Savior Gaming

Monarch PS4 Review

As first with these things, huge shout out to NIS America for tossing me a review copy of this one. Always love working with those guys and this is no exception.

Right out the gate I was a bit nervous about this one, I had never really heard of it and knew next to nothing about it. It looked interesting tho if not a bit cliche. Japanese school gets locked down by magical powers nobody understands and the students try to figure it out.

This turns out to be a huge over simplification of the story. You will start out taking a small quiz if sorts, there are no wrong answers and they simply help build your characters ego based on the 7 deadly sins. This will change during the game anyway based on battles and choices you make as well as other quizzes. I started out with high lust and 0 envy but quickly passed list with wrath and built up a bit of envy.

The battle system is a tactical turn based of sorts and it is really well done, there are some random difficulty spikes. There isn’t anything we haven’t seen here before, and if you don’t mind some grinding it isn’t to bad. Your spirit however acts as experience and money to buy items.

Leveling up with spirit is done by buying or leveling up new skills for each character and won’t happen automatically. This is both good and bad because if the main protagonist goes down it is game over so you can focus mostly on him if you want or be more balanced about it which is what I chose.

Graphically the game is nice, and the story is definitely more adult than I was expecting. As you attempt to take down the walls stopping people from leaving the school you will notice that students are dying and the game isn’t shying away from the how and why.

This game is definitely worth checking out for fans if the genre, and I actually got a very big Persona vibe from it and with very good reason as it is made by former Shin Megami developers. My only real complaint is that some of the puzzles will have you reaching for a guide to figure out, as some of them make little to no sense. It is still easily an 8/10 game and one of the first must plays of 2022 for me. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Thoughts on Peacemaker

Like most people, I had no idea who Peacemaker was until John Cena was chosen to play the part. Honestly when it comes to the comic version I still know almost nothing about him. Having looked him up he doesn’t have any super powers and is basically just a guy that is insanely skilled and talented. In fact one iteration has him as a diplomat that wants peace so much he starts just killing people.

That brings us to the show, where Peacemaker aka the guy with the best opening in comic book show and movie history possibly is pretty much a dark comedy. His best friend is an eagle, names Eagly because why would a guy like Peacemaker have a sense of humor. He is being used by Amanda Waller once again this time for Project Butterfly.

I won’t go to deep into the story so I don’t spoil it on you guys though I honestly love this show. I didn’t expect that I would but seeing John Cena dance around in his underwear after finally getting laid after being in jail for years only to almost get killed and steal important objects, which he decided we’re vinyl albums is amazing.

His watching his friendship with fellow characters Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and especially Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) is especially satisfying as all the characters show real growth and change as the season goes on.

Vigilante and Peacemaker playing with guns irresponsibly

If you haven’t started watching this yet, now is the time to catch up. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

MotoRoader MC Release Announcement

Remember those old school racers you would play with your friends that would just tick you off yet you couldn’t stop playing them? You know the ones, RV Pro AM and such? Well here we have one for a modern system brought to you by Ratalika Games. I copy and pasted their exact release dates so there is no mistake.

15th of February 2022, Indie publisher Ratalaika Games is delighted to announce the digital release of Moto Roader for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch is set for February 25th 2022.

The best part is the game will have that classic 4 person local co-op ( 5 on Nintendo Switch) multiple game modes and racers to choose from and a variety of tracks. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

Edge of Eternity Xbox Series S (review)

As always with these things I like to give a huge thank you to my friends over at Midgar Studios and Dear Villager for hooking me up with a copy of this one. It is always appreciated.

A few things to get out of the way first, this review will be all over the place. There are things in this game to love, and there are things I honestly just didn’t even like. There were some pros and cons as always, but this one seemed to be almost a 50/50 mix and it’s up to you to decide what is important to you.

I always like to start with something positive, and I will get the biggest thing out of the way first. To me the make or break if any JRPG is the combat, and Edge of Eternity is clearly a love letter to the old school ATB systems of the past. This one is on a hexagonal field and moving your characters around it can really help with the strategy needed to not get yourself killed.

The game doesn’t reinvent or even perfect the wheel, but if you like the games of the last like me this is where the game shines.

Unfortunately where the combat is great, the story is pretty much the usual save the world story. The time it is from something called the corrosion seemingly brought about by visitors from the sky in metal ships. It’s kind of hit and miss. At times it is fun and exciting but it never truly kicks into high gear. You can however tell they creators loved certain times in gaming history, and they really wanted to pay a certain amount of respect to that.

The world however is also big and beautiful with very little technical issues, tho the Xbox version did have a few people report that after a couple hours of game play during a fight the game would freeze. Not everyone ran into this and by the time you read this the patch will be released to fix that issue.

I don’t tell you this to convince you not to buy the game, quite the opposite in fact. The company is very responsive to people and I played before any of the patches at release. This to me is a huge sign of quality from a company and it should be recognized.

When all is said and done, the game is a fun playthrough. I enjoyed the combat and the simple but fun crafting system there was enough to do to keep me interested, tho I can’t say I will be playing it again. The game is a 7/10 and worth checking out on GamePass or even at it’s price point on PlayStation. Best wishes and may the gaming gods being you glory.

King of Thorns

King of Thorn: The Movie [Blu-ray] [2010] - Best Buy

A bizarre plague has swelled to pandemic level heights in such a short time. The plague is nicknamed Medusa because once contracted, the victim inevitably turns gray and crumbles like stone. As part of a highly experimental test, 160 people diagnosed with the disease are cryogenically frozen at random under the watch of a hyper-intelligent AI named Alice to study and hopefully find a cure. Kasumi, heartbroken to be separated from her twin sister, both infected, awakens with the others into utter insanity. The labyrinth of labs have been taken over by cruel, sharp thorned vines and hideous beasts have overtaken the facility. After most of the sleepers are slaughtered, only a handful of survivors are left to try escaping the murderous catacombs of vines that have a sinister will of their own and discover the truth.

So a funny little anecdote, I literally judged a book by its cover here. The cover made me honestly want to watch it and honestly I was glad I took the chance. The movie is far from perfect and if you are paying attention, the twists aren’t too much of a shock but there is a lot to love about this movie. First, the animation is beautiful and extremely well balanced between darkness, cramped spaces, and bright dreamy colors. I love how the movie juggles psychological drama, dark sci-fi, fairy tale fantasy, and horror all in one package with plenty of action to keep the pace going. The movie runs smooth mostly but one of my biggest problems is the story can get confusing if you aren’t paying attention. Certain aspects of the story at the end seemed a bit over-the-top and goofy and I feel like I may have missed something somewhere to put it all together. In the end, I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend checking it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Godzilla: Cataclysm

Where does the line between god and monster lie? For those that still survive in ruin, the line has blurred. The kaiju, the monsters of the world have turned their fury towards humanity, especially that of the legendary Godzilla. There is no reason, only death and despair in the titan’s wakes. Have the massive beasts finally decided to retake the world for themselves or has mankind pushed the boundaries of science and greed too far? When a small family comes upon something that can potentially begin regrowing life, their village is in desperate peril as Godzilla reemerged, angry, and with a vengeance.

So to begin, this review goes out to a longtime friend of the blog, Autobot who requested I cover this comic. Cataclysm is a really cool book I think Godzilla fans will really enjoy. I love the gritty, war-torn look of this little village inside of one of Godzilla’s footprints. The monsters look great and there is a good variety between well-knowns like Mothra and Destroyah but also a few lesser-known ones that look pretty kick-ass. It’s a really quick read that feels pretty self-contained which is nice. In the end, I had a lot of fun with this book and it’s well worth a read for Godzilla fans new and old. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Game

Nicholas Van Orten is a rich, cold-hearted high investment banker. He lives a solitary life devoid of any real joy or friendship. His estranged brother Conrad, almost Nick’s exact opposite, comes to him on a special birth- when Nick turns the age their father did when he killed himself. His gift is a certificate to participate in a mysterious Game from an even more mysterious recreational company. Thinking nothing of it, he signs up, going through a long and annoying series of tests. Overnight Nick finds his world crumble before him as lies pile on top of lies and no one seems to be out of bounds to the Game, leading to the banker to the reaches of his very psyche…

Man, David Fincher is a powerhouse. The entire movie feels tight and claustrophobic and is both shot and filmed beautifully. Michael Douglas does damn good in the role of Van Orten and goes through a huge character arc by the end. To the screenwriters’s credit, I really was guessing what the hell was going on all the way to the very end and was fine with the WTF ending. My only real issue is the pacing of the movie drags at places and it’s a serious slow burn that while I think is worth it, may turn some off. In the end, I recommend this as a good psychological thriller worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) trailer

When the hell will Hollywood learn to leave well enough alone? As a general horror movie, it looks ok but I got way too many Halloween (2018) vibes from the trailer, actually when the plot seemed revealed it seemed like a copy/paste job if you ask me. I wasn’t expecting much but I really wish we’d leave that poor family alone. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ghost of Tsushima

Jin Sakai was a loyal samurai to his family’s traditionalist ways, putting honor and the safety of his people first. Then came the Mongols, spreading death and mayhem across the peaceful and beautiful island of Tsushima. Jin comes face to face with the Kahn leading them, a cunning and brutal warrior that kidnaps Jinn’s uncle and leaves him for dead. Nursed by a thief named Yuna, Jinn has to face impossible odds with few allies, becoming a folk hero to the people and demon to the Mongols and criminals of the land. But at what cost?

Short version: Ghost is one of the best games I’ve ever played. No that’s not an understatement and I even gave myself a month to let it simmer after finishing the main story before making the statement. Gameplay is incredibly simple and complex at the same time and full of variety when it comes to approaching scenarios. Graphics and music are incredible and may I say this game goes all out immersing you in the game; the wind guides you to your objectives; I played the game in full Japanese with English sub but I also recommend going full Japanese black and white for the classic Jediaki style. Story and characters are at the forefront and while the story is fantastic, the characters keep you invested, and by the end, there are a lot of gray areas to be explored and even the side missions have interesting characters and stories all their own. I’m even impressed to say I only had one minor glitch my entire run with a huge main story and days worth of cool sides to do. In the end, Ghost is a phenomenal game made with love and I can’t recommend it enough. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Earth One (V1)

AARDVARK COMICS #1 (OF 1) (AARDVARK VANAHEIM 2017)

With The Batman finally hitting theaters soon, I thought I’d visit a series that seems to have been a big inspiration for the movie. While I was against this rendition at first, even damn near hating it at first, I cooled off and gave it a fresh chance. Was I wrong or simply proved right?

A new figure has emerged in the dismal city of Gotham, overrun with mob violence and crime on every street. This figure we know as the Batman, Bruce Wayne but far from the legendary detective and badass. Batman is a brawler in a costume with a lot of anger and not much else. His longtime guardian, butler, and trainer Alfred warn him he’s on the path to suicide as a nonlethal soldier in an impractical costume that relies on brute force instead of guns or weapons. Looking for revenge for his parents’s murders, the rising bat follows a train of clues, running parallel to broken detective Jim Gordan and superstar Harvey Bullock that bring him to the corrupt and sadistic mayor of Gotham: Oswald Cobblepot.

So I was pretty wrong in this case. After years and years of perfect Batman, this was a pretty refreshing if not really flawed look at Batman. I mean REALLY flawed. Alfred was a huge standout in this book; I love how he harbors resentment for Bruce and he’s bitter being strung along by duty and his own morality but he’s tired and he’s watching someone he ultimately cares about toss his life away fighting a war he isn’t even trying to win. I do love Penquin in this book and Colin Farrel is a spot on in The Batman so far as the Earth One version. I will saythe story itself is pretty standard and runs awfully close to Batman: Year One and Batman Begins so there is nothing really special there. While I love the reversing arcs of Gordan and Bullock, Gordan does come off as a sap in this book who just gave up which bugs me but at the end he sees the light a bit. The book ends with a nice cliff hanger that teases Riddler as the next big foe. In the end, it’s definitely a good Bat story that delivers on the characters and meh on the story but well worth looking into. May the gaming gods bring you glory.