So this is the 3rd go around for doing Lego Star Wars as a whole. I loved the classic PS2 games that covered both the original and newly finished prequel trilogies (damn I’m old). I never played the Clone Wars game. When they remade and added the sequel trilogy’s content, I felt nostalgia nibbling at my heels again.
The game is packed with Star Wars nostalgia and Lego’s whacky humor I found myself chuckling at a few times. The gameplay is pretty solid. I like that they added actually third person shooting mechanics as well as added some complexity to the Jedi/Sith characters. The game is full of open segments where you can explore, solve puzzles, find side quests, collectibles, or just break stuff. They made an upgrading system that breaks down by character type as well as overall upgrades that I didn’t use often but it’s not a bad way to introduce kids to RPG mechanics. Calling this game “Baby’s first RPG” isn’t too far off.
The only complaint I have is the boss fights are a tad too repetitive. They aren’t bad, and I wasn’t expecting Elden Ring by any means, but I was able to autopilot most of the boss encounters. It could be said for the game as a whole but it never got annoying or took me out of it.
In the end, Skywalker Saga is a solid Lego game worth picking up if you find it on sale. Alot of your enjoyment will come from how much you’re into Star Wars and if you like the Lego games. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Remember when you got hyped seeing the iconic headline “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” followed by the legendary boom of John William’s score that promised adventure, new worlds, and the unforgettable yet simple clash of good vs evil? Depressed yet? I went back to the good old days to experience a classic (before the dark times, before the real Empire came) for the first time.
We play as Jaden, one of many young force sensitives on our way to Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy. As an upcoming Jedi, we go across the galaxy in various missions fighting the last remnants of the Empire as well as the looming threat of a Sith cult trying to revive a ancient god-level, forging our own path as either a Guardian of peace or weapon of the dark side. What will you choose?
I’ve lost lost count how many people have told me either Academy or Jedi Outcast were their favorite Star Wars games and honestly, I can see why. The game is peak Star Wars in so many ways, full of the characters, weapons, locations and music we love. The story isn’t too complicated but effective with diverging paths I appreciated for some replayability. Most of the gameplay holds up remarkably well in places. The FPS features hold up very well and combining guns with force powers can be a blast at time. The saber combat definitely takes some getting used to but it does become intoxicating once you do. Academy and Outcast walked so Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order could run. I do also appreciate you getting to customize not only your lightsaber but your style, whether single, dual wield, or double bladed (I went green and orange dual wield).
Unfortunately, this game does show its age in many ways. The game has some really unpredictable difficulty spikes. There’s moments towards the end that pissed me off because dirty enemy placement, obtuse pathfinding, or bullshit environmental deaths. You’d better get used to manually saving because their are checkpoints, but they’re sporadic and sometimes dying means a hell of a fall back and a long stretch of progress gone. Younger gamers will also hate that there’s no map, waypoints, autosaves, tutorials, and a loose reminder of your current objective. There’s one mission though that absolutely killed the entire game for me- the damn speeder bike mission. It’s nearly unplayable. The bike is nearly uncontrollable, the game clips out between speed and slow- mo, there’s a jump that killed me too many times. I almost rage-quit the whole game because of that one level alone.
In the end, Jedi Academy is a fun blast from the past for Star Wars fans. A nice reminder of better times, before the era of the Mouse set in. It definitely has it’s faults and shows its 20+ year age but with patience, a little help from Youtube, and your favorite booze for that damn speeder bike level, you’ll get through. I recommend picking it up for a good time overall. May the Force be with you and the gaming gods bring you glory.
While I fell out with the Hunger games saga- I didn’t really see a point in prequels to the series- I was surprised when I saw this trailer drop. The second prequel follows a young Haymitch Abernathy, as he was plunged into the the 2nd Quarter Quell, the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games. The visuals are pretty striking. I love the creepy ass imagery of the Capitol people and the bright colors of the arena but the trailer sets a ominous tone. I honestly might check the prequel books out now before the movie drops. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
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.
I can only imagine what you most be thinking, but I assure you this isn’t a joke post. This movie is real. Ed Gein is one of the infamous figures in American history and inspired dozens if not hundreds of books, documentaries, biopics, as well as being the inspiration behind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Silence of the Lambs, and Psycho. If you want any actual factual knowledge about Gein and his crimes, plenty of those documentaries are free on YouTube (don’t go to Netflix for the latest season of Monster; were you really expecting the dude behind AHS to give a account of Ed Gein?). Certainly don’t watch this.
So we follow Ed Gein as he’s busted after killing his final victim and through delusional songs, many parodying others such as “Luck be a Lady”, “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka, and “Hard Knock Life” from Annie, we uncover a very loose account of Gein’s story. I mean loose in the most sincere way possible.
I’m going to frank, this movie isn’t good. Did I laugh? Plenty, but I wasn’t feeling good about it. The whole thing is in bad taste at it’s core but its so flat, over the top, and cheap its not meant to be taken seriously, not even remotely (unlike Netflix’s Monster). The acting is porn level bad. The pacing is awful and feels way longer than it is. The musical numbers are funny and just trippy at times- like Gein arguing with a woman’s corpse over what style of lampshade she wants to be. The sheriff was great and his reactions to the whole thing were my favorite part of the whole movie. In the end, I can’t recommend this movie unless you’re already drunk or stoned off your ass. May the gaming god’s bring you glory.
It began with Johnny Vitti on Halloween. Every holiday, another murder linked to the once untouchable Falcone crime family. Each month, more bodies, more unrest as the Falcone’s numbers dwindle and there bloody feud with the Maroni family comes to a head, and less answers for the Dark Knight, Commissioner Jim Gordon, and DA Harvey Dent. The trio of Gotham’s heroes face a bitter line between taking down the biggest threats to Gotham, but at what cost? How far will the old crime-lords go to to preserve there empires? After a fateful tragedy and a shocking reveal, the year long caper comes to a close but nothing will ever be the same.
So first and foremost, this is one of the best Bat stories put to page. Hands down, no contest. The book is well written with dark themes, a genuinely well written mystery, and well done characters. The book was a huge inspiration behind The Dark Knight as well as The Batman. The art style is interesting with some seriously iconic imagery and sets up a creepy, vintage noir mood.
I’ve also seen the 2 part, R rated, animated movie counterparts that also do the story justice. Jensen Ackles (the GOAT of Red Hoods) was great voicing Batman but I was more surprised at Josh Duhamel doing a fantastic job voicing Harvey and eventually Two Face.
The story has a few flaws and some things I felt like in the book should’ve been expanded on more like Catwoman’s vendetta against Falcone and Gilda Dent’s mania in correlation to her husband’s ( the movie versions go much deeper into this). Another small gripe I have is I wish we got more Grundy, Scarecrow, and Mad Hatter in both versions, but that’s just me.
In the end, I can’t recommend the book enough and the movies are damn good adaption to follow up on. May the gaming god’s bring you glory and an end to your own Long Halloween.
Every so often, here at Savior Gaming, I get emails that make me question what I am doing with my life. Usually, it’s about local women in my area who want to meet. This time, it was something that actually surprised me, and that doesn’t happen often after almost 10 years of doing this.
The nice people over at Anime Umbrellas asked if I would be interested in reviewing an umbrella. Now I have always been completly up front with you guys about things like this. They did send me a beautiful umbrella, completly free of charge to check out, that I personally picked off their website. There was no stipulation on which one I could choose,there are no affiliate links or payments involved. You will however notice the pictures have the Anime Umbrella water mark on it. I took them right off their website, this way if you see one you like you can go purchase it. I am not being payed for it, I just enjoyed the product and thought you might like it as well.
Now with that out of the way, lets get to talking about the umbrella. Once again to be upfront, I was not expecting much. It is an anime umbrella, we have all seen these things at conventions or local shops. They usually sell for 40 or 50 bucks, are made from a cheap plastic, and will break as soon as you use them. This is the exact opposite of what is being sold at Anime Umbrellas.
The is the heavy cardboard box it was packaged in
I was greeted with a heavy cardboard box when I opened my shipping package. Yes, it was unfortuantly dented a little in transit, but I can’t blame them for this, it was clearly done in shipping by shipping company. It also means my umbrella arrived safe and sound BECAUSE of this extra care they take. It is still a beautiful keepsake that my umbrella is currently stored in.
The umbrella I chose
Now I was going to post a picture of the actual umbrella I received but truth be told, I am not a fan of having my picture taken, and getting a quality picture of an umbrella is no easy task. Suffice it to say, if you have ever used an umbrella you know what the canopy feels like, truthfully I don’t know what those things are made of and I won’t insult anyones intelligence by pretending otherwise.
The ribs and handle however are definetly made out of fiberglass and stainless steel and open and closes at the push of a button. This all sounds nice, but I am sure you are asking,how sturdy is it? I am sure by now you have clicked on a link and noticed they cost $38.50 (US) and that is a fair question. So I asked myself, how do I test an umbrella? It looks like its advetised, it feels good. So I handed it over to my kid. She is 8, handed it to her and sent her outside and just watched her with it.
Now, I was 100% prepared to lose the umbrella, and I don’t recomened doing that with every child. She mostly just kept opening and closing it because she was amazed by the function. That being said, if it will survive being opened and closed as much in 20 minutes as any umbrella will be opened in a life time while a kid runs back and forth in a yard, its safe to say its pretty well built and will survive normal use. So if you are looking for a gift for a christmas gift for that anime fan in your life, or maybe just want an accesory for that next convention that will start a conversation, definetly check out Animeumbrellas.com Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
You know you’re in trouble when Deadpool is your saving grace….Wade’s been through alot after the events of Deadpool 2. By that I mean, he hung up the guns and katanas and tried living a normal life, sucking at it, losing his spark when getting turned down by the Avengers. When the TVA shows up offering Wade legendary hero status in a new universe, he’s elated, until he realizes his universe is dying. To save it, his universe needs a new Wolverine. So it’s up to the Merc with a Mouth to find a Wolverine, escape a wasteland of banished Marvel characters, and become a goddamn Disney hero. Ain ‘t the multiverse fun?
Deadpool took the world by storm in 2016. Even with comic book movie fatigue setting in and many fans giving up on the MCU, the end of the Deadpool trilogy was the last hurrah for many. I had mixed feelings going in. My opinion of 2 soured over time, I didn’t trust Disney, and after Logan and the brilliant end to Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine, bringing him back, albeit as a variant, still soured things for me. After multiple rewatches, it still does. However, overall, the six-year wait was well worth it. Reynolds and Jackman bring their A games and have fantastic chemistry. The fights are bloody and memorable. Finally seeing Wolverine in his classic yellow and blue was a nerd dream come true. The cameos were outstanding and 1 in particular stole the show (I don’t want to spoil it but it was damn good to see some classics come back).
Not every joke lands, and I wish we got more crazier Deadpools for the final fight (namely Pandapool), and this movie doesn’t work nearly as well unless you’re a Marvel fan or grew up with 2000’s movies. I’ve heard casuals say the movie was a little confusing, but it’s much easier to follow than a lot of MCU stuff. In the end, Deadpool 3 is a great end to the trilogy and an even better send-off to the Fox Marvel era. Its packed with blood, fights, and nerdy fanservice that’s hard not to love. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
This Wheaties box is one of the funniest jokes in the film, and I laughed way too hard…Thunderbolts picks up with a group of the MCU outcasts (Yelena, US Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster) being ordered to infiltrate a shady testing facility. After duking it out a bit, they come a scrawny dude named Bob, the last living subject of a certain medical test. Bob, a former drug addict suffering from mental illness, stands out of this group like a sore thumb. But what if I told you Bob was a force that outmatches the powerhouses of Marvel like Hulk, Thor, and Captain Marvel? Under the devious influence of government head Valentina de Fontaine, Bob is molded into the Sentry, the world’s greatest hero. Can the outcasts, aligned with Winter Soldier and Red Guardian, stand a chance against Fontaine and the darkness inside Bob-for every light there is a darkness, and that darkness is the Void…
Going in, I knew what this movie was: MCU Suicide Squad. Basically, it’s what the comics are, and honestly, they’ve never been my thing, but I gave it a shot. With Captain America: Brave New World being a dud and Fantastic 4: First Steps being the best MCU flick since Spider-man: No Way Home , I was curious where this lay.
The cast is the biggest positive in my opinion. Everyone gives it their all. Florence Pugh, since her Black Widow debut, has been a bright light in the MCU’s darker days. Luis Pullman did great as Bob/Sentry/ Void. The final act goes for emotional character stakes instead of a giant boss battle, easily the best climax to a MCU film in a while. I liked the darker, mature themes like mental health, drug abuse, trauma, and guilt. The movie handled them well without going overly dark or trying to preach.
Unfortunately, the MCU itself, or rather its formula of forced humor, is this movie’s biggest weakness. I didn’t laugh much, but I rolled my eyes a lot more than I wanted to. Most of the action scenes were meh overall. Taskmaster is utterly wasted and is just a body to drop for pretend stakes (sorry for the spoiler, but seriously, the marketing spoiled it pretty quick). Valentina has been built up for a while, and her endgame didn’t really feel like much of a payoff.
In the end, the movie is ok but easily could have been above average. What it does good, it does great. The flaws kill it. It’s worth watching and I’m not mad they’ll return for Doomsday. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Gotta start by thanking Savior for playing through the game with me because, honestly, like most multiplayer games, who your crew is means a whole world of difference. Firetam Elite is essentially an online horde shooter in the Alien universe. There’s 4 chapters, 3 missions each to play through. You pick a class, pick up consumable buffs like shock grids, sentry guns, and proximity mines and jump into action with 2 other players. Is there a story? Barely. You’re a colonial marine tasked with killing xenos- that’s it in a nutshell.
I highly recommend having at least 1 battle buddy if you’re going to play this game. Solo, the gameplay isn’t too engaging. As for any online multiplayer, we’ve played with cool people and a couple that made things way harder than they had any right to be; if you can’t find someone, the game fills the slot with an Alpha, which mostly means you’re pulling extra weight and better not die. With a buddy, the game is pretty fun at times, but not full-price fun. We had it as a PS+ freebie and neither of us had any desire to get the Pathogen DLC.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with the game, just nothing spectacular. The highlight for me was the iconic scenery that harkened back to Alienand Prometheus. I will say the ending of the final mission does the Queen Alien a massive disservice, even more the finale of Aliens: Colonial Marines. There is a nice sprinkling of Working Joes (a nice nod to Alien: Isolation ) and prequel monsters, but the Aliens themselves don’t really spark much terror.
In the end, Fireteam Elite isn’t bad if you and a friend want a pretty quick game to burn through or you’re a diehard Alien fan like I am, but there’s nothing great either. It’s one of the most average games I can think of. May the gaming gods bring you glory.
Savior Gaming 