Category: Uncategorized

Batman: I Am Bane (DC Rebirth vol 3.)

batman rb v3

Batman is my favorite DC hero of all time and quite possibly my favorite superhero of all time because dammit he was the first I was introduced to and as much as I love Mr. J, I’m sick of almost every classic bat story involving if not totally revolving around him. Bane stands alongside Joker, Ras Al Ghul, and the Court of Owls as some of Batman’s greatest threats so what happens when he goes on a full fledged vendetta?

Batman has seen hope to win his war against crime through Gotham and Gotham Girl; he has amassed a family of allies and has harbored a love for Selina Kyle, Catwoman. Bane, the only enemy to have truly broken him, is on the warpath. Bruce warns his charges to go away, only to find surrogates hung in the Batcave in there costumes. Batman lures the brute into Arkham Asylum, arming some of his most dangerous foes to slow the behemoth down. Will Bane finally break the bat once and for all?

So, warning right now, I recommend reading the first 2 books in Rebirth before this (I Am Gotham and I Am Suicide) because I was pretty lost. Weirdly, Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles( DC Rebirth) was way easier to follow and is the next book in the series. I love Bane who is a violent wrecking machine the whole book and kept me glued; while having issues with Batman here and there, I do love the comparisons done between the 2’s upbringing. There are other stories here as well including a prelude to Jokes and Riddles, a mini tale of Bruce warming up to a abused dog, and a little adventure of Bats and Swamp Thing tracking down the killer of Swampy’s father. The artwork is well done and truly grisly and badass at times. While Tom King isn’t my favorite writer, I can appreciate the effort made. In the end, its a solid book but I absolutely don’t starting with it, instead hitting the first 2 books beforehand. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Aquaman: The Trench (New 52, vol.1)

new 52 aquaman

Before the Aquaman movie, my friend Autobot had me read a Aquaman comic, the first book of DC’s New 52. Like many, I saw Arthur Curry as a joke amongst a solid roster of heroes and demigods. Little did I know, there was a lot more to Aquaman than meets the eye.

Aquaman is the definition of a short-change hero; the surface mocks him despite his incredible powers and the people of Atlantis mostly revile him for his half human heritage. Even aligning himself with the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in the Justice League, no one takes him seriously. But in Amnesty Bay, a threat is looming from the darkest part of the sea where even the king of the sea fears to tread. Ancient monstrous Atlanteans that dwell in the trenches leave in search of dwindling food and it’s up to Arthur and Mera to push them back alone.

While Aquaman (new 52, volume 5) sea of storms  and the few books that followed were good, this is the best I’ve seen from the New 52 line of Aquaman. The story is great and action packed, juggling mythos, horror, and a cool meta nature about the old reincarnations of the character. Aquaman is a complex hero and Mera is a epic badass. Geoff Johns, one of DC’s most talented writers gives Aquaman a hell of a new beginning. The artwork is beautiful and colorful. In the end, this book is pretty much everything I love about the characters of Aquaman and Mera and I highly recommend it if you thought Aquaman just talked to fish. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

MK11: Aftermath launch trailer

I have to say the expansion for MK11 is starting to look like a treat but there is something bothering me in the end: haven’t we seen most of what this expansion is offering before in other games before? Friendships? Stage Fatalities? Well known fighters sold as DLC? While I’m glad they made a story expansion to MK11 I can’t help but wonder to feel like a lot of these things should have been in the initial game. I hope in the end it helps the game evolve. I hope the gaming gods bring you glory.

Destroy All Humans 2020 gameplay trailer

Here’s a little taste of what I hope what will be a good bite to come. The graphics look great but I’m really hoping the gameplay feels more fluid than the original game. If the controls feel better and the better graphics, I think we can have ourselves a winner. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mafia trilogy remastered official gameplay trailer

First I gotta say holy hell these games look gorgeous. I’m kinda wondering why the first game got the shaft as far as trailers go. Mafia 2 looks amazing and from what I’ve been told it was the best of the trilogy. Mafia 3 looks like it got a nice graphical upgrade on top of a already beautiful game. I definitely want to check this series out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order free updates thoughts

Once again, I’m late to the party on this but gaming has taken a back seat lately while working on my debut story, but when I heard Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was getting a host of free updates, I wanted to try for myself and I’m not really disappointed. I’m surprised as hell that EA hasn’t charged a dime at all for any of this. So for starters, the Inquisitor costume and red saber crystal are available once you land on Bogano early one. While it is awesome to have all the cosmetic customizations you’ve accrued through your last play-through  I was hoping for more of a Souls like experience in hard enemies and such but still the story is a great trip to play through again. The Meditation training is fun as hell and easily accessible.  In the end, this a epic update pack that makes a sweet game even sweeter. May the force be with you all and the gaming gods bring you glory.

***Update** The positives I mentioned are true but after replaying it, some massive glitches have appeared such as frame rate drops, backgrounds going nuts, and some physics going batshit. Still a great game, just now a little less great until EA fixes the bugs.

 

Dying Light

dying light

Zombies, zombies, everywhere and too many to shoot. Seriously, zombies are everywhere and like most, I usually pass many pieces of zombie media behind because they cycle through the usual tropes. Question is, does Dying Light stick out of the crowd or is it just another moaning wanderer?

Kyle Crane is a agent with the mysterious GRE sent into the quarantined city of Haran wear a viscous virus has caused the dead to rise. Once entering the city, it’s not long before Crane gets intercepted by a crime lord whose taking the opportunity to increase his power and Crane finds himself infected by a virus that doesn’t show it’s true horror until the sun goes down and the zombies grown manic and rabid and the horrific Volatilies emerge. Can Crane survive the horrors of the quarantine?

At first glance, Dying Light looks like a Dead Island clone with some Far Cry sprinkled in it. In many ways it is but once you start leveling up and unlocking new abilities, it becomes addicting fun. Combat is challenging but not overly so and parkour, while taking some time to get used to, is really fun and makes exploring the world interesting. I will warn you, some of the controls feel odd and alien so it takes awhile to get used to and even at endgame, I’d still confuse controls in a rush. The game does a good job at making night time terrifying and the Volitiles are some of the most frightening monsters of this console generation. For weaponry,their a is good assortment with nice customizable options. The game looks and sounds great but I did have some glitches where reactivity was slow and a few times where I simply just died, and die you will a lot. My biggest disappointments with this game are the pain in the ass fast travel and the weak ending. The story on it’s own is above average, including the side quests, but the end is a random QTE battle after a lot of running and climbing, making the final climax just feel like a tiny pop. In the end, Dying Light is a fun game to get lost in but despite the flaws, well worth the discount price. May the gaming gods bring you glory.