The end of the year is here, but I have one more reading session before the calendar turns over. THE THEME: This is the last part of the 2022 Rewind, where I revisit select Five Comic themes from earlier in the year with an assorted reading list. Hopefully the variety here is enjoyable to you. THE COMICS: ![]() BLUE LOCK SAMPLER Publisher: Kodansha Comics Writer: Muneyuki Kaneshiro Artist: Yusuke Nomura This special edition previews four chapters of the manga's first volume, and it's about Japan's search for a highly skilled striker for their national football team, in hopes of finally capturing the World Cup. The Japan Football Union's solution to this is to hire a clearly unhinged coach who gathers 300 of the most gifted young strikers in Japan and have them compete against each other in a ruthless series of contests to determine the football team's ace. The dog-eat-dog concept of the whole thing had me hooked, and I'd absolutely love to read more. [THEME: More Manga, Please] ![]() GREEN LANTERN CORPS (2006-2011) #1 Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Dave Gibbons Artists: Patrick Gleason, Prentis Rollins Many heroes have gone by the name Green Lantern, so named as they protect the universe while empowered by the green light of willpower. We get to see a bunch of them in action here (including resident douchebag Guy Gardner), but the main focus appears to be on a Lantern named Natu who, in the middle of a dangerous mission, deals with some serious self-doubt. Bad timing, as the mission goes south the moment she takes a hike. [THEME: One Name, Many Faces] ![]() SPIDEY AND HIS AMAZING FRIENDS (FCBD 2022) Publisher: Marvel Writer: no info Artist: no info Based on a Disney Junior show, this all-ages affair sees Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and Ghost-Spider/Spider-Gwen in short adventures facing off against the likes of Doc Ock and Green Goblin. Definitely for children, given Goblin's whole mission in one of the stories is to steal balloons from a parade. [THEME: Spider-Verse of Madness] ![]() MATA HARI #1 Publisher: Berger Books Writer: Emma Beeby Artist: Ariela Kristantina This comic explores the life of Mata Hari, a real-life figure known for her provocative performances and her work as a spy during World War I. We get to see brief glimpses into different parts of her life (from her childhood, her time as a sultry model, her trial, and her imminent execution), as well as the hardships she's faced and the disrespect she experienced during her trial. As far as I can tell, many details are accurate. [THEME: Leading Ladies (Berger Books Edition)] ![]() DEADSIDE #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Paul Jenkins Artist: Ashley Wood This Shadowman spinoff doesn't feature the titular hero, but heavily features Deadside, the realm of the dead that Shadowman defends the living against. The comic itself focuses on the story of Billy Reuben, a nobody who was captured by a deranged scientist, tortured for decades in a twisted experiment to see what awaits people in death. The result is absolutely haunting. [THEME: Inside Deadside] I've read plenty of comics this year, especially considering my initial resolution to read more manga and the monumental weekly Black Panther reads I did in anticipation for Wakanda forever. My selection for the 2022 Rewind barely scratches the surface of the volume and variety of stuff I've read, but I'm still pretty happy with what I picked out here. 2022 was still a pretty rough year across the board, but I feel like I've made at least a tiny bit of progress in crawling out of the seemingly inescapable hole I've dug myself into. Pursuing my hobbies and writing about them here remains a big help in getting me through each week, and I only hope that someone out there finds some enjoyment in my ramblings. Here's to a better 2023, preferably with more stuff to read. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
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The progress to clear the backlog is slow, but steady. BACKGROUND:
Didn't know anything about this game when I picked it up. I just saw "pinball" in the store description and was sold. PLOT: Unless there's some deep lore that I missed baked into the game's pinball "table", I'm fairly certain this game doesn't have a story. PRESENTATION: The visual style of this game takes on a pixel art aesthetic that is reminiscent of old-school arcade games or games from the 16-bit era. It looks far more detailed than anything that came out during that time, though, which is impressive. The design of the board itself fully leans into the occult setting it sells itself as, with visual elements such as ghoulish monsters, blood and spikes, pentagrams and runes, and an overall dark and moody backdrop. In contrast, the visual effects are as bright and flashy as you'd expect from an arcade pinball game, so much so that people with photosensitivity issues should take some care before playing this game. As for the sounds, there's a smattering of satisfying noises for hitting things, an occasional announcer whose voice is both creepy and unintelligible, and the music leans towards the upbeat chiptune style that gets you pumped (and has a vibe that reminds me of the Castlevania soundtrack, which fits the horror/occult theme this game is going for). It's about as noisy as a real arcade, which, for a pinball game, makes perfect sense. GAMEPLAY: So, Demon's Tilt is a pinball game. If you've played one before, you probably have a good idea of what to expect here. With that said, let's just focus on what makes this one different. The playfield itself is quite massive and is split into three sections (each with a pair of flippers you can control). Each of these sections has a gimmick centered around its main "boss": the upper section is controlled by a manticore, the middle is controlled by a high priestess, and the lower segment is guarded by a hermit. These bosses function much like the regular bumpers you'll see on the board in that you can hit them for points, and you get bonuses if you manage to hit them enough times to take them out. It's fun to have a relatively easy objective on the board you can go for, especially one that can feel satisfying as slaying a supernatural enemy. Regular enemies like demons also spawn on occasion, and you can take out hordes of them with well-aimed shots. Some of these enemies (as well as a few bosses) can also shoot out projectiles bullet hell-style, and these bullets can slow your ball down and completely screw with you. I thought the bullet hell aspect was an interesting twist to the pinball formula, because it adds an unpredictable element to simply whacking the flippers for big points. It does make the game quite difficult, though, and it feels infuriating to have a good run completely be derailed by a single goddamn floating pellet. There are also a ton of fun gimmicks across the board (like starting rituals, using magic, etc.) along with all the exciting bells and whistles common in most pinball games (ramps, slots, bonus areas). In my experience, however, there's often too much going on that I typically have no idea what's happening. But hey, I'm getting mad points, and that feels good. Tilting is highly encouraged in this game, and you're able to nudge the ball in a direction to help you hit targets or to prevent losing the ball. I thought it was neat that you move the ball itself as opposed to tilting the table, since it allows for a bit more freedom with what you can pull off. However, I personally don't like tilting when playing pinball, so I don't use this feature a lot (even though the game appears to be designed around it). The game has three modes: Normal, EX-Mode (which adds even more gimmicks to an already jam-packed board), and Hardcore (one ball only as opposed to the normal three). Each mode has a separate leaderboard if you're into chasing high scores. VERDICT: Demon's Tilt is a plenty chaotic pinball game with lots going on between its gothic but also flashy visuals, great soundtrack, a ton of bells and whistles, and some interesting gimmicks like enemies that shoot bullets and pseudo-boss fights. I may not know what's going on half the time, but hitting things leads to lots of shit happening, and when it comes to pinball games, that's really all I can ask for. I can see myself playing this when I'm bored the way I used to for the Space Cadet pinball game for Windows XP. I don't think Demon's Tilt completely revolutionizes the pinball genre with its gimmicks (I'd say it's mostly standard stuff across the board with some neat stuff mixed in), so if you're looking for something truly unique, I don't feel like this game will satisfy you in that regard. But if you're just looking for a serviceable pinball game with a decently big playfield and a million things to hit, you may find a lot of enjoyment with this one. Here's the game on the following platforms: - end - Christmas is just around the corner, but before then, I have part two of my Five Comics rewind for this year. THE THEME: This is part two of the 2022 Rewind, where I read five comics each corresponding to a theme I previously did earlier in the year. Like I said before, I won't be representing all the 2022 themes, so I hope my assorted selection is interesting to you. THE COMICS: ![]() HELLBOY: THE SILVER LANTERN CLUB #1 Publisher: Dark Horse Writers: Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson Artists: Ben Stenbeck, Christopher Mitten This takes place early into Hellboy's career, as Professor Bruttenholm is still around. Here, they visit the professor's uncle Simon, who was part of the Silver Lantern Club, a predecessor to the BPRD that looked into supernatural/occult goings-on (and featured Sir Edward Grey, the Witchfinder). Simon is more than happy to reminisce and tells the two of a story about a demon possessing an old-fashioned communication device. [THEME: Circles of Hell] - free to read via this IGN article ![]() OCCUPY AVENGERS #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: David F. Walker Artists: Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz Still living with the burden of killing Bruce Banner (who, for the record, asked him to do it), Clint Barton is out on his own traveling across the states, helping people along the way. His first stop has him help an impoverished Native American reservation affected by assholes contaminating their water supply. [THEME: Stars of Phase Four] ![]() WITCHBLADE #1 Publisher: Image (Top Cow) Writers: David Wohl, Brian Haberlin, Christina Z., Michael Turner Artists: Michael Turner, D-Tron Sara Pezzini, a homicide detective, has her life change forever when she investigates a shady gathering organized by an extremely rich asshole. Said rich guy apparently possesses the titular Witchblade, a powerful gauntlet that grants immense power... if it accepts the wielder. He's looking to find someone to wield the gauntlet and manipulate them (since he can't use it himself), but it ends up choosing Pezzini. Interesting (if standard) start to a superhero series. [THEME: Leading Ladies (Image Comics Edition)] ![]() LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETS: THE GREAT MYX-UP (FCBD 2022) Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Heath Corson Artist: Bobby Timony Here's an all-ages adventure featuring the Justice League's animal pals (some of whom I'm pretty sure are made up for this story). This preview shows each character (from the iconic Krypto and more) working with their respective hero and sets up an adventure where they all work together. Big fan of The Flash's turtle sidekick who also runs fast. [THEME: Just Kidding! Vol. 2] ![]() BLACK PANTHER: THE SOUND AND THE FURY Publisher: Marvel Writer: Ralph Macchio (no, not the guy in the original Karate Kid) Artist: Andrea di Vito This is a standard superhero comic where T'Challa takes on his old nemesis Klaw to stop him from destroying the city of Dubai. Features three villains (serving as Klaw's henchmen) that I haven't seen before, so that's interesting. [THEME: Black History Month 2022 Edition] I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend! Next week: the finale. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
I've waited quite a long time to play this game, and thanks to a good friend, I can do just that. BACKGROUND:
I've already summed up my history with the Bayonetta series in an old blog entry about my time with the first game. With regards to Bayonetta 3 in particular, my excitement was on another level due to how long the radio silence was between its initial announcement and any meaningful news on it. Bayo 3 was revealed on a Game Awards show many years ago (I want to say 2017?) and it took the turn of the decade for us to see anything about the game after that. I thought this game was in development hell, so finally seeing a trailer for it on a Nintendo Direct was quite exciting for me. I suppose I can't talk about this game without addressing the whole voice actor controversy that surfaced close to the game's release. While I ultimately felt like the conflict went in a direction that made me feel iffy about both sides, I still thought it was a shame to lose the original voice actor. And if there's any good that came from it, we at least put the conversation of properly compensating voice talent forward. For the record, my friend (who preordered this game before the whole controversy came to light, so don't start shit) graciously lent me this game so I could play it for myself. Once again, I'd like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to play more stuff, and I'm glad to have been able to return the favor recently by lending something of my own. PLOT: Our favorite Umbra Witch Bayonetta is back for another wild adventure, and this time, the stakes are much higher, and the scope is much wider. Cataclysm strikes in New York City just as Bayonetta was enjoying a day out, and after another wild battle, she meets up with Viola, a young, feisty Umbra Witch from a doomed universe. Viola warns that Singularity, a powerful entity, is traveling the multiverse and destroying everything to gain power, and wouldn't you know it, Bayonetta is the only one who can stop it. That's right, motherfuckers: Bayonetta has a multiverse now. The whole premise is super fun, since a huge chunk of the game sees our Bayonetta travel across the multiverse, meet alternate versions of herself, and kick a whole lot of ass as she does. The finer details didn't really hook me all that much; a lot of the game is just looking for magic macguffins, and Singularity didn't really hook me as a character (though he more than sufficed as a threat unlike anything else Bayonetta has ever faced). Also, bulk of the story was structured such that the exact same thing (with slight variations) happened multiple times, which made things a tad formulaic. Overall, this doesn't bother me too much, since I'm mostly here for the absurd horseshit that happens and for Bayonetta herself, and rarely have I ever taken the plot of the games in this series seriously. Bayonetta's still sassy and confident (albeit strangely more subdued than previous games), though this game is notable in that we get to see that always-confident disposition tested in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. We don't get to hang out with the supporting cast of the previous games as much this time around, but the stuff I enjoyed from those characters are still present in some form. Rodin remains badass despite being in an otherwise silly situation (much like him being Santa in Bayo 2), Enzo is still a hilarious caricature, Jeanne gets to do cool shit (though she's sadly in the sidelines for most of the game), and Luka gets to be his trademark idiot self again. Jeanne, I feel, gets the real short end of the stick given how things play out after her subplot converges with the main story. We're introduced to Viola in this game, and I think she's a decent character. I liked her spunky attitude (which had a layer of self-doubt hidden beneath), and I thought her quest to gain Bayonetta's approval was amusing (since Bayonetta keeps rebuffing her attempts to look cool). You can smell the truth about who she really is from a mile away, though, so I wouldn't call that a particularly groundbreaking plot twist. She's a fun contrast to Bayonetta's unassailable swagger given she comes across as a goofball (not in a bad way) and isn't as refined a fighter yet. Unfortunately, we don't really get to spend time exploring the stories of the alternate Bayonettas, though simply seeing radically different versions of the character is fun in itself (especially considering the variants they went with are fun new takes on our favorite witch). If you want extra lore surrounding these variants, you'll have to go out of your way to find collectibles that give you mini-stories to read (something they continue from the previous games). I feel like those bits of lore were worth finding since they reveal interesting tidbits about each Bayonetta variant, and the fun is seeing how they are similar or different from the version we're most familiar with. That said, the fact that the main Bayonetta hardly interacts with her variants at all feels like such a missed opportunity. I will say that the game makes some choices with its story that I would describe as highly questionable. For one, the whole subplot centered around Luka came completely out of left field and I felt like the twist surrounding him (which itself isn't as shocking as the game makes it out to be) was not built up all that well. The ending, however, is where I found myself scratching my head. I understood what they were going for, and I was not opposed to the idea in a vacuum, but the execution left me going "this cannot be how this ends." Some key shocking moments had me exclaiming "you can't be fucking serious," the dramatic climax felt confusing (things kind of just happen and you have to just accept it), and I feel like the thing they were setting up in the aftermath (which itself was a head-scratcher, given how everything seemingly just... works out) could have been done in a more satisfying way. I totally understand why some people are not happy with the ending. In fact, my friend said something to the effect of "I want you to feel as miffed as I do when you see how the story ends" when they lent it to me (my initial reply to this was "it can't be that bad, right?"). When it comes to this game series, I don't really stress myself out with the minutiae of the actual lore (it's always been off the rails, and that's not why I care about the series anyhow), but I personally feel like the major choice they made in the end was exchanging what has made Bayonetta as a franchise so beloved for something that wasn't built up as properly. If they intend to move the series in this completely bold, new direction, I think getting fans invested is an uphill battle. PRESENTATION: Graphics-wise, Bayonetta 3 boasts some impressive visual fidelity. The models and environments look fairly polished, and the animations feel as smooth as ever. And as is tradition, the action (especially the cutscenes) is over-the-top spectacle, a fair number of goofy moments, and plenty of Bayonetta being a stylish fighter. Though we still get a few risqué scenes, it definitely feels like they toned down her sexy moments slightly; she's still kind of clothed when doing Wicked Weaves (most of the time), and there's pretty much nothing on the level of the more suggestive stuff from the previous games. I honestly don't care either way, as she still gets to do weirdly convoluted dances to control demons and show off her Bullet Arts fighting style. Although I am still quite partial to Bayonetta's design from the second game, I thought her design here looks pretty solid. Plus, with her alternate versions, she gets more designs on top of that, and they all have rather inspired themes (like the phantom thief outfit or the pharaoh outfit). You can unlock the option to switch between these costumes, and you can even mess around with the palette if you want. Bayonetta's various demon summons are back, and there's a wider variety of them than before. A lot of them look quite distinct, but what makes them special this time around is that Bayonetta can take on a Demon Masquerade form where she gets a transformation based on their designs. I'll talk about the gameplay aspect of this later, but these Masquerade forms look pretty unique. The Homunculi, which replace both the angels and the demons as the regular enemies you fight, don't feel that remarkable to me design-wise. Whereas the various types of angels and demons felt distinct from one another, the Homunculi just feel like the same green goop with white shells reconfigured in different ways. I don't think they're terrible as they are; I just felt like they were a step down from "angel whose face is on their sword" or demon bird. Thankfully, you can actually still fight some of the old enemy types and enjoy those designs in the game, albeit these moments are far from common. In terms of music, we have what I feel is another solid score with decent variety, from the jazzier tunes that I most remember from this series, a helping of pop punk in Viola's theme (and it is a banger), intense choir singing for epic moments, a track that feels like it's from an opera tied to one of the most creative sequences in the game, and more. Some remixes of old tracks return (like the iconic Climax theme), but it's mostly new stuff. Of course, I'll have to mention the voice acting. Bayonetta's new voice does what I think is a solid job at portraying the iconic character. However, having played the previous two games, I can certainly hear the difference, and I personally feel like you still can't beat the original (though I wouldn't say the margin is that wide). For everyone else, the voice acting is great across the board. Something I found notable is the addition of the Naive Angel mode, which tones down gore and suggestive visuals from the game. I did not turn this on since I don't care, but it's an option if you prefer it this way. I will say, however, that this feels pointless given the more revealing aspects of Bayonetta's Wicked Weaves are already quite reduced to begin with, and that the violence is far from Mortal Kombat levels of gore. GAMEPLAY: Bayonetta 3, much like its predecessors, is a hack-and-slash action game where you play as the titular witch and mow down hordes of enemies with a variety of combos. A lot of the fundamentals are the same: you have various combos based on sequences of punch and kick buttons (plus a few command inputs or delayed input combos), the ability to extend combos/damage faraway enemies with the shoot button, and the iconic Witch Time mechanic, which slows down time when you dodge an enemy attack at the last possible moment. These basics still feel fluid, and Witch Time remains one of the most satisfying game mechanics out there. This game probably has the widest variety of weapons in the series thus far, as there are plenty to choose from with different play styles like slow but strong weapons, weapons with wide range, and even a few with some neat gimmicks. Loadouts aren't as customizable as Bayonetta 2 where you can equip different weapons for your hands and your feet, but you can seamlessly swap between two weapons after setting your preferences in the menu. What's nice is that nearly every weapon save a couple is unlocked just by playing through the story (as opposed to the old convention of finding collectibles or completing optional objectives), so you no longer have to take extra effort just to try out something different. The game's new gimmick involves the Demon Slave mechanic, which lets you use your magic meter to summon demons and actively control them in fights. Every weapon also has a corresponding demon associated with them, so you'll also unlock a decent variety of demons to wreck shit with. The demons don't have deep movesets but can deal a ton of damage or inflict major status, so it feels empowering to summon them on enemies. Plus, they're the most reliable to trigger the brutal torture attacks, which is a returning mechanic from previous games. That said, I did not find myself using this mechanic unless absolutely necessary, as the demons are a bit cumbersome to control, leave Bayonetta herself vulnerable, and mess with the camera angles due to the scale. The main thing I do like about the Demon Slave mechanic is the ability to perform what I liken to the Sync Attacks in Astral Chain. During specific moments (either before an enemy's big attack, or at the end of specific combos), you can press the summon button to unleash your selected demon to deal a burst of damage (and, often, a big knockdown or launcher to go along with it). Apart from that, I did not really find Demon Slave to be as engaging as the magic mechanics of the older games. There's also the Demon Masquerade mechanic, which allows Bayonetta to transform into the demons associated with her currently equipped weapon. The transformations typically happen automatically as the end of certain combos, but they also happen with certain attacks, and when you press jump three times, granting some sort of mobility bonus (like a forward dash, the ability to glide, and more). Moving around with these transformations is pretty fun, though the best use of Demon Masquerade for me is the ability to immediately dash towards enemies to close distance. This is a great way to keep the flow of combat going. Each weapon and each demon have a respective skill tree where you unlock new moves or add passive buffs. You spend orbs (typically awarded from racking up combos) to unlock the skills, so there is incentive to actually get good enough to keep a combo going. While you can probably get somewhere mindlessly mashing buttons (especially with certain weapons), I'd argue it's more rewarding to properly learn combos both to earn orbs and simply to get the most out of the game's combat. Although the enemies kind of blend together in my head visually, they do feel distinct when you actually fight them. Most enemies aren't simple punching bags, either, and carelessly fighting them will hurt. Some of them have tough attacks to navigate around, but it is satisfying to figure out the timing, activate Witch Time, and wreck shop with combos. Bosses are much the same in terms of feeling distinct from one another, though strangely, they're the ones I feel like are more punching bags (largely since you don't have to manage their numbers like you would regular enemies). Boss encounters start out with the typical combat, though often end in some sort of high-octane gimmick fight that involves the use of the demon summons. The actual fun of these gimmicks can vary, but the variety itself is undeniable (there are chase sequences, shmup sections, full-on kaiju fights, and even an unexpected rhythm minigame). Of course, quick-time events are back, though like before, these are typically just for score bonuses. Enemies drop cells, which you can spend at the Gates of Hell for consumables (like restoration items or buffs) and accessories (earrings you can equip for combat bonuses). You can also get crafting materials as drops, which you can use to craft consumables as an alternative to spending cells. I didn't rely on consumables too much (I don't know if that's due to my experience with the series or the difficulty of combat), but they're helpful in a pinch. As such, I had a surplus of cells which I spent on the helpful accessories. As is tradition, the 14 chapters of the game are split into "verses" (what the game calls enemy encounters), and on Normal difficulty and above, each verse has a medal rating upon completion. Medals are awarded for max combo reached, clear time, and damage taken, with stone as the lowest rating and platinum as the highest. Chasing for high ratings is mostly for one's self-satisfaction, but I personally was quite satisfied to be getting much higher medal ratings than I was when I first started the series. Speaking of difficulty, there are multiple settings you can choose from. I played on Normal, but there's a more casual mode, a hard mode, and a much tougher Infinite Climax mode only unlocked after beating the game once. Some of the chapters have you play as other characters. Viola's levels have you kick ass as her, but her options are severely limited given she only has one weapon, and her one demon summon forces you to fight bare-handed. I think her combat is fine for what it is, but I just greatly preferred the variety Bayonetta's combat provided. If there's one thing I did find interesting, it's how Viola's Witch Time is triggered by perfect blocking attacks, and I liked the challenge that brought to the table. Jeanne's levels are wildly different, as you play her in side-scrolling levels where you can sneak around stealth killing enemies. I felt like these levels aren't that strong since there was no sense doing anything other than sprinting to the end of the level (stealth is very much optional and the combat here is shallow), which is a shame because I thought the whole "spy action" conceit was an amusing concept. If it's any consolation, you can select her as a playable character in some of the normal levels, though she plays the same as Bayonetta. Many of the normal levels have a lot to explore given how surprisingly large they are, and there are a good number of well-hidden secrets to find. These range from chests with goodies, the various collectibles, and optional verses. The optional verses can simply be typical fights (except with non-Homonculi enemies like angels or demons), or challenge levels with specific restrictions and gimmicks. The challenge levels can vary in terms of difficulty (some of them are absolutely rough), but the rewards are worthwhile. Levels often have a few simple platforming sections (which aren't that tough) and the occasional puzzle rooms that use the demon summons in straightforward albeit unwieldy ways. The collectibles vary in usefulness. The main ones you want are Witch Hearts and Moon Pearls, which increase your health and magic respectively. You'll also be able to find the lore tidbits I mentioned previously, as well as various items you can view in the game's gallery. These include concept art, the ability to view 3D models, and even a jukebox where you can listen to the game's music. The most interesting collectibles are the Umbran Tears. Collecting all three Tears in a level unlocks that level's Phenomenal Remnant, which is like an extra level with an alternate challenge (like time trials or a boss fight). These tend to be tough challenges as well, but again, the rewards are typically worth going for. Most levels also have Bewitchments, which I liken to what most people would call achievements in other games. These challenges are specified on the chapter select screen after you beat a chapter once, though there's no real reward for completing them (apart from the satisfaction of doing them, I suppose). VERDICT: While I found Bayonetta 3's signature combat to be as fun as its predecessors, I can't quite ignore the fact that the story (despite its fun multiverse-hopping premise) makes some undeniably controversial choices, and that the Demon Slave mechanic doesn't feel like a seamless extension of the hack-and-slash gameplay I enjoy from the series. I still had plenty of fun with the game, and I'm glad that it finally saw the light of day after five years, but I must admit that I am skeptical about how the series moves forward from here (at least in terms of story; I'm still confident in the gameplay aspect). If you're new to this series, I would strongly advise against starting with this one and instead go in order. I feel like the previous two games feature Bayonetta at her peak as a character more than this game does, so I'd recommend starting there to get a proper sense of why she ended up becoming a beloved character. Don't worry about the gameplay being difficult, as the previous games do accommodate less experienced players. Once you're done with that, then I can recommend giving this one a go. - end - It's almost the end of this weird-ass year, and I had the thought to do this again as we close in on 2023. THE THEME: I started the Five Comics blog series all the way back in 2019, and despite the pandemic throwing everything into disarray, I've managed to keep it a semi-regular mainstay of this site. During that initial year, I published seven Five Comics entries during the last week of December all titled 2019 Rewind as a way to look back at all the themes I had done for the series for that year. It involved some effort, but I had a lot of fun reading more comics while also tying those reads into previous Five Comics entries. As you can probably guess by the title, I'm doing it again for the year of 2022. Like I said in the final 2019 Rewind post, I'm not going to do anything of that scale again where I have a post for every day of the week. This year, I'm dialing things back by making the 2022 Rewind a three-parter that will be spread out every week, one for each of the final three weeks of the year. Unlike the first rewind, not every Five Comics theme I did for this year will be represented, but hopefully my selection will be interesting, nonetheless. I suppose the fact that I didn't do this in 2020 and 2021 will raise some questions, but again, the pandemic messed up a lot of my reading plans (as well as every other aspect of my life, but that's unrelated). For what it's worth, I pivoted to reading more of my TPB/graphic novel backlog during those years to make up for the lack of Five Comics, and that was equally fulfilling as a reader. THE COMICS: ![]() BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT - BATGIRL BEGINS Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Tim Seeley Artists: Matthew Clark, Wade von Grawbadger Set in the universe of the Arkham games, this one-shot shows us Barbara Gordon becoming Batgirl for the first time as she stops Killer Moth at a weird GCPD event. Not bad for a first outing. [THEME: Return to Gotham] ![]() BLOODSHOT U.S.A. #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Doug Braithwaite Project Rising Spirit is up to their usual sketchy super soldier antics again, but this time, their scheme is completely insane. They've developed a Bloodshot Virus based on the Bloodshot nanites, and it's infected literally everyone in New York City. Every single one of those people (which include other Valiant heroes like Livewire and Ninjak) can now be controlled by Project Rising Spirit via the virus and converted into more Bloodshot soldiers. Hell of a premise; I want to see how the real Bloodshot (plus his new friends, who are super soldiers like him) combat such a threat. [THEME: Rising Spirit] ![]() DEJAH THORIS (VOL. 4) #0 Publisher: Dynamite Comics Writer: Amy Chu Artist: Pasquale Qualano This comic follows Dejah Thoris, the princess of Mars from Tarzan author Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom stories (which stars John Carter). Here, her journey to find a seemingly mythical garden is established, as she seeks to bring back life and abundance to the barren Mars. Unfortunately, she does something stupid in pursuit of that goal. [THEME: Leading Ladies (Dynamite Comics Edition)] ![]() THE RED TEN #0 (FCBD 2013) Publisher: ComixTribe Writer: Tyler James Artists: various This zero issue of The Red Ten introduces The Alliance, a billionaire-backed super team whose members totally aren't just pastiches of other more well-known superheroes. Jokes aside, the introductions themselves did little for me since it's just short character profiles (though I like the framing of the billionaire introducing them to the reader), but the premise the comic is setting up is interesting: the story's going to be a murder mystery where The Alliance are the victims. That, I want to read. [THEME: Free Comic Book Day (2022 Edition)] ![]() X-MEN BLUE (2017-2018) #35 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Marcus To I've pointed this out before, but in the 2010s, the original incarnation of the X-Men from the '60s were displaced from their time and sent to present day. Things got weird, but the younger X-Men grew differently in the process, but now, their presence has messed up the timeline and they have to go back. In this issue, all the time-displaced X-Men try and come to terms with having all the growth they've gone through be undone when they return to their time, and it's actually quite sad (especially for Iceman). We also see glimpses of an alternate future where these same X-Men appear to have become evil and are destroying the world. [THEME: Legacy of X Vol. 2] Well, here we go again! This was a fun, varied mix of comics, and hopefully the variety was interesting to you, the reader, as well. Part 2 of the rewind will be here next week, so stay tuned for that. PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
Though some have become ambivalent towards ROH as of late due to it being a major presence in AEW (including myself, to be honest), I'm still fairly interested in seeing how this reboot of sorts is going to play out. Thus, here I am watching another ROH PPV.
We have another NXT event here, and this one's interesting, as we're getting a completely new match type on this card. I'll talk about that and more below.
Cross this one off the bucket list. BACKGROUND:
Considering how acclaimed the series is, I've heard a fair bit about BioShock, but I've never actually played any game in the trilogy. How fortuitous that all three games went free for a limited time; now I can rectify having gone years without playing this game. PLOT: BioShock is set in 1960 and follows the perspective of Jack, who survives a plane crash over the Atlantic Ocean. He happens upon a lighthouse with a bathysphere (an old-school deep-sea submersible) in it; upon riding it, he is taken to Rapture, a sprawling underwater city with an appropriately old-timey vibe fused with what I would describe as "nautical steampunk." Unfortunately, the Rapture that Jack finds himself in has fallen to ruin, as the once-gleaming utopia has gone full dystopia. With the guidance of a man named Atlas (who contacts Jack via radio), our main character must go around the city in hopes of saving Rapture, whose creator Andrew Ryan has gone mad with power. Through a combination of cutscenes, collectible diaries that play audio recordings of key figures in Rapture's rise and fall, and environmental storytelling, you'll get an excellent picture of Rapture's entire history. Everything from Andrew Ryan's initial vision for the city (and his rationale for keeping it secret from the rest of the world), the scientific discovery that transformed Rapture's citizens, the war for power that transpired to control said discovery, and the eventual decline of the utopia is explained. To me, it was absolutely worth finding every audio recording and observing the environment for lore clues. The world they built for this game is utterly fascinating from a sci-fi standpoint, but I'll get into that later. What's most notable to me are how the decisions and mindsets of the various characters relayed via audio recordings reveal so much, from their respective morals/ethics (or lack thereof), their roles in Rapture's history (big or small), and their different perspectives on various happenings that precede the events of the game. Navigating each character's philosophies and piecing together the history of Rapture was engaging, and I loved how the different perspectives come together and clear things up over time. While the notion of an underwater city during the '60s is a cool sci-fi setting to me, that's actually not the main sci-fi aspect the game's story tackles. A lot of the main story, the world-building, and even what you encounter in the actual gameplay centers around ADAM, a powerful substance that allows for genetic modification (primarily, giving people superpowers). As you go along, you'll learn how this very substance led to Rapture's downfall, the fucked up shit the scientists did with it (or to keep making it), and how ADAM twisted Rapture's citizens. Perhaps the most tragic consequence of the ADAM involves the Little Sisters, very young girls completely warped by ADAM. The story of how they came to be is heartbreaking, and it's probably one of the most fucked up situations in all of Rapture. Believe it or not, I've gone fifteen whole years without ever hearing about BioShock's incredible plot twist. Obviously, I'm not going to talk about it here, but goddamn, the story took something I thought was a little odd (but otherwise innocuous) and completely turned it on its head. It was set up perfectly by the many audio recordings and background elements, too, and the actual reveal casts everything I witnessed beforehand in a different light. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do everything in your power to keep it that way until you get a chance to play this game. I think it's that satisfying of a twist. The circumstances of Rapture's downfall led most of its citizens to go mad, and it's quite unsettling to see the people you run into in-game driven insane by the chaos. The few people who are unaffected aren't any better, as the likes of Andrew Ryan will upset you with their breathtaking lack of morals. As you meet or learn about many of these characters, it becomes quite apparent how everything went to shit. Not all the characters are bad, however, as there are some who are simply caught in the crossfire of the chaos, and a few who try to do the right thing. Jack himself is a silent protagonist whom you don't learn much about at the start, so there's not much to go off of in terms of an interesting character. However, the story does reveal some incredibly interesting things about him, which makes up a little bit for the fact that he doesn't have anything to say. The game presents a moral choice for you throughout your playthrough: do you save the Little Sisters you encounter in the game, or do you kill them? Your decisions to save or kill will decide the story's ending. Overall, I felt this aspect of the story leaves something to be desired, since the only real conundrum the game presents you with is to tell you one option is less beneficial gameplay-wise (we'll talk about that later). I'd have preferred if the choice to save or kill had more weight to it, not just in terms of gameplay, but also within the context of the story. I never really felt like the game gave me a compelling in-universe reason to second guess my choices throughout the game, and I think that's because the story only gives one side of the argument the time of day. As you can probably guess, you can get three endings: the one for saving everyone, the one for killing everyone, and the one in between. The first two work perfectly fine to me (especially when I consider the gameplay aspect of the moral choice), but I found the neutral ending disappointing since it's way too similar to one of the other endings. I feel like they could have done something different with it, though that may have required giving the save/kill choice the extra weight that I wish it had. PRESENTATION: The remastered version features some nice, upscaled graphics that deliver decently realistic visuals (though it can't really rival more modern games in terms of polish and fidelity). Perhaps the only thing that looks stylized to me are character faces, which have a slightly cartoony appearance to me. It doesn't look out of place, though. What really sells BioShock to me visually is the setting and atmosphere. I love how the mix of "nautical steampunk" (with all the bathyspheres, old-school diving suits, piping, and analog tech), the '60s city vibe (neon lights, retro-style signage), and the creepiness of everything being run-down and abandoned come together to provide a setting unlike any other. A sci-fi world set in a period piece isn't anything new, but the otherworldly vibe of the deep sea makes Rapture feel special. Perhaps the most iconic visual element of BioShock to me is the Big Daddy, hulking figures in those old-school diving suits that walk around defending the Little Sisters. Their designs feel appropriately intimidating, and they're exemplary of the "nautical steampunk" aesthetic of the game (looks like old deep-sea technology, actually quite advanced in-universe). I found that many sections of the game don't have music (relying more on the ambient sounds of the sea and the technology of Rapture to provide an eerie atmosphere), but there are actually plenty of tracks that play throughout the campaign. There's a fair mix of period-appropriate licensed songs (which fittingly sound like they're playing out of phonographs), as well as a beautiful orchestral score. Majority of the tracks in the latter category felt suspenseful or eerie, which adds to the dystopian vibe of Rapture and adds to the more tense moments of the game. There are even a few horror movie-style stings that complement the game's jump scare moments (don't worry, there aren't many of these). GAMEPLAY: BioShock is primarily an FPS where you run around and shoot enemies (as you do), but the game's structure and many of its gameplay elements differentiate it quite a bit. Let's get into the nitty-gritty. The weapons are mostly standard fare as far as first person shooters go. You have a revolver, a shotgun, a machine gun, a grenade launcher, a "flamethrower", and a crossbow. What makes these respective weapons interesting in this game is that they all have multiple ammo types. The revolver and machine gun have both antipersonnel and armor-piercing rounds, the shotgun has explosive shells and electric shells that stun, the grenade launcher has heat-seeking missiles and proximity mines, the "flamethrower" can also throw out liquid nitrogen and electric gel, and the crossbow has both incendiary bolts and trap bolts that set up electric tripwires. I enjoyed the variety in this sense, as they gave me a degree of creative freedom with how to dispatch the various enemies. For your melee, you have a monkey wrench. There's nothing special with it at all, but it's fun to bludgeon enemies with it. You also find a research camera that you can use to snap pictures of enemies. Doing so is actually worthwhile, as each enemy type has a research level that goes up the more of that enemy you take pictures of. As the research level goes up, you get a damage boost against them, and the game also reveals what kind of ammo they're weak to. Amusingly, the camera has its own ammo in the form of film, which is period-appropriate. As opposed to most FPS campaigns that split up the story into separate levels, the world of Rapture is interconnected, and you can move back and forth between zones via doors and bathyspheres (which serves as loading zones). It's not quite an open world, but I like that you can go back to previous levels to check out stuff you didn't look at the first time (there's a solid number of optional areas and secret rooms off the beaten path). You'll also be looting a lot as you go for ammo, first aid kits, money, and other materials, and these things can be spotted simply out in the open or swiped from containers (trash cans, crates, refrigerators, etc.) and corpses. While some encounters feel like shootouts with a lot of enemies, most of the game isn't like that. The game feels more akin to Resident Evil when it comes to combat, as you spend some time exploring, run into a handful of enemies in increasingly challenging situations/areas (with some catching you by surprise with jump scares), and you have to manage your resources to make sure you can readily deal with said situations. BioShock isn't really a full-on survival horror, though, as the situations you find yourself in hardly feel scary (even if many situations or areas have an unnerving vibe to them). You have your three standard difficulty settings (easy, medium, hard), as well as a Survivor mode where resources (particularly ammo) is scarce. I played on Medium and didn't really feel like it posed too much of a challenge, and I'll get into why I feel that way later on. Money is quite useful, as there are many kiosks throughout Rapture that sell you useful items (health, ammo, and more). There's also a crafting station where you can take some of the seemingly useless loot you pick up and turn them into the special ammo I mentioned previously (among other things). What makes BioShock stand out to me in terms of mechanics are the Plasmids. These are the superpowers derived from the ADAM that the story revolves around, and Jack can acquire a small assortment of them. Some have obvious offensive applications (the Electro Bolt stuns, Incinerate! burns the enemy, Winter Blast freezes, Insect Swarm unleashes hornets), others are more defensive in nature (Target Dummy shifts enemy aggro, Sonic Boom pushes enemies back), and a few are creative (Cyclone Trap displaces enemies that step on it, Enrage! makes enemies fight other enemies, Security Bullseye makes turrets and bots fight for you, and Telekinesis lets you pull in and launch loose objects). The Plasmids add a lot to how you can approach combat, and you can do a lot of fun stuff with it. You can electrify water to take out multiple enemies wading in puddles simultaneously, you can shatter frozen enemies if you whack them enough times (but lose out on their loot), you can redirect enemy grenades with Telekinesis, and you can even do hilarious shit like stacking fire damage and Insect Swarm. Some of the Plasmids even have applications outside combat, like melting frozen doors, disabling tech like security cameras with electricity, and pulling in faraway loot with Telekinesis. I feel like what they did in this game with the Plasmids only scratches the surface of what you can do with having a variety of powers to complement your guns (you can't freeze water, for example), but what they do have here, I had a lot of fun with. Plasmids require a resource called EVE (get it?) to cast, so you can't rely on it too much to solve all your problems. EVE is basically just this game's equivalent to mana, and you need to find or purchase restoring items called EVE Hypos to keep yourself topped up. At the start, you only have access to a limited number of Plasmids. To expand your arsenal (both in the sense of your Plasmid choices and the maximum number you can have equipped), you'll need ADAM. You can only get ADAM from Little Sisters, but before you have a chance to interact with them (they're invulnerable), you need to dispatch their Big Daddy guardians. These brutes take a lot of punishment (and dish out a lot of damage), but as your weapon selection and available Plasmids expand, they become less and less of threats. It's a bit of a shame since they're by far the most imposing enemy, but I do find satisfaction in stun-locking them and then using specific ammo to rinse them. Once the Big Daddy is dead, the Little Sister can be interacted with. Here, the game's moral choice is presented: do you harvest them for maximum ADAM (killing them in the process), or do you rescue them, but only get half ADAM? On paper, that sounds like an interesting way to handle morality in a video game: do you go for maximum power in exchange for your soul, or do you clear your conscience but make the game more challenging? But for various reasons, I found the difference in the game itself to be negligible. For the record, I chose to save all the Little Sisters, and it didn't really prevent me from getting most of the Plasmid-related upgrades I wanted. I would have liked if the difference were more pronounced. ADAM is spent in a specific kiosk, and you can acquire more than just new Plasmids and additional Plasmid slots. You can also power up your available Plasmids (making their effects more potent), upgrade your health and EVE meter, as well as pick up passive buffs called Tonics. Tonics are split into three categories: Combat (offensive), Physical (defensive), and Engineering (more on that later), and like Plasmids, you can also spend ADAM to expand how many you can have equipped at a time. Most of the Tonics provide significantly helpful benefits, like greater healing from first aid kits, elemental damage resistance, buffs to certain attack types, and more. Weirdly, swapping and equipping your available Tonics and Plasmids is done in a different kiosk, which makes managing them a bit of a chore since you have to find the kiosk first. This becomes a non-issue later in the game (when you're likely to have unlocked a ton of slots), but I think I would've liked the lessened hassle of just handling my loadout via a menu. There's only a small variety of enemies, with most of them being Splicers (people who have been driven completely insane by ADAM abuse). These Splicers don't really feel all that interesting; there are only a few variants of them (some have guns, others have melee, a few have powers), only a handful of them resist your Plasmids, and their AI isn't all that smart (making stealth relatively easy). If it's any consolation, I delighted in finding new and exciting ways to kill them with my expanding arsenal, but other than that, they only pose a challenge when there's a ton of them at once. The few bosses in the game aren't all that interesting or challenging, either, apart from the final boss. That said, the only thing the final boss has going for it is that they do unique things in the fight, but I actually found them quite easy to beat. You'll also encounter a bunch of machine-based threats like automated turrets, flying drones, and security cameras that sound alarms and summon said flying drones if you're detected. Dispatching them is easy (one shot of lightning is enough to stun them briefly), but the fun thing you can do with them is hacking them to fight for you. The hacking minigame is actually enjoyable and fairly challenging, since it's a variation of the classic game Pipe Dream (that old game where you lay down pipes and direct fluid from one point to another). You can also hack the kiosks such that they sell things at lower prices, as well as hack safes/combination locks to access goodies. Failing the minigame carries serious penalties, as you can take damage from short circuiting or end up triggering alarms that send swarms of drones on you. The Engineering class of Tonics factor into hacking and your interaction with machines, and the benefits range from making the hacking minigame easier (slowing down the flow of the goop, removing unusable pipes, lowering overall difficulty for specific hackables) to lowering the effectiveness of hostile machines on you (turrets and cameras take longer to spot you, for example). Again, quite helpful. Scattered all around Rapture are tubes called Vita-Chambers, and these serve as your respawn points should you die. Conveniently, you don't have to interact with any of these; the last one you passed by will activate automatically. However, there is practically no penalty for dying save for having to walk back to where you just were, since you don't lose inventory and enemy health is retained. This makes combat trivial, and while I didn't have to resort to this tactic, you could easily brute-force threats like Big Daddies, die over and over, and eventually beat them through sheer stubbornness. It's unfortunate that there's really no stakes to death, but I did strive to get through the game without dying too much. The only things that serve as collectibles are the numerous audio recordings of Rapture's many characters, and I feel like the world-building they provide make for worthwhile rewards in themselves. You can also find reels that unlock director's commentary, and while insightful, it's best to only turn this on after you've finished the story once (as some of the commentary reveals spoilers). If you're interested in more behind-the-scenes stuff, this version of the game has a museum that you can walk around and view exhibits showcasing material from early into the game's development. It's quite interesting to see how radically different some concepts present in the game were at the conceptual stage. This version of the game also includes additional content, which come in the form of three challenge modes that have you take on a specific challenge. One has you try and kill a Big Daddy with no weapons or offense-based Plasmids, another has you solve a puzzle in order to rescue a Little Sister with a limited inventory, and the last is a simple combat challenge where you face off against waves of enemies and have the freedom to modify your loadouts. It's not a lot, but the variety is decent. While most of my time with the game was smooth sailing, I did encounter a bug that soft-locked the game by making the main objective disappear (so I couldn't progress). That was annoying, especially since autosaves only occur when moving between areas. I had to reload an older manual save to get back to where I was. VERDICT: I now understand why BioShock is held in high regard as one of the greatest video games of all time. The world and atmosphere of Rapture is one-of-a-kind, the story is a ride both in terms of world-building and the main narrative, and the open-endedness of the FPS combat is a ton of fun. I do have issues with certain elements, but overall, I really enjoyed this game, and am super glad I finally got to play it. BioShock definitely fits in my "essential" video games category given its impact on the industry as a whole and its resonance with many players. You know what that means: this is a game I strongly recommend must be played at least once regardless of genre inclinations. Pick up BioShock Remastered on PC on either of these platforms: - end - In the same vein as the Bloodshot theme from a while back, I wanted to put together a character-centric theme this week for someone who isn't as popular as the heroes of Marvel and DC. THE THEME: This time around, I have five comics focusing on Shadowman, another flagship character from the Valiant Comics pantheon. Compared to Bloodshot, I've read only a few Shadowman comics, so this selection should be enlightening to me as well. THE COMICS: ![]() SHADOWMAN (1992-1995) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writers: Jim Shooter, Steve Englehart Artists: David Lapham, Joe Rubinstein This is Shadowman's solo debut comic, and it shows a bit of his origin. Before he became the titular hero, Jack Boniface was a jazz musician in New Orleans, but an attack from a demonic figure masquerading as a woman changed his tune forever. Realizing the evil that lurked in the night of his city, he was compelled to put on a mask and fight demons. The origin here is a bit different from what I know of the reboot version. ![]() SHADOWMAN YEARBOOK (1994) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Mike Baron Artist: Val Mayerik In this one, we don't actually follow Jack Boniface. Instead, this comic showcases Max St. James, who was Shadowman in the 1900s. Here, he goes on a bit of a gambling adventure to England where he meets up with Armstrong (another classic Valiant character with a long history in-universe) and manages to stop a bunch of crazy black magic practitioners from completing a blood sacrifice. ![]() SHADOWMAN (1997-1998) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Ashley Wood Here, Jack Boniface is actually dead, leading Mama Nettie (the voodoo priestess responsible for empowering many Shadowmen) to find a new Shadowman. She selects Zero, an amnesiac hitman, to serve as her latest champion. This one sets up an interesting series, as there's a whole mystery surrounding Zero's identity, and things are heating up as the dead rise thinking that there's no longer a Shadowman protecting New Orleans. ![]() SHADOWMAN (1999) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writers: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning Artists: Matt Broome, Ryan Benjamin, Sean Parsons This series continues Zero's (real name Mike LeRoi, whose backstory is vaguely referenced in this issue) adventures as the man standing between the land of the living and the underworld. He's now got a gig as a radio show host by day (which features a lot of humorous interactions with callers), but he's still doing his duty vanquishing demons and keeping the dead from conquering the Earth. Seems like the cliffhanger at the end is setting up for a major story arc. ![]() SHADOWMAN (2018) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Andy Diggle Artist: Stephen Segovia Jack Boniface has been trapped in Deadside for five years as a slave to his greatest enemy, but in this comic, he finally escapes thanks to the magic of his love interest Alyssa Myles. Now, the two must come to terms with their new, awkward situation by understanding the Shadow Loa that gives Jack his powers, but the forces of Deadside are still looking to keep the Shadowman under control. I definitely need to read more of the previous story arc, because that sounds interesting. To me, Shadowman is definitely one of the most interesting characters in the Valiant pantheon, largely because of how heavily his lore draws from vodou/voodoo. I quite enjoyed going through multiple eras of Shadowman with my selection and am definitely in the mood to read more and expand my understanding of the character's history. Hopefully this was interesting to you readers as well. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
Once again, shoutout to my friend who lent me this and other games. BACKGROUND:
This game caught my eye a couple of years back when it was announced, largely because it was a new IP by PlatinumGames. I did want to get it to fill the void of no Bayonetta 3 for the past five or so years, but I just never got around to it given it's still at full price. Lucky for me, my friend got the game and lent it to me after they were done. PLOT: Astral Chain is set in a far future on the Ark, a megacity on an artificial island. The last of humanity live here because the entire world is ravaged by interdimensional attackers called Chimeras, who travel between dimensions through gates and abduct people to drag them into the Astral Plane. The Chimeras also spread red matter wherever they go, which cause living things to "redshift" and transform into grotesque creatures. In response to the escalating threats of these Chimeras, the UNION (the Ark's government) established Neuron, a special division of the police force dedicated to dealing with these interdimensional threats. The most elite Neuron officers command Legions to fight alongside them, which are actually Chimeras who have been restrained with the eponymous Astral Chain in order to render them subservient. At the start, you choose either a male or female player character. Whoever you don't pick becomes your avatar's fraternal twin Akira Howard in the story. The twins are new recruits to the police force, and when they are dispatched to deal with a crisis, they are cornered by a couple of Chimeras. The two are rescued by Neuron officers Max Howard (their foster father), Jin Wong, and Alicia Lopez with the help of their respective Legions. The twins are issued Legions of their own by Neuron Commander Dr. Yoseph Calvert, and after defeating the Chimeras, they officially become part of Neuron. The story really kicks off on the first mission of the Howard twins, as shit hits the fan completely and Neuron team end up in the Astral Plane. Without giving too much away, the circumstances lead to all manner of disaster for Neuron, and long story short, their hopes now rest in the hands of your character. During this, a terrorist named Jena Anderson wreaks havoc on the Ark by unleashing Chimeras as well as Homunculi as part of her seemingly unhinged plan to save the world from the impending extinction the Chimeras will bring. The rest of the game juggles the conflict against her along with other plot lines (of which there are many). Overall, the story is straightforward, and while I found parts of it predictable, it still had a few surprises that I appreciated. What I enjoyed in particular is all the world-building; stuff like the involvement of the Aegis Research Institute in key parts of the plot, the mystery of the Pandemic in one of the quarantined Zones of the Ark, and even the backstory of the Howard twins were all elements I was intrigued by. Admittedly, the story doesn't explore these threads as much as I would have liked, and I personally would have preferred if the fallout of the Pandemic was a bigger focus of the main plot than the otherwise standard "you're the only one who can save the world" shtick that we get. I also liked the mini stories you get on the game's many side quests, as it really helps make the Ark feel like it's populated with people going about their lives despite the looming threat as opposed to simply NPCs filling space. I'll talk more about this in the gameplay section. There's a pretty solid cast of characters in this game. Akira is the obvious standout, as they are heavily featured in the main plot and get plenty to do. The other main Neuron officers (Jin, Max, Alicia) get strong characterizations (especially Max, who is your character's dad), though they are largely forgotten past the early stretches of the story. There are also other characters like the charming Neuron dispatcher Olive, the serious medical officer Brenda, the silly manager Marie (who is the star of the most hilarious part of the game), and the helpful hacker Hal, all of whom have distinct personalities and get a few character moments. The villains overall have a pretty standard motivation: it's mostly "I have a twisted view on how to save the world, and I don't care what lines I have to cross to do it" with a slight spin from character to character. I wish some time was spent fleshing out the specifics of why they are adamant about pursuing their goals, because I feel like the broad strokes of their reasoning just sound like terrible excuses to cause death and destruction. I think it would have been cool if, somewhere in the madness, there was some sense with what they were planning. The most baffling character choice to me is the player character themselves. Whoever you pick ends up as a silent protagonist, and this strikes me as absolutely bizarre given that whoever you don't pick is not only fully voiced, they also get to do a lot and have big character moments throughout the story. It makes no sense to me that your chosen character gets close to no spoken lines (despite there clearly being a voice actor for them if you had picked the other way around) and zero personality (despite having a literal family member to play off of and have emotional moments with). So many of the moments with Akira would have resonated more with me if my character actually said or done anything more than brief grunts and occasional gestures. PRESENTATION: Astral Chain has a cyberpunk aesthetic with a 3D art style that reminds me of Fire Emblem Three Houses (in that there's a slight cel-shaded look to the character models). The textures and such look a little weird if you stare at them long enough, and there's odd stuff like inconsistent lip syncing, but otherwise, I think the game looks pretty decent. The Legion designs look pretty cool (and they match well with the armored look of the Neuron officers), and the Chimera designs vary between freaky and badass (though some designs bleed together by the end). In terms of locales, the Ark has a lot of interesting and varied locations (busy commercial district, drab apartment complexes, seedy neighborhoods), and the look of the Astral Plane looks proper otherworldly (I did get sick of looking at it after a while, though). Your player character has some decent customization options available, and you have a few options for clothing articles that you'll unlock as you play. The voice acting is solid (though it still weirds me out that the character you choose doesn't get to talk much despite being fully voiced if you pick differently), and the music is quite varied in terms of genre (it's a mix of chill techno, dramatic orchestral music, and rock/heavy metal for action sequences). The standout tracks for me are the anime-style theme songs (the game's opening sequence straight up looks and sounds like an anime). GAMEPLAY: Like many PlatinumGames titles, Astral Chain is primarily a hack-and-slash action game where you beat the shit out of hordes of enemies with stylish combos. What sets this game apart is the fact that your character fights alongside a Legion, and the combat is built almost entirely around that fact. Your character wields an X-Baton in combat, which is a versatile weapon that can morph between the quick melee baton, a pistol good for ranged combat, and the hard-hitting but slow Gladius (which I liken to a heavy sword). Apart from a few neat command moves like a charged attack or a delayed strike, you're not going to get much in the way of insane combos like you would in Bayonetta. While I wish there could have been more depth in this respect, the Legions make up for it in my view. During combat, you can summon your Legion and send them towards targeted foes, which they'll attack automatically. Legions have a limiter meter that you have to manage by making sure they don't take too much damage or aren't out for too long, meaning you can't rely on them to do the work for you all the time. Calling them back recharges the meter, but if their meter hits zero, you'll be left to fend for yourself until it fills back up. I found this meter management business quite engaging. As you play, you'll unlock five different Legion types that you can swap between at will: the standard Sword Legion, the Arrow Legion (good for ranged combat), the slow but strong Arm Legion (which can throw objects in the environment), the Beast Legion (which looks like a robot dog), and the defensive Axe Legion. They all have their own strengths in regular combat, but what really sets each of them apart are their respective Legion actions, which are actions the Legion and the player perform in unison. These Legion actions have uses both in combat and outside of it. For example, the Arrow Legion's action is the ability to use the bow both as a powerful ranged weapon as well as to activate faraway switches. I always enjoy when combat abilities can be used outside of combat, and the Legion actions are utilized frequently to navigate around hazards and to solve simple puzzles in many sections of the game. However, it's important to note that these special actions consume a lot of the limiter meter, so it's ill-advised to spam them in combat. While you can let your Legion do its own thing, you're actually able to move it around manually, and that is where most of the fun came about for me. Being able to position them to deal with specific enemies or to divide and conquer adds a neat layer of strategy, and there are numerous opportunities that this mechanic is used to interesting effect (e.g. having the Legion defend you as the player is busy interacting with something else, or the other way around). The ability to move the Legion around yourself also has a bunch of awesome mechanics tied to it. First is the Chain Jump, which allows your character to leap directly to wherever your Legion is currently standing. Not only is this an amazing repositioning tool (allowing you to avoid danger or maintain offensive pressure on a single target), it's also used a lot as a platforming tool outside of combat. It's a lot of fun to zip around with it and keep enemies guessing. The very Astral Chain that binds the Legion to you is more than just a way to limit your Legion's range: it actually has some incredibly neat combat applications. First, you can move your character and your Legion around to wrap an enemy in the chain to perform a Chain Bind, rendering them briefly immobile and vulnerable to a full assault. You can do this on multiple enemies as well provided you can get them to stand around close enough. Next, you can perform a Chain Counter by using the chain as a clothesline to stop charging enemies, which will launch and stun them briefly. Lastly, you can weave the chain around one or multiple enemies and perform a Chain Jump, and this will let you kick any enemies on the way to the Legion for a bit of extra damage. I absolutely adored how the chain is utilized in combat. I wasn't expecting it to be used in any way, but it ends up being such a valuable tool to give yourself openings and deal with things like massive crowds or charging attacks. Between these and the Chain Jump, I was highly encouraged to always keep my Legion's position in mind, and I found juggling that while also fighting to be a fun challenge. Depending on certain conditions (including but not limited to: finishing combos, performing certain command moves, perfectly timing certain actions, Chain Binds), you'll see your Legion briefly flash. If you press a specific button during this, you'll be able to perform a Sync Attack and do serious damage (or perform some other worthwhile attack like a launcher that sends opponents flying). It's pretty satisfying to pull these off (especially the ones tied to counters), and there's also a wide variety of them depending on the action and depending on the currently active Legion. Some of the characters make a big deal about your character and the Legions being in perfect harmony, and you actually feel that in a sense when you execute these Sync Attacks. As you defeat enemies, you'll earn Gene Codes, which you spend in the Legion Learning menu. This is essentially just a skill tree for each Legion, and it's where you unlock stat boosts/passive buffs, additional actions, Ability slots (more on that later), and Legion skills. Legion skills are what I'd say are the game's equivalent to spells. You can equip two at a time, and they can range from buffs (like additional damage or speed) and a small assortment of unique attacks (AoE moves that can clear a crowd, or even powerful attacks that make use of the Astral Chain being positioned on an enemy). I didn't rely on these skills as much, but they're great in a pinch. There are also Command skills which are separate from these; they work like your fighting game special moves where you perform a specific input, and your Legion performs a special move when you do so. I wish there were more of these because I found it fun to have fighting game command inputs in a game like this, but alas, there are only a few of them. Once you start unlocking them in each Legion's skill tree, you can equip Abilities that you pick up or receive as you play through the game. These are pretty much just passive buffs that apply when the Legion is out, like healing after taking damage, increased stats like movement speed or critical hit rate, or even more novel ones like Self-Destruct (a shockwave is unleashed when your Legion limiter hits zero). Some abilities are certainly more impactful than others, but your success in combat doesn't necessarily live and die by having the best ones equipped (as far as I can tell). Also, I'm not sure how much of these Abilities are random drops or if some of what you acquire are fixed, so it's a crapshoot to rely on them anyhow. In addition to all that, you can use items to aid you in combat. You have your standard recovery items (healing, energy refill), various grenades (that I have trouble aiming), energy barriers that briefly block attacks, and even support drones that attack for you. I didn't really feel the need to use the more combat-oriented items and stuck mostly to the healing whenever I was in danger. There are a decent variety of enemies both in terms of design and mechanics. Some can be dispatched in any number of ways, while others will have you use specific Legion abilities to weaken them (a tricky challenge when you're being swarmed by enemies). Fighting waves of enemies doesn't feel like completely mindless button mashing since you have to manage your Legion's meter, though there are some enemy types that you can get away with pretty much anything with. The boss encounters are plenty challenging and feel mostly distinct from one another, and it feels extra good to hit Sync Attacks on them or Chain Bind them for big damage. The game is structured like a bunch of other Platinum titles I've played. You have eleven main story chapters (excluding the post-game "chapter"), and each chapter is split into "cases" that are essentially your main story missions/battle encounters (this is not unlike the "verses" in Bayonetta). You can replay any of these chapters simply by accessing a menu, so there's no worry about missing anything. The game also has a bunch of different difficulty options: Unchained (for people who don't really care about the combat and just want the story), Casual (has combat, but is more forgiving), Pt Standard (the one I played on, and is on par with the normal modes of other Platinum titles), and Pt Ultimate (unlocked for each chapter only after beating them normally and is obviously tougher). Both Pt Standard and Ultimate have the signature grade rankings present in other Platinum games, though from what I can tell, the grading in Pt Standard is more forgiving than something like Bayonetta (I don't think taking damage is penalized as heavily, for instance). While the combat is easily the core experience of the game, you get a lot more to do apart from that during the course of the campaign. The game's many levels are far from open world, but they hold a surprising number of hidden nooks and crannies with all sorts of secrets and optional quests that you can find. Plus, combat is far from the only thing that pushes the story forward; there are a few platforming sections that utilize Chain Jump, a good amount of puzzle-solving using your Legion's abilities, a couple of simple stealth sections, and you actually do a lot of detective work (because you are still technically a cop). Investigations are where the game's pace slows down, but I found them fun to tackle despite this. You'll do a lot of asking around NPCs, who will give you keywords that you'll go over later after you've acquired enough intel. You then get a bit of a pop quiz section where you try and piece together what happened and answer questions with the keywords you heard from NPCs. It's nothing on the level of Ace Attorney where you have to really think about the case at hand, but I like that it has you pay attention to what people are saying. Your Legions are also valuable in these investigations, as they have additional skills you can use to acquire information. For example, you can have the Sword Legion analyze camera footage, use the Beast Legion to track scents and find someone, and you can even use them to eavesdrop on conversations. Hell, you can even Chain Bind uncooperative suspects and guards in stealth sections, which I thought was awesome. Again, I love the versatility of the Legions, and I enjoy the fact that you're doing some actual police work in this game. In addition, you also use what's called the IRIS, which is a heads-up display that is basically the Detective Mode from the Arkham games. You'll be able to see through walls, identify interactable elements, view information on people walking around, and even see the health bars of enemies (they are not visible by default in combat). It's quite handy; in fact, it's almost too handy. It feels like cheating in some sections like in the stealth missions (where you can even see a guard's line of sight with it). There are a ton of side quests in the game, and many of them involve you helping normal citizens of the Ark with problems of various degrees of urgency. Most will simply have you use the tools you have at your disposal to, say, rescue trapped civilians, some end in battle encounters, while others are mini games (which can be hit or miss; I despise the ones where you have to balance something with motion controls). There's a decent variety of them, and they give out useful rewards (like upgrade materials for the X-Baton), plus the little stories of each side quest help make the Ark feel populated. It's also nice to play a cop who, you know, actually helps the citizens. I already mentioned this briefly, but yes, you can upgrade your X-Baton. You can do this in the Neuron Office, which serves as your hub area, and you spend both the upgrade materials you find by playing and the money you earn from completing chapters. You can also get money by selling the salvage materials you pick up from various places as you play; these salvage materials serve literally no other purpose and I found it odd that the game implies that they can be "recycled". You can also purchase extra consumables in the hub area as well as change your outfit, though unlocking most of the options (like palette swaps and clothing pieces) will require you to complete certain quests and fulfill Orders (which are the game's equivalent to achievements). The Orders are quite varied in terms of what constitute as achievements, and they can range from easy (just play through the game), kind of grindy (most "milestone" achievements), challenging (getting high ranks or beating chapters on Pt Ultimate difficulty), or tricky (finding the game's many collectibles, and there are a ton of collectibles in each chapter). The game has a photo mode, which works like most photo modes in any game, and has the added feature of giving you info if you take pictures of certain characters, objects, and locations. Great if you want some lore. VERDICT: Astral Chain feels like quite the fresh new IP, and not just because that's what it is. The main gimmick of simultaneously controlling your player character and the Legion leads to some of the most engaging hack-and-slash combat I've ever experienced, and I appreciate how these Legions see a lot of use outside of combat. Though I have my few issues with the story (especially with the silent protagonist weirdness), I liked the setting and the world-building they did, and I enjoyed the police aspect of the game where you get to play detective and help the people on the Ark aside from simply battling hordes of Chimeras. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this game, and let it not be said that new IPs can't succeed or bring something fresh to the table. Unfortunately, this game is a Switch exclusive, but if you ever get the chance, this is definitely a must-play for anyone with access to the console. If you're big into hack-and-slash action games, are intrigued by the cyberpunk setting of the story, or anything about the Legion mechanic sounds interesting to you, I think this is worth your time. - end - That's right, we've got another title update for Sunbreak. As usual, I'm playing more of the game again, so let's talk about what they added this time. WHAT'S NEW:
New Monsters (sort of) We get three variants of existing monsters this time around, with two fitting the Risen category introduced in the last update.
Of course, we get some new armor sets for each of these monsters. Chaotic Gore's armor is the standout for me, as it introduces a couple of armor skills that rival even Dereliction in terms of risk/reward. I don't typically use armor skills that provide attack boosts in exchange for health penalties, but I feel compelled to try these ones just to experience the nightmare of having to navigate an entire hunt without ever getting hit. The new armor skills in the Risen sets are more niche, but are interesting nonetheless. Risen Kushala's new armor skill is a fascinating comfort skill I want to try and fit into some of my builds, while the one for Risen Teostra plays around with a unique status condition that I need to experiment with. The only new weapons are from Chaotic Gore, and they introduce a unique gimmick. Chaotic Gore weapons have both a negative affinity and positive affinity value, so there's a chance to get both crits or reduced damage when using them. What makes these weapons special is if you overcome the Frenzy virus, the negative affinity value flips to positive, adding a higher overall crit chance to the weapon. I found this super intriguing and immediately started grinding for the weapon, as well as quickly put together a Bloodlust armor set that inflicts the Frenzy virus on me. So far, it's been a fun alternative to my old Dragonheart build, though Bloodlust draining my HP over time obviously makes things riskier. Anomaly Investigations This time around, we get Afflicted versions of extremely dangerous monsters. These include Furious Rajang, Scorned Magnamalo, Gold Rathian, Silver Rathalos, Flaming Espinas, and Seething Bazelgeuse. All these variants were already Elder Dragon-level in terms of difficulty, so making them Afflicted just makes them nightmare incarnate. As expected, these guys give you new drops, which goes along with Qurious Crafting for weapons expanding once more. Qurious Crafting for armor pieces actually gets an update this time, adding specific augment rolls for different purposes. You use one of the options if you just want defense boosts, while the other is more interesting as it focuses more on adding new armor skills (and that includes even previously armor-exclusive skills). Unfortunately, I've found grinding out investigations to get close to the level cap to be a chore, so I was dreading working towards getting to all this new shit. Mercifully, one of the changes in this patch is higher Anomaly Research XP growth. The grind still hurts, but it's not as bad as before. New Decorations Unsurprisingly, we get new decorations, both for previously unavailable skills (most notably Kushala Blessing and Teostra Blessing) and Lv. 4 versions of already existing decorations (like Redirection). There are some really notable additions as well, like decorations for game-changing skills like Sneak Attack or Element Exploit. Builds have definitely become a bit more flexible with this one. New Melding Type The melding pot adds a new melding type that allows you to fish for talismans with specific skills. This already exists, technically, but now you're guaranteed the skills you're looking for. This is amazingly convenient and has made streamlining my builds so much easier. Followers Join Normal Quests The biggest gameplay change allows you to take the followers (previously restricted to the Follower Quests/Support Survets) to nearly all Master Rank Quests, as well as Anomaly Investigations. I love this addition, as now you can break the monotony of solo grinding by taking some of your favorite characters along with you to help. This should be a mainstay feature in future titles, I feel. VERDICT: Again, we got a standard title update here, with some new, tough fights that I enjoyed overall, as well as interesting new weapons and armor skills to mess with. I was also quite intrigued by the new additions for souping up your build (the remixed armor augments and new talisman melding method), and I enjoyed the ability to bring followers to normal quests (it really adds to the solo experience). I'm content with what we got here, but I'm most intrigued for the next update, because that's apparently going to introduce an actual unique monster instead of just another variant. - end - Keeping my comic reads varied with this... unique offering. BACKGROUND:
I've never heard of this comic series, though it selling itself as an anthology of stories styled like exploitation films (hence the "grindhouse" moniker) did pique my interest. SUMMARY: As the "double feature" in the volume's title implies, this collection features two stories. The first is called Bee Vixens From Mars, which is about a swarm of violent alien insects overrunning a small town in the American south. These freaky aliens are hellbent on using the people in town as incubation chambers for their larvae, and the only person standing in their way is a badass deputy sheriff. This story doesn't get any deeper than its initial premise, with the aliens showing up through amusingly weird means and most of the events falling into the splatter/gore genre. Except for the deputy (who gets to vanquish the threat action hero-style), pretty much every human gets fucked up by the aliens. The other story is Prison Ship Antares, which focuses on a group of female convicts on a spaceship heading to the nearest habitable planet outside Earth. The warden of the prison is a sadistic killer, and after she kidnaps and tortures yet another inmate, the prisoners decide they've had enough and stage a revolt. I liked this one a bit more, largely due to the ending having the inmates take their destiny into their own hands. Two of the inmates also have really fucked up backstories, which was a lot to take in. Other than that, I felt like it was a standard sort of "fight the power" story. Given how this series is meant to have stories that fit into the "grindhouse" classification of entertainment, it did not really surprise me that the comic is light on plot and heavy on... other things. The violence is absolutely gory in both stories, characters (who largely have little depth to them) have cheesy one-liners, and there are gratuitous amounts of exposed skin and implied sex involving the numerous women in each story. To be honest, this kind of stuff isn't really for me (not because I think myself above it, but because stuff like this rarely hooks me), but I thought they really captured the feel of what most people would call "grindhouse" in these stories. For most panels, the art style boasts some vivid colors, subtle shading, and bold outlines. Where this book goes all out in terms of detail are in the moments showing graphic gore, as those panels are drawn intricately. Some of the titillating imagery is also drawn with more detail, but apart from the occasional exposed nipple, there's nothing I would consider straight up pornography. That said, when there's sexy shit on the page, it is highly suggestive anyway. VERDICT: Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight knows exactly what it is from the jump and delivers a pair of turn-your-brain-off B-movie stories with all the excessive gore, cheesy action, and lewd visuals one would expect from something calling itself "grindhouse." It's not necessarily for me, but I think they nailed what they were going for with this comic, and I'm not opposed to seeing more of what kind of exploitation films they call back to in other volumes. I think it's clear that this isn't a comic for everybody given its pretty gruesome depictions of violence and its penchant for showing off women in a.... suggestive light. If you don't mind any of that stuff, this is a quick read for people in the mood for something a bit schlocky. - end - |
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