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Ant-Man

Ant-man

So let’s talk a movie that once announced in the MCU made me say “Wow, really dude? A freaking Ant-Man movie!” but like many times before, I ate my words. This movie is pretty freaking entertaining and it’s about a superhero I don’t even really like.

Scott Lang is a ex con looking for redemption so he can do right by his daughter. Once a thief though, after a hard time getting back on his feet, Lang finds himself thieving again and getting busted trying to rob famous scientist Hank Pym. But Pym has a job for the thief; his Pym particle technology has fallen into the hands of his old protege Darren Cross (Yellow Jacket) who wants to replicate it and sell if off to Hydra. The particles can help him shrink while increasing his strength while wearing a helmet that helps him communicate with ants…hence Ant-Man.

I loved this movie because of the creativity behind it, especially during the fight scenes at the end. It was amazing to see how otherworldly everyday things can be shrunk down and it is filmed on a epic scale. The characters are solid and the tone is fun but Cross is overall a eh bad guy with a cool costume. My biggest flaw with the movie is that it is extremely formulaic, much how Doctor Strange ( 2016) followed the Iron Man formula pretty damn closely but the movie is fun and imaginative enough to stand on its own, especially if you can watch it in 4K or get to watch it in theaters in 3-D. May the gaming gods bring you all glory.

Pink Floyd’s The Wall

pink floyd the wall

Once upon a time I knew a guy named Nick who had something of a break down and three musicians helped got him through it: Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd. Namely this movie, based on the legendary album of the same name; it can said the movie can be called a really long music video for the whole album and that’s not totally wrong. It is. But I found it beautiful, scary, and uplifting all at once. It follows the life of a guy called Pink: how his dad died in war, how he almost died as a kid, had mom issues, loved a girl and got his heartbroken, had a drug induced meltdown where he imagined himself as a fantastical Nazi and would get shit on by a techni-color literal ass judge…Ok, let’s be honest, there was likely some drug use behind the making of this but it doesn’t subtract the power the fusion of music and imagery, both animated and live action has. Again, like Fantasia, this won’t be for everyone; it can be said The Wall is a R- rated Fantasia in many ways. If you love Floyd or need something strange or just want to watch a weird ass movie, absolutely deserves a watch. Speaking of Strange, here’s a video of Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, singing the famous Comfortably Numb with David Gilmour of Floyd and it is epic as hell. May the gaming gods bring you glory and may you never be just bricks in the wall.

Fantasia

fantasia

I’ve always been inspired by imagery connected with music, especially if it has a darker tone. When writing, I can listen to a piece of score and create something completely different than what it was intended for, or reinterpret it. As a kid I was utterly fascinated by this very odd Disney film that remains to be my favorite decades later. Fantasia is a blend of live classical orchestra composure with Disney’s animations to create stories whether concrete or abstract. Duke had some fun stories about seeing this in theaters during the late sixties- use your imagination why that may be. The most famous of the selections is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, where Mickey enchants a broom to do his chores but it gets out of control and he’s being swamped by evil brooms. While there are bright, vibrant colors there are also some dark and scary ass images- I’ve never been more scared of the devil than I was in this movie. While not for everyone, I think everyone should experience this film at least once and I urge people to give it a shot. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Flowers in the Attic

flowers in the attic

I’m starting this off by dedicating this to my lil sis who told me about this book and gave me the most depressing book I’ve read.

The book follows the Dollanganger family, the seemingly perfect family…until the father dies and everything unravels. They’d been living on a mix of luck and credit and are about to lose everything. Mother, Corrine, tells her four children they have to go to her estranged, ultra-rich parents; the kids are shocked to find they have grandparents, there last name is really Foxworth, and these grandparents aren’t great people. Corrine’s father is dying, so her plan is to become daddy’s girl again to get money so they can scram. Corrine’s mother hates her with a fiery rage and instantly despises the children; her stipulation is they have to live in the attic, having to pretend they don’t exist. Oldest of the four kids, Christopher and Cathy (the narrator) have to care for there younger brother and sister while dealing with there cruel, hateful grandmother, there mother who has forgotten them, a host of ugly family secrets, and forbidden feelings for each other as they stay in the attic…

I won’t lie, I love this book but holy crap is it heart wrenching. V.C Andrews ingeniously dangles hope in front of them only to crush it by reality without making the book seeming to feel completely hopeless. I’ve frequently seen this book labeled “horror” and to an extent, I agree. Some of the images and scenes are pretty damn disturbing and there is as much tension if not more than I experienced in many other horror books. I absolutely recommend this book to aspiring writers like myself and people who need a good tear or two. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Beloved games I’m not into…

ranch

So you may be asking yourself, “Torsten, why did you start this review with a picture of ranch dressing? That’s kinda creepy.” Well reader, since were talking bout beloved things by many I don’t like, I thought this would put it into perspective. I hate ranch dressing but millions love it, as with these games, starting with…

dmc 1. Devil May Cry- 80% of my friends swear by these games, many consider 3 to be in there top favorites. I’ve sampled the series, dedicating at least a few hours to the original 4 but they never clicked. I appreciate the art but that’s as far as my fandom goes.

2. The Uncharted series- this I do enjoy on a level but a small level. They are fun, they are beautiful, but I would never call them masterpieces as many have. The hype combined with the amount of BS deaths I experience in Uncharted 2 alone made decide I wasn’t going to be a major fan.

outlast 3. Outlast- I found this out quick. Put 2 hours in and found myself running and running out of batteries a lot. I appreciate what they were going for but it didn’t scare me.

4. Overwatch- I played the beta. It was fun as hell. Found out the beta was pretty much the game, just you’re paying $60 for it. No story, go to YouTube (thanks for giving Ridley Scoot ideas guys), just multiplayer matches. No thanks.

I hope you enjoyed and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Trapt

trapt

What’s one of the biggest cliches in gaming? Cute, defenseless princess gets kidnapped and a hero needs to come to save her (not mentioning names Peach.) I found this PS2 pseudo-horror game on accident and while it kicked my ass, it also was a rarity for me at the time- a game that is badass but made me think.

Allura is a princess on the run after her father is murdered and she is framed by her evil stepmother. Her only refuge seems to be a Gothic manor where she gets possessed by essentially the Devil. She gains the power to summon traps in the house to kill her pursuers.

I will tell you off the bat I didn’t play the game in English but Japanese dub with English subtitle; I’m not sure if there is a English dub. The game isn’t perfect but fun. You set traps along the floor, wall, and ceiling, and use yourself to lure your prey to them. Besides these traps, you are defenseless so don’t get cornered and keep moving. The traps are cool and damn right cruel by the end, so if you are a Saw fan I’d definitely check it out. There are very elusive ultimate environmental traps that once triggered are disturbingly awesome, unless you get caught in them that is. Your own traps can kill you. Graphically, the game looks pretty and sounds nice. I found myself near rage-quit a few times because of either a bullshit kill or a certain boss that is a absolute pain about half way through. I’d recommend some research before buying but I found it alright in the end. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dante’s Inferno (game)

dante's inferno

I miss a time when EA games made games that hooked me, instead of killed things I loved like DeadSpace and Star Wars: Battlefront. Also by Visceral, we got a game adaptation of the dark epic poem by Dante Alighieri, journeying into the depths of hell.

Dante is a knight who went off to slay and lay for god during the Crusades, only to have his broken promises to his beloved Beatrice come back and bite him in the ass. The Devil comes and takes her as his own to punish Dante, forcing him to face the Grim Reaper guarding the gates of hell. After getting the Reaper’s scythe and a powerful holy cross he must fight through the River Styx, Purgatory, and all 9 levels of hell, battling the damned as well as his own demons to save Beatrice and slay the Devil.

I’m going to be blunt and call this what it really kinda was, God Of War with a creepier skin. A LOT of the gameplay is lifted from God of War, so if you aren’t into hack/slash type games, this isn’t for you. What sells the game hands down is the level and enemy designs which are truly beautiful and horrifying. I do like finding real historical figures in hell, hearing there stories and choosing whether to absolve them to heaven or damn them to oblivion. On a bad note though, towards the end the game fizzles out by the end and the Devil is a pretty lame final boss. I still think the game is worth checking out and at the very least admired for showing us a classic but freaky hell. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

gta vice city

I wasn’t alive for the 80’s but damn if I don’t love things that came out of it: over the top action movies and slasher films, bad hair styles, and music you love or hate that you love. Vice City screams the 80’s.

Tommy Vercetti gets screwed and has to track down who…ok, let’s be honest as friends, do people really play GTA for the story? Sure, I’m sure some do. Back then we didn’t have much massive open world games and when we bought games, they were actually whole game- imagine that, buying a video game without pay walls, DLC, or season passes. My experience, the story in GTA: Vice City is your standard crime thriller, mandatory double cross in all.

So let’s talk game play; how does it hold up a decade plus later? My opinion, about as well as it’s predecessor, Grand Theft Auto 3 . Not that great. The graphics are a step up, and there’s much more than just cars and the rare plane this time. When get motorcycles, boats, and motorcross bikes this time around and a good selection and handling for each. Hell, for one mission we get a damn tank. Yes a tank. For controversial shit, they went into F bomb territory: aw Ricardo Diaz. The biggest drawback is the gunplay is still kinda crappy. Towards the end you will get frustrated as gunplay becomes a bigger pain in the ass. It’s fun and nostalgic but it won’t rock your world. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Grand Theft Auto 3

gta 3

I grew up with Grand Theft Auto, beginning with this entry as many- controversies and all. Yes, most people played it to kill anything that moved, wreck cars, blow shit up, and occasionally pick up a hooker or two and watch the car rock while you two just sat awkwardly in it. For a while, this game was every parent’s worst nightmare.

Though not as raunchy and vulgar as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , this game sets the stage. You and a dude named 8-Ball get set up, go to prison, and get free when the transport gets wrecked and now you gotta figure out who the hell was behind it as you dig into the crime infected hellhole that is Liberty City.

In 2001, this game really set a new precedent for open world games to come and the amount of freedom you could possess in them. 2018, much of the game hasn’t aged well I’m afraid. Graphics range from meh to damn right crappy, water past knee high kills you super quick, gun play is sloppy, and the missions become punishing too quickly at times. But the game is hilarious. Whether you are getting beaten up by the elderly, listening to a mobster cry about his mommy issues on the radio, or listen to the absurd random crap the people say walkin down the street (I’m hot and you’re not.) Driving handles pretty well after all this time and the stunts are cool. It ain’t a terrible game but don’t expect a legendary experience after all this time. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fortnite, first impressions

download (3)

Fortnite, in the few months it’s been out, has become a runaway sensation. Everyday my friends play it; everyday I wonder what’s the big deal. Finally, Savior and I gave it a try last night and after 6 matches I feel like I have a fair opinion. The short version: Fortnite feels almost like a Hunger Games simulator. You get dumped off, (if you are smart) you haul ass to avoid the crowds, get some kind of supplies, and haul ass to survive a map and host of other players that want you dead. I can’t stress that tidbit enough: don’t go for the balls-out approach unless you are really leveled up or you have a full group. Savior and I creeped around and gathered what we could for a decent chance at surviving later encounters. Gameplay is surprisingly solid for both gunplay and crafting. My favorite aspect was the tension I felt as we went creeping about, not knowing what or who we would find next. This is ABSOLUTELY a game I recommend playing with your buddies because I can see it getting boring, if not totally annoying if played alone.

To round out this review, I’d like to share a video, courtesy of our friend Sir Feliciano of Jonathan Media Group @ Youtube of him getting his ass kicked but having fun. I also gave him a shout out for his help on my Immortal Unchained (Alpha) preview. post. May the gaming gods bring you glory and enjoy.