The final character of Smash Ultimate's first wave of DLC is finally here! Their choice this time around is.... polarizing, to say the least, but in any case, I'm here today to discuss this new character and all the other stuff that came with this patch. BACKGROUND:
Like virtually every Nintendo fan outside of Japan, my first introduction to Fire Emblem came from Smash. I took one look at Marth and said "who the fuck is this guy?", and soon enough, I went down a Google search rabbit hole. While I haven't played a lot of the games in the series, I've since explored a few titles over the years, enough to comfortably say that I'm a fan of the franchise. I'm sure many people out there have had a similar experience. Ironically, Smash is responsible for turning plenty of people away from Fire Emblem. During the Smash 4 days, they added more Fire Emblem characters than what people expected, which was a direct response to the series gaining new life thanks to the success of the 3DS game FE: Awakening. Smash players started to notice that there were more Fire Emblem representatives compared to, say, Zelda reps, and this observation caused a bit of a stir among Smash fans. The disdain only escalated when Corrin (the avatar character of FE: Fates, a game that hadn't been localized outside of Japan yet during the DLC announcement) was added as a DLC fighter, leading to the whole "meme" about how there were "too many anime swordsmen in Smash." It only got worse in Ultimate, which brought everyone back, including all those Fire Emblem characters people are starting to get sick of. With all this in mind, it was no surprise to see the floodgates burst due to the rush of vitriol over Byleth's announcement. Completely baseless statements arguing how they were a "waste of a character slot" they were started flying about, there was hate directed at Fire Emblem fans who were happy about the inclusion, and worst of all, the Fire Emblem series itself unfairly became the target of many mean-spirited comments. As a fan of the franchise, and as someone who's seen people project their mostly unrelated grievances onto otherwise good things (see: Iron Fist, the Inhumans, basically anything with a shitty fanbase), it was disheartening to see history repeat itself. Here's the thing: I don't disagree with some of the more reasonable criticisms leveled at the disparity of FE reps in Smash by any stretch. Would I have preferred other Nintendo franchises represented? Sure. Should they have done something more than just put in a dude with a sword? Of course, FE characters have diverse fighting styles. Did Nintendo shoot themselves in the foot by setting an "all third party characters" Fighters Pass precedent? A little bit. Would I have rather gotten someone else over Byleth? Honestly, yes. There's a lot Nintendo could have done better with regards to this whole thing that could have been a good compromise between "we want more Fire Emblem" and "we should tone it down for the fans". But at the end of the day.... it's just a video game. No one's lives are harmed because Nintendo decided another Fire Emblem character in Smash would be neat. It's OK to be disappointed, or to dislike the choice, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it, let alone go ballistic on Twitter with my displeasure; it seems like a waste of time and energy to fixate on this one little thing that ultimately means nothing in the grand scheme. Also... it's DLC. You know, optional content that no one made you buy (unless you pre-purchased the Fighters Pass, in which case, it's kind of irrational to get mad at Nintendo because you voluntarily bought something before you knew anything about what exactly it would contain). Plus, there's like six more DLC characters. Nintendo's got six more chances to blow our minds. Don't stress out about it, you know? I apologize for the ramblings, but this is such a prevalent topic of discourse online, and I felt compelled to say something about it. Enough of that; let's get back on topic.... I'm actually in the process of playing through Three Houses at the moment, so I am plenty familiar with Byleth. Out of all the Fire Emblem characters that have been added up to this point, Byleth's easily the one I have the strongest connection to, so I was more than OK with their inclusion. That said, they're the typical player-insert protagonist, and I would've preferred a Three Houses character with more personality, but hey, I'll take it. On the subject of Three Houses, rest assured I'm working on the blog entry for that. I just gotta finish a few more story routes before I finish writing. If you want to see that, look forward to it coming in a few weeks or so. WHAT'S NEW: The main attraction is obviously the new playable character Byleth. On the surface, they seem like the often-derided "anime swordsman" Smash fans are tired of, but their moveset actually features more than just the sword. Byleth actually uses three other prominent weapon types in Fire Emblem games: the lance, the axe, and the bow. Many characters throughout the series are able to use multiple weapon types depending on their class (e.g. ninjas can use daggers and swords, mage knights can use lances and magic), so this ability to swap weapons is accurate to the series. Byleth uses a different weapon depending on the attack input, which I thought was a cool way to handle the concept without getting too complex (I envisioned a stance change kind of character where Byleth had an entirely unique moveset depending on the equipped weapon, then I quickly realized: that's sort of what Pokémon Trainer's gimmick is, except you change characters instead of weapons). Overall, Byleth is pretty straightforward; they don't have outlandish gimmicks like Joker or Hero had, and a lot of their moves are basically just offensive moves, so no tricky stuff like counters or reflectors. They're not impressive in terms of mobility, with their below average speed, and a while a lot of their moves hit hard and have great range, a lot of them are pretty slow both in terms of startup and recovery, so throwing moves out willy-nilly is unsafe and ill-advised. They do have some neat tools, like a few combo options, and the specials are simple but usable: up-b is a really fun move with lots of potential, side-b is an awesome long-range option, neutral-b is a slow, but lethal projectile, and down-b is a hard-to-land but satisfying big damage option. I wasn't doing any crazy shit like I was with Terry, but I still liked what Byleth had to offer in terms of combat. References to the original games in FE reps can be hit or miss, but Byleth very much excels in that department. The moves don't feel arbitrary, as some animations are reminiscent of the Combat Arts in Three Houses. The weapons themselves are prominent items in the lore, including Byleth's signature Sword of the Creator, which doubles as a badass whip. The color variations made total sense, referencing the most important characters in the game, and stuff like taunts and the voice lines are straight out of the game. The only thing I found odd was how Byleth would yell the weapon's name when she throws out moves; no one does that in FE unless you're using magic (see: Robin, who shouts the spell names). Byleth of course comes with the stage, and it's none other than Garreg Mach Monastery. This was pretty much the only sensible choice for a Three Houses stage, as it is the location you spend most of your time in the game in. It's nothing special in terms of gimmicks, as it's just a traveling stage showing off iconic sections of the monastery, but the stage looks gorgeous, and there are character cameos to appease the hardcore fans. Best of all, it comes with eleven new tracks from Three Houses (which has a killer OST), and they got pretty much all the best tracks in here. In addition, there are new Three Houses spirits, all representing most of the important characters (plus a couple of fan favorites), and their respective Spirit Battles reference them perfectly (for the most part). There's also a new Classic Mode route for Byleth, where you face off against every other Fire Emblem character (which I'm sure will only add fuel to the "too many Fire Emblem characters" dumpster fire). I found the boss fight for the route especially amusing. Outside of Byleth-related content, there are new Mii costumes. A couple were returning costumes from Smash 4 (the two Mega Man outfits), one was a terrifying-looking hat representing Ubisoft's Rabbids franchise, and a costume of Altaïr, the protagonist of the first Assassin's Creed game. The highest profile costume addition is Cuphead, who, like Sans before him, is a high-quality Mii costume that's the spitting image of the actual character. Also similar to Sans, the Cuphead costume comes with a bonus music track from his original game, which I had to have. I like this growing precedent of big indie game characters being represented as costumes and getting their own music tracks as a bonus; I hope they continue it, because they're pretty much the only cosmetic items in this game I feel are worth getting. If they aren't willing to promote an indie character to full playable fighter status (though I hope they are), I would find this an acceptable compromise. V7 is also reportedly a huge patch in terms of balance changes. I only follow competitive Smash on a casual level and don't really take the game too seriously, but I'm nonetheless interested to see how the changes shape the tournament scene going forward. Competitive Smash in 2020 is only getting started with events like Genesis 7 and Evo Japan having happened just a few days ago, so these big changes coming in at pretty much the beginning of the year should result in something interesting. VERDICT: Online vitriol be damned, I found Byleth to be a satisfying addition to the roster, with enough flavor to stand out from all the other "anime swordsmen" and a lot of love shown for Three Houses in general. The Mii costumes this round were neat as well, and the big balance changes have me intrigued. Good patch overall. However, the focus will now shift from Byleth to the next wave of DLC moving forward. There will be a total of six new characters added throughout the course of this year and the next, and as always, I am ever excited for whatever insane shit they add to this already insane game in the future. Smash Ultimate has become a truly unprecedented celebration of games, and I am ready to see that celebration become even grander. - end -
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Through the thick and thin of WWE's booking decisions, the Royal Rumble never fails to be a highly anticipated event for me. I do the usual thing of rambling about each match on this year's card below.
For the first time in what feels like a million years, I play a game on PC. This was a game I've been meaning to properly play through for a very long time, and the opportunity just so happened to present itself recently. BACKGROUND:
As I may have pointed out numerous times before (or not; I don't keep track of my ramblings), I didn't grow up playing games on PC. Most of my childhood was spent playing games on consoles and Nintendo handhelds, so for majority of my early life, I didn't know shit about PC games. I wouldn't learn about and get into this facet of gaming until I was older, and even now, there's still games I've yet to play. The Half-Life series is certainly one of the games that fit into such a category, but then again, I was a toddler when it came out, so it couldn't be helped that I missed out on it. I did learn of it eventually, but most of my experience with the games have either been very brief, or was spent in other games that were deeply connected to the series (like Counter Strike or Garry's Mod). For all intents and purposes, this is my first proper playthrough of the game. PLOT: You are Gordon Freeman, a scientist who works at the Black Mesa Research Facility, a cutting edge facility developing all sorts of incredible technology and making breakthroughs in various scientific fields. The game kicks off when a seemingly routine experiment goes completely awry and sends the entire facility into chaos. It seems what you've done has set loose a horde of aliens into your world, and you'll have to fight all throughout the facility to survive... and hopefully take out the alien menace. I love sci-fi stories, and Half-Life is a fantastic example of one in game form. It has some horror elements, gets into some conspiracy territory in the latter half, and the sci-fi shit (like the other dimension, all the cool tech, the creatures) was all cool. I can't say this for sure since I have no memory of 1998, but from what I can tell, there weren't many games with this complex a narrative that wasn't a fantasy game or an RPG (or both). If that's the case, I can see why this game captivated audiences at the time. The way the story is told was also rather unprecedented in that it was seamlessly woven into the gameplay. Instead of interspersing cutscenes between gameplay sections, or assaulting you with text boxes, Half-Life keeps you in control of Gordon as scripted sequences happen around you to advance the story, adding a level of immersion that didn't really exist at the time. It really feels like you're an active part of the story (or, at least, have a stronger connection with Gordon's experience thanks to your agency within the game) because of this, and perhaps that's one of the reasons why this game left such a lasting impression on people. The game doesn't have much in the way of characters, as Gordon Freeman is a silent protagonist, all the NPCs are a bunch of no-names who share the same four models (they do have important dialogue and occasionally say funny shit, though), the enemies are pretty much fodder (except perhaps for the human enemies, who actively communicate with one another), and the one guy who could be potentially interesting doesn't show up until the end. I personally didn't find this a problem, but if you're a stickler for narratives, you may find this a sticking point. PRESENTATION: Early 3D era games can be hit or miss when it comes to aging gracefully, and Half-Life leans towards "hit" for the most part. The models, while clearly on the low-poly side, look decently clean, though the textures do show their age a tad when you look up close. Designs vary greatly in quality depending on the context (e.g. NPC designs are repetitive, alien designs are freaky in a good way, and the locations don't look generic). The music is usually more on the nuanced end of the spectrum, but in big moments, you get an assortment of techno jams to tap your foot to. The sound design in general is pretty impressive, with a good variety of audio cues (including plenty of alien gurgles that warn you of impending doom) and a great sense of volume in relation to space. GAMEPLAY: As established, Half-Life is a first person shooter. The goal is simple: move around, shoot, and try not to get shot. Since this is a single player experience, the usual objective of kill everything isn't necessarily the endgame; there's plenty you have to do to succeed. Instead of arena-type areas like the ones you see in multiplayer FPS games, Black Mesa is a sprawling complex filled with nooks and crannies to explore. The game will mostly have you traveling from point A to point B, but there are instances where you have to backtrack, and there are areas that make you feel like you're in a Counter Strike death match. Overall, it's a blast to go through the entire facility, and the fact that it's one continuous experience (as opposed to a game split up into individual levels) makes the journey more impactful. To progress through the game, you have to do more than just shoot some aliens. There will be some puzzle solving (ranging from basic switch-pulling, to more ingenious things like using tank cannons to blow open a new path), a few escort missions (where you have to escort a guard or scientist to open specific doors), a touch of platforming (jumping around, basically), and a lot of looking around (the next place to go is often not in plain sight). A good FPS is defined by its arsenal, and you have an impressive one at your disposal here. In terms of regular firearms, you can acquire a basic pistol, a revolver, a shotgun, an assault rifle, and a rocket launcher. While you can get by sticking to your favorite weapon, all these weapons excel in various situations, and I found myself switching between weapons regularly. Some of these weapons even have an alternate firing mode when you hit right-click (e.g. the shotgun gets a super shot that uses two shells at once, and the assault rifle has a grenade launcher). You also have access to a crowbar (your melee attack), a scoped crossbow (the closest thing you have to a sniper rifle), and an assortment of explosives. You have regular grenades, trip mines (which explode when you cross the beam of light it emits) and remote explosives (click once to drop, click again to detonate). It always bugs me when I never find an opportunity to use secondary weapons, but thankfully, there are plenty of great situations to resort to explosives. The most interesting weapons in your arsenal are, unsurprisingly, the sci-fi shit. As you progress through the game, you can acquire special weapons developed within Black Mesa, and they are a lot of fun to use. What's more, you can even weaponize certain aliens, like the Snarks (little bug things that relentlessly chase down and munch on the nearest creature) and the hornet gun (it shoots hornets, believe it or not). I kinda wish they were more prominent because they're a lot of fun, but the fact that ammo for these weapons is rare makes them feel all the more special. Gordon is pretty much just a regular guy with all these weapons, but he has one more tool that helps even the odds against the alien incursion: the HEV suit. This hazmat suit can be charged to essentially give you armor, allowing you to take more hits and survive certain hazards without losing health. It can also be upgraded to give you a long jump, which is cool until you realize it's kind of weird to execute. Power-ups are strewn about the facility, and unless you're a guns-blazing shoot-everything-on-sight maniac, you'll rarely be strapped for ammo. There are also health kits and recharge stations for the HEV suit where you can replenish health and armor respectively. I love that the devs tried to make sense of an inherently video game concept like power-ups by adding a sense of logic to their placement; you can get pistol ammo from dead security guards, and rifle ammo from the soldiers you just killed, for instance. It's one of those things that most people won't fault you for if you don't justify it, but the fact that they went the extra mile is commendable. The enemies come in all shapes and sizes, from the iconic headcrabs, to annoying Vortigaunts. Most of them are no joke (some can kick your ass one-on-one, while others gang up on you with ease), and figuring out the best weapon for dispatching a room of enemies is always satisfying. Enemy variety plateaus once you're deep into the game, but increasingly difficult enemy placement in later areas, plus their uncanny ability to work together in groups do more than enough to compensate. In addition, you will also encounter human enemies, such as trigger-happy soldiers (who are somehow god-tier at throwing grenades at you) and what appear to be ninja-looking assassins. There are also automated sentries, attack helicopters, and tanks that will absolutely wreck you. There are a few bosses in the game, but the fun thing about some of them is that the way to beat them is by solving a puzzle as opposed to laying into them with pure firepower. For example, one big bad alien requires you to lure them into a generator and electrocute them, and doing so unlocks the rest of the area. It's a clever way to handle level progression that both rewards your ability to use brains over brawn and keeps the flow of the story seamless. The last few bosses do require you to fight them the old fashioned way, though that's still fun in a cathartic sense (going full Rambo on some alien bastard's face is never not satisfying). Although the game pretty much takes place in one location, there's still plenty of variety in terms of visuals and gameplay. Many areas are your typical corridors and rooms situation, but there are sections where you swim through flooded sewers, scale ladders, weave through minefields, and even use teleportation devices. Hazards are equally varied, as you have to brave through electrified platforms, pools of radioactive waste, and other unique ways to die. As mentioned, there are a few platforming sections as well, and they're the moving platform kind (i.e. have fun falling to your death at least three times). The only gripes I have in terms of gameplay are the loading zones (which really kill the flow of the game, but I get why they're there), and the somewhat slippery movement (this is especially annoying in platforming sections). I'd also like to give a special mention to ladders, which are irritating to navigate. Once you're done with the ~10 hour campaign, there is little else to do in Half-Life. Most of the secrets you'll encounter are stuff like extra ammo or health, so you're better off finding them on the first run-through as opposed to playing the game again just to see those secrets. The Steam version also has multiplayer, but considering CS: GO is free to play these days, I don't really see a point in checking this mode out unless you're into the novelty of reliving the olden days of late '90s multiplayer FPS action. VERDICT: After spending my weekend playing through Half-Life, it was easy to see why it's still regarded as one of the all-time FPS greats. It weaves its intriguing sci-fi tale with gameplay in a seamless manner, features an expansive, dynamic environment to explore, gives you a good variety of weapons and tons of enemies to use them on, and boasts presentation that still kinda holds up today. There's no doubt in my mind that Half-Life is still a fantastic game in 2020. This is another one of those games I'd call "essential"; that is, this is a game that made a huge impact and left an indelible mark in gaming history. I'd argue that "essential" games like this one are games one must absolutely check out (especially if you're just getting into games), as they are historically significant, and they tend to be great games on their own. If you haven't already, you owe it to yourself to play Half-Life at least once. Here's a link to the game's Steam page. Go on: https://store.steampowered.com/app/70/HalfLife/ - end - The Royal Rumble isn't until tomorrow, but before then, the NXT side of WWE gets some time in the spotlight with the latest Worlds Collide event. It's not exactly a Takeover, but the announced matches were particularly interesting this time around, so I went ahead and watched it. As usual, I'll be talking about each match below.
I actually have a bigger game to cover on the blog soon (people who follow me on Twitter likely know what it is), but my playthrough of it isn't quite done yet. I took a bit of a break from it to tackle today's game: Resident Evil Revelations. BACKGROUND:
Most of my experience with Resident Evil has been secondhand. I watched my cousin play through the original RE2, I watched a friend play RE3, and I've spent hours watching various Let's Plays of other Resident Evil games. I've only very briefly played a small assortment of these games, but I'm plenty familiar with the franchise's lore and gameplay. This game in particular caught my eye because it was on the 3DS for quite the affordable price. I had every intention to buy a copy for myself, but with there being all sorts of games I wanted for the 3DS at the time, it kept getting pushed further down my priority list. Thankfully, it was ported to Switch, so I did eventually get around to buying it when it was on sale. PLOT: If you're not familiar with the Resident Evil series, the gist of it is that bioterrorism is all the rage, and it falls to the various protagonists of each game to deal with the zombie outbreaks and take down the evil scientists responsible. Revelations isn't too far off the formula, as it sees Jill Valentine (one of the main characters of RE1) investigate an abandoned cruise ship at the behest of the BSAA, a counter-terrorist organization focused on biological threats. Like every location you visit in Resident Evil, the place is rundown and crawling with mutant creatures, and like many of these games, they feature a conspiracy in which the propagation of these monsters is the goal. The story itself is standard RE fare: investigate zombie-infested shithole, discover evil assholes are responsible, uncover conspiracy, prevent infestation from spreading. It's not gonna win any screenplay awards, but it's serviceable, and even features some twists that I thought were neat. Some of the characters introduced in this game were fairly interesting as well, almost at the expense of established characters like Jill (who underwent all her character development in other games). While this is very much RE canon (with references to previous games), and features characters the game expects you to be somewhat familiar with (like Jill), this is an otherwise standalone affair that newcomers can enjoy without having to look up the plot of the previous games on Wikipedia. The game is structured much like a weekly TV show, with each level split up into chapters. I found this notable, as each chapter starts with a whole "previously on Resident Evil Revelations" where every key moment from the previous chapter is recapped. Though the campaign is relatively short (~10 hours), the fact that the game goes out of its way to keep you in the loop is nice if you take time off from playing. PRESENTATION: Revelations came out in 2012 specifically for the 3DS, so don't expect any mind-blowing visuals. That said, the HD port (which is what's on Switch and other consoles) looks decent, even if it feels a little dated in certain respects (e.g. textures). Other than the hit-or-miss lip syncing/facial animations, the game does what it can well in terms of visuals. RE music is usually more on the ambient side, but there are some proper tracks in there, most of which are haunting and eerie. The sound design overall is fantastic, which is key in horror games like this. Monsters make terrifying noises and objects in the environment sound close to what they would in real life, adding to the sense of immersion these games eventually became known for. As far as settings go, the cruise ship was a novel choice, striking a balance between creepy and opulent (much like the mansion in RE1). The unique environment also lent itself well to effective camera angles, such as the liberal use of tilts to denote the ship's ever-changing position on the sea. And while the ship is pretty large overall, the individual rooms and corridors still feel restrictive and claustrophobic, which adds a lot to making the whole place feel unsettling to be in. Monster designs are once again grotesque and horrifying, and I expect nothing less from Resident Evil. The human characters are hit or miss; for example, this game has my favorite Jill design, and Chris still looks like generic military man. GAMEPLAY: Resident Evil games are survival horror games, and Revelations is no different. You navigate a spooky location, avoid/take down zombies with your limited resources, and really hope you don't die. Revelations in particular follows the conventions of games like RE4, going for an over-the-shoulder third person view and leaning a little more into the action elements of the latter entries in the series. Though you are far from defenseless in this game, you are not exactly the best equipped to handle everything the game throws at you. Sure, you get new weapons as you go along, but ammo will always be limited, so you have to make some judicious decisions as you play through. Do you take the time to kill the zombies in a given room, or do you just hope for the best, try to dodge them, and save your ammo for whatever comes next? The ship isn't too large, but there are plenty of nooks and crannies to find secrets in. Backtracking is required in several sections, but it never feels tedious since a) you often head back after you acquire a key that can open other doors, and b) new enemies spawn in previously cleared rooms to keep you on your toes. There are five weapon types total in the game: your default pistol, shotguns, SMGs/assault rifles, Magnum-type weapons, and scoped rifles, with each category featuring different kinds of weapons. They're all fairly effective, with some excelling in certain situations more than others. Really, your only problem is managing your ammo, because going against enemies with your melee attack is a disaster waiting to happen. Enemy variety is decent, though what the game may lack in quantity, it does make up for with cunning enemy placement and annoying attack patterns. The bosses are no slouch, but once you figure them out, they're not too much trouble. In addition, you can customize your weapons with custom parts. These give your weapons passive buffs like increased damage, greater ammo capacity, improved fire rate, and more. They're absolutely worth the trouble of getting. Unique to this game is a scanner device called the Genesis. You can activate it to scan the environment, and often, you will detect points of interest. Scanning these points uncovers a hidden item, and in a game where resources are scant, these hidden items can spell the difference between life and death. The Genesis has a second function: you can scan enemies with it. Scanning enemies fills up a meter, and once that meter reaches 100%, you get a healing item. Depending on your experience with games like this, this mechanic is either a godsend or makes the game too easy, so use it as you see fit. Speaking of healing, it's conveniently mapped to its own button here, and unlike the main games, you don't have to go to the trouble of mixing different herbs for maximum healing. All you find are green herbs, and they restore you to full health. Again, your opinion on this may vary depending on your preferences on game difficulty. As mentioned before, Revelations is split up into chapters, so it's not a seamless experience like the main RE games. While this may ruin the flow of the game for some people, it is convenient in the sense that you don't have to stress out about save points; there is an autosave, and each chapter doesn't take too long to beat (if you're not bothering with secrets, that is), so the game lends itself more to short bursts of play as opposed to a weekend-long play session. Although you'll be spending most of your time playing as Jill, some chapters will have you play as other characters in different settings (that still tie into the overall story). There are sections where you play as Chris, for example. This mixes things up a bit as you play through the story, but it does kind of take away from the main plot on the ship. There are three difficulty settings for the campaign. I played on Normal, which was moderately challenging. If past RE games are any indication, the other difficulties likely affect things like enemy health, enemy damage, and availability of ammo/resources. Once you've beaten the campaign, you'll be able to play New Game Plus, which carries over all your equipment and upgrades. In addition, you'll unlock new weapons to use depending on what difficulty you clear the game in, so there is incentive to play through everything again (aside from all the secrets and collectibles, of course). If that's not enough replay value for you, Revelations has a game mode called Raid Mode. This throws the survival aspect of the campaign out the window in favor a more action-packed experience. In Raid Mode, you fight through a section of the ship against all sorts of enemies. Doing so successfully grants you experience (which unlocks more difficult maps) and BP (currency that can be used to buy new weapons and upgrades). It's a refreshing change of pace after a full campaign of sneaking around and saving bullets. Plus, you can play this with a second player. Of course, no Resident Evil is complete without completely ridiculous puzzles. Thankfully, Revelations doesn't have much in the way of nonsensical puzzles, so it's not the worst offender in the series by any stretch. Also, I'd like to commend this game for having swimming that actually controls comfortably. I often dread games where you have to go underwater, and I'm glad I didn't have to scream at the TV because the camera was terrible. VERDICT: Resident Evil Revelations is a solid spinoff game in a series full of memorable titles. I feel like it strikes a balance between the survival horror aspects of the classics with the modern sensibilities of the recent action-oriented titles, all set in a rather unique location. Though the pacing of its story may falter at times, the episodic nature of the game makes this a palatable entry point for newcomers. I would recommend playing one of the main games over this if you're new to Resident Evil, but Revelations isn't a terrible place to start if you haven't played this kind of game before. Here's Resident Evil Revelations on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/agecheck/app/222480/ - end - Apologies for missing the usual Monday upload, as I wasn't feeling too well yesterday. I did already have this theme planned ahead of time, however, so putting this together didn't take too long. THE THEME: A couple of years ago, the highly successful Deadpool movie got a sequel. In addition to being a fun romp that rivals its predecessor, Deadpool 2 introduced mainstream audiences to X-Force, and two of its most popular members: Cable and Domino. X-Force's purpose in the comics is a little different to that of the movie, as the team is more of the covert ops division of the X-Men (in more recent iterations, at least) as opposed to a spur-of-the-moment team Deadpool came up with. For today's theme, I have selected five titles that feature chracters who have been part of the X-Force roster. My selection is unfortunately not too diverse in representing different characters, as I had a limited pool of comics to work with. For what it's worth, however, I've already covered a bunch of comics that would have otherwise fit perfectly in this theme via previous editions of Five Comics. THE COMICS: CABLE (2017–2018) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: James Robinson Artists: Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz - Cable is up to his usual time-traveling antics in this new series. In this issue, he hops around the past, fighting people from their respective time periods who've been armed with futuristic weapons. Cable is hot on the trail of the mastermind, but their identity is maintained as a msytery. Exciting stuff. - Comixology link CABLE AND X-FORCE #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum Artist: Salvador Larroca - Though Cable gets top billing here, he's not alone in this series, as he's got the rest of X-Force with him. They have been implicated in a terrorist attack and are now on the run from the Avengers, and with this comic set a little after the events of Avengers vs. X-Men, tensions are still a little high. On top of that, Cable has some issues of his own, as increasingly intense headaches and other afflictions plague him - Comixology link DEADPOOL: TOO SOON? #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Joshua Corin Artist: Todd Nauck - Deadpool gathers a strange assortment of characters — Scott Lang, Spider-Ham, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Punisher, Squirrel Girl, Forbush Man, and Howard the Duck — in a mansion for an incredibly stupid reason. The mood shifts immediately as one of them is killed, and the entire thing becomes the most ridiculous murder mystery ever. Great read if you're looking for a wacky whodunit. - Comixology link DOMINO (2003) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Joe Pruett, Brian Stelfreeze Artist: Brian Stelfreeze - This limited series sees Domino in a solo outing, as she goes back to her mercenary days. There's plenty of ass-kicking to be had, but the interesting part is in her latest mission: the search for her mother. It seems powerful and unseen forces are intent on hiding her mother's existence, but Domino's on the case. - Comixology link DOMINO (2018–2019) #6 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Gail Simone Artist: David Baldeón - Domino takes on Topaz, a fellow mutant who is deeply connected to her own origins, as her past catches up to her in Hong Kong. As if things couldn't get worse, Domino's luck-altering powers aren't quite working, and for what is perhaps the first time ever, she is in grave danger. Features Shang-Chi and badass cover art. - Comixology link X-Force has had many members over the years, from relative unknowns like Shatterstar, to high profile characters like Wolverine. With X-Men back in the MCU, and Marvel Studios seemingly on board with another Deadpool movie, it is my hope that these lesser-known characters (and X-Force in general) get to shine in earnest, as opposed to a one-off joke like they were in Deadpool 2 (a joke that I did find funny, to be fair). PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
The 2010s were a wild year for pro wrestling, but the madness is only just beginning with the turn of the decade. Today, I catch up on NXT UK's third Takeover event, and with the last two being sleeper hits, I have high hopes for this.
Before I do the usual thing and talk about each match, I'd like to preface this with a sort of New Year's Resolution. My coverage of pro wrestling on this blog is sporadic as it is, but in the few instances I do discuss it, I lean too heavily on the WWE (mostly NXT) side of things. I will make an effort to change that going forward, and try to tackle AEW and NJPW events in the future. I do watch these promotions somewhat regularly (or at least stay up-to-date), but I don't really talk about them outside of the occasional tweet. Anyway, enough of that. Let's talk about the matches. Another week begins anew, which means I have some more reading to do. Today's theme is an expansion of previous themes I've done, and I look forward to sharing it with you. THE THEME: As of this writing, I've done three themes relating to Aspen Comics properties in previous entries of this series. One focuses on Fathom, another on Soulfire, and one that focuses on various female protagonists within the label. For today, I'm going the more general route by reading five Aspen titles that aren't connected to any comic I've previously read for the series. As such, everything I'll be reading today will be completely new to me. Note: everything I feature today is free to download on Comixology (provided you have an account)! If you want to check out these comics for yourself, just follow the links. THE COMICS: CHARISMAGIC (VOL. 1) #0 Publisher: Aspen Comics Writer: Vince Hernandez Artist: Khary Randolph - Charismagic follows the story of Hank the Magnificent, a Las Vegas magician who's living the dream. The zero issue doesn't focus on him per se, but it teases his role in a world where a malevolent force of magic is set to return and wreak havoc. - FREE on Comixology DEAD MAN'S RUN #0 Publisher: Aspen Comics Writer: Greg Pak Artist: Tony Parker (not to be confused with the basketball player) - A former solider works at a corrections facility, but when an explosion happens and reveals an entire lower level of the prison, his life is changed forever at what he finds inside. "Hell on earth" takes on an entirely different meaning in this comic. - FREE on Comixology DELLEC #0 Publisher: Aspen Comics Writers: Frank Mastromauro, Vince Hernandez Artists: Micah Gunnell, Rob Stull - Dellec, the titular character, seems like an ordinary man, but as this issue makes clear, he is on a quest to rid the world of evil forces. The comic also sets up his adversary, and establishes some strong themes of faith and religion. - FREE on Comixology MINDFIELD #0 Publisher: Aspen Comics Writer: J. T. Krul Artists: Alex Konat, Saleem Crawford - The CIA is employing telepathic agents in an effort to curb terrorism, but as this issue shows, the idea may not be as effective in practice, with Connor (the protagonist) messing up a training exercise. I thought this was a fascinating concept, and it delves into the whole "curse of knowledge" problem most telepaths in stories encounter. - FREE on Comixology SHRUGGED #0 Publisher: Aspen Comics Writers: Michael Turner, Frank Mastrmauro Artists: Micah Gunnell, Jason Gorder, Don Ho - Shrugged is a fascinating take on the classic "angel/devil on your shoulder" trope. It follows Theo, an average schoolkid, as the personification of his thoughts and desires set out to influence his everyday decisions. - FREE on Comixology I spent the last decade expanding my horizons and going out of my comfort zone when it comes to the comics I read, and I intend to continue that in the new decade. This edition of Five Comics is another step in my ongoing journey, as Aspen Comics offers an assortment of series that are well outside the superhero tales I grew up with. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
I've finally finished the fourth game from last month's SNES Online update, and it's also the first game I've beaten this year (and this decade). I had to save this one for last because it was an RPG, but I finally got it done after many days of intermittent progress. BACKGROUND:
As stated before, I had no idea what Breath of Fire was until I saw it in the SNES Online library. I had an enjoyable time with the first game, so I was pretty excited to learn that its sequel would become available to play on the service. SUMMARY: Breath of Fire II is a turn-based RPG like its predecessor. Much of the core gameplay is unchanged, so I won't take time reiterating mechanics and focus on the new stuff. The story is set centuries after the first game, so while some places and faces look familiar, much of the world and the characters are completely different. The connection also isn't evident until the game throws small connective threads later on in the game, and it even manages to surprise with some awesome Easter eggs. Playing the first game is absolutely not required to enjoy the second, but if you go the extra mile, you'll likely appreciate the small, but meaningful nods. What's also different about the story is its entire structure. Whereas the first game sets your goal right off the bat by putting the protagonist through a tragedy at the beginning, the second game gets you going by setting up an intriguing mystery in the prologue. From there, you go on seemingly unrelated story arcs that eventually clue you in on who/what the big bad is. It's more of a slow burn type of tale, and while not having an endgame for most of the game is disorienting, I appreciated the different approach they took in terms of telling a story. Those smaller story arcs feature the adventures of Ryu (the protagonist's default name) as he realizes that he has a bigger destiny ahead of him, and that the strange events from his childhood are part of a more insidious conspiracy. Along the way, he meets folks who eventually join him on his quest, and most of them get ample time in the spotlight through quest lines that focus on their story. There are also multiple endings to the game. One can be achieved Dragon Quest I-style with a simple dialogue choice, while the other two depend on what you accomplish/don't accomplish at the end of the game. Getting the best ending is a little tough, because the elements needed to set it in motion are either hard to find or aren't immediately obvious. For the most part, the game does an adequate job nudging you in the right direction in order to progress the story. There are certain things that you can miss if you're just rushing through, but the game has more than enough informative NPCs for you to talk to whenever you're in a bind. In any case, having a walkthrough handy won't hurt. In terms of gameplay, each party member has the usual stuff (unique spell learnset, unique weapon classes, three pieces of armor, fairly varied play styles). What's new about them is that each character now has a unique combat skill they can use at their leisure. For example, Ryu can use his Guts ability instead of attacking/casting spells/using items, and this allows him to recover some HP. The types of skills that exist vary greatly — there's one that has a small chance to insta-kill an enemy, another that can put enemies to sleep, and one that redirects attacks to the user. In addition, field abilities make a return from the first game, and nearly everyone has their own. I likened them to HMs from the Pokémon games, and much like said HMs, some are more useful than others. I only highlight this because two field abilities in particular (fishing and hunting) have been greatly expanded, with the former becoming a more engaging minigame, and the latter feeling more like a self-contained adventure as opposed to "see animal in overworld, kill animal." Perhaps my favorite thing about the party is the ability to "unite." Throughout the game, you encounter these elemental Shamans, who can fuse with your characters to make them stronger, and even change their appearance. In the first game, only one character has this gimmick, and the fact that it can now be done with every character adds a lot of variety to combat. While the first game was a solid 20-hour experience, there is much more to do in Breath of Fire II. There are plenty of optional side quests, many of which are worth doing because they grant you exclusive spells, unlock more Shamans, get you powerful equipment, and more. The best example of such a side quest is the entire concept of TownShip. At the beginning of the game, you discover these ruins at some corner of the overworld. As you progress, however, you will encounter people that'll turn those ruins into a living space, and if you put in the time, it'll eventually become its own town, complete with merchants and everything. Though becoming stronger in battle is the usual indicator of progress in most RPGs, going on detours to expand TownShip into a proper community was equally satisfying because it felt like, rather literally, putting yourself on the map of this world. The game looks pretty solid, with the main highlight once again being the battle screen with the impressive (and sometimes expressive) sprites and animations. They even went the extra mile in special encounters by creating brief set pieces before the battle starts. A good example of this is early in the game: you're attacked by flying enemies, but instead of the game just loading in the battle screen with everyone on it, an animation plays showing the enemies slowly flying in from the top of the cliff. These special animations didn't happen often (I wish they did), but when they do, they make for a memorable moment. Although only a few designs stand out as iconic or unique, the enemies feel like a step up from the first game with their relatively more memorable appearances. A cool touch I liked about their presentation is that you don't see a particular monster's health bar the first time you encounter it. But, when you encounter that same species of monster again, their health bars will be visible, allowing you to see how much damage your attacks do moving forward. It added this unique sense of progression when you kill an enemy for the first time; it's like your characters learned from the first encounter and are now applying what they know on subsequent battles. The UI is quite the improvement from the last game. Most notably, item descriptions can be seen immediately (you had to manually check items in the first game to see what they did), and the game tells you what spells do before you cast them. The greatest improvement is the ability to auto-sort items. Thank goodness for that. My only real gripe with the game is the somewhat common issues with the localization. The text boxes for dialogue are already not the best with how it presents sentences (e.g. lack of punctuation, weird spacing, etc.), and the inconsistency with grammar and spelling certainly doesn't help. In most instances, it really isn't that bad, but it poses a serious problem when those issues find their way into menus. Certain dialog prompts don't make sense (there's one prompt where "yes" and "no" do the opposite of what they're supposed to), and in a game where reading is kind of important, it's quite a hindrance. VERDICT: Breath of Fire II is a more than worthy sequel to an already good RPG. It has a different story (in more ways than one), great characters, a bigger world with more things to do, and new additions that help expand otherwise standard-issue RPG gameplay. I thought it was 30+ hours well spent, and if you're into turn-based RPGs, you might feel the same way. That's it for the recent SNES Online updates! These will be back once Nintendo feels like adding more games. Until then, I'll be playing other games, as well as wondering why Capcom hasn't made a new Breath of Fire yet. - end - This caught me by complete surprise today. I got home as fast as I could, and checked out the new update for the rerelease of the original DOOM. BACKGROUND:
DOOM is a game that needs no introduction. The original game from 1993 made the FPS genre popular with its vicious demon-slaying, hell-raising, frenetic gameplay. I haven't played every game in the franchise, but I am quite familiar with the classics, and I've also beaten DOOM 2016. I would argue that the original DOOM is a gaming essential, and must be played at least once by everyone. I bought this rerelease of the classic DOOM sometime last year (when they put out the original trilogy on every console), but skipped out on talking about it because there wasn't much to say. If you've played the original one, this version is not much different (apart from the controversial Bethesda.net integration, which forces you to make an account that you likely won't use). Now that there's an update, I can talk about the Switch version a little bit. The rerelease is pretty much the Ultimate DOOM version of DOOM; that is, it contains the three campaigns (called "episodes") of the original, plus a fourth episode called Thy Flesh Consumed, which is ridiculously difficult compared to the original episodes. Each episode consists of eight levels (nine in the case of Thy Flesh Consumed), all of which are decently sized, contain a ton of secrets, and provide you with a whole bunch of enemies to slaughter. You can play the levels pretty much however you want, thanks to multiple difficulty settings and the ability to toggle cheats right from the pause menu. It's more or less the definitive way to play the classic DOOM, so if you haven't played it yet, go check out this version. And if the single player somehow isn't enough, this has split-screen multiplayer. WHAT'S NEW: The biggest addition in this new update is the ability to download and play "Add-ons." These are essentially fan-made episodes from back in the day that id Software eventually recognized . There are three episodes currently available: TNT Evilution and The Plutonian Experiment (two DOOM II mods that was released together in retail as Final DOOM), and Sigil, which was made by John Romero (one of the co-founders id Software) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the series last year. The best part? Downloading all these add-ons is completely free. These are all pretty lengthy episodes, each containing levels with elaborate layouts, unique aesthetics, and feature quite the difficulty spike compared to the vanilla levels. I've been having fun ripping and tearing through some of the levels in short bursts so far, but I suppose that's DOOM in a nutshell. While the base game was pretty robust (for 1993, anyway) and had more than enough replay value, the prospect of getting more fan-made levels is exciting to me. DOOM rarely ever gets old whenever I replay it, and having new levels to tear through is something that will get me to keep coming back for more. I hope id Software updates the Add-on selection as often as they can. The rest of the update is some much-appreciated quality-of-life improvements. One such improvement is the level select, allowing you to select an individual level of a given episode at your leisure. It's great if you want to practice a level in preparation for a full playthrough, or you just want to mess around in your favorite level without having to go through the entire game. Another addition is the ability to quicksave and quickload. While the base game already had normal save/load features, these quicker options allow you to create a save state on a whim, and load it just as quick. It's great if you're a speedrunner who's out to practice a specific section of a level, or if you're trying to inch forward in a particularly difficult level. Improvements to the weapon select have also been made. You can now cycle through your arsenal much faster, and if that's not enough, the D-Pad serves as weapon shortcuts. This is quite helpful when you're in a tight spot and you need to bust out the chainsaw. The rest of the changes are graphical improvements, such as the ability to change aspect ratios, adjust brightness, and supporting 60 FPS gameplay. I'm no stickler for graphics, but this is great. VERDICT: Bethesda.net shenanigans aside, the 25th anniversary rerelease of DOOM is the best way to experience/relive one of the most monumental titles in gaming history. And with this new update smoothing out some kinks and opening the floodgates for even more content outside that of the base game, a true-blue classic is made new again. What are you waiting for? Go rip and tear some motherfuckers! This version of DOOM is available on every current-gen console, and it's $5 a pop, so there really isn't a lot stopping you from picking it up. From what I understand, the PC version has only just come out along with this update, but it seems to only be accessible via Bethesda.net (goddamn it). The original DOOM does exist on Steam (here), but it's not this version, so take away what you will from that. - end - The first Nintendo Direct of the year is, surprisingly enough, a Pokémon-focused one. Despite having abstained from buying Sword/Shield on release, I was still interested to see what TPCi had in store for this broadcast. The usual blow-for-blow follows, but if you haven't watched the Direct yet, please do so below.
I thought this was a solid Direct, even it was focused on post-launch updates for an existing game as opposed to new shit. The bombshell of Mystery Dungeon was amazing (I plan to get that at some point), and the sheer amount of content the Expansion Pass seems to add is honestly impressive.
Now, to address the elephant in the room. I didn't buy Sword/Shield on release because I didn't feel comfortable about the whole National Pokédex controversy (more on that in a future blog entry), and I wanted to wait and see if Game Freak would do anything to address it. While they don't explicitly address it, the Expansion Pass seems to be their answer to the question. My only hope is that they follow through and add everyone in eventually (there is a very big chance they don't), but in any case, I feel a little better about the game overall. My trust in Game Freak isn't completely restored (not that it was 100% before), but after this Direct, I think I'm finally willing to buy Sword/Shield. - end - There isn't really anything happening this week for me to tie a Five Comics theme into, so I picked out a random theme from the list I had prepared for 2020. I hope it's satisfactory, and rest assured that I have some special themes planned out for upcoming events. THE THEME: Every once in a while, big publishers like Marvel and DC will lend their characters to companies and put out sponsored comics that advertise the products/services of said companies (with the help of a silly story that features everyone's favorite heroes and villains). You usually see these short comics as ads in actual, physical comics, but with the advent of digital comics, some of these sponsored comics can be downloaded by themselves (usually for free). While perpetuating consumerism may be alarming to some of you, comic publishers have taken this approach in a more altruistic direction numerous times, publishing comics that are centered around social issues and advocacies (e.g. promoting diversity, celebrating the youth, etc.) on occasion. Comics have also been published to tie in with certain events. There is naturally precedent for this because of Free Comic Book Day and Halloween ComicFest, but there have also been times special comics have been released to commemorate special occasions, like the various Batman Day titles, or the Wonder Woman Day comics that were put out to coincide with the premiere of the movie. These sorts of comics tend to either be reprints of already-released comics, or previews of upcoming issues, but there have certainly been cases where a unique story was printed. For today's theme, I'll be reading comics that fit all these categories. General disclaimer: most comics that promote a product usually have an absurd story (and I mean more absurd than usual comic stories). THE COMICS: AVENGERS: NO MORE BULLYING Publisher: Marvel Writers: various Artists: various Contains: Avengers: No More Bullying #1, The Mighty Thor (1966) #356, Avengers Vs. (2015) #1-4, Daredevil (2011) #28, Amazing Spider-Man on Bullying Prevention - This is actually a collected edition, featuring comics that tackle the all-too-familiar issue of bullying. Each story features Earth's Mightiest Heroes helping kids deal with different facets of bullying, and even working through their own issues as well. Marvel's characters have always been relatable, and having them take on one of the most relatable situations of all is a smart idea. - Comixology link FAITH: WARPED TOUR/KEEP A BREAST SPECIAL EDITION Publisher: Valiant Writer: Justine Prado Artists: Clayton Henry, Kate Niemczyk - In this collaboration with the Keep A Breast Foundation, Faith confronts a serious adversary for many people in real life: breast cancer. The comic highlights the importance of routine self-checks, and while it makes sure to stress the gravity of a scary scenario, it still maintains a sense of optimism about it (something that's quite on brand with the main character). I've seen the effects of cancer (not this kind specifically) firsthand, and stuff like this comic that helps spread awareness makes a big difference. - FREE on Comixology GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: HI-TECH HEROES Publisher: Marvel Writer: Peter David Artist: Todd Nauck - Yondu and the Ravagers have intercepted a package meant for the Collector, but the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive to stop them. What's the package? It's none other than the odor-fighting fabric used by Hanes (a company that sells underwear, if I recall)! It's as ridiculous as it sounds. - FREE on Comixology INJUSTICE 2: ELEAGUE #1 Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Tom Taylor Artists: Bruno Redondo, Juan Albarran - Back when Injustice 2 had an active eSports scene (which was around 2-3 years ago), WB Games would promote and bankroll a lot of major tournaments. The eLeague World Chasmpionship was one of these events, and to commemorate the occasion, DC reprinted the first chapter of the Injustice 2 comic series. The series is set between the events of the first and second game, and this issue specifically focuses on Harley Quinn. - FREE on Comixology JUSTICE LEAGUE DAY 2017 SPECIAL EDITION Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Geoff Johns Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams - This is a reprint of Justice League #1 from 2011, which was when the New 52 reboot happened. As such, this issue is a fresh starting point, telling a new (at the time) story in which superheroes have only begun to surface in the DC universe, and the genesis of the New 52 Justice League. If the cover didn't give it away, this reprint came out during the premiere of the Justice League movie. - Comixology link for the original comic this version reprints Whether it's shameless product placement, celebrating occasions, or shedding light on important issues, comics are an unlikely, but often-used medium to disseminate all sorts of information. Though the stories may vary in quality, it's clear that writers do their best to retain the heart of the characters they're using as a vehicle to spread the word, and that artists still put 100% into their work. And while some of these are reprints, those aren't necessarily lazy by any means; many people don't have the opportunity or the income to buy comics weekly/monthly/whatever schedule your comic releases in, and these reprints allow such lapsed readers, or even new fans to read something they haven't had a chance to before. PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
I really wanted to watch this when it came out, but life kind of got in the way. In any case, here are my thoughts on the final season of Marvel's Runaways. S3 continues where S2 left off, with the Gibborim playing body snatchers with members of the cast. The team was split up during this time, but this plot line is resolved early on in the season, bringing everyone back together as a proper unit (among other things).
The latter half of the season focuses on the team's conflict with Morgan le Fay, who is trying to manipulate Nico and further her schemes. While her endgame was a little derivative and (in some places) outlandish, she was a delight to watch on screen, and she felt like a decent threat. Most of the characters get plenty to work with in terms of development, and for the most part, their arcs are compelling and/or interesting. The relationships between the characters were also great to watch. Nico's arc was awesome (and this is totally not my bias speaking....), Alex's was solid, and Xavin ended up being all right in the end (I still feel like they mucked up that character at the beginning, though). Everyone else ranged from all right to pretty good. Like before, I'd like to highlight The Pride, who have been given so much depth in this show compared to their original comic counterparts, and I really enjoyed their more nuanced relationships with their children. Perhaps the biggest highlight of this season was the Cloak & Dagger crossover they announced early on. They were only on for one episode, but it was still pretty awesome to see something I remember from the comics come to life in a different way. They didn't feel tacked on, either, and although we now know both shows got cancelled, they did leave room for more crossovers down the line. Speaking of comics, there were some pretty awesome callbacks to iconic Runaways moments. Many of them are spoiler-heavy, however, so I can't give it away. What blew my mind in particular was that they were able to squeeze in references to the 2017 Runaways series somehow. I think my biggest gripe with the season is the finale. If the season had ended with the second-to-last episode instead, I would have preferred it (even if it isn't really as satisfying). The main issue I have with the actual finale is while it sets up something awesome (that will obviously never happen because the show got cancelled), it immediately undercuts a major moment from the previous episode. Aside from that, I'm still sad about the lack of Old Lace, which I suppose can't be helped given budget constraints. The Gibborim shit, while it led to some pretty cool (and sometimes funny) moments, felt played out, and it didn't help that they didn't feel like the most interesting villains ever. Even though the whole schism between the MCU and Marvel TV is more established than ever, there were still cool connections between the more mystical elements of the movies and the show. There was also a particularly badass connection to Agents of SHIELD that made my jaw drop, and they even found a way to call back to Iron Man 2, of all things. It's a shame the show had to go out on a cliffhanger (which featured something from the comics that I'm SUPER upset that we'll never get to see), but Runaways S3 was a good an ending as any. The show as a whole was satisfactory, and as a longtime Runaways fan, I'm just happy it got to exist at all, especially with what I think is the perfect main cast. - end - I got another build-focused blog entry right here; it's one I've wanted to tackle for a while, but couldn't find the opportunity to do so. It wasn't until I finished my latest build that I could really collect my thoughts for this one. Creatures, animals, and monsters are pretty common subjects for Lego builds, and I've certainly built my fair share over the years. Unlike humanoid builds, the wide varieties of "creature" or "monster" that exist lend themselves to a greater degree of freedom when it comes to design. As such, I have a greater tendency to build monsters than I do humanoid beings. The thing that I enjoy about building creatures is that there really isn't a right way to build them. Save for a number of specialized pieces, there aren't really any Lego bricks whose main function is to be a body part of an animal. Contrast that with other types of Lego themes, like Bionicle or Technic; many pieces serve one very obvious purpose (be it a weapon, a head piece, wheels, etc.). Creature/monster builds feel a little more freeform; as long as the piece you use does the job for the look you want, it's fair game. Take this quadruped beast I built, for example. The piece I used for its horn/snout thing is originally a helmet piece for a Bionicle set — I just oriented it in a different way. So many great and clever builds incorporate this method: take a piece and build around what it looks like in a certain orientation. Making one thing look like another thing to achieve the appearance you want takes a bit of imagination, and some good work in your presentation. In a vacuum, the head of this chicken freak I built is just a Bionicle head turned around (the long orange piece is actually a bit you slide into the skull piece to give it "glowing" eyes). But with a bit of imagination, and by building a body that vaguely looks like a bird, and the head is a chicken head. A lot of great Lego sets actively and successfully capture your imagination in this way, and I always strive to do something similar in many designs. Because Technic/Bionicle/CCBS pieces tend to be highly specialized (i.e. they serve a specific purpose), have odd shapes, or have peculiar connection points, making creatures with them is a rather arduous (but incredibly satisfying) challenge. Regular System bricks are a little more forgiving, because they tend to come in relatively simpler shapes and are generally easier to work with. The former point seems like a limitation, but simple shapes are more than enough to express the appearances of many creatures. This bird I built, for example, uses largely common pieces like curved slopes and clip bricks. While I always say that "limitation breeds creativity," the fact that there are no limitations or rules to how a monster or creature should look leads to a world of possibilities. Both in nature and in fiction, animals take on all sorts of forms, some commonplace, and others downright bizarre. Whether I take inspiration from real-life animals, pull from iconic monster designs, dream up my own Lovecraftian nightmare, or go for a mixture of these approaches, the well of creature-based builds runs incredibly deep. I have selected the above assortment of old builds to demonstrate the diversity of designs one can come up with. This was a pretty short post compared to other build-focused entries, and it lacks the sense of progression other build ideas I've tackled have, or any sort of in-depth minutiae on my methods. Nonetheless, I felt compelled to talk about this subject, as design approaches that I do my best to apply in every build are something I found to be rather prevalent when I build monsters and animals. I hope this was interesting regardless.
- end - Happy new year, folks! It's a brand new decade, but Five Comics shall keep going. And I have just the theme for the fresh start that is 2020. THE THEME: The very first Five Comics entry had a theme befitting a new beginning: I read comics that were completely new to me. Today, I'm bringing that theme back, because it's a new year, and it's a good a time as any to try out something new. THE COMICS: GLOBWORLD #0 Publisher: Action Lab Writer: Jeremy Whitley Artist: Andrew Charipar - GlobWorld is a cartoony comic set in the eponymous world, which is populated by cutesy beings called Globs. This zero issue follows the Tournament of the Globs, which is essentially King of the Ring. It's not really for me, but it's a decent all-ages title with a simple art style and silly humor. - FREE on Comixology SEXCASTLE (FREE PREVIEW) Publisher: Image Writer: Kyle Starks Artist: Kyle Starks - Shane Sexcastle (yes, that is his name) just got out of prison, and after a life spent being an assassin, he's sworn off killing and moved into a small town. Unfortunately for him, stories like these always end up with the past catching up to him. I really dug the simple art style and the weird dialogue, so I might just check out the full graphic novel. - FREE on Comixology THE FEARSOME DOCTOR FANG #1 Publisher: TKO Studios Writers: Tze Chun, Mike Weiss Artist: Dan McDaid - This comic is set in the 1900s, and follows a San Francisco cop named Nayland, who is hunting down Doctor Fang, a notorious international criminal. Not all is what it seems, however, as Doctor Fang might not even be real, and there may be more dangerous forces in play. I found the mystery intriguing off the bat, so I might read more. - Comixology link RUNNERS VOL. 1 (FREE PREVIEW) Publisher: Serve Man Press Writer: Sean Wang Artist: Sean Wang - Here's another free preview of a graphic novel. Runners is a sci-fi story following a crew of rogue alien smugglers as they try to make a living. The early chapters immediately set up a mystery, and there's plenty of potential lore threads worth exploring two chapters in. On top of that, the art is great, and the space action appeals to me directly. - FREE on Comixology GOODNIGHT PARADISE #1 Publisher: TKO Studios Writer: Joshua Dysart Artist: Alberto Ponticelli - This comic follows Eddie, a homeless man who hangs about in Venice Beach, California. His life is rough, but he seemed content, until he found the dead body of a murdered teenage girl. Something about it piqued my curiosity, and I may look into the rest of the series. - Comixology link 2020 is sure to be filled with new things to explore, and I don't just mean new comics. There'll be new games to play, new movies to see, new TV shows to follow, and who knows what else? I look forward to exploring as much as I can, and I look forward to talking about those new things on this blog. Hopefully you, amazing reader, share my enthusiasm, and here's to a better year! PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
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