Savior Gaming

Heavenstrike Rivals

Heavenstrike Rivals is a mobile game from Square Enix that is, in a weird way, similar to Final Fantasy Tactics except not as fun or strategic. The game is plenty good enough. The story isn’t bad but it takes a backs seat to the combat. You use jems to summon troops to fight enemies on a grid that is only 3 squares down. The turn based system is pretty solid for a mobile game, but the best troops will sadly cost you some real money. It is by no means pay to win, it simply makes life easier. Thanks for reading, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

JLA trailer review

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So its the weekend of San Diego Comic Con and the trailers are all aflutter, including a huge Justice League trailer. First I have to say, it’s no surprise Wonder Woman was the forefront of the trailer after the success of her solo film this past summer. She was flat out my favorite part of what I saw. Gal Gadot is a gorgeous bad ass that in my opinion stole the show in her brief appearance in BvS. I was also thrilled at a lot of what we got to see of Cyborg and Aquaman. I’m not really feeling the film’s version of Flash so far; I feel having two separate actors playing the same exact chacter confuses the shit out of a lot of lesser informed fans. How many times have I been asked since trailer 1 for this thing : is TV Flash going to starting hinting at JLA soon, why does Flash have a different costume in the movie than the show, is Flash still Barry Allen, why is his lightening blue in the movie but orange/ gold in the show- is it all a different universe? This are just the questions I’ve been asked on this one thing (I’m not not even going to start how many people scratched there heads when Henry Cavill didn’t pop in SuperGirl as Superman or how many times I have to explain Stephen Amell won’t be making a cameo appearance as Green Arrow in the movie or Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern…ugh). TV Flash comes off with a look that feels realistic but also practical while his film counterpart looks more he came out of the game Injustice: Gods among Us rather than something suiting someone of Flash’s traits. As for Batman, I enjoyed Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight in BvS but I fear the HUGE tonal shift between BvS and JLA may hurt his character a bit. When we were reintroduced to Batman, he was cold, cynical, and grim; he was a weary older man almost lost with anger and fear. I loved that take on him instead of from an origin point, as a comic fan soaking in all the little nuggets to piece why he started cracking ( RED HOOD MOVIE DAMMIT!). But suddenly now we have a Batman that cracks some jokes and seriously, nothing against Affleck at all, but the tonal shift screws with the overall flow. Still, the cast of heroes has a lot of potential. We got a first glimpse of Steppenwulf and I couldn’t help but get a major Thanos vibe from him. My two biggest problems with what I’m seeing from the trailers come down to tone and style. I feel DC is trying to sway into Marvel’s flavor a bit more but it doesn’t fit what they established and we can tell. As for style, you can tell this movie was made by the guy that gave us Watchmen and 300. Especially 300. The slo-mo gets irritating after a few trailers, it makes me nervous what a 3 hour movie will be like. Anyway, this is what I took from it but but what did you all think? leave a comment below and until next time may the gaming gods bring you glory.

jla

Cowboy Bebop

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I got giddy as hell just prepping this review; so many memories! Cowboy Bebop is a fascinating specimen of anime. One part space odyssey, one part soap opera noir, some ass kicking fights, all wrapped in stunning animation and a soulful blend of jazz and the blues creating a story of four bounty hunters and a dog going through space trying to make it rich and avoid old pasts. Our main characters (from left to right on the poster above) are Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Jet Black, and Ed (and I can’t forget Ein, the dog.) Each is a deeply rich character that leaves an impression. Spike is a lazy, good hearted fighter escaping his past with a deadly gang; Faye is a woman who had been Cryo frozen, broken hearted, and now breaks hearts for money; Jet is a tough ex cop with a synthetic arm and head of the ship; and Ed is a super smart, super quirky 11 year old hacker with no past we know of but her love of Ein.

Right from the get go with the opening theme titled Tank! you immediately feel pumped up and ready to go. No matter how bummed out I am, just hearing that classic opening spreads a smile on my face and a second wind in my soul. The show isn’t very long, about 26 episodes, but it fits right. Every episode gives you a little something different, though overall there is a beautiful sense of melancholy artists rarely capture without making it too depressing. The action is cool and more plausible than most other anime; in fact, although a Japanese anime, Cowboy Bebop feels very American, like a livelier Blade Runner with jazz music. If anime has ever seemed too over the top or too weird for you, I suggest Cowboy Bebop for an fan of drama, anime, or great music. See ya next time cowboy and may the gaming gods be with you.

The Center of the Galaxy

As some of you may know I decided to make the long trip in Elite Dangerous to Sagittarius A, the center of the galaxy. After hundreds of jumps and probably 12-20 hours I finally arrived. I’m admittedly not sure how long it took since I mostly was busy putting a ship together and planning my path 1000 light years at a time. The first picture was the super massive black hole at the center. The next is the view looking away from the black hole.

All in all the trip was very very long and very uneventful. That being said i saw tons of interesting things, some of which literally nobody else ever has, and judging from the fact the game has around 400 billion systems no one may ever see them again. If you are very patient and have plenty of time to spend i’d suggest making the trip. Now all that’s left is the return trip. As always thanks for your time, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jigsaw first trailer review

jigsaw Ugggggggggh. Dammit I cheered in 2010 when I thought Saw was over. I actually stood up and cheered in a theater in downtown Scranton ( by the way, it was the first week it was in theaters and I was one of four people there so I’m pretty sure no one really gave a flying crap a fat guy up and cheered at the screen.) Well, sorry Torsten 2010, Saw has returned….with bucket-helmets this time apparently. Ok, I’m not going to lie, I am going shit on this trailer not because Saw returned with a fresh new plan. If I saw any kind of originality or even an inkling of anything I didn’t already see in the last 7 films, I’d gladly give it the benefit of the doubt. Alas, no go little doodle. A lot of the scenes reminded me of scenes I’ve seen in the others, just with a different actor, different lighting, or a slight variance to the trap. Example 1: broad daylight in a fairly populated area, people stop slowly and stare at what I’m sure is the sight of a Jigsaw trap going off for all to see (Saw 7). Example 2: five people strapped onto leashes against the wall, getting pulled to there deaths; granted, in Saw 8 they are being pulled forward into a wall of buzz-saw blades instead of a what the hell ever happened in Saw 5 ( I try to forget Saw 5 happened.) Ok, so in 7 we saw the end of Hoffman, but who knows if he’s really dead or perhaps now we’re into Gordan’s line of carnage since we know him and a group of Jigsaw survivors have taken up the mantle. What does this mean? No damn clue. So I will wait to until trailer 2 before making up my mind on even if I want to see it at all. When I was 12- 14, Saw was the shit. It was every middle/ high school kids favorite blood and gore slasher flick; hell, I’d go as to call it the Scream of the 2000’s decade. I think it is a fairly solid trilogy, or would have been if Loinsgate didn’t get greedy and people didn’t keep askin for more. So what do you think of Saw’s return? leave me a comment below or hit me up on twitter @TorstenV and may the gaming gods bring you glory and pizza!

We Are Still Here

I’m not going to lie to you, I watched this movie with a friend and we spent the first 40 minutes mocking it to keep ourselves entertained. The story involved a family that just lost their college aged son moving to a remote town to get away from it all. The house they bought they are told used to be a funeral home. What they weren’t told were the owners were selling the bodies and burying empty coffins. This is explained quite early by some neighbors that come to visit. After about the half way point things will finally start to pick up and it actually gets pretty exciting. Some solid death scenes as well as a town conspiracy, or cover up may be a better word. Every 30 years a “darkness” under the house reappears and needs a family. Last time they didn’t get one and the fear now is the darkness will infect the entire town if they don’t get a family this time.

While not the best movie I have seen recently it is far from the worst, and if you can get through the first 40 minutes or so you may really enjoy it. As always thanks for visiting, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Slaughterhouse Five

sh5 So if you’ve been following us here at Saviorgaming.blog, you may have seen a pattern in the book reviews I do: I love horror and fifties era books. Truth be told I’m not much for modern literature respectively, not to say their isn’t good reads out there ( but every modern feels like a landmine in a age where Fifty Shades runs supreme). I was inspired the 50’s- 60’s era of repressed literature when these kind of books were not only fiction but a ways to let things out, and I think a world as exposed by media and the internet, I wonder if we lost some power in our fiction as time goes on…but I’m here to review a book dammit so let us begin.

Slaughterhouse Five is Kurt Vonnegut’s World War 2 strange opus of Billy Pilgrim as a P.O.W, plane crash survivor, alien abductee, optometrist and the revelations of time and space brought onto him by the Trefladorians (my apologies on the botched spelling). Both a fascinating non linear story with dark comedy, sad moments and well done characters. For a story as unconventional as this, it flows really well and though it drifts sporadically, it isn’t hard to follow. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. I read it in the span of a couple days and got me back into reading after a long hiatus. If you are looking for a unique classic that will make you laugh, scratch your head, and ask some questions bout time, sanity, and the horrors of war, definitely pick this up.

Mario RPG Retro Review

Mario RPG is viewed by many, including myself, as possibly the best Mario game ever made. The battle system is simple, yet elegant, with timed button presses or other button moves to do extra damage or healing. The game also has an amazing story that involves many things, including Bowser being kicked out of his castle, Mario collecting pieces of stars, and even fighting what are basically Power Rangers. The first time I played this game, I wasn’t expecting all that much. Just a short average at best RPG, and I’ve never been so happy in my life to be wrong. Visually, this game was one of the best the SNES had to offer, the sound and story were amazing, and the world itself was a mix between charming and deadly, with a mix of comedy with a few easter eggs to the Final Fantasy series to finish it off. This is a must-play game for RPG and Mario fans alike. Until next time, may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spyro the dragon

spyro Wanna talked mind blown as a kid? From the n64 era I got a few glimpses at the size a video game can be, but Spyro the dragon for PlayStation was the very first game that swallowed me up in it’s world. A coming of age story about a young dragon whose left after all the bigger, more powerful dragons are turned to crystal and his quest to free them from Gnasty Gnorc who got pissed watching them bad mouthing him during a TV interview (God bless the 90’s). Spyro and his dragonfly companion, Sparx are freaking awesome. Spyro mainly charges and bursts fire, and can hover a bit except for the epic flight stages. The scenery is beautiful and the characters inside are detailed excellently for there time. It handles amazing and with so much loot, enemies, and new beautiful realms to explore, it’s hard not to love this PS1 classic.

Act raiser Retro Review

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Act Raiser is an old Super Nintendo game where you play as a god who has lost his powers thanks to the people no longer believing in you. So you take control is a side-scrolling action segment in order to rid the land of a powerful enemy so the land becomes inhabitable again.

act raiser game play

After the side-scrolling event, you will start on a sort of Sim City-type gameplay where you guide your village to grow and discover new technology, such as wheat or bridge building, which you can then give to your other towns. This simple formula actually makes for a great and fun game as your villages grow, find you new spells and items, and even help other towns grow. This is definitely one of those games you would be doing yourself a huge favor to try out. Thanks for your time, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.