Category: monsters

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

So you know Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne but do you know of FromSoftware’s (arguably) most challenging masterpiece of them all? After almost a year playing on and off, I do.

Sekiro tells the story of Wolf, a shinobi in ancient Japan tasked with protecting his lord, Kumo, a young boy plagued with a great and terrible curse. Dragon’s Blood- immortality. They’re are forces that want eternal life and will go to any length for it. After losing his arm and his lord to a rival, Wolf is resurrected and granted a special prosthetic from a mysterious sculptor that can be fitted with deadly and useful attachments. With his new arm, Wolf must embark on a epic quest to save his lord and stop this curse…

Is Sekiro a Soulsborne game- one of gaming’s hottest debates. Honestly, I’m torn but ultimately believe it qualifies. Sekiro is easily the hardest of the group I’ve played. It requires intense focus, creativity, patience, and Jedi fast reflexes. I’ve gotten my ass kicked and pulverized harder in my 60+ hours in Sekiro than I did my 100+ hours in dark souls 2 and multiple playthroughs of bloodborne but after it was all done, I felt true accomplishment I’ve rarely gotten in gaming. The game flows incredibly well and can be extremely challenging without ever really feeling like bullshit (I’m looking at you Souls 1 and 2). Swordplay is fast, responsive and thrilling. Stealth is smooth and easy. The platforming has a few rocky moments but mostly is solid overall and adds alot of depth to combat and exploration. Visually, the game is utterly breathtaking with stunning color and environments. The bosses are memorable, especially Genichiro, The Guardian Ape, and Ishinn the Sword Saint; Ishinn is hands down one of my favorite final bosses.

In the end, I think Sekiro beats Bloodborne as my favorite Fromsoftware game and like Bloodborne, I consider it a masterpiece. Like all the games in the category, it won’t be for all. Especially, and I cannot stress this enough, if you aren’t good at parrying- I don’t recommend this game if you aren’t a parry god or able to learn. If you are, then you’re in for a divine treat. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

28 Years Later

It’s no secret I went insane when I found out this long awaited awaited sequel was actually coming. It was my most anticipated movie of of 2025 even. In a year of surprises like Sinners and Fantastic 4: First Steps , I was sure Years was going to be a legendary following to a masterful trilogy…

28 Years have passed since the Rage virus has run rampant through the UK and neighboring areas. Spike and his family live in a small island off the mainland, separated by a natural bridge only accessible between tides. On his twelfth birthday, Spike and his dad must partake in his right of passage and go hunting for supplies on the mainland full of starved infected who are evolving and the madmen who thrive against them. Spike and his father narrowly escape their trip, but Spike must risk another trip in search of the only Dr who can help his ailing mother. How far can the boy go for love?

28 Days Later was noting sort of a masterpiece. 28 Weeks Later fell off a bit by the end, but was still a pretty damn good sequel. 28 Years is one of the most conflicting movies I’ve seen in recent memory. I genuinely love and hate this movie, and honestly can’t debate you either way.

This movie has an incredible cast. Alfie Williams, steals the show as Spike; I can see him going very far in the future. Everyone brings their A game. Visually the movie is gorgeous. The color pops naturally, no bullshit filters. Th scenery is breathtaking. I liked that there is some inspiration from Day of the Dead in that this story is genuinely an epic and a point is how the infected are naturally evolving over time. The story at it’s core is fantastic and full of heart I haven’t experienced since the first time I played the original The Last of Us ; I did get teary eyed at the end.

Danny Boyle, who directed the the first movie, wanted to be different this time around. Unfortunately not all those choices worked. This movie hits you with a lot quickly. There are jarring cutaways that reminded me think of House of 1000 Corpses . Most of the kills are filmed in a way that reminded me of a Call of Duty kill-cam. The blood is comically over the top at points. The music choices can be rattling as hell. The pacing feels rushed in the first half hour. There’s a lot of plot threads that feel useless, including the opening, that serve the follow up films more. The ending, while good for a laugh and some blood, is pure sequel bait which admittedly I’m both excited for but also irritated with. I really can’t argue if you tell me the ending pissed you off.

In the end, even writing this review, I’m totally conflicted on this movie. I loved things about it but absolutely hated others. It is wildly unique from it’s predecessors and delivers a hell of an experience- whether it’s to your liking or not. I absolutely think it should be watched but just know you may not get what you expected. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Mummy 2026 trailer

Well, it’s that time again everyone! Another Mummy remake (this time thankfully not trying to launch a cinematic universe like The Mummy (2017) ) This time, I have no clue what director Lee Cronin is going for. Seriously, I had to watch this very same trailer multiple times and had no idea what the hell I was looking at. It’s definitely my first head scratcher of 2026. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Playground: Child of Divorce

I hope everyone had a fun, safe, happy New Year. I took another trip to The Playground for mine. Child of Divorce is the disturbing prequel to Aron Beauregard’s splatterpunk hit I didn’t know I want or needed.

The year is 1993 and Geraldine Borden’s macabre magnum opus is under construction. But after a heated swing with young Matthew Cookson went awry, Geraldine and her compatriot, Fuchs, see there’s a road ahead. In the meantime, she ordered Fuchs to build a separate structure, a prototype, ordering her broken adapted son Rock, and Fuchs to abduct a unlucky set of children. Confused, hunted by a nightmare with little explanation, who will survive the first Playground, and what will be be left of them?

Prequels are normally cursed to be inferior to the originals. Sometimes forced, sometimes bloated by needless explanations, sometimes they are decent stories twisted and mangled to fit a mold. Child of Divorce actually avoids all these pitfalls. The book improves immensely from the first. My biggest complaint from the first, the structuring, has been smoothed out, flowing much more naturally. The children themselves are flushed out a lot more and written more three dimensionally; I was much more invested in these kids and their story arcs, feeling truly saddened and impacted when they met a horrible fate. I loved the set up. Mildred, who hunts the children and keeps them moving, truly freaked me out and I tip my hat to Beauregard for making a stalker enemy that is truly nightmare fuel. The book stands really good as a standalone, only nodding to the first a few times. It is a quick read that fits perfectly, not being too short or long. The only downside I can think of was some of the games didn’t resonate with me as much and the dodgeball room utterly confused the hell out of me towards the end. In the end, I loved this book. Hell, it’s one of my favorite prequels. Can I recommend it? Yes, but do your research because there is a massive set of triggers in this book- if the cover upsets you, this book isn’t for you, and like last time, it is a scene from the book and there are disturbing pictures inside. Personally, I loved it, and I think it was captivating, grim, creepy as hell horror story I’d recommend, especially if you loved the first. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pragmata release date trailer

Everything about Capcom’s latest release has me super curious. The world is intriguing with interesting visuals. I can’t make heads or tails of the gameplay yet. The game looks pretty graphically. I want to know more. Thankfully the release date isn’t too far off from this posting. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

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.