Opinion – Page 155 – Savior Gaming

Grand Theft Auto 3

gta 3

I grew up with Grand Theft Auto, beginning with this entry as many- controversies and all. Yes, most people played it to kill anything that moved, wreck cars, blow shit up, and occasionally pick up a hooker or two and watch the car rock while you two just sat awkwardly in it. For a while, this game was every parent’s worst nightmare.

Though not as raunchy and vulgar as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , this game sets the stage. You and a dude named 8-Ball get set up, go to prison, and get free when the transport gets wrecked and now you gotta figure out who the hell was behind it as you dig into the crime infected hellhole that is Liberty City.

In 2001, this game really set a new precedent for open world games to come and the amount of freedom you could possess in them. 2018, much of the game hasn’t aged well I’m afraid. Graphics range from meh to damn right crappy, water past knee high kills you super quick, gun play is sloppy, and the missions become punishing too quickly at times. But the game is hilarious. Whether you are getting beaten up by the elderly, listening to a mobster cry about his mommy issues on the radio, or listen to the absurd random crap the people say walkin down the street (I’m hot and you’re not.) Driving handles pretty well after all this time and the stunts are cool. It ain’t a terrible game but don’t expect a legendary experience after all this time. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fortnite, first impressions

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Fortnite, in the few months it’s been out, has become a runaway sensation. Everyday my friends play it; everyday I wonder what’s the big deal. Finally, Savior and I gave it a try last night and after 6 matches I feel like I have a fair opinion. The short version: Fortnite feels almost like a Hunger Games simulator. You get dumped off, (if you are smart) you haul ass to avoid the crowds, get some kind of supplies, and haul ass to survive a map and host of other players that want you dead. I can’t stress that tidbit enough: don’t go for the balls-out approach unless you are really leveled up or you have a full group. Savior and I creeped around and gathered what we could for a decent chance at surviving later encounters. Gameplay is surprisingly solid for both gunplay and crafting. My favorite aspect was the tension I felt as we went creeping about, not knowing what or who we would find next. This is ABSOLUTELY a game I recommend playing with your buddies because I can see it getting boring, if not totally annoying if played alone.

To round out this review, I’d like to share a video, courtesy of our friend Sir Feliciano of Jonathan Media Group @ Youtube of him getting his ass kicked but having fun. I also gave him a shout out for his help on my Immortal Unchained (Alpha) preview. post. May the gaming gods bring you glory and enjoy.

Great Games With Odd Flaws

Every so often we all play a game that is fun or even great, but it just has a really odd flaw. Not game ruining or anything like that, just enough to be annoying at times or just generally piss us off. Here as just a few I have come across.

Dark Souls 2, Scholar Of the First Sin.

When I played this game first i hated the game, the hit boxes were trash and the camera angles drove me nuts. Not as bad as the original Dark Souls or even Demon Souls but it was there. Than a friend lent me Bloodborne and SOTFS and the work they did was amazing. But the one odd flaw Dark Souls 2 still has, it seems like the vast majority of the bosses are still hidden. Sure if you look around enough you can still find them, but why would you hide most of the bosses this way? Great game, odd flaw.

Civilization Revolution is an amazing game where you guide you country from helpless nomads to the technological marvels of space travel. Weirdly tho, there is a turn limit. Now you can usually finish off anything you want to do before this becomes an issue but sometimes you will be building a rocket and suddenly you will have 5 turns to finish, suddenly the game ends and that is it. Highest score gets a domination victory.

Fortnight,yea I realize this one will probably get me some shit. The odd flaw in this one is it seems like every game I watch the winner has 1 kill. The person spends the entire gaming hiding or roaming around, shoots 1 maybe 2 people and boom wins. I’ve noticed this same thing happens in PUBG.

Both are perfectly great games in their own rights, I am not bashing either game or any game on this list. But to me these are just very odd flaws. So what are some odd flaws you noticed? Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell is one of the most influential animes of all time, spinning off other movies and anime series and the live action film adaptation in 2017. Weirdly enough, I never watched the anime, instead starting directly with the live action film. As I watched both, I began to see the reach of the influence it’s had on science fiction over the few past few decades.

What’s the same? In the future, technology has evolved to such a degree where people have used cybernetics to enhance themselves, whether on a small level or extreme level. We follow Major Motoko Kusanagi, an officer of Section 9 that deals with cyber crimes. Her and her partner Bato are on the hunt for a dangerous hacker that is screwing with peoples memories and rewriting people. Major is a ghost, a living brain in a full mechanical body. Many of the breathtaking and gorgeous images have been recreated in the 2017 version, as well as the context to both.

What’s different? The anime film was a more contained story where the live action film went into some heavy Blade Runner territory, trying to make it a deeper story and give more answers. In the anime, the adversary is the Puppet Master, while the live film has a more elaborate villain. Major is more coldly portrayed in the film and surprisingly more human in the anime.

Ok, so which do I like better? Though not quite my favorite anime and/or film, I respect both of them a lot. I love the concept and art style of both. I found both fascinating and beautiful but somehow neither grabbed me as much I thought they would. I recommend watching the anime first but I think you’re solid either way. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Daredevil, season 1

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Just when I thought I had enough of superheroes, Daredevil on Netflix revived my love of the genre. Not to be confused with the 2003 Daredevil film, the Netflix series retells the story of blind lawyer, Matt Murdoch, who fights the crime of Hell’s Kitchen at night with his superhuman senses. On the opposing side is Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of crime, who pretty much wants to own New York.

At first, I expected Arrow (summary review) with a Marvel paint job but that couldn’t be more wrong. First, I have to say the characters are this show’s greatest strength. I love how flushed out and complex they are, and I loved all of the character arcs. Charlie Cox is spot on as Daredevil, while Vincent D-Onofrio is both disturbing and sympathetic as Kingpin. I’d go as far as to say he was the best villain I’ve seen in a while. The show does really well to keep itself grounded to feel more realistic; I love the practical Daredevil costume reveal at the end. In the end, I highly recommend this series for comic fans and TV lovers alike and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies

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Another great WTF story from Seth Grahame Smith, we get a new way to reintroduce the Jane Austen classic, Pride and Prejudice, to young folks of this generation. Add ninjas, guns, and a zombie apocalypse and whamo, we have Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies. The five Bennett sisters are divided women, raised to be sophisticated ladies of old time British society by there mother, but there father wants them to be strong to survive the mysterious zombie virus. Because of him, they’ve been trained as warriors. Elizabeth sticks to the warrior life close, not wanting to be a frail lady, but will she be doomed to be alone and unmarried? She finds herself connected to fellow warrior Darcy, but he is most disagreeable; but Elizabeth may be able to meet her hero as her sisters fall off of the path of the warrior…

This is a weird one to review. For much of the book, it is very much Austen’s classic. More experienced, clever readers will notice the transitions between Austen and Smith (I don’t Jane Austen wrote about zombies and ninjas back then.) I will warn people though: it is in old English for most of the book so that turn off quite a few readers. All this being said, it is a cool, if not batshit crazy at times and the illustrations add a nice touch. I can’t say I liked it as much as Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but it’s a fun book. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Seth Grahame-Smith: a man who has made so many eye catching WTF titles, I damn near found it impossible not to pick up just on premise alone. I mean let’s be serious for a second, Abraham Lincoln- one of the most fascinating presidents of U.S history and arguably one of the greatest…and we’re supposed to imagine him slaying through the fiends of the dead. I admit, I thought it was going to be a ridiculous comedy but I was pleasantly surprised.

The story flips back and forth between Lincoln’s personal diaries and third person narrative discussing his life, his personal demons and his years hunting down vampires while trying to keep a family and keep to the path we know of in history.

I was impressed how grounded the book was and even creepy at times. There is a great sense of tension when Abe is around vampires, and he does get his ass kicked. He’s not a damn superhero as he is portrayed in the film. The book is well paced and as a general reader, the historical context isn’t unreasonable. There really wasn’t anything that made me call Bullshit or anything. I think it’s worth a read and may the gaming gods bring you glory and safe from vampires.

Sea Of Thieves First Impressions

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After playing the beta for Sea of Thieves I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the full game. Now I need to be clear, this is not a full review. I have got some play time in but obviously not nearly enough to truly give it a full review. I do have some thoughts on it tho. First the fun factor of the game depends deeply on who you end up playing with. With the right group hours can easily fly by. With the wrong group the game is actually a chore with team mates being it the way, slamming your ship into rocks or all around being a pain to be around.

The game also can be a breeding ground for toxic behavior. People will attack and sink your ship when its not protected, this would make sense if you had treasure or if there was some nearby but in my time I have noticed more often than none its done for no reason at all.

These things aside when the game is fun, it is a lot of fun. The simple act of sailing alone requires knowing when to turn and how, but with a group one person keeping watch for ships and islands, and another keeping an eye on the nap while another steers the ship makes traveling a joy. And the threat of storms that move and can potentially wreck your ship if you aren’t careful, but also is not likely is amazing. There is also a kraken floating around but admittedly I have not seen it myself.

There are also various different skeletons to fight during your adventures each with different strengths and weaknesses, for example one made of metal that swords can’t harm or one partly made of plants that regenerate health when the sun is up.

All in all for fans of multiplayer games there is fun to be had and you can set sail alone, but there other players at times can ruin the adventure. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The movie

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It finally happened: the Aqua Teens finally face Dr. Weird as we finally discover there origin in this epic feature film. Seriously, this movie sneaked up on me. It opens on a cameo of Abe Lincoln, a trip to the moon, and a sweet nu- metal remix of the theme song. So the plot mainly focuses on the gang getting a new piece of exercise equipment that turns out to be an apocalyptic death machine. If you love the show, you will love the crazy scale of the movie and will appreciate the other cameos throughout (Space Ghost man). I found myself liking it a lot more than I thought I would; may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Boondocks

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I just got into middle school when the Boondocks hit the scene on Adult Swim and wow it hit hard. A decade and a half later I’m still impressed with the show’s mix of racial comedy, deep messages, and influences from Hip hop and anime all in one. It’s rare a show can make me laugh hysterically, look at the world a little differently, and even stare in awe at a couple of epic fights along the way. The show centers on two brothers, Huey and Riley Freedmen, who go to live with there Grandfather, a former Civil Rights activist who struck it rich and now lives in a all white gated community. With a list of colorfully strange characters and a cool art style, this show is definitely worth checking out, though I do suggest trying to track the show down unedited because you will hear a lot of bleeps. May the gaming gods bring you glory.