Why I fell out of favor as a Marvel fan.

snowflake_safespace  While Marvel reigns supreme at the box office, may have had it with there latest comic debacle in there attempt to prove how inclusive they are. Enter Snowflake and Safespace, two of Marvel’s latest new heroes as part of a new team of teen heroes and while none of the other heroes sound much better, these two are supposed to be non-binary twins. While I believe everyone deserves a hero and their are should be more varied, original heroes to break the barriers, I couldn’t take any of this seriously. The names alone are mockeries of the people they are trying to represent. I finally felt my last bubble of hope in Marvel comics deflate after the past few years. Before I begin, I just want to say there maybe a hot button topic or two here and while I applaud Marvel’s push for inclusion, I can’t say I approve how they go about it which is part of the few reasons they fell out of my favor.

Years ago, around the time Marvel’s popularity was skyrocketing because of the first phase of the MCU, they started transplanting many of there iconic characters like making Falcon the new Captain America, making Jane Foster Lady Thor, or Kamela Khan becoming the new Ms. Marvel after Carol Danvers assumed the persona of Captain Marvell. While a lot of these changes didn’t bother me, things like 2 factions of X men existing in the same universe and Kitty Pryde, Agent Venom, and the Thing joining Guardians of the Galaxy was a bit hard to swallow; Kitty becoming Starlord makes no sense to me. Some complained about the change of beloved characters but for the most part I was was able to see it making sense.

Around the same time, reading multiple series, I couldn’t help getting irked at the lack of solo stories, meaning there was a overabundance of Events going on. I recall them dropping one after another and it becoming too much of a hassle to follow. Something I give DC, there recent comics still include a huge catalog of solo stories for it’s characters. What also didn’t help was how Marvel’s multiverses ended up colliding in two many versions of the same character existing on the same plane; good luck being a casual and trying to talk about Spider-man and not knowing which Spidey you are following. now I know what you may be thinking, ‘ Torsten, why not wait til you can get the graphic novel and read it all at once’. Well, that would be a good point if not for the price tags. Since the MCU took off, the size of most solo Marvel graphic novels have shrunk as the prizes rise, especially for the Event books which declined in quality. Civil War II was not well received; Secret Empire angered many at it’s plot twist of Captain America being a Hydra agent all along. By the time Snowflake and Safespace came into play, my enthusiasm was far from healthy and I just shook my head, remembering the once amazing work from Marvel, which inspired myself as well as countless others. Someday I hope to call myself a current Marvel fan and call myself a true believer once more, but for now the present is bleak as the $ overrides creative wealth. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pode now out on Steam

Independent developer Henchman & Goon today announced that their co-op puzzler, Pode, is available now on Steam for PC with a celebratory 10% discount from €15.99/$19.99.

“We are excited that today PC players can join our adorable duo on their magical adventure,” said Yngvill Hopen, Game Director and CEO at Henchman & Goon. “Pode explores themes like inclusiveness, friendship, and teamwork as players work together controlling highly contrasting characters to solve puzzles and reinvigorate the environment around them as a team.”

Pode is a co-op puzzle adventure game about two unlikely travel companions – a rock named Bulder, and a fallen star named Glo, going on an exploratory journey within a mysterious and magical mountain. Through unique individual talents the duo revitalize the environment around them by working together to solve mind-bending puzzles. Featuring a musical track composed by the acclaimed Austin Wintory and visually inspired by Norwegian art and culture, Pode is a stunning exploration game that can be played alone or with a friend.

Cabin in the Woods

cabin in the woods

If you caught our Halloween special this past year, you would’ve caught my entry Our favorites, Day 23: Cabin in the Woods . Hell, I’ll go as far as to call this one of my favorite horror movies and it’s certainly something you sure as hell don’t see everyday. Essentially we begin with a tale as old as time: a group of college friends head out to a cabin in the woods for a weekend, only to discover a basement of random relics and it just so happens they waken the undead family that previously owned it. Sounds cliche as hell, right? I’m not going to spoil anything because there is a serious joy to watching this movie’s clever plot unfold and I highly recommend going in blind if you possibly can. While clever and full of some pretty sweet kills and a collection of awesome horrors, the movie is equally funny and quotable. The actors are great and the friends have good chemistry. Honestly, there’s a lot I can say and while I know the movie is getting up there in years, it’s best to just dive in and see what you find. May the gaming gods bring you glory…and please don’t press the big red button.

Gaming,Blogging and Covid-19

We have a lot of weird things going in the world thesw days. Covid-19, people dying, games being pushed back because of it (looking at you Last of Us 2) and other games being pre-downloaded early. For those with a digital download for the Final Fantasy 7 remake, they let the download start about a week early to make sure every one with the slowed internet still had time to download it.

That all being said blogging has been a bit weird. It seems without most people working we should have more time than ever yet somehow we find ourselves struggling to balance family and hobbies and such. Another struggle is balancing leaving the house for necessities and staying home for safety.

These were just some of my random thoughts and if you have stuck around this long, please tell me how you guys are doing during all this. Are you learning anything new such as cooking or a languge? For example I am attempting to learn Spanish. So best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse

ahs 8

We have a penchant for dark humor here at Saviorgaming and while being cooped up at home during the Corona Pandemic, I figured it’s as good as time as any to catch up on my American Horror Story, and of course I left off on Apocalypse, the 8th season. While the show has been pretty divisive over the years, pretty much everyone I talked to hates this season; how can a horror show botch the end of days?

The day has come and the world has ended in nuclear hellfire as many have predicted. A secret collective of the world’s wealth, brains, and most influential known as the Cooperative have gathered people deemed genetically suitable of repopulating the world at a series of outposts. Outpost 3 is strict and divided between the elite and the workers. A emissary of the Cooperative arrives through the wastes to evaluate the outpost for a sure chance at life; this emissary, Michael Langdon, is not what he appears to be. When the familiar witches of American Horror Story: Coven arrive, we learn the nature of Michael as the Antichrist, but can these powerful ladies stop the devil?

Well, first and foremost I’m going to answer the question I left off with: yes, I would say Apocalypse is the worst AHS. What kills this season is mostly the narrative and how it’s structured. Acting as the Glass of the series, it’s a follow up and sequel season to both Coven and the original American Horror Story that is messily put together for the most part; most of the season is one long backtrack while the opening episodes feel like a edgy YA dystopian knockoff. The show gets better as it goes but it does feel too little, too late by the end. Another thing I have to add is the effects are really crappy and fake at some points and what we get of the wastelands isn’t at all impressive. And the final thing that bugged me was how the same actors were playing so many roles at the same time; Sarah Paulson plays  4 different characters in this season alone. Despite the negatives, it was nice to see the witches from Coven reunite and the music is really solid. Honestly, if you are a die hard fan I’d recommend skipping this season unless you want a meh story and some unintentional laughs. Be safe and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Nier Replicant in Development for PS4, Xbox, and PC

LOS ANGELES (March 30, 2020) – SQUARE ENIX® today revealed that the cult classic third-person action-RPG, NieR Replicant™ver.1.22474487139…, is to be rebuilt for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One family of devices including Xbox One X, and PC (STEAM®).

For the first time in the West after the original game’s Japanese debut in 2010, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… invites players into a dark, apocalyptic world as they join a brother’s captivating quest to cure his sister of a deadly disease – a quest which will in turn make them question everything. Developed in collaboration with Toylogic, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… brings together an all-star team including acclaimed director YOKO TARO (Drakengard® / NieR:Automata™), composer Keiichi Okabe (TEKKEN / Drakengard / NieR:Automata), and producer Yosuke Saito (DRAGON QUEST® X / NieR:Automata).

The release of NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… gives those new to the game the opportunity to experience the origin of the NieR series, following the launch of the critically acclaimed NieR:Automata, which has surpassed over 4.5 million shipments and digital sales worldwide since its initial release in 2017. For Xbox gamers yet to experience the epic war between machine lifeforms and androids, SQUARE ENIX also announced today that NieR:Automata will be available April 2nd, 2020 on consoles with Xbox Game Pass memberships.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is not yet rated. Follow the official NieR series social channels for the latest information about the game.

Void Terrarium Gets July 2020 Release date

void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium will release on PlayStation®4 and Nintendo Switch™ on July 14 for North America, July 10 for Europe, and July 17 for Oceania. The survival of the last human on Earth, Toriko, depends on you. Venture into the toxic wastes to gather resources and provide a suitable environment for her…humanity depends on it!

ARC Review: Call of the Raven by Wilbur Smith, with Corban Addison — Home | One Reading Nurse

Thank you so much to Bookish First and Zaffre Books for the ARC of Call of the Raven in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own. This is a prequel book to Smith’s Ballantyne series, that introduces Mungo St. John and gives him a bit of an origin story. While I have […]

via ARC Review: Call of the Raven by Wilbur Smith, with Corban Addison — Home | One Reading Nurse

Disaster Report 4 Summer Memories (PS4)

As always, a huge shout out to NIS America for hooking me up with a review copy of this one. It is always appreciated and I am very grateful as always. That being said, let’s get this started.

Have you ever wondered how you would react during a major earthquake? With Disaster Report 4 now is your chance to find out. From the very start, you will make a few choices about your character before everything hits the proverbial fan. You will then find yourself outside of a crashed bus with buildings down all around you. This first part will basically introduce you to the game. You will find some people to talk to, maybe help a teacher find some kids or give some directions and avoid some falling debris. I say maybe because with most things in the game you have some options. For example, you can be helpful at one point and get a guy some toilet paper. To do this you will need to run a store for a few minutes to find out where it is. So are you going to be decent and sell it for the price its marked, or jack the price up? Or maybe just go in between and try to pocket some of the money for yourself?

The game does give you moral points for the good and bad you do in the world, so this does put a twist on what you do, but there is a reward for the bad behavior. See things cost money, and you aren’t exactly a rich person. The game does a great job of making things feel pretty broken and run down. From aftershocks randomly shaking around to buildings falling over, which by the way they can kill you. There are even fires everywhere and cars busted and burning.

The game is beautifully crafted and the music and sound make the setting very well done tho my biggest complaint is simple. Its voice acting is all in its native language. Normally this doesn’t bother me, but it seemed particularly distracting here and really took me out of feeling like part of the world I was in. This is obviously just a personal preference, and I never came across any glitches or issues with the control. The only other issue for me was the lack of anything to really do besides talking to people and wandering around.  The game was interesting it just wasn’t my cup of tea so to speak. I personally did not enjoy it much, but I wouldn’t advise against it if you enjoy this time of game or even the concept. It is a solid 7/10, it isn’t for me but there are definitely people out there that will love it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.