Video Game Review: Journey

Journey

PlayStation 3

Being a big time cheapskate, I am perennially behind when it comes to checking out new video games. Just like everyone else, I had heard all about Journey and about how good it supposedly was back in 2012. But instead of going out and buying the game right away, I figured I would wait until it went down in price before checking it out. Turns out, it was a four year wait before I was finally able to play the game. I had actually forgotten about Journey, but when I saw that it was free on the PlayStation Network for PS Plus subscribers, I figured there was no better time to check it out.

Coming into the game, I didn't really know what I was going to be getting into. I had heard that this was a primarily exploration based title. There wouldn't be any combat. It would mainly be walking around aimlessly and looking for stuff to do. I knew there was an online element to the game; you'd get to meet and interact with other players. But I also knew that the interaction would be limited as the other players were nameless and soundless. And see, that didn't sound very exciting to me. So despite reading all the good reviews, I still did not have very high expectations for the game.

But I was still curious. Plus the game was free. Why not check it out? This turned out to be a very wise decision on my part.

The game doesn't offer much as far as the story line is concerned. To this day, I still don't really know what was actually happening in the game. Normally this would bug me, but in Journey's case I didn't mind this. The game is more about the experience, the (cough cough) journey itself than anything else.

You start out as a faceless and sexless character, dressed oddly in some kind of hooded all red garb. You are unceremoniously dropped into the middle of the desert with no clear idea of what you are doing there or what is expected of you. Your only clue is a curious light shining from the top of a distant mountain. With no other probable course of action before you, you have no other choice but to head towards the mountain and check out what is going on.

Expect to encounter other similarly dressed characters along the way. These characters are not AI or controlled by the computer. These are fellow players, just like you. Unlike most games that you play online with other people, there are no usernames attached to these characters. No way to communicate with them via headset or Bluetooth. There is a button you can press to emit weird sound effects, which in a way you can use to "talk" to your fellow players. Maybe a way of saying hello or hey get your butt over here. Ultimately this is a pretty useless feature. But kind of neat in a way that it adds to the authenticity of your environment and gives it that little extra layer of immersion needed to enjoy a title like this. If you were allowed to voice chat with the other players I think it would have been a major distraction to the beauty of the game.

Because Journey is all about immersion. The best way to play this title is alone, in the dark with a headset on. For being over four years old, the game looks amazing. It has some of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen in a video game before. Everything is very detailed. Small things like walking along and looking at the sand and the way it blows in the wind was a real treat for me. The music and sound effects match perfectly with everything that is happening on screen. It is very easy to get sucked into this title and lose yourself completely. One of the most visually stunning moments of the game (in my opinion anyway) happens about halfway through the title. You are sliding down a bunch of sand dunes, navigating your way through a city of sunken ruins. The way the sun goes down and changes the colors on the sand is truly extraordinary. I had to stop and marvel at how amazing everything looked. If you have ever played this game, you will know exactly what I am talking about. And if you haven't, you are in for a real treat.

The game play itself takes a little getting used to. There are no tutorials in the game, no hand holding except for a few basic instructions on button commands. Most things you learn you have to learn on your own. Your character's main method of transportation is walking, but I was delighted to find out that you can also take to the air... albeit for very short periods of time. You will notice that your character has a scarf wrapped around his or her androgynous neck. While exploring the game, you will find scarf upgrades that make the scarf longer. The longer the scarf, the longer you are able to fly. You can only fly when your scarf's power is charged up, but you can readily and easily find charging points throughout the game. And if you happen to see a fellow a player walking around and checking things out, you can charge your scarf by running up to them and making contact with them. So it is very mutually advantageous to hook up and work with other players if you encounter them since you can easily charge each other's powers up rather than having to go look for charging points all the time.

The puzzles in the game are fairly easy to figure out. Most of them involve simply touching something or walking over it. This will most of the time activate a bridge or open a door or something that will help you move on to the next segment of the game. 

The game itself is very short. You could probably beat it easily within two hours. Probably closer to an hour and a half. While normally such a short game would bug me, I can't really complain seeing as how I got to play this for free. And honestly, the journey itself is so immersive and so (at times) awe inspiring that I didn't mind. 

I would highly recommend checking this game out. If you are someone who likes a lot of action and a lot of violence, this maybe isn't the title for you. But even so I would still recommend giving it a chance. It is not like the game is a major time investment or anything. But if you are like me and like video games in all of their forms, I think you would find this title highly enjoyable.

My only criticisms of the game are the short length, the incomprehensible story line, and the fact that your character moves in an obnoxiously slow manner for most of the game. I know that this is supposed to be an exploration based title, so I can see why they would want you to take your time with the game. But when you are trying to get from a clearly defined point A to point B, the slow pace of your character can be a nuisance. While flying gets you places in a slightly quicker fashion, there are often large gaps between charging points. Which means you are going to be stuck walking a long distance anyway. And then you get somewhere where you need to fly and you can't!

But I consider these minor irritants. The game on a whole was truly immersive and a lot of fun. Just checking out the sights and sounds was a truly unique experience. Imagine playing this in full 360 VR. Now THAT would be incredible.

Play this game. It is worth it. Don't shell out big bucks for the title, since as I said it is so short. But if you can get it for free on the PSN or snag it up when it is on sale, I would advise doing do.

Overall:

A-

Video Game Review: Lego Jurassic World

Lego Jurassic World

PlayStation 3

I have been a fan of the Lego video game franchise for years now, ever since I got my hands on the first edition of Lego Star Wars back in 2005. While I admit that not much has changed or evolved in the series since then, I still think the games are pretty fun to play.

For those of you who don't know, most of the Lego games follow the same basic format. You have your group of Lego characters. Their basic actions are punching and jumping. Different characters have different strengths. Some can jump higher, some can fix things that others can't, some have items like grappling hooks that are needed to advance in the level. Everyone in your party has his or her own specific function within the group. You can switch back and forth between your different members at any time to take advantage of these specific functions. And in fact you will need to do so in order to advance in the game.

Gameplay is very simple. You explore each level, running around smashing stuff and fighting enemies. You need to use your brain too, solving puzzles and finding ways to help your party mates through difficult situations. If you ever get stuck in a Lego game, chances are you just need to break something and reassemble the pieces it leaves behind. This will probably create the item you need to move on in the level.

Each title in the series tends to be pretty easy. You can die, but your character comes back to life an endless number of times. So you never have to worry about failing a level and having to start it over again. The games are all very kid friendly, meaning that if you are a veteran gamer, you probably will not be challenged much by any of these titles.

Each game, in addition to being easy - is also short. Where the Lego series keeps you playing is with all of the hidden items and collectibles scattered through each title. Beat the game, and you can go back and play any level over again. There are a number of unlockable characters that you can use when going back and playing old levels. And you can use these characters to reach new areas and discover new things that you couldn't before.

There is a surprising amount of content to go back and discover in each Lego game, but I don't think I have ever been dedicated enough to go back and finish any of them 100%.

So now that I have described every single Lego game ever made to you, I can tell you that Lego Jurassic World plays out exactly the same as every other title in the series. The gameplay is the same, the structure of the game is the same. If you have ever played a Lego game in your life, you should know what to expect when you pop in this game.

I am a rabid fan of anything Jurassic Park related, so it was a given that I was going to be checking this game out eventually. This game follows not only the events of the film Jurassic World, but of all four Jurassic Park movies in existence.

The game is funny from start to finish. Many of the famous scenes from the movie are recreated in Lego form, changed to make things more kid friendly and humorous rather than dark or scary. A lot of the ways they changed the scenes in this game were very clever, and done in an amusing and tasteful way so that fans of the source material are not put off. The look of the game is sharp. Take the world of Jurassic Park and recreate it using Legos, and this is pretty much what it would look like. Fellow Jurassic Park nerds should chuckle over some of the Lego representations of all the iconic characters.

The Jurassic Park series is known for its amazing musical score, and this score has been faithfully brought over to the game. I have nothing to complain about in this department, except that I thought that they could have chosen a better rendition of the Jurassic World theme to use here. But that's a minor complaint.

Voices have been added to Lego games in the past several years, which is really the only area in where the series has changed since its inception. The voices for the most part are great in this game, especially when some of the lines are delivered in a particularly comedic fashion. You'll encounter Ian Malcolm's laugh at a few different points in the game, and it never failed to make me chuckle. I guess my only complaint would be that some of the voices sound fuzzy, muffled, or out of sync with what is going on on-screen. That's because the quotes are pulled from the movies, and a lot of times the background music of the movie or the audio quality doesn't match what is going on in the game. But this is a minor flaw and I was able to forgive it for the most part.

My main reason for checking out Lego Jurassic World was to see if it was a fun and amusing game that did the movie series justice. And for the most part I think it did. As I mentioned earlier, Lego games have their limitations. They're short, they're easy. They seem to be more geared to a younger audience. And I knew that coming into this game. In fact, I have known that coming into the last several Lego games I have played. But although they are all mainly the same game rehashed over and over again, I still think they are a lot of fun.

Whether it is Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Jurassic Park, I always make sure to check out each game in the Lego series. I know what to expect as far as game play goes, but I like to see the Lego representations of the characters. I like to see the unique spins they put on the levels. I like the cut scenes and how they pay homage to all the classic moments from the movies' source material.

The source material gives each game a lot of personality and a lot of character. So while each game seems the same as far as its game play goes, they also feel distinctly different at the same time. That is what is keeping the series alive and keeping it popular. Most game franchises get harped on for not mixing up their formula every once in a while, but Lego has been getting away with doing the same thing for over 10 years now. True, there have been some minor changes or advancements made to the series from time to time, but I get the feeling that if I were to play the original Lego Star Wars right now, it would feel as if it could have been made today.

But this isn't a critique of the Lego series as a whole. I am here to tell you whether or not I enjoyed Lego Jurassic World. I did enjoy it. If you are sensing a "but" coming, you sensed correctly.

BUT don't expect anything radically different from any Lego game you have ever played in the past. This game is quick, its easy, and it offers the same things as far as unlockable characters and free play that lets you go back and explore old levels.

If you are like me and only like to play and beat the game's story mode, I would suggest not buying this game. It will be over before you know it. I merely rented the game, played it for a few days, and then sent it back. And that was fine with me. I had a nice time. No particular urge to play it again now that my curiosity has been sated. I have a feeling though that if I had bought it, I wouldn't have liked it as much. But I know better than to buy a Lego title, so there was never any fear of that happening.

My verdict: a fun game. A real treat for anyone who loves Jurassic Park. But it is a short treat, and the game itself doesn't do much to lift itself above the myriad of the other Lego titles out there. But it's worth a play through, especially if you are a fan of the JP series. Rent it if you can, but only buy it if you see it on sale for dirt cheap.

Overall:

C+

Video Game Review: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII

PlayStation

Start a discussion about the greatest video game of all time and someone is bound to bring up Final Fantasy VII. If I am in the discussion, chances are that this person will probably be me.

While there is a large group of gamers out there that consider this to be the best game ever made, Final Fantasy VII also has its fair share of detractors. They say the characters are too flat. They don't like the Materia system. They knock the story line. Some of them do actually like the game, but say that it is not as good as it is made out to be.

I, however, will defend this game to the death. To me, it is one of the greatest games of all time. It is very hard for me to pick a definitive "best game ever" with all of the amazing titles I have played over the years. But for this game to be not only in the discussion but a front runner certainly says something about its quality.

I played this game for the first time during a very tumultuous period in my life. I was a loner in high school. Didn't have any friends. Just hung around at home all of the time. I was very unhappy and very lonely. I buried myself in video games to distract me from how I felt about the outside world.

I had always been curious about Final Fantasy, but I never had the chance to play any of them because I had a Sega Genesis rather than a Super Nintendo during the 16-bit era. When I heard about Final Fantasy VII and read the previews, I knew that I had to check the game out. I didn't own a PlayStation, but I had been saving my allowance money. I was going to use it to buy a PlayStation and this game. I was bound and determined.

And I did. One random day after school I walked up to the Best Buy nearby and bought a PlayStation and Final Fantasy VII. I remember it was a cold and dreary day. I sat at the bus stop flipping through FF7's instruction manual and thinking about how awesome the game looked.

I remember getting home and immediately hooking up the system to play the game. I was completely blown away. Great graphics, great story line. I enjoyed the combat system. The music was out of this world. It was a very immersive experience that I instantly fell in love with. I had never experienced anything like this on the Sega Genesis or Nintendo Enterainment System before. It was one of those watershed moments when I realized just how amazing video games could be as technology got better and better.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't take into account that I had to have a memory card to save the game. I played as long as I possibly could (I made it just past the part where Cloud stays the night after rescuing Aeris from the Turks) but eventually I did die and have to turn the game off. It was a sad moment for me. But at least it taught me to go out and get a memory card!

Final Fantasy VII is a game that I really devoted a lot of time to as a teenager. I don't know how many times I beat the game, but it was a lot. I stayed up night and day playing the game. I lived and breathed Final Fantasy VII. If you asked me back then if it was definitively the best game ever made, I would have said yes. This was escapism at its finest.

So the game holds a lot of sentimental value for me. My first Final Fantasy. My first PlayStation game. Plus the fact that it helped me through a difficult time in my life. I spent hours on end completely immersed in this world while I tried to forget that the real one existed. So not only is the game already a classic by conventional standards, but it holds sentimental sway for me too.

The thing that makes the game truly great, however, is that the game is still a lot of fun to play. Maybe I am biased because I spent so much time with this title as a kid, but when I played it again in the year 2016, nearly 20 years after the game's initial release, I didn't think there was a single dull moment in the entire game. Everywhere you look, something iconic is happening. The story line is riveting. The locations are varied, detailed and simply bursting with personality. The musical score is legendary. The battle system is simple and a ton of fun. Now that I think about it - it is one of the most well designed and easy to use battle systems I have encountered in an RPG.

Yes, the graphics are blocky and don't necessarily hold up when you look at the characters too closely. But the environments are well designed. The cut scenes also look really good.

I found very little to nitpick about when playing the game. It's just an all around fun time, from beginning to end. Final Fantasy VII definitely deserves its place in the conversation for greatest game of all time. Just so you guys are clear: I LOVE FINAL FANTASY VII and there is no way this game is going to get anything less than an A+. I think I have made that much clear.

It you have never played Final Fantasy VII you are probably very curious by now about the game. So I shall provide you some details. FF7 is a role playing game, or RPG for short. Instead of being all action all the time, it is slower paced and focuses more on its story line than anything else. To me, a great RPG always has to have a great story line, or it is all for naught. And this game definitely has a great story line.

You don't get a whole lot of details coming into the game, but Final Fantasy VII lays everything out for you in a way that is very easy to understand. There is an evil corporation named Shinra that is sucking the very lifeblood out of the planet in order to fuel its technology. You play as Cloud, an eco terrorist of sorts who has joined a group of revolutionaries to destroy Shinra's reactors because they believe that if the Shinra keeps up what it is doing, it will destroy the entire planet.

The farther you get into the game, the more the plot thickens. It is too detailed and (at times) too convoluted to post everything that happens with the story line. Let's just say things explode onto a much larger scale... and fast. Long story short, during your battle against Shinra you stumble upon a plot hatched by an evil ex-soldier named Sephiroth to destroy the planet and use its life blood for his own nefarious purposes. This is definitely an abridged summary, however. There is a lot more going on in the game than just this. If you have never played this before, you should expect a shocking twist about midway through the game. Game of Thrones isn't the only franchise out there that's not afraid to kill off main characters.

Combat, as was tradition with many RPGs from back when this game was made, is turned based. This means you pick from a menu what it is you want to do in a battle. Attack, use magic, use an item, steal, perform a summon... it is all done via text menus. You and your enemy take turns with your moves, although this game does have an active time battle feature that means if you take too long to make up your mind on what to do, your enemy could get back in there and attack again.

I actually prefer this method of battle as opposed to the way most RPGs are now - with their fast paced "real time" attacks and automatic actions. I like being in control of the battle and its pace, so this game was perfect for me. As I mentioned earlier in this review - Final Fantasy 7 was one of the first RPGs I ever played, and I still have yet to find a game with a control scheme I like as much as this one.

So the story is great, and I like the way the battles unfold. Two strong points in favor of Final Fantasy VII. The graphics may seem primitive by today's standards, but these were considered top notch when this game came out. Yeah, the characters themselves aren't much to look at, but the environments I think are fantastic. Not only are they well drawn and pleasing to the eye, but they are all very unique and never repetitive. Couple the game's unique look with its distinctive sound track, and it all adds up to one highly detailed world that is just brimming with character and personality. No two cities or environments could be confused with one another. Midgar, Cosmo Canyon, Mideel, Nibelheim, Rocket Town, Junon, Wutai, the Gold Saucer and all of the areas in this game are instantly recognizable by their look and sound. Each area has its own very distinctive personality.

There is a lot to see and a lot to explore in Final Fantasy VII. Every time I would play this game as a teenager I would uncover something that I hadn't noticed on a previous play through. This game is like the gift that keeps on giving.

Factor in everything I have said about the game, and you should be able to see why I hold this title in such high regard. First PlayStation game I owned. First Final Fantasy game I ever played. Helped me through a tough time in life in addition to being a great game. Great story. Great atmosphere. Iconic moments, iconic characters. Lots of hidden stuff, and replayability up the wazoo. I can hardly think of anything bad to say about the game. It is a true classic in my eyes.

Greatest video game ever made? It's a tough call. I'm not ready to name anything "the greatest" yet. But it is certainly on the short list of candidates. I know that a lot of people like to try and shoot this game down, or mock its supporters who say that it is one of the best ever. If anyone who shares that mindset is reading this article - I truly feel sorry for you. This game is amazing - and even if I was the only person on the planet who had that opinion, I would still stand by it. I don't like it because it is popular, or because it is the "cool" thing to say that FF7 is one of the best games ever. I truly believe it has earned its place in that discussion.


                                            Overall:
                                                 A+

Video Game Review: Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation

PlayStation 3

Like other long suffering fans of the Alien franchise, I too have been longing for a decent video game adaptation of the series to hit home consoles. The only Alien game I have ever played and truly enjoyed was Alien Trilogy for the Sega Saturn, and that was released somewhere in the area of twenty years ago.

Ever since first catching whiff of this title through a Game Informer cover story, I have been looking forward to playing it. My initial impressions coming in were that this was going to be more of a sneaky, stealth based title where you evade the Alien as opposed to fighting it. And this for the most part was what I got. Did I like the game or not? Some facets of the game I thought were brilliant. Other gameplay mechanics left me very frustrated. Despite going back and forth on whether I was having a good time or not, now that I am through with the game I can say that it was for the most part a satisfying experience.

The story line isn't much to write home about. If you have ever played other first person games where you are trapped on a space station and have to go around reading and listening to crew logs, then this title does little to stand out. Based on the way the game started, I thought that the story was going to be one of the highlights of the game. But alas, it quickly devolved into nothing much more than moving around from point a to b to c to d, etc. I know that there was still story related stuff going on, as my character often held comm conversations with other characters off screen, but I tend to tune out what people are saying when they are talking while I am walking around and still playing the game.

Although the story line of the game is nothing fabulous, the atmosphere of the game is. The graphics are brilliant, sharp, and lifelike. The makers of the game did a terrific job creating some of the environments here. There is a ship in the game that has a layout which mirrors the Nostromo from the first Alien movie, and it is faithfully recreated in extreme detail. It is like the movie came alive and you are now walking around in it. Little personal touches make the game seem even more lifelike. I enjoy seeing things like half eaten meals, family pictures, ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts, and personal decorations scattered all over the game. It gives the environment so much character and lends a very specific feel of authenticity to the things going on around you.

The game's soundtrack is authentic to the original movie. If you are familiar with the film, you will be hearing quite a few tunes pulled straight from the movie. The music always correlates to what is going on in the game. In high pressure situations, the intensity is revved up. When things are chill and you are just kind of walking around, it tends to be a little more quiet. Couple immersive music and sound effects with the game's stunning graphical design, and you have one very impressive environmental experience on your hands. I can say nothing bad about this aspect of Alien: Isolation. I must say, the game sure looks and sounds the part.

But what good is such a great, immersive environment if the game itself isn't any fun to play? This is where I struggled with the game for the most part.

The majority of the stages in the game revolve around sneaking around and avoiding combat. Scattered throughout the game are androids, which as you should know from the movies can sometimes be very bad. There are some areas in the game where the androids ignore you and go about their work, but for the most part you want to stay away from them as they are liable to attack you at any time. Be on the lookout for human scavengers as well. Stealth is the preferred option when dealing with your foes, but even though this is not a combat oriented game, sometimes you have to fight.

Conventional attacks in the game are quite ineffective. Your default attack involves you swinging a wrench at your opponent. Effective against human foes, but useless against androids or the Alien. As you proceed in the game, you do discover weapons like a handgun and a shotgun, but ammo is very sparse. The key to survival in this game is crafting items to help you along your way. You can craft molotov cocktails, EMP grenades, shrapnel bombs, noisemakers, health items, and many other things.

For the most part however, you will find yourself sneaking around and avoiding combat situations. Anyone who has played a game with stealth elements should have an easy time picking up on things. Walk slowly or crouch to avoid making noise. Stay out of your enemy's line of sight. Avoid cameras. Hide in lockers. Create distractions to pull your enemy away from you. I have no problem with the stealth element when it comes to dealing with human or android foes. The main thing that irritated me about this game was your interaction with the Alien itself.

On paper it sounds like a great idea. Lay low, keep quiet as you sneak through a dark science station in outer space. An Alien is stalking you, and you must avoid it as you progress through the game. You don't have the proper weapons to kill or harm the Alien, so you must hide from it or shake it off of your trail when the opportunity arises. Sounds fun right? An exciting little cat and mouse chase to keep you on your toes. But the execution of the idea fell a little flat for me.

The Alien can't be killed or harmed. If it sees you, you are automatically dead because there is no getting away from it once it has you in its sights. Later on in the game you pick up a flamethrower that forces the Alien to retreat, but for the vast majority of the game you don't have this luxury at your convenience. So you have to be extra careful that you avoid the Alien and hide properly at all costs.

But a lot of times, the game doesn't let you hide properly. You will be walking along, minding your own business when all of a sudden the Alien appears out of nowhere and sees you. You are dead, with no warning whatsoever. You have a radar in this game that detects the Alien's movements, but a lot of times it is hard to read. It will show an Alien in the next room, but the next room will be empty. So that means it is in the vents above you and could drop down at any time. But then at other times, there will be nothing on the radar and the Alien will drop down from a vent and see you immediately. Bam, you are dead. Or you will be walking down a corridor and there is nothing on radar. You come to an intersection, turn the corner and guess what - there is the Alien. And you are dead. Many times the coast will be clear, so you will start working on hacking a computer or opening a door panel. The Alien just LOVES entering the room unexpectedly when you are doing these things. It takes too long to back out of what you are doing. By the time you do, it has seen you and you are done for.

So my problem was the (at times) ridiculously unfair AI in the game. You could do everything right and still find yourself in a situation where there is no escaping the Alien. I suppose some people will say that this adds to the tension and atmosphere of the game... makes it more unpredictable and exciting. I mean, I guess that's true. It makes you fear that damn Alien so much more. But I just found it very unfair at points. Especially when there is a long gap between save points and you die and have to replay the last twenty minutes over again. It is too random luck based, is what I am trying to say. Sometimes the Alien hounds you and won't leave you the frack alone, other times you hardly see it.

When you do see the Alien coming and it hasn't spotted you yet, the best thing to do is to hide. There are lots of lockers and cabinets to hide in. When you are in a locker, make sure you withdraw as far back into the locker as you can. If the Alien walks by, it can hear you breathing. So there is a button to hold your breath. Holding your breath drains your health, which is supremely annoying. But losing a little health is better than the Alien finding you and ripping your innards out. When hiding, also be sure to put the handheld radar away as the Alien can hear it.

The idea is to hide until the Alien leaves the area or goes up into the vents. Then you can come out and explore the area. Again, this is where the game gets annoying sometimes because you can find yourself camping out in lockers for a long time waiting for that stupid thing to go away. Or it will go away but immediately come back as soon as you emerge from hiding. This can be VERY annoying, especially if you have just wasted a lot of time evading it.

This is my main problem with the game. I thought it was a fantastic idea, but the execution of this idea was not perfected by any stretch of the imagination. My interactions with the Alien left me more frustrated and angry than exhilarated. Lots of trial and error while running through these levels. Lots of random luck involved. Expect to die a lot. A LOT.

And that is why I struggle with how to grade my experience with the game. Phenomenal presentation, visuals, environment, sound. An extremely immersive and detailed atmosphere. Truly top notch in every technical aspect. But it was just a bit too frustrating at times. There was a span of about two or three weeks where I didn't play the game at all because I was dreading picking it up. There is a lot of walking around and backtracking in the game. A lot of frustrating random deaths. The story line - hell I don't even really remember what was going on and I just finished the game. I was only along for the ride.

But now that I am over with it I think back on it fondly. Which is odd because I didn't always have a great time with the game. I realize that this could have been a lot better, but if you are a big time Alien fan this is probably the closest you will come to that authentic Alien experience on a video game console. The game itself has a lot of flaws, but as an experience it is pretty darn cool. I can't see myself giving it a B or higher, and it is definitely not D material. Anywhere in the C range would probably work. So I'll take the safe route here.

Overall:

C

Special Guest Video Game Review: Chrono Cross

Chrono Cross

PlayStation

Greetings one and all, Almightywisk here to bring that sweet video game lovin' to your brainholes and review one of my favorite games I recently played: Chrono Cross. This will be a special review as this game along with its predecessor are close to my heart. I played this game before I knew what Chrono Trigger was, which goes to show that you can truly enjoy this game without knowledge of the first game. But knowing the little easter eggs and what happened before this game helps.

The days before Square Enix, this game was released under the Squaresoft company. Squaresoft was the company I loved, most of my memories are from Square's titles, and Chrono Cross is no different.

I played this game with an old friend, he loved watching me play these 1 players games. I loved watching him play, so it worked out well. There was a point where I played this game for nearly 24 hours straight one weekend. My mom was out of town and I hooked up the PlayStation to the 45 inch TV and I was just in heaven.

The game wasn't marketed well in the U.S. like all diamonds in the rough. Barely a million units shipped on initial release, but eventually the game still earned that ugly but coveted greatest hits sticker. The game was beloved by reviewers, Gamespot itself gave it a perfect 10, and only a handful of games have reached that status. Well let's review then shall we?

This game is the perfect example of the snowball effect. The game begins with you playing as Serge, a silent protagonist (big surprise) in a small fishing town with your girlfriend and a pink talking dog with a serious lisp. The game knows you're new, so the first area eases you into a rich, detailed but easy to use battle system. The battle system is nice - you have 7 stamina and 3 attacks; Low, medium and high - each with a percentage to hit. When you land a hit it optimizes which one you should do next and raises the percentage for harder hits. Low hits are 1 stamina, medium hits are 2, and hard hits are 3. So you can low hit 7 times, medium hit 3 times and use a low etc. etc. I assume Dan will put in a good picture describing how this looks.

With every attack you land, a grid fills up which is an element grid, which is this game's version of magic, and each use of an element takes 7 of your stamina. Now before you say "i'll just keep using attacks and then use my 1 stamina to cast a spell", wrong. You can go negative in stamina which is the equivalent of recharging or cooldowns, but fret not, for each attack a party member uses you gain one stamina back. So after 2 rounds of your party members using all 7 of their stamina, your main character has his back. It's a very balanced and fair system.

The story involves Serge and his travels through time and dimensions. After collecting some komodo dragon scales for his girlfriend he ends up at a beach and passes out. The adventure begins from here. He returns back to the village to find that no one recognizes him. He goes on a journey to find out why he's not recognized and ends up on the most epic quest that only a Square game can deliver.

The game plays smoothly between storylines, the dialogue and plot is rich and detailed, and the very best part about the dialogue is that it knows when to start and stop. You will not be weighed down by this very detailed storyline during your adventures, it's usually reserved until after you beat said area, or in towns.

 

Remember early I mentioned a pink talking dog with a lisp? It's a party member. That's right, along with 44 other playable characters. This game has something for everyone, you want to play with 6 foot tall living voodoo doll? No problem. You want to fight with a Luchador priest? Got you covered. Pirates? Fairies? Dragons? Plants? Shamans? Scientists? Aliens? All taken care of. Every character has a quirk or an accent that makes them unique and fun. Most have there own side plots or reason for traveling. The amount of characters can be summed up in one sentence, if there's a portrait next to their name, odds are they will join at one point or another. Maybe even some unexpected characters.

The music, oh my gravy boat full of gravy and butter sauce, the music in this game is to be truly appreciated. It is all done by the same gentleman who did all of Chrono Trigger's music, Xenogears, Final Fantasy V, and Secret of Mana. The game delivers and it delivers on another level in the music department. Every area is amazing, charasmatic and it makes you want more. Later in the game you hear it at it's finest with an electric version of the Marbule home theme which I've instructed Dan the man with a plan to put a link in here somewhere. The link to the song explains how the music is delivered and I needn't say anymore, this epic little diddy speaks for itself.

Here's your link, you filthy animal

The enemies and bosses, there's a lot to be improved on here, yes they are unique and fun, but the areas are limited to the same 3 or 4 monsters due to the size of said areas. Most are more of a nuisance than a challenge. There's no random battles, they are on the screen chasing you or waiting. Areas do get mundane quickly for a game that has gorgeous graphics. The dungeons and mountains are depressing and the scenery is ruined with polygonal monsters jumping around. Bosses are fun, unique and provide a nescessary challenge in the easily defeatable normal fights. The challenge of the bosses may actually be switching from mashing X to actually turning your brain back on and developing a tactic to win.

Dungeons and areas, big complaint here, they are either too short or too long. They try to make more time by adding easily solveable puzzles, and most game areas are dreary and depressing compared to the bright and colorful overworld. Most areas here you enjoy the bleak area for all of 2 minutes due to new enemies and a new place to explore, then you just hope to get through it. But the one thing that makes up for that pain is the story, the reason why you are there.

Let's discuss replay value. Chrono Trigger invented the New Game + which lets you start a new game while keeping all of your old items equipment, gold, and levels. Chrono Cross is no exception with the addition of  'Continue +' which to sum up without getting too in depth, lets you collect every character of the game and max your stats via multiple save files. Chrono Cross, just like Trigger, has multiple endings, New Game plus, and bonus enemies and bosses in an area called "The Bend of Time". Chrono Cross will give you 35+ Hours of storyline gameplay, and if you loved it like I did, even longer to get all the characters along with the best weapons and armor.

This game is an RPG players dream, perfect for those wanting to break the monotony of 'classic' JRPGs. Filled with fun, adventure, unique characters, a deep and rich story line and a high replay value, the bleak dungeons are worth that yawn just so you can figure out why people call you "Ghost Boy".

Overall: 

A-

2016 Movie Ranking Countdown: August

Nine movies watched in August, which is nearly as many watched as the last two months combined. This should make for an interesting competition for once. Which five of the nine movies will move on to my year end ranking? Let's find out.

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The first two Lord of the Rings movies have both advanced to my year end ranking, so this fact should bode well for Return of the King, generally regarded as the best LOTR film. However, this movie is up against stiffer competition than its predecessors.

I've always considered this to be one of the best films in the trilogy. I generally regard it as better than the Two Towers, but more on par with Fellowship of the Ring. Some years when I watch these films I like the original better, sometimes I prefer Return of the King. This was one of the years when I preferred the original. Heck, I may have even had a better time with The Two Towers. The problem is that I have seen these movies far too many times. Even though it has been several years since I've seen Return of the King, I still got bored and started playing around on my phone no more than an hour into the film.

Eventually I put the phone away and started paying closer attention, but by that point the movie was almost over and I had missed a big chunk in the middle of it because I wasn't paying attention (basically all the stuff with Aragorn recruiting the ghost army, and then the ensuing battle). The ending is still epic though, and I had a good time watching it. I strongly believe that the whole sequence with Frodo at Mt Doom battling Smeagol for control of the ring is one of the best scenes in movie history.

Still though, the movie is what, nearly three hours long? And I only paid attention for about half of it. Will that be good enough to advance it to my year end ranking? I don't know, and I won't know until I finish writing the rest of this post.

 

It really bothers me that it looks like the VVitch in the movie poster. I never noticed this until just now when looking for images of the DVD cover or original movie poster to put here. Luckily this will have no bearing on my thoughts for the film, which I wasn't a huge fan of.

I had heard that this was supposed to be one of the scariest "new" horror movies out there. I am not easily scared, so of course this immediately intrigued me. The movie certainly looks impressive with strong costumes and set pieces. It certainly looks and feels as if the Witch was actually filmed in the colonial days. I have to give it props for that. But as far as everything else goes, I was less than impressed.

My main problem was that I could barely understand anything that the characters were saying. Sure it is nice to be authentic to the time period as possible, so the accents are understandable, but it seemed like most of the characters, the dad in particular, were mumbling their way through the film. I was tempted to put subtitles on because nearly everything they were saying was so unclear. In retrospect I probably should have. I would have enjoyed the movie more if I could actually comprehend what the characters were actually saying.

Other than that, I didn't find the movie scary at all. It was built up as this big suspenseful movie. But I thought it was rather dull. I couldn't follow what was going on most of the time, and I thought the ending was quite dumb. I've read reviews where critics have showered praise on the movie, saying that the people who didn't understand or follow the film weren't intelligent enough to "get it".

I beg to differ. I am quite intelligent (well, somewhat intelligent anyway) and I didn't get it either. Could be because of my short attention span. More likely it was because I couldn't understand what the mumbling, heavily accented characters were saying throughout most of the film. I think this movie could have been really good. And maybe if I ever try it again I will like it the second time through. As of now however, I find it highly unlikely this will crack my top five for the month of August.

I haven't seen this movie in years, but I remember watching it at my old apartment on the east side and really loving it. With all of the things going on in the USA today - the police shootings, the racial inequality stories, the high tension level between whites and blacks - I figured that this movie would be good to watch and relevant to everything that has been happening lately.

It is still a very good movie, and still very relevant. Make a few tweaks, change some things here and there, and this film could just as easily have been made in 2016. A lot of the discussions these characters have, a lot of arguments the film raises, they are still very much active issues in today's world. In the eighteen years since this film was made, it is kind of sad to see that not much has changed.

Still though, it is a very thought provoking, well written movie. What really makes it go, however, is the acting. Great performances all around - in particular from its two main stars: the Edwards Furlong and Norton. But I was really surprised to see Avery Brooks in the movie. I loved him on Deep Space Nine and have always thought he was a tremendous actor. He was great here as well. It's a shame he never appeared in more things.

Great movie, and this should easily crack my top five for August.

This has been on my "to watch list" for years now but for some reason I never got around to it. Well, finally I did. I had a random day off and wanted to watch something fun and lighthearted, and I figured that it was finally time to give this movie a shot. Now, I have seen this movie before. But it has been so long that I didn't remember anything about it other than the whole "shark repellent" scene.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be the highlight of the entire movie. The movie starts off okay. By okay I mean in a fun, cute kind of way. Look how silly Batman used to be. This movie is so bad that its good!

But after a very, very short period of time the novelty starts to fade away. It switches gears from "so bad its good" to "dear Lord, when is this going to be over with?" It's one thing to watch an episode or two of the show for a fun trip down memory lane. But to watch an entire feature length movie of this uninterrupted? It was near torture. This movie will not crack my top five for August. It was fun for a little while, but then quickly became insufferable.

This was one of my favorite "superhero" movies as a kid. I use the term superhero loosely because Darkman isn't out looking for justice or to make the world a better place. He is out for revenge, plain and simple. He is not above killing and maiming to get the job done.

Watching it again in 2016, I was delighted to see that the movie has aged well. Sure it is tonally very different from a lot of superhero movies you see today, but this is not a bad thing. I had a fantastic time with it, and found it to be a very well put together film. And criminally underrated, I must say. Ask the average moviegoer who Darkman is and they probably wouldn't be able to tell you, which is sad.

Great acting performances all around. Lots of shocking, disturbing moments. Some really cool death scenes. This movie will never go down as one of the all time great films ever made, but if you are simply looking to have a good time and be entertained, you really can't go wrong here.

I know that a lot of people were skeptical about this film when they first heard it was being remade with an all female ghost busting cast, but I was not one of them. Anyone who would pick up the mantle of such an iconic series as Ghostbusters would have to have a deep respect for the original film and make extra sure not to ruin its legacy.

While this film is definitely higher octane and much different in tone from the original two Ghostbusters movies, I really enjoyed it. The original films are more laid back and character oriented, the films didn't even really have to try to be funny: they just were. This one is very in your face with the ghost stuff. Lots of action, lots of high flying special effects. And unlike the original movies, this one definitely goes out of its way to try to be funny. Which for the most part, it is.

I can understand why the purists wouldn't like the film. But sometimes it doesn't hurt to have an open mind and just enjoy things for what they are. This is a really fun, really funny film with a lot of great moments.

It is not the original Ghostbusters, but that is okay because it doesn't pretend to be the original film. This movie has my stamp of approval.

I thought that the original VHS movie was a relatively fun film. Not great, but not terrible by any stretch of the imagination. It was entertaining but altogether forgettable in the long run. Which is exactly the way I feel about this movie, its sequel.

Is it a gripping, thrill ride of a movie? No. Does it suck? No. It is just kind of stuck in the middle somewhere. I had a good time with the movie, but now that I am thinking back on it I don't remember much about the film at all. Mind candy in a way. Entertaining while you watch it, but when its over it leaves behind nothing of educational/nutritional value whatsoever. For that reason it likely won't make my top five for the month.

This movie has been around since the 80's, yet I didn't watch it until 2016. I am not a huge comedy guy, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I had never seen this movie until now.

I was having a bad day midway through the month and wanted to watch something that was funny, but yet considered a classic by most people out there. While scrolling through my Netflix queue, I came across this movie and it instantly clicked in my mind that I should watch this.

I did not regret the decision. Very funny, great story. Great characters. I can see why this movie is considered a classic by so many people. I loved it. Eddie Murphy is fantastic in the movie and I quickly came to fall in love with his character Prince Akeem. So many great jokes and funny situations in this movie. The mid 80's produced some really great comedies. While I am not a huge fan of the comedy genre, I find that most of my favorite comedies were made in this era.

Add Coming to America to that list.

The last time I saw this movie I was a pubescent kid back in the early 90's. I liked the movie, but I mainly watched it for the sex scenes. LOL.

Fast forward to the present time. I saw on Facebook that a friend was watching this movie and I was like "holy shit, I forgot all about Wolf." I seriously had not even thought of this film for over twenty years. I added it to my to-watch list, and finally got around to watching it near the end of the month.

It is a good movie. I found it to be a little boring and dry for long stretches of the film, but for the most part I liked it. It is definitely not a timeless classic, though. And there is a reason I didn't think about the movie for over twenty years. It is decent, but it is probably not a movie that would find its way onto too many people's "favorite movies of all time" list.

It was good for a one time watch. Will I ever watch it again? Maybe, maybe not. I'm very "meh" about it. The only way it cracks my top five for August is if it is able to beat out other movies I am more indifferent towards. Which is what I am going to go find out right now....

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Moving on from this month's crop of films:

Coming to America

American History X

Ghostbusters

Darkman

Return of the King

It was a close call between Return of the King and Wolf, but RoTK took it home by a slight margin.

8 months down, 4 to go. Here are my top 40 movies watched this year based on my top 5 selections for each month:

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Cake
American Sniper
Predator
Friday the 13th Part 2
Locke
Evil Dead
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Elysium
Snowpiercer
Room
Manson Family Vacation
Deadpool
Goodnight, Mommy
Unforgiven
Big Driver
The Martian
Pixels
JFK: The Smoking Gun
Crimson Peak
It
Creed
The Revenant
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
No Good Deed
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Krampus
The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition
The Night of the Living Dead
Mad Max: Fury Road
Forrest Gump
The Little Rascals
Deliverance
The Two Towers
Zombieland

Coming to America

American History X

Ghostbusters

Darkman

Return of the King

Video Game Review: X-Men

X-Men

 Genesis

Back in 1993, the X-Men were big. Not only were the comic book and the cartoon series well known and beloved, the characters themselves were iconic and easily recognizable by even the most casual follower. I myself was a big X-Men fan. Pryde of the X-Men had gotten me hooked a few years before, and after that I devoured every single thing X-Men ever thrown my way.

When I first saw previews of this game in an old video game magazine (EGM? Gamepro?) of course it immediately piqued my interest. Good old pre-internet days. I followed the progress of the game from magazine to magazine. X-Men was on the top of all my wish lists. I don't know if I got it as a present or bought it with my hard saved allowance money, but I quickly managed to snatch this game up as soon as it hit the shelves.

The game was everything I had hoped for, and more. I don't know how many times I must have played and beaten the game, but it was quite a few times. I searched every nook and cranny of the game. Found and saw everything there was to find and see. As is often the case back in the Sega Genesis era, the novelty of the game eventually wore off and I moved on to obsess over another title. X-Men got put on the dreaded shelf of obscurity, and eventually disappeared from my life. I don't remember whether I traded it in for cash or had given it to a family member, but the game was no longer in my possession.

Ever since I began writing this blog about a year and a half ago (give or take a handful of months) I have been thinking about X-Men. Reviewing old games had made me nostalgic for this title. But the problem was: I didn't own it anymore. It had vanished from my possession nearly 20 years ago. I regularly scour used game stores for classic 8 and 16 bit titles, but I had never been able to find X-Men for the Sega Genesis. I don't believe in emulating games online, so it seemed I had reached an impasse.

But alas, like a ray of shining light burning its way through the darkness came my cousin Ryan, who is a regular reader of this blog. He loaned to me a box of his old Genesis games to play and review. Lo and behold, he had X-Men. It was like my prayers were answered. As I powered the game up, I even began to wonder if this was my old copy and I had given it away to Ryan so long ago that I had forgotten about it. That would be quite the reunion after 20 some years had passed.

Anyway, even though it had been such a long time since I'd played the game, it all came back to me pretty quickly. The music at the beginning, the little introduction with Magneto and the X-Men.... classic. And then the game started.

If you have never played this game before, it actually has a pretty decent story line for a side scrolling platform game. Magneto has sent a signal that interferes with the X-Men's Danger Room simulations, putting them in real life or death situations. Playing as one of four X-Men (Cyclops, Gambit, Wolverine, or Nightcrawler) you must find a way to break free of the simulation.

Each level takes place inside a Danger Room simulation. These levels take you all over the X-Men universe to areas like the Savage Lands, the Shi'Ar Empire, and Mojo World. This is a clever way of working all these different X-Men environments into the game without the game makers having to make up some fantastic story line where the team is traveling all over the place. Once you finally do manage to break free of the Danger Room (which you accomplish by pressing the reset button on your Genesis when you reach the end of Mojo World), you head to Asteroid M to end the Magneto threat once and for all.

The old reset trick is the stuff of video game lore. It took me forever as a kid to find out that that was what you were supposed to do. I always just assumed that the game froze or got stuck whenever I would reach a certain point. Out of frustration after the fourth or fifth time this happened to me, I hit the reset button to start over and hey, would you look at that, it worked and I was able to advance to the final level of the game.

As mentioned earlier, you can pick from one of four X-Men to play throughout the course of the game. You can swap characters mid level, but I believe you can only swap twice per stage. The health of the characters stays the same at all times. So if you are almost dead with Cyclops, you can switch to Gambit. But Cyclops will still be near death if you switch back to him again. Once all your characters die, it is game over for you.

But the game is very generous in allowing you plenty of time to recharge all of your battered and broken X-Men. In between each stage, the Danger Room reverts to normal for a minute or two, and you can break these floating orb things that refill your character's health. So if you are smart, you should be able to manage each of your characters having full health at the beginning of each stage.

The game's controls are pretty standard fair. You walk (no running in this game), jump, and punch. Each character also has a special attack. Cyclops shoots lasers from his eyes (of course), Wolverine's claws deal big time physical damage, Nightcrawler can teleport through walls (and damage enemies if they touch him while teleporting), and Gambit slings explosive cards at his foes. Controls are a little wooden and stiff, and as I mentioned your characters can only walk, so it seems as if you are moving pretty slowly at all times. But I never minded this too much. This is more of a methodical platformer, so taking your time is encouraged.

In addition to your characters' regular attacks, you can also call upon four additional X-Men to help you out. Iceman is the most useless of the four. He creates bridges for you to walk across. Which really only comes in handy at two different points in the game. The others - Archangel, Storm, and Rogue, deal punishing physical attacks to your enemies. I find the best strategy to be saving these special attacks for the boss battles, as these characters can do big time damage to most of the bosses and do most of your work for you.

Speaking of bosses, most classic X-Men villains make an appearance in the game. Juggernaut, Apocalypse, Sabretooth, Mojo, and of course Magneto himself all put in their token appearances. There are a few lesser known boss characters in the game as well, but I have no idea what any of their names are.

Even though I have played the game before, albeit 20 years ago, I actually found it to be a bit of a challenge. There is a learning curve, but once you get the hang of things it isn't too bad. Some of the levels and a handful of boss battles can be a little trial and error intensive. But if you die, fire the game right back up again and you should breeze through the area you just had trouble with. The levels I found to be the most difficult were the future world and Asteroid M. Everything else was relatively easy. Asteroid M took me quite a few attempts to beat. There is lots of precision jumping, and everything seems to do double the damage that it did earlier in the game. But it is beatable.

Graphically, the game is not much to look at by today's standards, but by no definition is the game ugly. There are a few games out there from the 16-bit era that do not withstand the test of time, but this is not one of them. The game looks nice. Certainly not mind blowing, but nice. Same with the music and sound effects. Nothing earth shattering, but the do the job.

All in all, I found this to be a very enjoyable game. Perhaps I am biased because I loved this so much as a kid, but I had a fun time. Is it a timeless classic on par with games like Sonic the Hedgehog or Super Mario Bros 3? Of course not. And now that I have beaten the game, I don't have any particular desire to go back and play it again. But three years from now... Five. Ten. However long it is before I play this again I will still enjoy it.

Overall:

A-