Category: Opinion

Batman: Death in the family

batman death in fam

Of all comics I’ve experienced so far, no hero has had more classic tales over the years than the Dark Knight himself. One of his most darkest tragedies is the tale of Jason Todd, the second Robin.

We begin this story with Bruce and Todd’s relationship getting rocky. Todd, getting older is becoming rebellious and angry. Discovering that the mother he knew was not his biological mother, Todd ventures into the middle east to find her- trailed by a worried Batman. Batman and Robin become entangled in a dastardly affair involving nuclear weapons, Joker and Todd’s real mother. Taken by Joker, Todd is tortured and beaten nearly to death by a crowbar, dying with his mother after failing to save her from a bomb. Batman’s iconic failure to save is brilliantly captured as he cradles Jason’s body. Left torn inside, Batman is left to take Joker down, but at the risk of causing a war with the middle east…

The tragedy of Jason Todd is a story we saw referenced in Batman Vs Superman and Arkham Knight and many other stories. I found this to be a surprisingly epic story I found really intriguing as well as really tragic. For an older comic, I was surprised how graphic it was but I somehow found it more effective than the overly dark tone of say Killing Joke. I will say A Death in the Family is one of my favorite Batman stories and I highly recommend it to Batman fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon 3

pokemon 3

By 2001, I began falling out of the Pokemon craze and appropriately so we get a epic finale to the original trilogy of Pokemon movies.

Pokemon 3, also titled Spell of the Unknown,is a strange tale of imagination, loneliness, and coming to terms with reality. A girl named Molly is sad after her father disappears after going on a archaeological dig. All she has to remember him by is the pieces of a old puzzle, awakening the Unknown, warping reality to Molly’s whim. She generates Entei, fusing the legendary Pokemon with her father’s voice but all that is missing is a mother. Entei steals Ash’s, so now Ash and his friends are left to save her and defeat the Unknown.

Of the 3, I would say it is my favorite story. There is something dark and rather sad about this particular story. On a personal note, I lost my mother right around the time this came out so not being much older than Molly, it impacted me a lot as a kid. I enjoyed the fantastical elements. There are sweet battles and cool dreamy settings. The end I found sad but wasn’t grim. If you want something a bit deeper and a little bit darker than the first two movies but I highly recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon 2000

pokemon 2000

Hey anyone, remember the hype over the year becoming 2000? Well, like Pepperidge Farms, we remember. And so did Pokemon.

Pokemon 2000, also titled The Power of One, is the story of the balance of the planet getting thrown violently out of whack because a collector of rare Pokemon decides to capture the 3 legendary birds. Moltres- the bird of fire, Zapdoes- the bird of lightning, and Articuno- the bird of ice; each a force of nature in itself that once unsettled begin fighting themselves. Because of a prophecy, the world will turn to Ash as a new force emerges, Lugia. It’s up to young Ash and his friends to set them all save the world…

Much deeper into the Pokemon universe, Pokemon 2000 is on par with the first in my opinion. There is more action, more epic locations, and a deep story. The legendary birds are freaking awesome to behold. Again the ending is happy but this time it fits better. In the end I highly recommend this animated film and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon: The First Movie

pokemon 1

Many, many years ago Pokemon was everywhere. Trading cards, video games, the cartoon and when the MewTwo Strikes Back hit theaters, everyone lost there shit in my first grade class.

Team Rocket’s leader, Giovanni, commissions his most evil deed yet: an experiment to create the world’s strongest Pokemon. Created from legendary Pokemon, Mew, MewTwo is born but is furious with the prospect of existing solely as a human’s slave. After mastering his devastating powers, MewTwo sets off to cleanse the world of man and reign in a whole new era of Pokemon dominance. Standing in his way are Ash Ketchum and his friends, as well as Mew in a epic showdown for the fate of the planet…

I’m a huge fan of the movie. If you were a fan of the show, you’ll like this darker next step; if you are a new comer, I think you’ll enjoy the epic tale and awesome fights. MewTwo sells the movie. He is a great, complex villain. The animation is beautiful and there a nice balance between light and dark elements.  My only personal peeve with it is the last five minutes or so, it’s a hardcore happy ending. In the end, I do highly recommend as a cool animated film. May the gaming gods bring you glory so you catch them all.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay trailer

suicide squad h2p

A few days ago the trailer for the newest R rated DC animated movie dropped and I felt a huge buzz of excitement. R rated Suicide Squad- just the way it ought to have been. This time we are joined by Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Bronze Tiger, Copperhead, and Killer Frost (a better squad selection may I add) as they take on a enemy that’s not a ridiculously over-powered demigod they shouldn’t be able to kill in any way, shape or form but do because…reasons. These 3 main factors make me cautiously optimistic- no one is forgetting Killing Joke anytime soon. May the gaming gods bring you glory and best wishes.

World War Z

Wwz

There are some ideas that are brilliant, some that are maddeningly dumb, and some that can only be done once. This is one of my favorite books and least favorite movies.

World War Z, as the rest of the title suggests, is a oral history of the zombie war. Basically the book is written interview style with multiple survivors of different cultures, creeds, ages, and social standings We get traumatic accounts of epic battles, tearful goodbyes, and get a cool view of how others outside ourselves would deal with such a catastrophic event. The book never feels repetitive in tone or character arcs and that is what makes it so damn enthralling: genuine feeling characters around the world dealing with classic, simple zombies- a threat most wouldn’t take at face value but Max Brooks demonstrates how endearing and dangerous they are.

The movie ditches almost everything but the zombie apocalypse. We get an obscene amount of fast, kinda green looking, Pg-13 28 knockoff zombies overruning the globe as Brad Pitt goes through action set piece after action set piece trying to find a cure and get back to his family. Watching this hurt. Bad. The stories and characters I loved in the book were striped and replaced with a Emmerich wannabe action movie. I admit, I may be hard on the movie; many folks I know that really enjoyed it never read it at all.

I’m going to say pick one, and whatever you pick, don’t go to the other because chances are you will get royally bent out of shape. I favor the book’s variety and emphasis on strong characters, setting, and simple zombies. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Zombie Survival Guide

zombie survival guide

Hello everyone. I have been really sick for a week, hence why I haven’t posted and well, tis the season for runny noses, hoarse coughs, and ZOMBIES! Ok, not really zombies. Zombies don’t do well in the frigid cold, although beware because those cadaverous bastards could be buried beneath the snow. This is something I learned from Max Brooks’s Zombie Survival Guide.

Now there is no narrative but the book is rather an actual survival guide heavily based in actual fact. Wilderness survival, weapons, and home defense tactics are some things that can learned from the book. As for the zombies, Brooks goes out of his way to add a layer of depth to the creatures both physically and contextually you rarely see in fiction. Seriously, they feel pretty damn real when you start getting into there inner workings, origins, and capabilities. If you love zombies and want something different that will make you feel safer come the inevitable zombie apocalypse, definitely pick it up. Best wishes and may the gaming gods save you from zombies…which I’m not..it was a stomach flu…I promise.

The World Ends With You (Switch

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A long time ago for the Nintendo DS a game was released called The World Ends with You. Originally in 2007 in Japan and the PAL region in 2008 it quickly became a sort of cult hit. It used the DS in amazing ways such as using the styles and microphone for attacks and combined many aspects of Japanese culture in a way that the world over seemed to love. Now in 2018 a whole new group of people will get to enjoy this game, this time for the Nintendo Switch. How this will turn out I am not sure, but it promises to be an amazing treat. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Reboots and Remasters?

reboots

Are we finally hitting the point of too many reboots and remasters?  Recently it was announced that Animaniacs would be getting a season 2 on Hulu ( more info here ) And in the last few months we have gotten remasters of Final Fantasy 9 (PS4) a Star Ocean The Last Hope in HD and that is just off the top of my head and we aren’t even counting movies or games of the past few years. But when is this going to far? Believe it or not Peter Pan, The Grinch and even The Crow are supposedly getting reboots this year.

Now i’m not saying reboots or even remasters are bad, as you can see from my FF9 review I loved it, and when I get the time to finish up Star Ocean unless the 2nd half of the game falls apart that will be getting a pretty positive review as well. And I loved Star trek (reboot) but I would like to see some more original ideas tossed out there. Netflix has had some movies that while not perfect were pretty original for example The Babysitter (2017) or Little Evil

By the away sorry about all the links, I doubt anyone will actually read most of them. They are just kind of there in case you want a reference point. I am actually going to take an odd stance I have no seen many take. When it comes to movies, I am not a fan of the reboots coming so much, but in the games I love all these remasters. Many games are being lost to time and new generations simply don’t get to enjoy many of the classics. These remasters give a whole new class of gamers a chance to play them. That being said, remakes are not something I can get behind. As a huge Final Fantasy 7 fan I have very little faith the remake will be good for example. Anyways enough of my rambling, best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Drawn Together

drawn together

There are some things that once seen, cannot be unseen: this is one of the few times it’s a compliment. Many don’t remember Drawn Together, but those that watched it remember it DAMN well. Not everyday you see a Veggie-Tale go postal, a superhero and a pig wash a homeless guys balls, or the most feared creature in our live action universe: live action squirrel with incredibly huge balls! That kind of crazy shit.

Drawn Together is a animated reality show about animated characters living in a house. Captain Hero, Foxy Luv, Toot, Spanky Ham, Xander, Waldor Sockbat, and Ling-ling are representations of characters we all grew up with which leads to some insanely outrageous moments during it’s three seasons. And I warn you now, if you aren’t into raunchy comedy, skip this like swimming in a pool of plague bodies. Over a decade after it aired, it holds up well but I do recommend watching it unedited. I highly recommend this show for it’s great premise, funny characters, and unforgettable moments. May the gaming gods bring you glory.