fashion. You choose three champions, capture points to help redeploy champions, and collect things to charge up stronger attacks. How you attack also matters; you can attack from the front if you want, but hitting from the back, for example, is always better.
Some of these things are also where the flaws show, for example, I love that things like line of sight matter. If you stand behind a pillar, you won’t be hitting the enemy, and they won’t be hitting you. This, however, isn’t always intuitive. I should be able to launch a fireball over that bush without a problem. I also really don’t understand why certain things need to even be researched.
None of that really ruins the fun or flow of the game. 3v3 battles are a lot of fun, and the story is honestly more of a tutorial anyway. The real meat of the game comes in the skirmish and PVP, which, unfortunately, can sometimes feel empty. Some days, finding a match took a few minutes; others, I couldn’t find out at all.
The question is, does the game give you value for the $20 price tag? Truthfully, I am a bit on the fence. If you enjoy single-player experience and are willing to risk not being able to enjoy the multiplayer as much as you would like, then yes, pick it up. If all you want is to play with other people, this may not be the experience for you right now. It is a solid 7/10 experience, and I hope the multiplayer picks up. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Honestly, what can I say about Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles that hasn’t been said in about 600 YouTube videos and even more written reviews? Is the story amazing? Absolutely, even by today’s standards, it has it all. Love, betrayal, well-written political commentary, and an unspoken bond between man and bird that is never explained. Seriously, I will kill every animal in this game, but Boko stays.
I will always love this scene
This review is going to be less of a review and more of an acknowledgment of what we already know: Final Fantasy Tactics is just an amazing game and possibly the best tactical RPG ever made. Nothing I say will convince you to buy this game if you haven’t already made the decision.
There are some things to note, for example, the PS5 has amazing load times, the fastest across all versions in a test done by RPG Site, so if this is one of your concerns about where to buy it, hopefully, this helps. The game also reportedly has some stuttering issues on both Switch consoles.
Some of the quality of life changes, however, are what really make this the definitive version, even if the dark (fell) knight class is missing. The ability to fast forward in battle is amazing, though having to hold down the button instead of toggling it is an odd design choice to me. The voice acting is also far better than I expected.
There isn’t much more to be said on this title. If you loved this game before, you will again, and if you have been waiting to play it now is the time. If you somehow never cared for it, however, this won’t change your mind. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
It isn’t often that I play a tactical RPG where losing a battle doesn’t just make me cringe knowing I have to do this all over again. But not long ago, Kakao Games sent me a copy of Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch on PS5, and that changed. This isn’t your typical Tactical RPG; it is, at its very core, a roguelite.
Every move can be a life-or-death choice
The game starts out standard enough. You wake up on a beach, with no memory, and you must fight some undead with the help of some people who seem to remember you from the ship you were on. It isn’t long before this proves to be a battle you can’t truly win. So what is a dead man to do? Make a deal with a witch, become her champion, and rid the island of whatever is causing this problem as you set out in search of people mentioned in a letter that you feel are important.
Each of your friends has their own strengths and weaknesses, and you will be able to pick up more along the way to build your party from. Do you want a quick dagger wielder that can disappear and strike from the shadows? Emile is the perfect character for that. Want a more Paladin-like character that can heal and attack? Evie has you covered with her healing skills, but solid sword work.
Each step of the way, you can choose where to go at a fork in the road. Some lead to much-needed healing at camp sites, or a raven you can get relics from. Others will have merchants or NPCs to interact with. All will force you to make a decision on where to go next, most of which will lead you to your next battle.
Most maps are small enough that battles are quick and painful for everyone involved, rarely letting you walk away untouched. Don’t worry, if you lose a character, they will be back for the next fight, minus most of their health.
Customization also plays a huge part in the game; rather than gaining new weapons, you can choose who to give orbs to, which upgrade weapons and armor. At each level, you are also given a choice of a new skill to learn or a possible skill to upgrade. These are random, but you can reroll for a few gold, and certain items increase your odds of getting better skills, just like promoting units allows better starting skills.
The only major flaws I found in the game are, quite honestly, the grind. In any game like this, you expect a grind, but unless you are constantly making deep runs, it will take you a very long time to even unlock all the characters, and even longer to make them viable to use. I never felt a need to switch from the starting characters because I felt like I was being punished by doing it. This is a shame because those later characters are some of the best written in the game and have amazing stories. You don’t truly miss anything by not using them, but it would be nice to do so without suffering.
That being said, fans of either the tactical RPG or Roguelite genre would do well to at least play the demo, because the game is fantastic. It truly is a hidden gem, 9/10. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Lost Rift on Steam is the newest Early Access title from People Can Fly, and they were kind enough to toss me a copy to check out, which I am always thankful for.
I am going to be up front about a few things right away. The game is sitting at mixed reviews on Steam out of around 650 reviews. Many of these reviews have the same complaint, and I won’t sit here and try to convince you that they aren’t valid. The game, from the start, is pitched as PVPVE. Meaning you start on a player vs environment island. You can safely wander around it, gather supplies, and build a base in relative safety.
There is, however, an extraction shooter element to it. Meaning you HAVE to go to the PVP zone at some point to get better stuff to craft certain things. There will be tougher AI enemies and real people there, and they will attempt to kill you and take your stuff. None of this is hidden in the game description, and many of the complaints in the negative reviews are about how this exists in the first place. If this isn’t something you want, the game isn’t for you.
I did, however, say that it wasn’t without merit. Just because they warn you that this is what the game is doesn’t mean that it is all done well. The idea that you have to run into AI characters with guns while armed with a very underpowered bow is odd. Not many people are taking an arrow to the head and just walking away after all, yet somehow I have seen this happen quite a few times in Lost Rift.
The game is solid and looks pretty decent, but it won’t be turning any heads. The sounds are worth listening to, and the little things I found were important. People in the distance do make noise walking around. The game was, however, clearly meant to be played as a group, and as I didn’t have one, death came frequently. The NPC that warns you about this was not kidding at all.
Is Lost Rift worth the $25 it costs to pick up? Honestly, this one is weird for me. The game is still very early in early access and has a ton of potential. If you are /going to play with a group, yeah, it is a 7/10 experience. There is definitely fun to be had here. If you don’t have a group to play with, however, this is one game you probably will want to skip. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Every so often, here at Savior Gaming, I get emails that make me question what I am doing with my life. Usually, it’s about local women in my area who want to meet. This time, it was something that actually surprised me, and that doesn’t happen often after almost 10 years of doing this.
The nice people over at Anime Umbrellas asked if I would be interested in reviewing an umbrella. Now I have always been completly up front with you guys about things like this. They did send me a beautiful umbrella, completly free of charge to check out, that I personally picked off their website. There was no stipulation on which one I could choose,there are no affiliate links or payments involved. You will however notice the pictures have the Anime Umbrella water mark on it. I took them right off their website, this way if you see one you like you can go purchase it. I am not being payed for it, I just enjoyed the product and thought you might like it as well.
Now with that out of the way, lets get to talking about the umbrella. Once again to be upfront, I was not expecting much. It is an anime umbrella, we have all seen these things at conventions or local shops. They usually sell for 40 or 50 bucks, are made from a cheap plastic, and will break as soon as you use them. This is the exact opposite of what is being sold at Anime Umbrellas.
The is the heavy cardboard box it was packaged in
I was greeted with a heavy cardboard box when I opened my shipping package. Yes, it was unfortuantly dented a little in transit, but I can’t blame them for this, it was clearly done in shipping by shipping company. It also means my umbrella arrived safe and sound BECAUSE of this extra care they take. It is still a beautiful keepsake that my umbrella is currently stored in.
The umbrella I chose
Now I was going to post a picture of the actual umbrella I received but truth be told, I am not a fan of having my picture taken, and getting a quality picture of an umbrella is no easy task. Suffice it to say, if you have ever used an umbrella you know what the canopy feels like, truthfully I don’t know what those things are made of and I won’t insult anyones intelligence by pretending otherwise.
The ribs and handle however are definetly made out of fiberglass and stainless steel and open and closes at the push of a button. This all sounds nice, but I am sure you are asking,how sturdy is it? I am sure by now you have clicked on a link and noticed they cost $38.50 (US) and that is a fair question. So I asked myself, how do I test an umbrella? It looks like its advetised, it feels good. So I handed it over to my kid. She is 8, handed it to her and sent her outside and just watched her with it.
Now, I was 100% prepared to lose the umbrella, and I don’t recomened doing that with every child. She mostly just kept opening and closing it because she was amazed by the function. That being said, if it will survive being opened and closed as much in 20 minutes as any umbrella will be opened in a life time while a kid runs back and forth in a yard, its safe to say its pretty well built and will survive normal use. So if you are looking for a gift for a christmas gift for that anime fan in your life, or maybe just want an accesory for that next convention that will start a conversation, definetly check out Animeumbrellas.com Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
The game itself plays out like many roguelikes you have played before: pick a character, kill enemies, collect cards and relics, move along the path of your choosing, rinse and repeat. When you lose, and you will, you unlock new cards and try again. The thing is, games like this need to either do it better than anyone else or do something new to be worth playing. This is where Deathless: The Hero Quest comes in.
Dobrynya is my favorite, builds buffs and armor, then causes direct damage
You get to choose between four different characters, each with their own unique style and look. Dobrynya is a sort of Knight that specializes in building up armor and buffs, then dealing damage directly to the enemy.
Varvara is more manipulative
Varvara is more manipulative in her approach and is the opposite of Dobrynya. She controls the battlefield by moving enemies around, ignoring armor, and moving dead enemies into the path of living enemies to protect herself.
Each character comes with their own story to discover as you play. The nice thing here is that losing a run doesn’t restart the story on you. You simply pick up where you left off. This is nice because even on easy, the game isn’t easy. There will be some trial and error involved in finding a nice build, and as of yet, I haven’t discovered any sort of game-breaking magical build that simply results in you winning.
Admittedly, I hate this boss
While the sound and character designs are great, the game isn’t perfect. Many of the complaints you will see in Steam reviews are perfectly valid. For example, the final boss can seem insanely unfair if you haven’t lucked into some great drops. Relics can also be far more important than your cards, since cards are largely just side-upgrades to what you start with. For example, you gain slightly more shields or do slightly more damage. The game could really use a bit more variety in the card department. Maybe a few more cards that do damage and give shields, or that act as a vampire-type card that do damage and heal. Not to say these cards don’t exist, but a few more to come across would be nice.
The game is sitting at Very Positive Steam reviews for a reason, and when it launches on October 16th for PS5, Xbox, and Switch, it will be worth buying this 8/10 experience on console. It doesn’t redefine the card-battling experience, but it is definitely a worthy experience. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Cobweb (2023) is one of those movies where I love pretty much every person in the movie. Lizzy Caplan has been great in every movie I have ever seen her in, and Antony Starr speaks for himself. The young Woody Norman is their son, Peter, who does his best as their awkward homebody son, but none of this can save the film.
Let’s rewind a bit first. Lizzy playsCarol, a neurotic and overprotective mother of Peter, and who can blame her. It is almost Halloween, and they live in a town where, right down the street, a young girl went missing. never to be found. Antony plays Mark, a seemingly normal, loving man just doing what is best for his family.
Peter is their 8-year-old son who just wants to go trick-or-treating like every other kid in school, in hopes that maybe he will stop being a social outcast and maybe get the other kids to stop picking on him. This isn’t gonna happen though, since his parents aren’t fans of the holiday. They do oddly have a massive crop of pumpkins in the backyard.
Yes, there’s a body buried here somewhere.
If you think there is a body buried somewhere in the pumpkin patch, you are right. The movie tells you that for free with no guesswork involved. See, Peter quickly starts hearing a weird tapping in the wall that his parents quickly tell him isn’t real. Mark later tells him it must be rats, so they set out some rat poison. I am aware this makes no real sense; it’s just foreshadowing for the sake of a plot point later. Usually, this sort of thing serves a purpose and is hinted at, like there would be some sign of rats. Maybe they would have been eating the pumpkins, but no, they have their own issue. Rot, so they bury some.
This is the kind of writing that detracts from what should have been a great movie. Don’t get me wrong, the movie isn’t a dumpster fire; it’s enjoyable and fun for a quick watch. But what should be a movie we talk about as a movie that proves we can rehash concepts and still make quality, amazing movies, instead comes across as lazy. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 