Opinion – Page 136 – Savior Gaming

Goosebumps (2015)

goosebumps movie

Goosebumps inspired the hell out me as a kid. The show enthralled me and the books made me want to read; R.L Stine was one of my first idols. You’d think a big screen adaptation of his work would make my heart a flutter with cosmic levels of joy? Hell no friend! I was nervous as shit. But why? And better question, was my fear justified? Well as R.L would put it, “Readers beware, you’re in for a scare.”

We begin as with a new kid moving into a quiet suburb with his mom and the crush he inevitably forms with the pretty neighbor girl next door. Classic story, including her grouchy dad who just so happens to be the legendary writer R.L Stine ( well, Jack Black playing R.L Stine). Zach, our main character finds himself at ends with his neighbor but falling for his daughter. After discovering his identity as the famous writer, he discovers the collections of his manuscripts and all hell breaks loose when the monsters of ghouls of Stine’s books are unleashed on the town led by the most sinister of them all, Slappy the living Dummy. Can Stine and the group of teens save the town in there own story?

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the movie, but overall I can’t say I’m a fan of it. The plot is interesting and it was a cool trip down memory lane at times. The characters are pretty cliche, though Black is entertaining as Stine while not being so great as Slappy. A big problem I had was some of the creature/ monster designs were way too cartoony for me; I was hoping for some of the darker imaginings from the show. For example, The Werewolf of Fever Swamp looks pretty damn eerie and viscous in the show, where as in the movie he’s wearing basketball shorts and tattered sneakers. Slappy in the show always unnerved me where I wasn’t remotely spooked by him in the movie. The movie is predictable with a decent twist that’s hurt because I wasn’t invested by any of the characters but Stine. A lot of the humor didn’t stick with me but may with a younger audience. In the end, many will enjoy this movie and young or old, there is enjoyment to be had; the truth is I wanted something different from it but I don’t think it’s by any means terrible. It’s worth checking out, if just to form your own opinion. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Slender man trailer 2

Well, I’d say its a huge improvement over Slenderman preview but I’m not entirely convinced. Yes, the atmosphere has improved and the Slender Man doesn’t look too bad and I like the way the lore was used. I’d seriously laugh if they try to plug the games though. A big problem I have is that I get too much of a Ring vibe from it and the fact it’s PG-13, which means there’s going to be a lot of teen pandering and jump scares. In the end, I’d RedBox it but that’s about as far as I’m willing to go. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Iron Fist season 2 trailer

Iron Fist: the hiccup show in Netflix’s line of Marvel shows. Whether it’s the white wash controversy over the casting of the titular hero or the dull ratings as compared to shows like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, Iron Fist just couldn’t seem to catch a break. We have season 2 surprisingly. I think think it looks meh, but only reading Iron Fist: the Living Weapon: Rage I can’t say I’m an avid fan of the comic to begin with. I do appreciate the classic bandanna in the trailer as I’m sure fans will. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Purge-USA event trailer

I’m divided as hell on whether making The Purge into a network show is a good idea or not. Yes, you can’t get as graphic with it on network TV as you could as a movie but to be fair, I never felt the movies went as overboard as they could. I think having the format of a show could give us potentially some really good stories on Purge night. I’m fairly curious how this will turn out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars: The Clones Wars, final season trailer

One of the biggest surprises of SDCC was the trailer for the return and proper finale of Star Wars: the Clone Wars. I’ve watched the first 2 seasons and a chunk of the 3rd. I do prefer the original Star Wars: the Clone Wars (05) more but I’d be lying if I didn’t give credit to the canon show. The season 7 trailer I admit has a huge upgrade in animation and I like the little touches in there wardrobes that help it feel on the brink of Episode 3. I’m glad it can get a proper end now. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Walking Dead season 9 trailer

Confession time: I’m not a fan of the Walking Dead. I liked the first few books but I never saw the hype. I think the trailer looks good but like one of my biggest problems with the series is there, it looks like its going to end but keeps going. Still, if you’re a fan this looks like it’ll be a cool season. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Miss Meadows

miss meadows

Katie Holmes plays Miss Meadows, a sugary sweet, polite, eccentric substitute teacher who packs a gun on her and kills the wicked. Her life is rather lonely, only calling her mother for advice here and there and the occasional talk with her neighbor. She finds herself falling for the town deputy and he for her as she wakes up one day to find herself pregnant, and if that wasn’t hard enough to come to terms with, a registered sex offender moves in down the street and with her secret life creeping up on her, Miss Meadows has no choice but to give in if she wants her happy ever after. ..

I’m going to be blunt, this is a weird fucking movie. There is a other-worldly quality in the music, tonal shifts, and Holmes’s attire that gave me a Alice, sweet Alice vibe. There isn’t much blood or violence, so don’t go in expecting a Mary Poppins exploitation movie; there is surprising a lot of psychological drama and a surprising turn near the end. Holmes is great and complex. A problem I have is besides Meadows, no one else really pops to me and because there aren’t many action scenes, the movie does feel slow at times. In the end, it’s a good WTF movie I’d say is worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Deadly Class trailer

One of the best trailers to hit SDCC this year was Deadly Class, based on the graphic novel and produced by the Russo Brothers, a show about teens who go to an academy to learn how to be pro assassins. I’d definitely watch it, it looks entertaining and has some dark comedy. I’ll be keeping an eye out and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mario Kart 64

mario kart 64

I needed a little break from covering trailers from this year’s San Diego Comic Con and I remembered seeing something about a N64 classic on Facebook and being thrilled with just the idea. The N64 was my first game system ever.Mario Kart was pretty much a staple for anyone who had the system: Mario and his friends race on go karts through a huge list of tracks with various hazards or you and your friends can battle on Vs mode.

For characters we get Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Wario, Bowser, Toad, Yoshi, and Peach; Bowser was always my favorite. I have to give some of the maps a lot of credit for being tricky and innovative, especially for the times. There was a slick ice map where you could easily slide into the water, a haunted dock where you had to evade ghosts, a highway dodging cars, and the Rainbow Road- my absolute favorite track- had who twisting and turning on a rainbow through space while being attacked by huge chomping wrecking ball things ( my friend Violet would know what they are I’m sure.) To make things interesting, you can pick up power ups, whether its banana peels, a mushroom for turbo, turtle shells to blast the competition or the coveted star that makes you faster, invulnerable, and generally kicks ass. And if you ain’t in the mood for a race, have a vs fight on one of four original maps. Each player has a number of balloons tied to them and the last player with balloons left wins.

Mario Kart is an awesome classic that’s simple as hell but fun as can be and deserves a good play. May the gaming gods bring you glory and beware the blue turtle shells.

Games I Hate to Enjoy.

Some games you love to plays, some games you hates. But every so often there is just a game that you enjoy, but you don’t know why. Here are some of mine.

Dark souls 2,Scholar of the First Sin. This is probably the worst of the Soulsborne series. I also for some reason insist on the fact that I need to finish this damn game before I will allow myself to play through Dark Souls 3. This godforsaken game is the bane of my existence. I can’t explain it tho, for tall the faults of this game, I strangely enjoy it.

Crusader Kings 2. There isn’t much wrong with this game, I love the concept. You play the part of a family, make decisions for your country. I enjoy this game even if it is slow as hell. The problem? I SUCK as this game. Like real bad. I like the game, but no matter how much I play, I never seem to improve. Crusader Kings 2 (PC)

Pretty much the entire Telltale Games series. The idea is simple, take a popular series, create a story and turn it into a choose your own adventure video game where mostly your decisions mean next to nothing, but we pretend they do. The story is usually pretty good, but I can’t explain why I enjoy this simple formula, and many times I find myself finishing just because I want that easy platinum.

So what about you guys? What games do you enjoy that you can’t quite figure out why? Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.