Category: monsters

Control: Resonant reveal trailer

Not going to lie, Control 2 stole the game awards for me. Alan Wake 2 was one of the best horror game experiences I’ve had since Dead Space (2023) so I was insanely pumped for this surprise. I love the nightmarish Dr Strange vibe. The combat looks sort of souls like but with the gravity, reality shattering creativity of the first Control. Visually the game looks nuts in the best way. I’m absolutely keeping an eye out on Control 2. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Resident Evil 9 Leon trailer

So I know I’m calling his the Leon trailer, and oh boy does he steal the show, but I got a couple of stops to make along the way. We start by learning our antagonist is a dude name Victor Gideon who I got mixed feelings on. Gideon is giving me some real hard Mad Eye Moody vibes with his look but I like his voice. The graphics look incredible and I love the atmosphere. Leon looks like a total badass and I did smile seeing him return. What worries me a bit is the game might be too action focused or completely bust trying to deliver 2 different gameplay styles between Grace and Leon- last thing we need is a repeat of Resident Evil 6. In the end, the game looks great still and like many, I was pumped to see Leon return. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple trailer 2

I’m still in awe after such a long hiatus we’re getting 2 installments in this series. I love the apocalyptic feel. I’m also a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes and Jack O Connell. Sadly I wasn’t able to see 28 Years Later as of this posting but I am excited for the 2nd part of this horror epic. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Psychonauts

Hasn’t everybody wanted to be a superhero at least once in there lives? Raz has big dreams of becoming a Psychonaut, even going so far as to sneak into the Whispering Heights Camp for young Psychonauts in training. He was only a few days at the camp before his parents come for him, leaving him precious time to master his powers and uncover a dark mystery threatening the campers and instructors and maybe even the world. Will Raz rise to the occasion?

If any game deserved a modern day facelift or remake, it’s this precious gem. I absolutely love the insane mix of shockingly deep psychological storytelling and dark humor in a pretty complex and creative platformer. This game is a giant acid trip and I love it. Raz is a interesting kid amongst other weird, funny, tragic, or damn creepy characters- seriously the Milkman creeped me out more than most modern horror monsters. The worldbuilding is fantastic and I was really invested in the lore. It was so cool being able to jump into other characters brains, exploring entirely new universes, including bosses.

Unfortunately this game has some deep drawbacks. While extremely creative, that partially leads to how obtuse a lot of the goals and pathfinding are. Way to often I found myself relying on walkthroughs, scratching my head when seeing where I was supposed to go or what the hell I needed. Another big issue I had was items cost too damn much. In the Milkman section, if you don’t have a certain tool, get ready for the game to come to a stop and you have to grind to afford it. The powers are a mixed bag but when they are a blast, they are awesome.

In the end, I highly recommend it but I urge you to stay patient. Originally this game came from PS2/ original X Box era so a lot of the modern gaming comforts aren’t there, and like all platformers, there’s going to be some frustration. Stick around and you will be rewarded with a cool world of memorable characters and one of the most unique games I might’ve ever played. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Predator

I needed something to wash the taste of Ed Gein: The Musical out of my mouth. I chose poorly. I won’t mince words, or go on a little anecdote like normal before getting to the plot and my thoughts as per usual. This movie is fucking awful. Plain and simple.

Quinn is a sniper out on a mission in Mexico wit his team when they encounter the Predator. Through dumb luck, Quinn, the sole survivor, manages to loot the Predator’s mask as well as a couple other goodies from the downed alien hunter before shit goes south. He mails the mask to his civilian home here his estranged wife and autistic son live (great parenting, right?) The hunter is swept up by Project Stargazer for standard sci-fi reasons. Quinn’s son takes the mask trick or treating, activating it, and understanding the Yautja’s language, signaling a even bigger, stronger, Yautja to come to earth. It’s up to Quinn and a ragtag group of damaged former soldiers called the Loonies to catch up to the Predators before they get Quinn’s son…

I love Predator and Predator 2 ; Predators had its moments but was pretty solid. 4 not only kills the lore of the Yautja but manages to do it in a pretty offensive way. See this movie establishes the lore bit that the whole reason Yautja collect spines isn’t for trophies but because they genetically upgrade themselves from their prey…these opposing Predators want Quinn’s son because it’s believed (paraphrased) autism is the next step of human evolution. Yes, I’m dead fucking serious… There’s also slights made with other badly portrayed disorders throughout the movie but that blew my mind.

Besides that’s bombshell, the movie is plaqued with painfully forced MCU humor, needless swearing, rough CGI and rubbery effects. The super Predator looks goofy. The classic Yautja comes off as a total bitch. All the characters are annoying, and many die in hilariously stupid ways. There’s a MCU end credit credit scene with a Predator- Iron Man suit that’s a cherry on this ass sundae. I’m going to note this was directed by Shane Black, who was in the original film and directed Iron Man 3 (2013) . Easily this movie is the worst thing to ever happen to the Predator and friends don’t let friends waste there lives lives watch this abomination. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite

Gotta start by thanking Savior for playing through the game with me because, honestly, like most multiplayer games, who your crew is means a whole world of difference. Firetam Elite is essentially an online horde shooter in the Alien universe. There’s 4 chapters, 3 missions each to play through. You pick a class, pick up consumable buffs like shock grids, sentry guns, and proximity mines and jump into action with 2 other players. Is there a story? Barely. You’re a colonial marine tasked with killing xenos- that’s it in a nutshell.

I highly recommend having at least 1 battle buddy if you’re going to play this game. Solo, the gameplay isn’t too engaging. As for any online multiplayer, we’ve played with cool people and a couple that made things way harder than they had any right to be; if you can’t find someone, the game fills the slot with an Alpha, which mostly means you’re pulling extra weight and better not die. With a buddy, the game is pretty fun at times, but not full-price fun. We had it as a PS+ freebie and neither of us had any desire to get the Pathogen DLC.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the game, just nothing spectacular. The highlight for me was the iconic scenery that harkened back to Alien and Prometheus. I will say the ending of the final mission does the Queen Alien a massive disservice, even more the finale of Aliens: Colonial Marines. There is a nice sprinkling of Working Joes (a nice nod to Alien: Isolation ) and prequel monsters, but the Aliens themselves don’t really spark much terror.

In the end, Fireteam Elite isn’t bad if you and a friend want a pretty quick game to burn through or you’re a diehard Alien fan like I am, but there’s nothing great either. It’s one of the most average games I can think of. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hogwarts Legacy

The dream of many has come true: you’ve been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Set nearly a century before the Boy who Lived would enter its walls, we play as a newly discovered prodigy first setting foot into the school while a goblin revolution looms in the background.

As a kid into my young adult years, I loved the world of Harry Potter. I found the lore and worldbuilding fascinating while not really being too invested in Harry himself. While the personal politics of J.K. Rowling have soured my taste for Potter, I was curious if all the hype around the project was warranted.

First, I will say the game excels at bringing Hogwarts to life. The castle is a breathtaking marvel to explore; fans of the books and movie are in for one hell of a treat. It was really cool to make friends, each with their own interesting sidequests, and actually attend classes. There is a vast landscape outside of the castle into Hogsmeade village, the Forbidden Forest, and more. For a while, I had a blast exploring all I could. The game offers a lot of character customization options and there are plenty of spells to learn- including the Unforgivable Curses (you can bet your ass I learned those puppies). The game has plenty of Wizarding World fan service…

However, this game gets incredibly stale and becomes a slog once the wonder wears off. Combat essentially boils down to Arkham-lite; the Unforgivable Curses break the game if you want to cruise through the last third of it. The main story is meh. The friend questlines are more interesting than the main game’s. One huge issue I had is that the game is overly stuffed with fetch quests and scavenger hunts for pointless collectables. Given the vast bestiary and enemy pool they could have drawn from, enemy types are pretty limited. There isn’t much Hogwarts life at Hogwarts Legacy- classes, dueling club, races all end quickly enough. You can pick your house, but it has no weight to the story or how the characters react to you. After the first ten hours, I felt like I was merely grinding to finish the story.

In the end, Hogwarts Legacy isn’t terrible but far from what it could’ve been. Potter-heads will love it, but the casual gamer will pick up on the bloat and repetitive nature of the game. I bought it for $25, which I’d say is a fair price for the fun I got out of it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (sn1)

During an exploration on the moon, a strange object was found. A space dumpster. Inside the long sealed empress of evil, Rita Repulsa, is unleashed to conquer Earth. Zordon, an ancient alien wizard, and his trusty robot servant Alpha 5 spring into action. Zordon has Alpha find five teenagers with attitude from the nearby city of Angel Grove. Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly were chosen to become the Power Rangers, the only heroes mighty enough to stop the forces of evil…

If you grew up as a 90’s kid as Savior and I did, this show is peak nostaglia as you can get. Fighting, monsters, a colorful giant robot fighting said giant monsters- what else can any kid ask for? Hell, I was a Power Ranger for Halloween the years I wasn’t Batman. The first season with the classic 6 rangers is lightning in a bottle. The core 6 had good chemistry and for the first 60-episode season, it is it cool seeing the characters grow. For example, Billy starts as a weak, stereotypical nerd who gradually becomes the team’s tech wizard as well as a competent, confident fighter. The show’s structure is aligned with self-contained episodes but the multi-part arcs are some of the show’s highlights. The evil Green Ranger arc that introduces the legendary Tommy into the group is still awesome all these years later. The original Zords are iconic: the Mastodon, Triceratops, Pterodactyl, Sabre-Tooth Tiger, Tyrannosaurus, and the Dragon Zord. The theme is one of my all-time favorites and I still smile each time I hear it; the music all around kicks ass.

Like many show’s there’s some dull episodes here and there. Because of the use of Japanese footage, there is quite a bit of repetition to the Ranger and Zord scenes. This show looks goofy and over the top, but to a charming degree. A couple of times in the first season, plotlines do repeat, just slightly altered. As a kid I remember thinking Bulk and Skull, the comic relief bullies, were annoying, and they are, but they grew on me. Rita is a goofball villain with a shrill voice and neither her or her lackeys are competent, but damn if it isn’t funny.

In the end, Power Rangers is a fun, goofy, kids show but it’s still plenty of fun. Whether you’re riffing it with friends, or getting hyped whenever you hear “It’s Morphin Time!”, the first season of Power Rangers is a good, light-hearted time in our dreary world I recommend. May the power protect you.

God of War: Ragnarok

Winter has fallen since Baldur was slain. Kratos and Atreus struggle to evade Freya’s fury and fear the wrath of Odin. Odin comes, accompanied by an enraged, grieving Thor, looking for peace. After an awesome battle between the former god of war and the god of thunder, the duo finds themselves on a new journey, uncovering Odin’s cruelty, Loki’s destiny, and testing the strained relationship of Father and son…

Being the very first game I played on my PS5, I was blown away. Ragnorak is easily the best game in the series. The story and voice work are S-tier. Kratos and Atreus are incredibly developed. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun Atreus was to play and how invested I got in his story. Kratos vs Thor is nothing short of legendary. I loved the game’s depiction of Odin, Thor, and Heimdall. Visually, the game is breathtaking. The music is powerful. My only real complaint is that the Norse saga is basically closed now and where the GOW series is going, I don’t know, but I wish we got a little more in Norse myth. In the end, GOW 5 is an incredible sequel and easily one of the best games on Ps5 I can’t recommend enough. May the gaming gods bring you glory.