The Witcher (Season One)

Season one of The Witcher on Netflix hit and it hit hard. People instantly fell in love with it and possibly the most catchy song in T.V. history. The first season is based on the first book and I am told by a friend that read it outside of having changed the bard’s name and some other minor details they haven’t changed much.

The monsters look pretty awesome and while I at first had many doubts about Henry Cavill to play Geralt of Rivia however he truly nails it I think. The characters will grow over the course of 8 episodes and with very good reason. You see most of the season takes place as a flashback with the exception of the Ciri. The show mainly explains how they all ended up connected by destiny in the first place. There are amazing fight scenes, great music and plenty of laughs.

I have played all The Witcher games and admittedly, I don’t like them. Sure the world and stories are great I just never got into the gameplay this, however, lets me enjoy it without that aspect. So go give it a watch, and enjoy the music below, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones

clone

Many argue what is the best Star Wars movie, in which usually dissolves into either the original or The Empire Strikes Back . As for the worst, there are sadly too many candidates including the entirety the sequel trilogy. While not a fan of Star wars: Rogue One , my vote goes to good ole Episode 2.

Ten Years after the events of the Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace, Anakin Skywalker has grown into a promising Jedi apprentice under the tutelage of Obi-Wan as Qui-Gon requested. When there friend and Anakin’s secret love, Padme Amidala, survives an assassination attempt, the Jedi are assigned to protect her. When a bigger plot unfolds, Obi-Wan is sent to investigate deeper, leading him to a mysterious army of clone soldiers being developed for the Republic under the order of a long deceased Jedi; the clones derived from a bounty hunter named Jango Fett- the assassin he’s been searching for. Anakin, haunted by dark visions of his mother suffering, is ordered to protect Padme and suddenly there feelings ignite but Jedi are forbidden to love and with Padme’s political seat, it would ruin her.  Are they willing to throw everything away for there love?

I’m going to start by saying, while my least favorite Star Wars movie, I tolerate it, I don’t hate it. My favorite part is watching Anakin snap after the death of his mother and in that brief moment, I could believe I was watching the precursor to Darth Vader. The Fight with Obi-Wan and Jango was cool; just the sight of seeing dozens of Jedi united in battle was a dream come true, plus, the introduction of the purple lightsaber. The score is fantastic and cinematic-ally it looks pretty good, despite too much damn CGI . So, let’s begin the negatives. The love story is pretty shitty, like pre Twilight  level cringe worthy shit; the actors have chemistry but the story and horrendous dialogue crash and burn it. The pacing of the movie drags horribly and following two different stories makes it worse- as a kid I seriously thought it was 3 hour movie. Dooku isn’t in the movie enough to feel like a main villain. The lightsaber fights aren’t great, even Yoda’s debut in combat is damn damn flashy it looks fake to me. Anakin Skywalker comes off like a whiny ass brat most of the time and I found it hard to like him. The story is fine but I feel it tries too hard to connect with the originals. Overall, I don’t hate the movie, like Vader himself- there is good in it- but damn the dark side is strong in this thing so it maybe a watch once kind of deal. May the gaming gods keep you safe from sand, it gets everywhere.

 

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker

Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker has been a pretty divisive movie among fans, tho it has been another successful financial movie. So, of course, I and @torstenvblog went to go check this one out for my birthday as always with these releases. Truthfully, I don’t understand the hate.

First, the movie obviously isn’t perfect. It has its issues and they are many. The pacing seemed off as they clearly were trying to make this movie not three hours long. However, I enjoyed the movie.

The story while not perfect was fun. I enjoyed seeing how they ended things with Princess Leia and watching Kylo Ren come to terms with who he is. The fight scenes looked great and watching Rey train and learn was fantastic.

I am keeping this short because I don’t want to touch on the story too much or risk spoiling things and most importantly, ignore reviews on this one, even mine. Go see it or catch it on Disney Plus when it comes out because some people seemed to have loved or hated this from day one, and I doubt anyone can truly be nonbiased about it. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Locke and Key season 1 trailer 1

For a while now, I’ve wanted to look into Joe Hill’s body of work. With NOS4A2 on Hulu (which I sadly haven’t gotten down to read yet in my collection), we get a Netflix series based on the graphic novel series written by him. I really like the concepts show and there’s a lot that can be done with it. I definitely want to check it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Character Progression Trailer

As we get closer to the release of DBZ Kakarot, the DBZ Role-playing game we are getting more and more details and one of the more recent ones is the character progression trailer. I feel like this may be pretty important since it is a key part of any RPG, so check it out, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mosaic (Console release date)

Finally coming to consoles (XB1, PS4, and Switch January 23rd from Raw Fury and Krillbite Studios is Mosaic. Mosaic is a bit weird of a game as it seems to intentionally make you bored out of your mind giving you mundane task to do so you won’t want to do them and you will stop going to work or whatever it is you are supposed to be doing and will simply go left instead of right to see what is there. Anything to try to make your worse day, slightly better. In doing this the mostly grey and black world will become more colorful and interesting. Check out the video and screenshots below, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

New Mutants trailer 2

I know this movie has had a hell of a lot of problems behind the scenes, but I must admit the second trailer looks pretty decent. I like the horror aspects of the movie so far but I have to admit, I think the superhero parts look kinda shotty and low budget. I appreciate this movie follows mutants most of us aren’t familiar with. I want to see it, mainly as an end of an era before Disney takes over X-men but there’s a chance it’ll blow. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (PS4)

Two things to get out of the way before we get started, first and foremost a huge thank you to Skybound Games and Beamdog. They hooked me up with a review copy of this one at release and it is always an honor and appreciated. Second, I do have to apologize for how late this review is getting out. Over the holidays there was a family emergency and a death in the family and things got a bit hectic and I couldn’t give things the time they deserved and I wasn’t going to unfairly judge things that way.

With that out of the way, let us get to what the enhanced edition of what Neverwinter Nights is, and what it probably isn’t. What it is, is almost the complete version of the game spanning its entire existence. It is, however, missing the Infinite Dragons portion. I doubt this is a deal-breaker for anyone but if this was the part you wanted, you will be a bit upset. The graphics and sound have also been updated as have the controls, UI and even boast online play there promises to be plenty of hours of fun for the truly dedicated. ( the DLC alone will clock in at around 100 for most people)

The story itself is pretty amazing but as with all my reviews, I won’t spoil anything, just know it is a true dungeons and dragons story of growth, betrayal death and far more. We do have to touch on what the game is not tho. While a lot has been upgraded, it still looks like a product of when it was made. Fans of the original will see these graphics and know it is an upgrade, people playing for the first time, however, won’t really see the big deal honestly. The controls also take some getting used to, tho you will get used to them. Truth is fans of the original will love it, and that is who it is made for. Hardcore RPG fans or people that love that older style will also think it is great. Newer fans that like flashy things, however, are better off skipping this one. It is a solid 7/10 game and the story is phenomenal, but I just think many fans of modern games won’t see the same joy as I did. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom Menace

menace

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away there was a legendary movie called Star Wars that captivated audiences and inspired generations with one of cinemas greatest trilogies. Well almost two decades later, we got the first of a prequel trilogy, aiming to reignite  our love of Star Wars. Well, did it succeed?

The Trade Federation is leaning heavy on the newly elected Queen Amidala so Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi go to delegate. The viceroys try in vain to kill the Jedi who escape and sneak aboard an invasion ship of battle droids to warn the Queen war is likely coming. On the way they meet a goofy creature named Jar Jar who aids them get to her. The Jedi, the Queen with her security head as well as a few handmaidens and the goofball, manage to escape the Trade Federation getting stuck on the desert planet of Tatonine where Qui-Gon finds a helpful yet curious boy named Anakin Skywalker, who is seriously strong with the force. Qui-Gon is determined to have this boy trained as a Jedi despite the Jedi council’s hesitation while a new threat looms in the background. Enter Darth Maul.

Okay, there is a lot to say for this movie. There are some great things about it: I love Qui-Gon and Obi-wan; the final lightsaber duel against Maul is iconic, and Maul is a badass with the also iconic double bladed lightsaber. The score is amazing and the cinematography at times is breathtaking. On the opposite side of the spectrum are some hard negatives.: wooden characters, lame dialogue, overuse of CGI that hasn’t aged well in certain parts, Jar Jar is annoying as hell and Anakin has moments of surpassing Jar Jar and I hate the inserted “Chosen One” thing. Phantom Menace is overall a fair first entry to set the series up but damn their is a huge room for improvement. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Birds of Prey trailer 2

Lately DC has been on fire with there last few movies and it seems the new directions they’ve been taking are going in the right direction. So I say that to say I’m curious if this movie is either going to be a more cringe- worthy counterpart to Suicide Squad or this maybe decent. I see some potential in this new trailer but I can’t help but feel like it may be a mess. It’s going to be a interesting birthday trip. May the gaming gods bring you glory.