There isn’t much to say except that evil never truly dies, and in this case I couldn’t be more exited. A good tease doesn’t need much and while not even a full minute, this one says a lot. The delay, while a bummer, is understandable given world events but at least we have something to look forward too. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Category: Horror
Dawn of the Dead
George Romero broke unimaginable ground when he made NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD – Movie and changed the horror genre as we know it by giving us the modern zombie. Dawn, the second part of the long running Dead series, brings us a true horror sequel. 4 survivors are on the run during the early days of the zombie takeover. They hop in a helicopter and get as far away from the city as fast as they can. It isn’t long before they start running out of fuel and supplies; the only refuge in site is a shopping mall. It’s up to them to hold up together and fortify the mall, but the question remains why the dead never stop coming?
Dawn of the Dead may very well be Romero’s masterpiece and it was a absolute joy to watch. The acting was great but Ken Foree steals the show as Peter; the four lead actors have great chemistry between them and you do care about them through the movie. The mall is a great setting and brings a lot of tension in both close quarters and the emptiness of it. There are some great, old school Tom Savini gore effects which make any horror film a bit more memorable and there is plenty of zombie attacks throughout the runtime. The zombies look goofy by today’s standard, mostly spray painted gray, but they manage to feel threatening just by the sheer number of them. What I truly love about the movie is all the different beats it’s successfully hits- it’s horror, action, comedy, and has a lot to say about greed and consumerism. Honestly, Dawn of the Dead is a horror must see that’s fun but also pretty smart. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Demons
We’ve all seen a good horror movie that made us terrified of monsters, killers, or what have you but at the end of the day, the terrors are contained on screen. But what if you saw a movie where the monsters weren’t just on screen? Cheryl and her friend Kathy are given free tickets to a movie premiere at the Metropol theater by a masked stranger. The girls ditch class and head to the movies, not knowing what they were in store for. It turns out to be a horror movie at a packed house. But when a girl in the audience gets a cut similar to a girl on screen, all hell begins breaking loose as she begins to transform into a demonic fiend. As the bodies start rapidly piling up, the question is what started the demons and how can they be stopped?
Dario Argento is an Italian horror master and this a good example why. Demons is a fun, blood drenched meta horror show. Seriously, the squeamish should stay away as a lot of the kills don’t hold back. I love the rock score and colorful, claustrophobic setting. There is some beautiful camera work on display. The English dub is pretty corny but it gets the job done. The pacing is just right, fast but knowing when to to slow for some creepy, tense scenes. Some may get bothered at the lack of answers given but honestly I liked that and the downbeat ending. This movie may not be for everyone but damn if it ain’t a fun joyride. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Ju-On: The Grudge
The Grudge, much like The Ring , was a huge hit when I was a kid. While I heard nothing good about the latest 2020 American incarnation, I wanted to go to the source and experience the film that spawned so many sequels both in Japan and America…
Ju-on follows a series of characters caught in the frightening aftermath of a deadly scene. It begins when caretaker Rika is asked to look in after a catatonic old woman while her family works. During her first stay, she discovers a little boy hiding in the house named Toshio. Things rapidly begin spiraling out of control as the old woman’s children turn up dead and people who’ve gone inside the house either die or go missing, a tragic and malevolent history of the house unfolds and those wronged won’t let themselves be forgotten…
I honestly enjoyed this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I have to say I have to give the music and sounds a huge shout out, combined they do a really good job at building tension without acting as the gaudy jump scares that plague modern horror. Another thing I love, is the camera work and how a lot of things can be seen going on in the background and how there aren’t many ques pointing to it; I actually missed a few and found them rewinding back which was really cool. The imagery and atmosphere are well done; Kayko stands out for me and she grew more unsettling as the movie continued. The only real complaint I have is some of the shadow effects looked cheesy as hell and took me out, plainly being early CGI. In the end, I’d highly recommend this movie but I’m going to warn you, subtitles are a must. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Suicide Squad: Kicked in the Teeth (New 52, vol. 1)
Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Voltaic, Black Spider, Diablo, and King Shark: these 6 have have 2 things currently in common. All are super criminals, while some do the deeds for money, others, blood-lust or redemption, they are considered extremely dangerous and a threat. The other thing: Amanda Waller has recruited them all to Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. After proving themselves, their first mission is a bloody one involving a stadium where a nano-virus was released, turning the hundreds inside into bio-mechanical zombies. After surviving hordes of monsters, bounty hunters and a meta human prison break, the group is divided by possible treachery and Harley going the warpath after finding out her beloved Joker was allegedly skinned alive. Can the squad reel in the former Dr while uncovering the threat of Basilisk?
I have to say, this was my introduction to the concept of Suicide Squad years before the movie and I was instantly hooked. The Suicide Squad movie took some of the vibe this arc had but honestly, it didn’t do it justice. The chemistry between characters is interesting as well as a great line up; King Shark is hands down my favorite with some great gory moments as well as some great dark comedy moments. While I’m not thrilled with the part of Harley’s new origin where she takes the same chemical bath as Joker, her origin was nice to see and the dialogue was convincing. There are a great many characters I didn’t mention that I love, like Captain Boomerang and Yo-yo that were cool to see. The art fits well and there are plenty of epic and graphic fight scenes to sink your teeth into. Honestly, this is a great read to intro you into the New 52. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Bulletstorm (Full Clip Edition)
I have a soft spot in my heart for cult movies, books, and such. This game has a devote cult following that are still patiently waiting for the promised sequel the end credits teases much like the huge wait for Darksiders 3 and Borderlands 3 , which by the way, this game came out after the Gearbox bestseller Borderlands but followed the horrendous Duke Nukem Forever and in a lot of ways feels like a breeding of the two…
Grayson and Ishi were Confederate soldiers under the tyrannical madman General Serrano in his elite Dead Echo company. After discovering they were killing innocent people, Dead Echo became space pirates and Gray became a wicked drunk. During an attack, his crew is killed, Ishi is left needing cybernetics to survive, and they are stranded on a resort planet where all hell has broken loose. Allied with a vengeful woman named Trishka, the trio must survive the planet and get revenge on the general.
So I gotta say, I understand where the cult following for this game comes from. At it’s core, it’s at least its a solid FPS with some cool weapons and a laser leash. I’m going to say the game is lackluster and pissed me off multiple times. The story is full of unlikable characters that have senseless filthy potty mouths that just get annoying really quick. Gameplay gets old quick as after awhile you go into a shooting gallery and the occasional QTE section which usually are pointless in the long run. Using the environment for skill shots in conjunction with the leash is fun but even that get old fairly quick as well. The story is short and not really that memorable and fairly generic. I will say the graphics and sound are great for the Full Clip edition and you get all the DLC but I didn’t really have any gumption to check it out and even the graphics are buggy at times. In the end, I personally don’t like the game and can’t really recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Ant-man: Second Chance Man
The Ant-Man movie influenced me a lot more than I want to admit and was much better than anyone really any right to expect so I was really damn curious how reading one of his comics was going to be like. Well, this is around Why I fell out of favor as a Marvel fan. started coming into play, so the question is where does this book lie?
Scott Lange has some of the worst luck. Being an ex con to take up the mantle of a less sorted hero with no job, no home, with a ex wife that hates him isn’t a fun time; Scott’s daughter, Cassy keeps him going. He tries going for security director for Tony Stark, barely getting the job but life intervenes and Lange has to set up shop in Miami. He establishes his own security business with ex super criminal Grisly, starting small and coming up against Taskmaster as well as Darren Cross, the villain who started Lange as Ant-man in the first place. Can Lange get his crap together before the superhero craziness ruins his life?
I’ve read this book twice and I admit I enjoyed it way more the second time around but some of what I dislike about modern Marvel comes out. First, there are some cool action scenes and the fight with Cross at the end is pretty cool. Grisly and Ant-man are a fun pair to follow and honestly, I’d read a series about them. The heartfelt stuff is well written and I like the variety of characters we get in this book. I don’t like how this book feels like it’s trying to imitate the humor and even design of Ant-man from the movie; the humor falls flat in a few places and Lange starts to feel like a dumbass instead of a likable screw up. Darren Cross in the comics is essentially a big pink sumo wrestler looking bastard and I kinda wished for his MCU counterpart. In the end it’s a fine book, but I wouldn’t go far out of my way for it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Crash 4: Its about Time reveal trailer
I’m so damn happy to see this and to say it looks faithful as hell to the originals. I hope we see more platforming games return next console gen. The graphics are beautiful and the colors are a sight for sore eyes in these dreary days. I can’t wait. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Gori: Cuddly Carnage reveal trailer
A cat on a laser bladed snowboard slaughtering mutant unicorns- I’m in. Seriously, I was at odds when I first saw this game but I’m totally down for this strange ass ride. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Outlast Trials reveal trailer
What the hell is going on with this series? Awhile back I covered something I thought was the Outlast 3 announcement trailer and I guess its not? This trailer really doesn’t tell anything except the grisly torture the series is known for. Of all the trailers I’ve seen revealed so far, this is the weakest in my opinion. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
