Game reviews – Page 79 – Savior Gaming

War of the Worlds (1953)

War of the Worlds has had many iterations, from the many movies, books and even the original radio broadcast that has spread its own host of urban legends, some of which I covered here Brave New Jersey (2016).

The 1953 version however is by far my favorite, Based off the novel by H.G. Wells and the screen play by Barre Lyndon. The story takes place in a small California town on a night like most others. People are at a local dance or out to eat even a few on a little fishing trip camping out. When a meteorite strikes nearby people get curious, after all who wouldn’t?

A few days later when it cools down and people can get close enough to investigate is when things go from fun and interesting, to world-changing bad. As the meteorite opens to reveal itself to be instead to be alien ships invading the earth.

The acting in the movie is great, you can actually believe these people are scared of what is taking place and for its time the effects are stunning. Sure by the standards of today they are primitive but imagine going to see this on the big screen back in 1953 with your girlfriend, having never seen anything like this when the ship starts shooting or when you finally see this alien come on-screen and grab the girl’s shoulder from behind.

Sure we have the benefit of it being remastered in color and have seen things much better, but for its time this thing was creepy as hell. Even when I was a kid having grown up with horror movies I remember thinking how I would have freaked if this ugly little bastard managed to sneak up on me.

The ending is also amazing, and I don’t mind spoiling it because the movie is over 60 years old, but if you plan on seeing it after reading this and don’t want it spoiled now is the time to stop reading. Seriously, last chance.

Now I assume you are ready for the spoiler. The end is with the world mostly in ruins, people rioting cars flipped and burning we find out main characters hiding in a church after even nuclear weapons failed to stop the invaders. When suddenly the ship heading their way simply starts to fall and crashes into a building. A hatch opens, an alien starts to appear and stops. Our brave scientist inches his way over to discover it is mysteriously dead. What is even more is all of these ships seem to be slowly doing the same thing. Not all at once, but slowly over time dying. For all their technology they failed to take into account one thing. The germs of Earth played hell with their immune system. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Zodiac (2007)

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Hey who here loves serial killers? Pretty morbid question to ask I know. My favorite is Jack the Ripper. I know its cliche and everyone mentions him but he is just a fun one with a great conspiracy surrounding him. This movie is about the case surrounding the Zodiac killer.

Admittedly I am not overly familiar with the case and stuff surrounding the Zodiac killer, but the movie it self does an amazing job telling the story from different angles. From the killer standpoint we get to see the different murders from that perspective. This is interesting but is clearly just supposition for the movie. On the flip side we also get to see the side from the media getting letters from Zodiac and the decision to print the first letters or not and the toll it took on one of the writers when Zodiac started threatening him.

The other side is the perspective of the cops and their hunt to find him and their struggle and the toll it took on the detectives chasing him and what it was like attempting to catch an elusive and dangerous killer as he avoided them at every turn.

The movie was fun and interesting but was pretty long and had a tendency to drag and felt like some parts dragged a big to much. If you like this sort of thing the movie is great, if not you may be a little bored at times. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Kingdom Come Deliverance

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Kingdom Come Deliverance seems to be a pretty divisive game even among my close friends. The word Eurojank gets tossed around a lot as well. One friend takes great issue with the eating mechanic claiming it gets in the way, and admittedly I do wish Henry would shut up with his damn complaining about being hungry every 2 minutes when he isn’t even that hungry. There is one thing we all agree on tho, but I will get to that a little later.

To start, the game is beautiful on my Xbox One X but there is a small exception to that. Sometimes the graphics don’t quite load as fast in some spots on others and for a moment certain things won’t load in and suddenly you got a chick walking around with no head for a few seconds or suddenly a tree that wasn’t there will suddenly be there. Its nothing game breaking and at times it will be funny, but some people this will be a major issue for.

The combat is nice, it is however slow and methodical. Unlike games like Skyrim or the most action games you won’t be running in and hacking and slashing your way to a quick win, at least not often. You will be circling each other and attempting to out smart each other as you slash and stab each other. There is also no magic at all in this game.

Two things you do pretty much NEED to know, as of now the lock picking while technically possible is hard as hell. In fact I have spoken to several people who have never even managed to do it. I tried once and said screw it and stopped trying since the company has said they intend to fix it in an upcoming patch. The second thing you need to know is that you play the son of a blacksmith and as such you pretty much suck at EVERTYHING. In fact your character can not even read at the start of the game. Many of the issues people have with the game actually seems to stem from the fact that in a way this is a true RPG. You aren’t a chosen one or special really in any way. You simply are the son of a blacksmith and the game treats you as such. Many of the games characters actually talk down to you because of it.

The game is far from perfect, you can find many Youtube videos about the many glitches in the game, and there are many possible to run in to. My hours in the game didn’t have me come across any of the severe ones like floating people or people loading inside of other people,sadly because I really want to try to shoot a floating person with an arrow but hey, no luck so far.

The game is best viewed however as a medieval life simulator if you want to get the most enjoyment. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dazed and Confused (1993)

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This is another movie I didn’t see until well after it came out. I actually had a friend that kept calling me Matthew McConaughey and when I asked why he wouldn’t tell me, all he kept saying was watch the movie. Finally I did and well, my girlfriend while legal was a bit younger than me. We met freshmen year in college, tho I went through the army before college and she went straight from high school. You do the math.

The movie itself however is amazing. Its a coming of age story about a few of the football players and choosing between giving in to the demands of the coach, or staying true to themselves. It doesn’t stop there tho. There is a love story as well, there is some philosophy talk and even a fun side story about the tradition of of High School seniors essentially chasing the soon to be freshmen down and beating them with paddles.

Now I am not quite old enough to know anything about what the 70’s was like. I was born after that, but the stories I hear makes it seem pretty accurate. The acting is also amazing and they really capture what many think of when they think stereotypical high school experience. It is one of those cult classic movies people love and there is a reason for it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Rainbow Six Siege

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Siege is one of those games I have seen others play, friends have tried to get me to play and I just had no real interest in. Tho this past weekend there was a free to play weekend on both Xbox and PS4, and I had nothing to lose. I decided this would be a good time spend some time on my One X and see what it was like. Graphically speaking the game looked nice. The operators all felt different and each had their own strengths and weaknesses and the weapons all felt different enough to be worth trying different ones out. The game was far from perfect, for example some walls you can shoot through but another wall that is a slightly different color but also made of wood is a no go. I know its a balance issue but until you pick up on this and start memorizing maps its pretty damn annoying.

The biggest problem siege has however is its community. It may be the most toxic and ridiculous community I have encountered outside of Grand Theft Auto 5 online but at least GTA5 has the excuse of its GTA and you are supposed to be a dick. In a couple games playing with friends in casual games people actually wanted to vote me out of the game simply because I was new. I didn’t shoot anyone on the team or anything, was simply new and inexperienced. In a ranked game this would make sense, in a casual game tho?

Which brings me to the next issue. Team killing is a very common thing. Easily in over half the games I played someone on a team killed someone on their own team. Many times its for some reason on purpose by the way. I don’t know what causes this, but its there. The game is fun, and obviously the community isn’t holding it back any. But new people trying to get in should know at times you won’t be welcomed in with opened arms by many. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon Pinball

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If you had a GameBoy Color in the early 2000’s, this game was a necessity. As the title suggests, it’s Pokemon themed Pinball in the palm of your hand. You had a red stage and blue stage with all 150 original Pokemon to capture and evolve. After every three Pokemon captured or one capture and a evolution, you got to play a fun mini game whether it was battling MewTwo or bashing Meowth for coins. Though simple, it was easy to get lost and addicted trying to beat that ludicrously high score your friend set as the rumble numbed your hands after hours. There isn’t much to say, the game was simple and fun as games should be and deserves a go. May the gaming gods bring you glory as you go catch them all.

Dead Poets Society (1989)

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I have been told a million times in my life, Savior, watch Dead Poets Society. Always meant to, never got around to it. Finally as I am flipping around Netlflix there it is. So I pop that bad boy on and away I go. At first I was a bit bored and couldn’t really get into the whole all boys boarding school thing. Enter Robin Williams character. At this point the whole movie turns around.

This isn’t the role I am used to seeing him in, but it was wonderful. At this point the students really start coming out of their shells. The students go from little rich brats you want to punch to actual characters thinking for themselves. They are learning poetry, discussing ideas defying their parents and the school itself. It is simply a movie you must experience to truly appreciate. I had always heard it was great, but I never understood why until I saw it.

Of course the entire movie isn’t happy and sunshine. There is love with a local high school girl, and I am pretty sure this was the start of Kurtwood Smith being Red Forman. The characters of Red and Mr. Perry are quite similar but Mr. Perry faces a personal tragedy that will show the true range of skill Kurtwood Smith has as an actor. This is also one of the roles that gave Robert Sean Leonard of house his start.

This movie is still mentioned in many circled as one of those cult classic all time greats, but never seems to pop up as one of the best for any of the actors I’ve mentioned, and I think that is simply a travesty. If you have access to Netflix and haven’t seen this, now is the time. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

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Assassin’s Creed has always had a issue with replay value and annoying moments. It also a complex spanning through time and plays with a web of historical myths and conspiracy. Well, what happens when you say screw all of this and make a fun game?We play as Edward Kenway, Conner’s grandfather from Assassin’s Creed 3 , a poor ex soldier turned pirate with dreams of fortune. One day he chases a kills a hooded figure with a arm blade and well, he falls into a this Assassin’s world, thinking he’ll get an assload of money out of the deal.

As bland as I’m sure I’m making this sound, the story is alright but as connection to the series, there is shit to nil. This a pirate game through and through with some Assassin’s Creed tropes thrown in like the wrist blade, leaps of faith, and Eagle Vision. So if you were really invested in the previous stories, you may find yourself disappointed here. I will say though I found this to be the most fun I’ve had with the series. The combat is perfected and the response time is great, leading to some epic combat and even the inventory setup is simplified for weapon use during. Naval combat and pirating is amazingly addictive. I drooled the first time I ever swung and did a aerial assassination with my hidden blade boarding another ship. Also we get four legendary ships to hunt, whaling expeditions, new Far Cry style crafting options, freeing slaves from plantations and underwater adventures. And visually it is a beautiful game to behold. All this being said, I love this game but I almost can’t say it feels much like an Assassin’s Creed game to me but is that a bad thing? That’s for you to decide but I highly recommend playing it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Assassin’s Creed 3

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Of this entire series, 3, which isn’t really 3 when you think of it, is probably the game I’m most on the fence about. Following Assassin’s Creed: Revelations , Desmond’s story comes to it’s final climax where he has to stop the Apocalypse and face Abstergo as well as another soul like himself. Meanwhile, we follow a new ancestor in half Native American/ half British Conner as we see his village destroyed, his people turned against him as he learns to be an Assassin during the American Revolution as he faces off against his father, a Templar.

Ok, while fun, I’m going to say Desmond’s part of this lost me though the end finishes his story well enough. Graphically the Revolution period looks great and as for gameplay, there are new additions like naval combat, hunting, and of course there is the Assassin’s Creed staples. Combat is touched up a bit and done better than previous installments but it’s a good step forward. Conner’s story is really good in my opinion; where as Ezio and Altair’s stories felt more cut and dry, Conner’s feels more grey and it becomes hard to define good and evil. It does take it’s sweet ass time getting to be an Assassin and I have to say the pacing feels off, either dragging more in the middle or rushing at the end. In the end, it’s not the best or the worst of the series but I will say it’s the last really relevant game in the series and a good conclusion. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

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Here we come to the finale of the Ezio trilogy in my Assassin’s Creed reviews and well, it’s there. Essentially I feel like before the climax that would be Assassin’s Creed 3, this is just there to tie up lose ends until then. Ezio is old and in the twilight of his years; we see what happened to Altair after the first game; and Desmond is in a coma and we get to experience his memories leading up to his abduction by Abstergo in the first game. As I said, it’s the loose end tie-er so 3 could start epic.

After the first, this my second least favorite of the series because it’s short as hell and feels kinda rushed. I’m still not invested in Altair so his stuff had no real effect peaking my interest. Desmond’s stuff was interesting but really weirdly constructed for level designs. His stuff are these really trippy puzzles through his subconscious. Ezio’s stuff feels very much like the other two games but the biggest addition are the defense missions, which have a cool strategy aspect to them. They take a little getting used to but are pretty fun and fulfilling once you get the hang of them. And you can ride ziplines. Other than that, that’s about it. Years later, these are all the things I really can really recall from it, which says volumes really. It’s a forgettable game in my opinion but is ok if you feel inclined to pick it up. May the gaming gods bring you glory.