F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin

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F.E.A.R was a pretty good game. Scary as hell at parts and a fun FPS game. Alma Wade, the creepy ghost girl on the covers of both games, main antagonist, is hardly seen and is chilling when you do…and then a sequel happened. After the events of the first game, we play as Michael Becket, who is sent to deal with the crazy shit going on near the climax of the first. There’s more phenomenon going on, more clone soldiers and way more Alma, and she’s way more naked.

Does this description sound phoned in? After playing the game through at least twice, its pretty damn evident this game is a phoned in sequel. The gameplay and easy mechanics are the game’s best attributes; the game is a entertaining FPS and the Slow Mo again is a nifty feature. The graphics are a good step forward and the sound is solid enough. F.E.A.R 2 pretty much throws any fear Alma created out the window; you will get ambushed by this pointlessly naked, bloody ghost girl A LOT and have to QTE her away. Alma became annoying really quick. The story is a mess, trying to be bigger but I have to honest, I quickly forget most of it due to it’s weak Si Fi channel quality, only without the fun. F.E.A.R 2 isn’t wholly terrible, it’s OK for a quick play through but you will quickly forget it. May the gaming gods bring you glory, and go away Alma.

 

The Last of Us

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This past E3 there has been a lot of news and controversy over The Last of us 2 as well as trailers and gameplay clips. I’m personally excited for 2, glad that time was taken to develop and put the amount of heart and effort the first game had in it.The first game has been regarded as one of the best PlayStation 3 games of all time, as well as a masterpiece of survival horror, but does it live up to the praise?

After one of the saddest openings in gaming, we join a broken, hardened guy named Joel who is almost alone after utter madness ensued after a fungal infection went rampant. Those infected are the clickers, not your typical zombies; the mold overtakes there face, rendering them blind but able to click for a sort of echolocation. On top of all the sick, people have ruthlessly banned together to scavenge and basically just lose there minds. Joel and his partner are given a job to do, escort a girl named Ellie across the country to a group that thinks her natural immunity to the fungal strain can be used to save the world. Joel’s partner perishes in a attempt to save the pair, leaving Joel and Ellie to make a perilous journey where the world truly feels against them and no choice is ever easy…

Much of what makes Last of Us great is the gripping, tragic, but beautiful story we play through. Joel and Ellie feel extremely real as does there relationship, which constantly twists and turns; I couldn’t think of a character I didn’t feel attached to by the end. The graphics are beautiful as are the voice performances and the gameplay is pretty damn good. Situations are tough, enemies aren’t easy and supplies are seriously limited but I can’t say nothing ever felt impossible, just challenging. The clickers I have to say creep the shit out of me. So what’s the downside? This maybe the slowest burning game I’ve ever played. The story never gets boring but there are some lengthy cut scenes, and in the beginning you find yourself wishing they just made a damn movie because the first chunk I felt I wasn’t playing a game as much as watching a interactive movie. And for my trophy hungry friends out there, sorry guys this game is stingy as hell with them. Last of Us deserves a lot of the hype and praise and I do think it’s one of last generations best games, but don’t expect a fast pace zombie game. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Red Sparrow

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Normally I don’t really like spy movies but I’ve heard such a strange spectrum of things about this movie I had to check it out. The trailers made me think it was going to be a boring piece of Oscar bait, I was slapped out of that delusion about twenty minutes in. I heard it was practically a Black Widow origin movie; not really but I get why some could think that. So why was I so into Red Sparrow?

Dominika is a promising Russian ballerina whose career is cut short after a accident leaves her leg scarred and broken. Desperate, failing to make ends meet and care for her sick mother, her uncle provides her a path. Aid the Russian Intelligence agency by getting close to a CIA man and search out a mole in the upper echelon of Russian government. Become a Sparrow, the perfect seductress to gather information, but Dominika quickly learns the horrors of the business as she sacrifices much of her humanity just to stay alive…

I was genuinely enthralled by this movie, because I couldn’t completely tell where Dominika’s allegiance lied until the end. Jennifer Lawrence is talented as hell, playing a cold, broken character that is somehow vulnerable and scared throughout. There is some really disturbing moments that are really well done but I don’t recommend the movie if you shock easy. The acting is really good but I warn you, while interesting, the movie feels long as hell. I recommend it if you want a different kind of spy thriller with great acting and some hard WTF moments. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Last of us 2

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Just in case you have been living in a cave these last few weeks, I am going to go the opposite way and show the trailer first which is the opposite of what I normally do.

There we go, now we are all caught up. Or not, I can prove you actually watched an over 10 minute video. But the The Last of us 2 isn’t without some controversy. First and to a minor scale, many people have claimed the game play was scripted or even in more extreme cases completely fake. I can buy scripted, because let’s be honestly nobody wants an E3 catastrophe. Fake? That is pretty unlikely considering the backlash they would face when caught, and they would get caught.

The other controversy, people are pissed off, that Ellie is a lesbian. Just like she was clearly was in the last game. Seriously were these people not paying attention, and this is especially true if you played the DLC, she had what amounts to a post apocalypse date with the girl right before she ends up infected.

The game looks amazing by the way, The story of the first seems to be carrying over nicely into the second. Ellie has grown up and her combat skills have aged to fit into her more adult frame. No longer does she struggle to do simple things, yet she clearly isn’t some super human woman either which I like. Tho admittedly the game isn’t exactly realistic either, but hey the game isn’t realistic to begin with, look at what you fight. Either way what are your thoughts? Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Elder Scrolls Blades

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The Elder Scrolls Blades, look I am just going to be honest, I love the elder scrolls series. I fell in love when I played Morrowind for the original Xbox and never looked back. I enjoy the card game, I play the online game, I am enjoying the Summerset chapter. That being said, who the hell asked for this? The game seems to be a weird mobile walk around use your finger to slash enemies sort of adventure game. Now admittedly I may be overly critical here. Also it should be noted it Pete Hines said in an interview they want to put it on “every platform that will run it, including VR” The game however just doesn’t look fun to me for some reason. I do hope I am wrong,  but I will definitely be waiting on this one.

Elder Scrolls 6 and Starfield

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There isn’t much to say on this subject honestly, not much is known on Elder Scrolls 6 except the fact that it is being worked on, and at E3 they showed a short video that ended in a mountain shown in the picture. There are plenty of theories floating around about where this is, some say its a never before seen place, some a returning area. Personally I have no clue. I do know this, I don’t count on seeing it this generation of console like a few people are hoping. I have no clue why they think they will. With Fallout 76 coming this year and as the video at the bottom will show Starfield also pretty far along I can imagine Elder Scrolls 6 being to far along in its development.

Now on to Starfield. This is the game we will see towards the end of this gen and probably get a next-gen version of. Now honestly I have no real reason to think this besides the fact that it will probably be releasing on that edge of one generation ending and the next starting. These are just my random thoughts, take them for what they are and please, don’t read too much into them or take them as gospel. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Haunted

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A couple of years ago, I had no idea Fight Club was originally a book. After loving the book, I was kind of surprised learning writer, Chuck Palahniuk had written a really acclaimed horror story. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to check out Haunted. Haunted is a strange book to talk about, but I can say I haven’t read many like it if any. The core premise is simple: a group of weirdos is drawn to a three month long writer’s retreat by a rich old guy named Whittier and they are told to bring what matters most to them. They are brought to a secluded place, locked away with a limited supply of food and no kind of contact with the outside world. What ensues is a catalog of desperation becoming madness as they run out of food, become deprived of sleep, water and utter sanity as they create their own stories that gives us a window into the lives of our “victims”. These stories are, excuse my language, are fascinating as they are fucked up. There is a story of a dude who lost part of his small intestine in a pool filter, a professional foot fetishist, a woman who named her cat after her dead cat, and a dude who told some real nasty lies about a former child star to name a few. I warn you, do not read this book if you have weak constitutions or get freaked out easy, don’t read this book.

While I didn’t love every single short story or every free form poem, this maybe one of the best books I’ve ever read. By the end, I legitimately felt different then when I started and that maybe the best compliment I can give. The overall story is disturbing but relate-able as are many of the short stories. Palahniuk’s writing style is a lot easier to get into this time around then Fight Club; in fact I was pretty engulfed by how well everything flowed. Haunted is a great read I highly recommend if you want to read something really different but really deep. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spider-man sequel title announced

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After Avengers: Infinity War I’ve had a lot of people ask how Spidey and Black Panther and others are getting movies still. Well, that’s the magic of comics. So a couple days ago, Tom Holland was shown with the new title of the the sequel to Spider-man: Homecoming , Spider-man: Far from Home. Obviously this can mean many a things. Will Spidey be stranded on Titan, having to find his way back to Earth? I doubt it, mainly because I’ve heard a lot of buzz of Mysterio being the next major villain we’ll being seeing as well as a lot of buzz about the story being centered around a field trip to London, if I’m not mistaken. Either way, it’s extremely early but it has been confirmed Spider-man: Far from Home will be the first movie in Phase 4 of the MCU. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Predator, trailer 2

 

I came back on one hell of a good day; we got a really epic new trailer for the fourth Predator movie. I liked what I saw for the first The Predator, trailer 1 but I love the second trailer much more. The tone reminds me a lot of the first movie, including the crude joke on the bus. The Predators themselves look incredible. So far, I totally dig the story idea but as I stated in the last trailer review, I’m not a fan of the title of the movie but that’s just a weird hiccup from me. I’m excited as hell to see some badass action and some epic level gore this September, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Death Stranding

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A game From Hideo Kojimo that for the longest time nobody knew anything about, and at E3 we finally got some game play from and now we know, basically still not much about. But Norman Reedus carries a baby around. There is a video that I will of course share later. The game play is a bit weird, a lot of time walking as a delivery guy avoiding something. Kinda looks like hand prints forming in the ground fast forwarding time. Look its Kojimo, there is going to be some weird and awesome shit.

The weirdest part tho, is that character seem to be some how immortal unless these invisible creatures kill them. The babies that are carried around in the jars seem to act as some sort of sensor system, which is quite interesting in itself but the real question for me is this. Can I weaponize this baby? Seriously that is the whole reason I want to play this game, to see if I can weaponize a baby. So enjoy the video and may the gaming gods bring you glory.