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Resident Evil 5

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After the huge impact Resident Evil 4 had on me, as well as 2 and 3, I was pumped for 5 and was a huge selling point for me getting a PS3. Was it worth the hype?

Years after Resident Evil (remake) , Chris Redfield ( now a hell of a lot more buff and rugged looking.) is a agent of the BSAA, an organization tasked with eliminating bio-terrorism across the globe. On the ass hunting down a scumbag named Irving, Chris ventures to Africa, partnering with Sheva as they discover a hideous affliction of a contagion called the Uroboros as well as the Las Plagus. After Irving, the pair discover secrets leading them back to the ghostly remnants of Umbrella, discovering where the progenitor virus came from as well as the long awaited reunion with Chris’s old teammate and nemesis Albert Wesker as well as another ghost from Chris and Wesker’s past. Can the duo defeat the OP Wesker and stop the Uroboros?

While not terrible, this game has much to be desired. Graphically it’s beautiful, accompanied by a great score, perhaps my favorite of the series in fact. Gameplay is solid but the scare inventory slots can be annoying. A big this I have to say is the creatures in this game are the least frightening in the whole series. In fact, I have to say the Majini later on made me laugh rather than fill me with fear. You can definitely tell this game was a third person shooter at heart, which did function and play well enough as one, unlike Resident Evil 6 but damn it doesn’t feel right. Another huge issue I had was that the A.I for Sheva was dumber than a bag of rocks. Plenty of times her idiotic death resulted in a pain in the ass redo or if I gave her a gun, she would waste the bullets, bullets I sorely needed. I do like that every loading screen is a summary from a Resident Evil timeline you can access in the bonus menu to learn more about the lore or get a better perspective on the lore. The best way to enjoy the game is with a buddy, which by the way, as Savoir and I proved, the game has drop in/ drop out couch co-op as well as online co-op; the game becomes 100 times better with a friend. If you and a buddy want a good game to play, it’s definitely worth the $20 it goes for. On it’s own its a solid game with some issues that can be overlooked. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Resident Evil: Revelations

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In 2013, we got 3 Resident Evil games and who would’ve guessed the best of the 3 would’ve been a Nintendo 3DS game. Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City did a strong disservice to the series, so it’s actually pretty easy to top the list of best Resident Evil of that year, but how good is it on it’s own?

So Revelations primarily follows Jill Valentine and her new partner Parker as they find themselves trapped on the Queen Zenobia, a luxury cruise liner where there has been a terrorist sighting and a B.O.W outbreak. Veltro, a terrorist group, years before had been committed on a sea city, leading to it’s destruction. Now they are equipped with the T-Abyss virus, creating horrible sea creature monstrosities. And if that isn’t bad enough, they have to survive the ship destroying itself, government machinations, and massive beasts; can she hold off til Chris Redfield and his new partner come to find them…

I’m basically on the fence with this game. Small disclosure, I didn’t play the 3DS version but the PS4 port so I can’t say if it’s better there, but some of the controls I can tell. The game does a fair job at being best of both worlds. It does have a claustrophobic setting and the beginning is creepy and the game has a solid modern combat system like 4, but better than 5. There are no zombies but in flashbacks there is a crap load of Hunters. The ScagDead boss is creepy as hell but irritating when they become regular enemies but the monsters mostly are Resident Evil staples. The Genesis scanner is a cool new feature that really comes in handy but there is a really shitty evade mechanic that got under my skin. When it comes to the plot, I was into it when it stayed on Jill but I checked out halfway through because I felt like I was watching 24 with a Resident Evil skin. In the end, it’s exactly in the middle for me. It’s nowhere near classic but it’s nowhere near terrible but at times it is frustrating. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Paranormal Activity 4

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I’ve been to probably 1,000 movies over my lifetime and Paranormal Activity 4 is one of the few times I wanted my money back.

Acting as the real sequel to the original, it picks up with the story of a family who gets new neighbors: Katie and Hunter, and of course strange shit goes on and it’s all recorded on film…that’s almost literally the entire movie.

By the 4th movie, in less than 5 years after the original movie, it’s charm has worn off. The movie is insultingly short, leading eventually to why I wanted my money back. I’ve watched DBZ films longer than this damn thing and to pay 10 bucks to be in and out. The most memorable part was the ending, but this time came as no real surprise and the poor pacing ruined what effect it could have had. If you buy the collection it’s meh at best but I wouldn’t go past $5 for it. After 4 I quit the series, admiring the trilogy but recommending you stop there. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Paranormal Activity 3

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Around this time I was a fan of this movie and had a job; my old writing partner and I had a WTF late night adventure trying to see this at midnight to no actual avail, but I digress. The teaser was chilling, and I’ll include it below. Many of the trailers were freaky as hell. Most of the cool shit never made it to this short ass movie.

Paranormal Activity 3 is a huge prequel, going back to when Katie and Kristy were little girls and we get to explore the very origin of the disturbances, the fire, the reason neither of them remembered anything as adult women. It begins when little Kristy finds a imaginary friend that no one thinks twice about; kids will be kids. But things begin to happen and before the family knows it they are on the run leading to perhaps my favorite WTF climaxes I’ve seen on film in a long time.

3 is the last of these movies I would call totally good. There are some crazy effects but I can say it’s a bit toned down from the previous movie. The acting again is solid but I have to say the kids nailed it; watching Kristy talking to nothing freaked me out a bit. By the third movie we find ourselves getting used to the formula, especially how frequently they were coming out, and with the exception of the WTF ending that kicks your ass, there isn’t much new ground covered. Something that bothers the shit out of me is a combination of the the pacing and how short the movie is. When you hit that WTF ending, the movie feels on the cusp of entering Act 3, not the tip toes of it which is jarring as hell. It adds to the scare but after the surprise wears off, you feel oddly let down. In the end, it’s a good found footage film that completes a solid trilogy. I’d end it here, save face, and call it a day. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Paranormal Activity 2

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The craze for Paranormal Activity was on after the buzz and bucks the first movie got and oh how found footage found life in horror cinema again, The Last Exorcism being a prime example of the time. Well, of course there was a sequel and it was made and out in blinding speed…

Paranormal Activity 2 can strangely be called a prequel in that it takes place just before the events of the first one kick off. We follow Kristy, younger sister of Katie of the first movie, and her family as they are terrorized by an unseen force after her son Hunter is born. We begin to discover clues about the sisters past and we learn a dark family secret, leading to a pretty dick move that ultimately bites the family in the ass at the end…

Somehow I found myself thinking the second installment of this series is both better and worse than the first. Better because it is more eventful with some crazier shit going down in the second and third acts and the back story does become quite intriguing. The acting is still solid and performed by people I can see as regular normal people, in fact I cared about there well being throughout. Worse because while the effects are better and more entertaining to watch, the third act breaks the straw on the play at realism. Granted it’s not unforgivable or damage the film at all really, but you know it’s a damn movie now. Another thing I have to say is I found the pacing in the first act slower than the first movie’s and pretty boring. In the end it’s a solid sequel and worth a watch late night. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Paranormal Activity

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In 2009, my last year in high school, my class was taken by storm by a little horror movie called Paranormal Activity. It’s a simple found footage film about a well off couple, Katie and Micah, who have weird shit going on in there house and get a camera to record it overnight. As days go on, the activity becomes more malevolent and it takes a toll on Katie and a mystery unfolds about Katie’s upbringing that can prove dangerous.

This is kind of a tricky movie to talk about. When I first saw it in 2010, it actually scared the shit out of me at the end and I will give it this, while it is a slow burn, it does do well to build suspense and does have a good pay off at the end. You get a fair sense of the characters and how they change throughout. The lack of music and opening credits and the fact the actors are convincing enough to be normal people. It does drag, the pacing is slow and there is a huge unintentionally hilarious part in the middle, and I mean laugh your ass off funny when the ghost expert guy returns. In the years, following it and the bullshit sequels and corny effects, it has lost some luster but it is a Ok horror film that is worth checking out but turn off the lights and watch it in the dark. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spawn: Armageddon

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If you didn’t get enough Spawn after my combo blog on Spawn/ Spawn: origins , we’re going to talk about my favorite piece of Spawn media and was my first intro to the character. Pretty much the war between Heaven and Hell is going to fall on Earth and Spawn is in the middle with his huge array of guns, powers, signature chains, and his trusty Ax of Agony.

Right of the bat, let me be frank: this game is not special in any way shape or form but it is fun as hell. You start off pretty damn powerful and there’s a huge collection of powers and weaponry to combo and slaughter the hordes of Heaven and Hell and it goes farther than that but the enemies quickly become a threat. If you enjoy Devil May Cry, essentially the game play feels the same. The bosses are huge and epic and challenging towards the end. The story isn’t much but it’s a damn fun hack n slash game I’d recommend if you want a high energy blood and gore game. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Deadpool: the game

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Well, because my luck sucks, we weren’t able to see Deadpool 2 but if you’re like us and your local movie theater randomly shuts down and you lose the Savior- mobile, and you need a decent Deadpool fix, let’s talk about the bittersweet experience that is the video game.

We join Wade in an adventure to kill generally evil bad guy Mr. Sinister, coming across some beloved X Men characters like Wolverine, Rogue, and Psylocke (as well as a funny ass cameo from Gambit during a dream sequence.), a few X Force favorites like Cable and Domino and of course fighting a list D level villains like Archlight and Vertigo. Get ready for hilarity, action, and utter insanity as we slay our way to Sinister.

Ok, let’s cover the sweet of this bittersweet equation. This is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played and this Nolan North is phenomenal doing the voice of Deadpool. If you love the character and X men lore, because you will get a hell of a lot of cameos and fan service like the Island of Genosha and going on a killing spree inside of a Sentinel boot. There is a shit load of great fan service in the game. Ready for the bitter part? The game is laughably short, but not a good laughable. You can easily finish this game on hardest difficulty in about 4-6 hours easy. It’s really linear. The gameplay is fair, not great but not horrible. I can’t say there is a huge amount of replay value in it, I bailed out of my second play through. I think the game is worth playing but $20 maybe pushing it if you aren’t a Deadpool or avid X men fan. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fallout 76 reveal trailer!

Awhile ago, I realized I’m a huge Bethesda fanboy. Fallout 3 was one of my favorite games of last generation, and while I was disappointed a bit by Fallout 4 , it’s still one of the funnest shooters I’ve played this generation. In the almost 3 years since Fallout 4, I’ve heard plenty of rumors on the next Fallout game: a Fallout New Vegas sequel, a Fallout online game to match Elder Scrolls Online , and even the idea of a Fallout game set in New Orleans ( which I would go nuts over.) So what can we expect from the trailer so far? I don’t know except: War, war never changes but enjoy the trailer and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spawn/ Spawn: origins

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So it was officially announced that Jaime Fox will be playing Al Simmons/ Spawn in the reboot, which I’m totally pumped for. Spawn was a groundbreaking character in the 90’s, ultra-violent, bloody, dark almost Grindhouse type anti hero which no one really saw before. In the 90’s, during the height of Spawn’s popularity we got a live action movie, sure to be full of blood, gore, mayhem and dark ass themes right? It’s pg-13. Enough said.

In the movie, Al Simmons is a former marine turned assassin for the government, turned to doing some maybe not nice shit for his boss named Jason Wynn. Al has a loving family, his wife Wanda and daughter Cyan and best friend Terry always has his back. During a mission, Wynn betrays Simmons with his assassin, burning him alive. Al ends up in hell, given a deal by the devil: become the hell-spawn and lead the armies of hell and in return he can avenge his death. Al agrees, being sent back to Earth months after his death, deformed and registered dead. In pain, Al is haunted by the Clown, a demonic henchmen who taunts the newly knighted Spawn and makes sure he keeps his end up. As it turns out, Wynn plays a part of a plot to bring Armageddon to Earth. As the story plays out, Al understands he is being toyed with and decides to fight back against the devil and Clown and save the family he lost, but can he master his new abilities and defeat the hordes of hell?

So much like the comparison I made with Superman: Earth One and Man of Steel , I can for the Spawn movie and the Spawn origins, volume 1. You get the same basic premise but there are some key differences. The comic is much bloodier and much darker themed- there’s a issue where Spawn brutality kills a pedophile ice cream man. The writing is meh, but there is a better sense of pathos in Spawn and a more threatening presence to Clown/ Violator. While not my favorite, I recommend checking out the comic before the movie. The movie has alright acting from Spawn and Clown but Michael Sheen kinda sucks as Jason Wynn. The movie is royally destroyed by the pg-13 rating and really lame effects on top of a lukewarm script at best BUT the actors gave it there best with what they had. So to summarize, read Spawn origins collection vol 1 if you want a good intro to Spawn, watch the movie if you like B movies. I hope the reboot gives us something legendary to remember. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

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