First Impressions: Descent

                                                        The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

I recently had a chance to play the board game Descent. This is a tabletop game that is heavy in lore and strategy, and today I will provide my first impressions. Because I haven't been able to play this one as much as some other games, this review will end up being a little shorter than I usually write.

Descent provides players with one of two options to play; they can either play as the heroes or the Overlord. The Overlord controls the monsters on the board, which will usually outnumber the heroes by several pieces. However, the heroes are stronger than the monsters in one way or another, so it's a battle between the strong and the many to accomplish whatever the objective is. In my time with the game I had only played as the heroes, but I'm hoping that my next experience will include some time as the Overlord.

Now, this game can be a lot to manage, especially for new players. Much like I said in my review of Eldritch Horror (which can be found at http://boredenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/11/board-game-review-eldritch-horror.html), I do not think this to be great for those who are new to tabletop gaming. The Overlord has even more to keep track of than the heroes, but that doesn't mean that the player using the heroes doesn't have to pay close attention to what they are doing. You have several heroes, all with different equipment and special abilities, and any of the heroes can do several different actions every turn. This doesn't account balancing expendable effects, remaining health, and countless other aspects of the game. However, for even the slightly experienced player like myself, the game doesn't take too long to get the hang of, and using each aspect of each character becomes second nature.

There are some maps of this game that are a lot easier than others, and the objective will frequently change from map to map. Not every one of them is "Kill the enemies", as there are maps where the monsters will constantly respond. This means there is usually some objective to achieve, with defending your characters being a side objective. For example, one of the objectives I had was to collect tokens and bring them to a safe location, while the Overlord was tasked with doing the same thing. This meant we ended up attacking each other, but we had a completely different objective in mind.

Because each side can feel like they have a disadvantage at times, winning is incredibly satisfying. The game is enjoyable regardless, but there is a real sense of accomplishment to triumph here, you really feel like you had to work for it. I definitely didn't win every game I played, but I still had fun overall, and each win was a major victory. When using some of the expansion packs the heroes do get a bit of a boost, which in my first round with the expansion made it seems a bit too easy. Still though, there's always the option of implementing house-rules with instances like this, so it's not a game ruining thing.

Overall, this game is a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to playing it a few more times, at which point I will likely release an updated and full review. My biggest concern, as it is with any game, is a replay value. However, based on the number of different missions that are listed, I have high hopes that I won't be disappointed there.

I give Descent a tentative 8 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: The Godfather

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing The Godfather: The Game, which originally came out for the PS2, XBOX, and the PC, with updated editions coming out for later consoles.

The game itself follows your character as he takes over New York City from rival gangs. Along the way, you become the unnamed member of the family that completed the unseen tasks from the film of the same title. Who hid the gun behind the toilet for Michael? You did. Who put the horses head in the bed of that jerk in Hollywood? That was also you. I liked how this game tied in with the film, though a few things are changed for the players benefit.

Some positives for this game first. It has a great upgrading system, I really noticed a lot of the new boosts and some new abilities (like stealing a parked car not earning any heat). There's also an intimidation system when taking over shops that, while it's not the best, is still creative and enjoyable. This system goes off of "everyone has a weakness", so you won't be able to extort a shop for all it's worth if you don't find the one thing that will break that person down. Sometimes you will punch them and they fold, while other times you will have to kill a civilian to get the shop owner on your side. The gun play is decent, with an auto-aim feature when you aim with your weapon (though the game does offer the option to not use the auto-aim). The game also has a balancing system where each gang will build a vendetta against you if you focus on them too hard. This will mean that you either need to bomb one of their locations or pay off an FBI agent to put pressure on the other family, making them forget about their vendetta.

This game isn't all positives though, there are a few downsides. The graphics and character designers (for everyone but the main characters from the movie) are pretty bad, to the point where I remember noticing it when the game had just been released, so it's not like I'm just too used to the insane graphics we see today. Some of the facial expressions were laughable they were so bad, going from an angry face to a worried on in a single frame's difference. The driving in the game is also pretty stiff, though that is more a product of the time. This one is definitely a game that you'll want to play while abusing the handbrake. The dialogue is generally spot on, but there are some points where it can get to be a little too on-the-nose, feeling like it's spoon-feeding exposition.

Overall, I liked this game, though it has it's flaws. I beat it several times because I enjoyed taking over New York so much, and some of the clothing that can be purchased with in-game currency really looks nice (and increases your respect), so it was fun to design different characters. I would suggest picking this one up, though I would grab the updated edition if possible, it does add a lot.

I give The Godfather: The Game a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Fallout 4

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the forth game in Bethesda's Fallout series.

Now to begin, this game has some serious DLC, but I won't be including any of that here. I may end up doing a DLC review of this game later on, as each one adds so much.

So, to begin, a quick synopsis of the series for those who haven't pick up one of these titles before. Fallout takes place in an alternate timeline where America really took to nuclear power after WWII, to the point where it is the source of most of the power used. This alternate timeline also had a very retro feel to it, making the world a technologically superior future with a 1950's design. However, there was a war, and to make a long story short, all of the U.S.A. was nuked in 2077. Some people, like your character in Fallout 4, survived by being holed up in an underground vault. These vaults were brought to you by Vault-Tec, a company that was not only protecting people from radiation, but also experimenting with them. There is a lot more to the actual series' story, factions of people and various creatures, but to describe all of the key points of the franchise would be an entire post on its own.

In this installment of the series, the player was cryogenically frozen for hundreds of years, so you are the first character to actually remember a life before the bombs dropped. You are frozen in the same room as your wife and child, though in different pods. On the downside, you get the view from your pod of someone breaking into your wife's pod to kill her and take your son, Sean. You break out later, though you have no perspective of time with the being frozen and all, ready to set out and find Sean, all while learning about this new Boston/surrounding area.

Okay, so there's the breakdown of the story, but how does the game play? Well, it's an action-role playing game, with a massive map that I am still working to explore 100% (over a year later). The Wasteland, as it is affectionately named, is not a friendly landscape to wander through either, so exploring everything means doing a lot of defending yourself. To do this, there are a variety of weapons, from combat knives to 10mm pistols to a miniature nuke launcher, and everything in-between. I personally stick more to pistols and single-shot rifles, not a huge fan of the automatic weapons in most situations.

In terms of the changes made since the previous installments, it's best to break it down into modified mechanics and brand-new aspects of the game. Let's start with changes to aspects of the game that existed before. The gun play is a lot smoother than it used to be, to the point that it doesn't feel like the player has to rely on the V.A.T.S. (Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System). This game is also a lot more colorful than previous titles, which is a huge bonus in my mind; the old games were pretty monochromatic. One of the big area to change was the character you create, who can either be a man or a woman, and who can actually speak. On top of that, other characters can address you by name, and your companion can't die, though they can be immobilized if they take too much damage.

Not all of the changes to existing aspects of the game were great though, a few made the game feel a bit to simplistic, in areas where it didn't need that change. Conversations that you have with NPC's have, at most, four options for what you say, where the older games could have far more, which was a strange thing to change. The upgrade system has also been streamlined and simplified to have fewer options. While I personally liked the old system, I can see how it could feel overwhelming to a more casual player, so that change isn't too surprising.

Outside of the changes to the existing mechanics, this entry to the series added a couple of brand new things. There are, of course, new weapons and creatures, all of which I liked (despite some frustrations).There is also a whole portion of the game dedicated to building up and maintaining a settlement, which works both as your home and the home of others. This means adding buildings, stores, and crafting areas.There's also a weapon modification system in the game, which I love. It's not just about upgrading the weapons either, but instead allows the player to make a few different weapons out of the same basic component.

Speaking of modifications, let's discuss the power armor for a moment. Power armor has been in previous installments in this series, but it has never taken a front seat like it has here. The power armor is almost essential in parts of the game, and it is made much more fun by being able to customize the armor. Not only can a player add specific boosts or defenses to their power armor, but also some awesome abilities, like automatic healing or a jet pack. One change to the power armor that I've seen some negative backlash about is having to use an exhaustible resource to run the armor, the fusion core. These cores can be difficult to find and are not cheap to buy, meaning that a player will need to decide on when to use their power armor, especially early on in the game. Personally, I understand the need for this mechanic in the game. The power armor makes a player better in almost every way, it's practically a trump card for a lot of situations, so it makes sense to not be able to wear it to every little thing in order to keep the game challenging.

Now I could keep going on about the intricacies of this game for a lot longer, but this post is already getting pretty long, so I'll keep the rest short. This game is fun, suspenseful at times, and will take up a lot of your time. While there are some drawbacks to the game, such as never being able to make the people of your settlements happy, they are far outweighed by the positives. Bethesda needs to work on bumping up the graphics and shorten those load times, but they seem to be listening to their fan base on almost everything else, so I'm not too worried.

I give Fallout 4 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Siege

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the Marvel event, Siege.

This event takes place after Secret Invasion and Captain America - Reborn, but prior to the events of Original Sin. As many of my reviews have mentioned recently, there will be some MILD SPOILERS BELOW.

So first, some background on the story, which you are expected to know before going in. Thanks to his efforts during the Skrull Invasion, Norman Osborn is now the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he has his own group of Avengers, most of which are former criminals that look like heroes (Venom looks like Spider-man, Bullseye looks like Hawkeye, etc). Also, Asgard currently resides on Earth, in the mid-west, which is there because of Thor's split responsibilities to both Asgard and Earth.

With all of these ingredients together, it's a setting for a perfect storm. Osborn wants to be remembered as a great, so he makes it look like Asgard has attacked the Earth, and he sets his Avengers out to take it down. The result is a battles between Osborn's Avengers and Asgard (with the help of some heroes like Captain America, Luke Cage, Spider-man, etc). A big part of the story is also dedicated to The Sentry, who you may want to brush up on before reading.

This is an enjoyable set up and story. Osborn's greed, which has always been his downfall, is really exploited here in one of the few Asgard-centric stories I really like. Thor has a big part in this, but the fight is too much for him to handle alone, which can be difficult to pull off with a heavy hitter like Thor. This comic also felt like it delivered in an area I generally don't take note of, the entrance. It was like a movie with how some of the heroes enter the fight, especially Captain America and Iron Man.

It was also nice that not everyone was on board with attacking Asgard when the siege began. Several important officials, including the President, denied Osborn from attacking Asgard until diplomatic options were pursued. I realize that it would have likely been a different tune if it was the regular Avengers, but it was a nice change of pace from the normal "shoot first, ask questions later" attitude the public usually has in Marvel comics. The artwork is generally fantastic as well, though a couple of issues in the event stray a little bit, but never enough to distract from the story. The primary artist, Oliver Coipel, really delivers here, much like he did during his artistic run of House of M. 

On the downside, this comic didn't feel like it devoted enough time to the subjects. I know there are several side stories that can be bought, and I may end up buying a few, but the main story still felt rushed. Other events like House of M feel like they have just as much going on as this one, but they don't feel nearly as rushed. It also feels like there is some serious missed potential in this comic, things that are brought up and never pursued to their fullest. For example, Osborn requests that Dr. Doom assist him in his siege of Asgard near the start of the story. Doom states that he will help if Osborn lays off of Namor. Rather than consider this offer and obtaining the overwhelming support that Doom could provide, Osborn refuses Doom's request outright. This felt like somewhat of a disservice, as it denies the reader of a great villain team up. Some of the characters are relative unknowns as well, in part due to the Avengers Initiative, which was a result of the Civil War. It's not hard to pick up on their powers, but they are still low-level.

Despite my issues with it though, this is a good event and one I recommend picking up. I put it off for too long, I don't recommend doing the same.

I give Marvel's Siege a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book to Movie: The Running Man

                                                                               
                                                         The images above belong to their respective owners, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be trying a different kind of post, where I examine book-based movies and compare them to their written counterparts. I will start this new installment with The Running Man. 

The book was written by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, and was released in 1982. The film version was released in 1987, directed by Paul Michael Glaser, and stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Ben Richards, the main character of both versions of the story. The name of the story and the main character are basically where the similarities end though, as these are wildly different stories. As a head's up, there are Spoilers Below. 

First, the movie's story, for those who haven't seen it. Ben Richards was a helicopter pilot for the police, who is wrongfully accused of firing into a crowd of starving civilians that are rioting for food. Richards goes to prison, escapes with the help of some of the other convicts, only to get caught again. Richards is convinced to participate in the game show, The Running Man, a show where convicted felons are hunted down in a battlefield-like setting. The contestants are pursued by the stalkers, a group of killers employed by the show, who all have their own gimmicks to use as they murder. Any contestant who survives the game not only gets pardoned, but gets to go live in paradise. Richards survives the show and exposes that the winners are actually killed and get stuffed in the battlefield somewhere, where nobody would dare to look. The movie also includes an unconvincing romance, tied in with some fun action scenes.

The book, on the other hand, has Ben Richards volunteering for The Running Man, which pays out to a winner an award of one billion dollars. Richards volunteers so he can afford for his daughter to go to the doctor without his wife having to sell herself as a prostitute. Rather than a battlefield, contestants are released into the world, which is a run-down future reminiscent of Soylent Green, able to run wherever they want to avoid the hunters. However, there is a prize for anyone who calls and turns in a contestant, so it's a constant effort for Richards to hide who he is from pretty much everyone. During the story, Richards uncovers a conspiracy that the games like The Running Man are being used to distract the everyday workers from the fact that they are being slowly killed by the polluted air.

The very basis of the book really seems more appealing to me; I would be much more afraid of regular other people turning me in than the over-the-top stalkers of the movie. It's a great idea to have to use street smarts to survive when you're being actively hunted. King makes Richards a bit smarter than a lot of the other people on the streets, most of whom are illiterate. Richards can be clever and funny, but also a complete jerk, which is understandable given his situation. He doesn't respect the authority, but none of the poor folks do, and it's this connection to them that helps Richards out at certain points.

However, the action of the film is fun, and we of course get a couple of really good Schwarzenegger lines. It's all the over-the-top action that one would expect from one of his movies in the 80's. On top of that, Richard Dawson plays the host of the show, Damon Killian, which is funny to see since he was portrayed as such a kind guy when he was hosting Family Feud. There's also the fun of having Jesse Ventura as a former stalker, though he doesn't fight Ben Richards like some of the other stalkers do. Really, when it comes down to it, it's the  cast of the movie that holds this one up, as it would be a somewhat dry story otherwise.

In the end, neither of these are bad, but they are very different. Each one has its own merits, but if I had to pick one as the better version of the story, I would say the book wins out. This movie would have tanked without it's cast, whereas the book holds itself up as an engaging story that kept me glued to the page.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: Crash Bandicoot - Warped

                                                           The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the PS1 title Crash Bandicoot  - Warped, the third game in the series. Now, one may wonder why I jump immediately to the 3rd game in the series rather than working through the first two. Rest assured, you won't need to play the other two games if you play this one, as the third game in the franchise is the best one without question.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with Crash Bandicoot, he is a pretty wacky Bandicoot, who is tasked with defeating the evil Dr. Cortex, who has, of course, set out to control the world. Crash is aided by a magical mask named Aku Aku and his sister Coco Bandicoot. Crash has a variety of moves, with his most recognizable being a spin attack that is reminiscent of the Tasmanian Devil from Loony Toons. In this game, Dr. Cortex has his own mask to help him take over the world, although partway through the game it seems that Dr. Cortex is kind of sick of having that mask, as it ends up using him.

So, why is this game better than previous installments? Well, for starters, the levels are pretty dynamic, and there are a lot of them. They start out easy enough, getting the player comfortable with the controls, and get more difficult from there. The boss battles are also entertaining, with a good variety of bosses to take down. Each boss ensures that you are familiar with everything at your disposal, including the abilities you had unlocked when you beat the previous boss.

Speaking of his special abilities, there are some cool ones in the game, such as a much longer spin attack that allows players to glide for a short distance, a rocket-launcher that fires apples, and a sprint that allows players to get the time trials completed. These are not only helpful (and sometimes needed) to complete later levels, but they allow players to 100% complete the earlier levels as well. That's beside the point that they are fun to use, and make the game more enjoyable as the player gets through it.

This game has one downside, and it is the driving, Any level that requires a vehicle to be driven (outside of a Tiger) is annoying, mostly because vehicles like the jet ski is far too difficult to control. The levels are still nice and the enemies can still be creative, but the difficulty spike is apparent. There isn't any way to skip these levels, though you can put them off as the last level to complete in a section, so you will need to get through a handful of them to beat the game.

Overall, I like this one a lot. I played this game frequently on my PlayStation, and I downloaded the digital version on my PS3 as well, and the title still holds up. If you're partial to 3-D platform games, don't pass this one up, it's a classic.

I give Crash Bandicoot - Warped an 8 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Ranked: The Batman Arkham Games

Hello Enthusiasts,

Until 2009, there was no such thing as a really good Batman game. That all changed with Batman: Arkham Asylum. Since then the series has grown to four games, all a great deal of fun. However, they are not all equal, so today I will be ranking the Batman: Arkham games from worst to best. These rankings will be based on story, enjoyable mechanics, and boss battles (because what's point of being Batman if you can't kick the crap out of a big bad?).

4. Arkham Knight

This was the final installment in the Arkham series, and it didn't exactly end with the best game in the series. Now granted, it was fun, but it lacked some of the magic the previous games had. I attribute some of the loss of luster to the abuse of the new Batmobile the game features, as the use of this new mechanic takes up about half the game. What really puts this game behind the rest of the pack is the complete lack of boss battles though, as the most one could argue in the game would be 3, though I only consider there to be 1. Story wise, it was okay, though predictable. Scarecrow is threatening to release a fear toxin on the whole city with his help of his partner, the Arkham Knight, who seems to have close ties with Batman. Again, once you start to play it, the story gets predictable, and most people guessed who the knight was before the reveal. On the plus side, there were some really cool team-up take-downs, and a new system of being so Batman-fast that you could take out three or four thugs before they could react. Still though, not enough to bring it up from the bottom of the pack.

3. Arkham Origins

Now most people seem to put this game at the bottom of the list, but I feel like this one has some frequently overlooked merits. The boss fights in this game are excellent, some of the best in the series in fact. The mechanics are mostly the same, though Batman basically gets an easy mode for fights about halfway through the game with his electric gloves. This game also made good use of the crime scene investigation within detective mode. Story wise, it starts off cool, with all of world's greatest assassins being offered an insane amount of money if they can kill Batman that night. But there are some plot twists about halfway through that make the story less awesome. On the plus side though, this game did give me the opportunity to play as Deathstroke, and that was truly a treat. Also, we get to see Batman fine-tuning his skills throughout the game, which is nice, and there are enemies in this game that will counter Batman, turning into a small back and forth fistfight.

2. Arkham Asylum

This is the game that started the whole series, and man did it take us all by surprise. This game had a compelling story, introduced the fighting and gadget mechanics that carried over to the other games, and had a few solid boss fights. Story wise, this game is all about Batman being set up to face-off with The Joker and several other villains in the asylum. It's a classic tale, made better by the inclusion of the majority of the voice actors from the animated series (a tradition carried throughout all of the games, except for Origins). This game really showed how great it can be to play as Batman, even though that Asylum is beyond creepy in some places. Seriously, let's just get rid of Killer Croc's lair. GET RID OF IT ARKHAM, WHAT'S WRONG WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CELL?

1. Arkham City

This title was really the highlight of the series. It improved on a lot of the mechanics from the first game, especially the gliding. The game also had some of the best boss fights in the whole series, far more great ones than any other game. On top of that, the story (as well as some of the side stories) were really gripping and kept me engaged throughout. I was outright surprised by the appearance of some characters, and the ending really caught me by surprise. It was also a lot of fun to also play as Catwoman, and the Riddler Trophies were more challenging to acquire in this game than the other games. When it comes down to it, I had a better time beating this game than any others.


So that's how I rate these games. Like I said, they are all great, and they should not be passed up. Luckily for everyone, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were recently re-released with graphic updates on current-gen systems, so it shouldn't be too difficult to experience these wonderful titles. No matter which game you play, you're going to have a good time.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

                                                         The images above belong to their respective owners, not me

Comic Book Review: The Ultimates

                   The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me.

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing an alternate version of Marvel's Avengers, known as The Ultimates.

This team was home in a completely different universe, unoriginally referred to as the the Ultimate Universe. This universe was basically the more messed-up version of the main universe. For example, Tony Stark has been diagnosed with terminal, inoperable brain cancer. Also, when Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk, he gets super rapey, which is beyond disturbing. There are countless instances of this, as well as some smaller things here and there, like Captain America being super-cheap since I guess he doesn't understand inflation.

The books are entertaining in their own ways, especially in the fight scenes. Overall, the art is fantastic, and I already complimented artist Bryan Hitch in my Captain America - Reborn review. The updated designs of a lot of the characters are excellent as well, and some of the costumes are my favorite to-date (I'm looking at you, Thor).

Now, these comics began in early 2002, not long after the events of 9/11. America was still in its super-patriotic mode, and it reflects in this comic. At one point early on, Captain America openly mocks France for no reason, which would seem somewhat out of character for the more popular, diplomatic version of the hero. It also seems like there's at least one American Flag in every issue, and not just on Cap's uniform, but those were the times (just look at Sam Raimi's Spider-man movies).

Overall, these comics were sub-par. They looked great, but a lot of the changes to the characters were just uncomfortable. Unless you have really been looking to get into these books already, I wouldn't suggest picking them up. You would get all of the best parts by just looking up some of the artwork.

I give The Ultimates a 4 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Uncharted 4

                                                           The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. This title was released in early 2016 and was an immediate hit, to the point that the title is currently up for the Game of the Year award. By the way, Very Mild Spoilers Below.

This entry to the series continues to follow Nathan Drake, who has given up the life of adventures and treasure hunting for a more domesticated existence. He is now recovering goods from ship wreckages, which allows him to live comfortably with his wife and prominent character from previous games, Elena. However, a character from Nathan's past has come back and, of course, has convonced him to do just one more job.

This game is insanely fun, and improves on previous installments in almost every way. The climbing is more fun than ever (especially with the addition of the rope and hook). the story is gripping and has a couple of decent twists, and there are some really fun new mechanics in this one. I really enjoyed mudding through the plains of Africa, as that whole level is really fantastic in how it is put together. That level, as well as everything else in the game, looks beautiful as well. These are some of the best graphics I've seen in a game to-date, and all of the visuals are accompanied by a flawless soundtrack and insanely good voice acting.

These games have always had some great dialogue, and this game continues that tradition. It always feels organic, but still offers the appropriate exposition and moves the story along. I think the only part of the dialogue that seemed a little dry was during the flashbacks of Nathan as a child, though children can sometimes be a little exposition-y in real life. However, adult Nathan is sarcastic, clever, and believably human; he may be one of my favorite video game characters after this game. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of the intense scenes that these games always incorporate where everything goes wrong, in large part because Nathan so easily makes you care about him, despite his less-than-perfect decision making abilities.

Now, in traditional fashion for these titles, this game isn't too difficult. It does have portions that took me a few tries, but I was mostly able to get through the game in one-shot (outside of some stupid mistake on my part). Now this could seem like a negative thing, but considering all of the crazy situations that Nathan has to get out of throughout the game, it worked more to make me feel like a certified bad ass. Nathan would be falling to his death, sliding down some slope that ends in a drop that goes for a few hundred feet, and I would see what he needed to jump and grab at the last second and make the leap, preventing Nathan's death. The game doesn't really highlight what to do in the environment, by they have a few different way of subtly pointing them out to the player, in ways that are just obvious enough to someone who jas played through some of the game already. Near the start of the game I would have completely missed a lot of those ledges and grappling points, but having seen them so often in regular game play, my eyes were able to distinguish them from their surroundings.

I really could ramble about how great everything in this game forever, with the possible exception of the gun play. It is not bad at all, but considering how polished the rest of the game feels, it's a little disappointing to have average shooting portions. It was honestly a lot more fun and engaging to take the enemies out in a stealth style than to start a firefight with them. However, I have decided that this is more of a realistic approach, as one man outgunning 10 or 12 enemies with just a pistol and a shotgun is a bit outlandish. Besides, as one could guess by the love I show towards Splinter Cell, I do prefer the stealth path anyway.

This game is a shining example of how good a game like this can be. Outside of some game play that felt a little sloppy compared to the rest of the game, there isn't anything to complain about (and I am stretching it for the firefights). Even if this doesn't end up being your favorite game in the series, I can't imagine anyone calling this a bad game.

I give Uncharted 4: A Thief's End a 10 out of 10, as I could not have realistically asked for anything more out of this game.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Mario Kart 8

                                                        The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review is going to be on the Wii U exclusive, Mario Kart 8.

Mario Kart 8 improved on previous installments in the series in a lot of ways, while keeping the same feel to the mechanics. There are sections that take place under water, in the air, and inverted gravity. New items have also been introduced, such as the the Crazy 8 and the Super Horn. There are, of course, new tracks to race on, but there are also a lot of older tracks brought back for this game, though altered to cater to the new style of play. While everyone has their favorite track, there aren't any that I would turn down playing, every one of them is fun in its own way. There's also the fun little addition of being able to race as your Mii instead of one of the established characters

In terms of the mechanics, most of them are the same as in previous installments. Racing through the course, braking to drift around corners, which can give you a boost, and using items to either help yourself or hinder others. The games have always been pretty simple and straight forward, but there is such an addictive charm to them. I have gone to play this game for a race or two and found myself still playing a few hours later, it just doesn't let you put it down.

The online play for this game is a lot of fun as well. There's a decent voting system in place for which track will be chosen, and the game never feels unfair. Even the best player who knows the track inside and out can have a run of bad luck with other player's items and lose the race. The online play runs very well, I haven't seen any kind of drop in frame rate during a race. Also, online play can really be for anyone with internet, as Nintendo still doesn't make players subscribe to have that ability like XBOX and PlayStation do.

Really, the only downside I can think of would be for players who are really looking for a challenge. Even at the highest difficulty, it's not terribly difficult to win every cup in the game. So if you're looking for a game with the difficulty on Bloodborne, you would need to look elsewhere. However, Nintendo didn't fail here, as I doubt difficulty was ever the intention.

This is arguably the best Mario Kart game to-date, though I know others who would argue in favor of the Gamecube's "Double Dash". Young or old, I would recommend that every gamer give this one a try. Even if you don't think it'll be your thing, you may be pleasantly surprised.

I give Mario Kart 8 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

Top 5 Free to Play Mobile Games

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of a more causual sort; free-to-play mobile games. Many of us play these games while we're waiting at the doctor's office or on our lunch break at work, so I figured I could give a few suggestions for games to play. These won't be ranked or anything, just five suggestions, put them in any order you want. Now, as stated, these reviews are free-to-play, as I generally don't spend money on my mobile games, so any micro-transactions these games offer won't be considered here. Also, I decided not to put Pokemon Go on here, as it is one of the most downloaded apps in the world, so I figured you all know about that one.

-Fallout Shelter
At the E3 conference in 2015, Bethesda announced that they would be releasing the fourth installment of their Fallout series of games later that year. To tide people over for those few months, they released a mobile game for the same series. The game puts the player in the position of an Overseer for a Vault-Tec vault. The game allows players to build their vault, balance/collect resources, fight off threats, send dwellers out into the wasteland, and even procreate. The game can get pretty addicting, and does not force players to spend any money. The game does not require an internet connection, so it's great to play in places with poor signal and no WiFi.

-Zombie Highway
This game involves driving a vehicle through a zombie-infested wasteland through streets that are polluted with broken down cars from before the apocalypse. Zombies will jump onto your vehicle and try to tip it over, thus killing you. To get them off you can either scrape them off with a wall or other car, or shoot them down with one of a couple of weapons. There isn't really a way to win this game, the highway is never-ending, but the goal is to make it as far as possible, therefore earning more distance/zombies killed, which unlocks other cars/weapons/locations. This one doesn't require an internet connection either, and is one of those games that you can really put down for a long time and come back to, as there isn't any kind of collection aspect to it.

-The Simpsons Tapped Out
This game started years ago and is still getting updates. The game allows players to rebuild Springfield one building at a time (Homer destroyed it with a nuclear explosion)  which progresses the story forward and unlocks new things. The dialogue, story, and quests are written by the show's writers, so it all feels very authentic to the source material. The game also has frequent updates for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, St. Patrick's day, and several other holidays, as well as sometimes having tie-ins with that week's episode. This is a game that requires an internet connection, as well as frequently checking in, as it is a game that requires collecting resources from buildings. Some of the objects in the game are not too obtainable if the player isn't spending real money, though a player could technically grind for months or years and earn them. However, those aren't really necessary for the story or enjoyment of the game.

-Marvel's Contest of Champions
This one is a fighting game starring a great deal of the heroes from the Marvel universe. The player gets to create a team of almost random heroes (or villains) to go through the story and figure out what is happening, while powering up their team and unlocking new members. There are also alliances to join and use work together to fight another alliance The fighting mechanics in this game are okay, with the best part being each heroes special abilities. The story is average, but it doesn't take away from the game. It does require an internet connection, so not great to be played everywhere.

-Plague Inc.
Finally, a game where the player is the villain. You will create a plague and try to kill everyone on the planet; doing so will unlock different types of plague (virus, bacteria, parasite, etc.). The world won't go down without a fight though, as they will start working on a cure, stopping travel, burning bodies, and just taking every possible step to beat your plague. It ends up being a delicate balancing act of going unnoticed for as long as possible, then becoming deadly enough to stop the world from creating a cure. Very difficult as the game goes on, but still a lot of fun,

So those are my top 5 free-to-play mobile games. Granted, I haven't played them all (there's so many, how could you?), but these are the best from my experience. Do you know of some even better games? List them in the comments below!

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

All images above belong to their respective owners, not me

Comic Book Review: Captain America - Reborn

 The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing Captain America - Reborn. The very nature of this review is a spoiler, so please be aware of MILD SPOILERS BELOW.

After the events of Marvel's Civil War, Captain America was assassinated on the steps of a courthouse, killed in trying to save the life of one of his police escorts. The world was shaken, as America's greatest hero finally met his end. However, as Superman can attest, death is not always the end in comic books. As the title suggests, this is one such story.

The twist here is that, unlike the Man of Steel's death, Captain America isn't actually dead. While it's not completely explained (at least not well), his mind is basically traveling through time, reliving all of the big moments of his life. Unfortunately, Captain America's big moments can often involve the death of someone he loves, and he gets to relive that over and over. These are not his memories that he's traveling through either, he is literally traveling through time, watching as his former self goes through the motions that already happened. Cap can take control of himself if he wants to, and can therefore make changes to the timeline. However, in not knowing what such actions could do to the future, he doesn't get to prevent the deaths of anyone, which is even more painful for him.

At the same time that Captain America gets to go through his greatest (and worst) hits, he has fellow heroes aware that he isn't dead and looking to save him. It's great seeing all of these heroes going to any length to rescue Cap, especially Bucky. It really shows how important he is to the universe, even if others like Iron Man aren't involved due to the after effects of the Civil War and the Secret Invasion.

The comic also has very clean artwork, in an enjoyable style. It's also enjoyable to see this new art style on some more classic moments in Cap's history as he travels through time.Panels from old comics are recreated with a more up-to-date art and thought boxes for Cap. Bryan Hitch shines here, just like he did when he was penciling The Ultimates for Marvel.

On the downside, the plot of Captain America's "death" as described here is pretty convoluted. It was a stretch, even for Marvel, though not to the point of being complete malarkey. Without giving too much away, the bullet that killed him wasn't any type of regular bullet, it was one that was able to trap him in time. There's also a story about his body being replaced, but it feels kind of sidelined. While I know that Captain America isn't a hero at the level of Superman, so can't just be brought back with very little explanation, but it still felt like a bit too much for a regular sized graphic novel like this.

This comic is above average. Marvel brings Cap back to life and we get an interesting story, though not perfect. I wouldn't make this a must-have for anyone but die hard Captain America fans, but it is a good read for anyone curious about how Cap came back.

I gave Captain America - Reborn a 6.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Ranked: The Splinter Cell Games

Hello Enthusiasts,

Since the first game came out, I have been a huge fan of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. The games follow Sam Fisher, an elite agent of Third Echelon (until the two newest games), a subdivision on the NSA. Sam is the soldier who goes in before the troops to collect information, and sometimes perform an assassination, in order to prevent global conflicts. The games are third-person stealth-based titles, and players will notice that it is a lot more rewarding to stick to the shadows whenever possible, rather than try to run in guns blazing.

As much as I love this series, not all of the titles are equal. So today I will be ranking the Splinter Cell games from worst to best, based on originality, difficulty (we're looking for more difficult), and enjoyability. I am only going to be reviewing the games that came out on PC/consoles though, not the ones that were released on a handheld system. Also, I may slip up as I ramble about some of my favorite games, so be warned that there may be Mild Spoilers Below.

6. Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Splinter Cell: Blacklist is the newest title in the series, having been released in 2013. This title is still enjoyable, but has abandoned most of the originality that the early games thrived on, going as far as to have a first-person shooter segment. The story is pretty generic, terrorists hate America and want to destroy it, the same kind of dime-a-dozen story that we see in gaming and movies now. The game also follows the same kind of streamlined mechanics that were introduced in Splinter Cell: Conviction without really improving on much. It is the easiest of the games, though there are certainly some difficult sections. Between this one and Conviction, it just felt like they wanted to move further away from the hard core fans and appeal to a more massive audience. Also, this game replaced Michael Ironside as the voice of Sam Fisher, a first for the series, and they made him a great deal younger than we have seen in the other games. It's not that this game isn't enjoyable, but it does lack in originality and difficulty.

5. Conviction
As mentioned in the Blacklist section, this is where the streamlining began for the series. Mechanics were introduced to have the player snap to cover, auto-execute enemies, and perform more parkour-like actions. The story is a revenge plot, which meant a lot to me as a long-time player, but might not mean so much to newcomers. The game certainly has some difficult levels, but overall it's easier than its predecessors. One cool thing they had put in this game that wasn't in any of the prior games (or the game that followed it) were some pretty intense torture scenes where Sam would use the environment (stoves, mirrors, urinals) to beat people into giving him information. However, it broke a little too far from the excellent game play of the previous titles for me, again feeling like it was meant more to appeal to the masses.

4. Double Agent
In terms of a story, this is the best game of the series. Sam finds out that his daughter is has been killed while he was on a mission, and now he feels like he has nothing to live for. Because of this, Sam takes on the most dangerous mission of his life, infiltrating a terrorist group in order to learn about all of their operations and destroy them from the inside. The game had a balance system between Third Echelon and the terrorist group, as doing too much in favor of one would make the other one too suspicious. This game was one of the more difficult ones at a few different parts, especially when having to decide what action to take, because it could mean having to do a lot of work to balance the scales again. The game play continued what the previous games had put into place, with the more traditional mechanics. Despite how difficult the decisions can be, as well as the game play itself, this game is incredibly fun and rewarding.

3. Splinter Cell
This one is the game that stated it all. An original set of game play mechanics that other stealth games have based theirs off of, an interesting set of characters, and some amazing graphics for the time. This game wasn't too difficult until the last three levels, at which point it took some work and several attempts to get through the levels. The dialogue has a dry humor to it of people who have been in the business together for a while. The game is enjoyable, although more for a feeling of accomplishment than anything else. It may not be the most enjoyable or difficult of the games, but it is the most original, as it set the tone for the games to follow.

2. Pandora Tomorrow
The second game in the series, this one improved on just about every aspect of the first game. The levels were a bit more challenging, the story seemed a little more compelling, there were some more enjoyable and creative scenarios (like the last mission, where the enemies were slightly warmer than civilians, so the player has to check with thermal goggles before trying to take down an unsuspecting enemy), and just felt overall like the game had taken a step up. The game introduced a few new aspects, like firing from a corner's cover (something the first game really should have had), which didn't make the game much easier, but did add to the mechanics, and therefore the enjoyment factor.

1. Chaos Theory
I consider the third game to be the peak of this series. It still had a lot of the same mechanics, while adding a lot more of its own. Sam could now use a knife to cut cords, through tent walls, and enemies bodies. The addition of the knife (and a little extra language) brought this game up to the rating of "M", where as the first two were only rated "T". This game was also the most difficult by far for various reasons, from the enemy A.I. to the more dynamic maps. This was the only game I wasn't able to beat when it was first released, I had to play it again when I was a little older, which I appreciated, as games just aren't that difficult anymore (Dark Souls and Bloodborne aside).  It was really enjoyable, and I feel like there were several moments in the game that really made the player feel like the ultimate in stealth-fighting, though those moments had to be worked for. Between the originality of the new mechanics, the incredible difficulty, and the sheer joy of what I consider to be the quintessential Splinter Cell experience, this game easily makes it to the top spot.

So that's where I rank these games. Do you agree? Should any of these be switched around? Let me know in the comments below.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

                                                               All images above belong to their respective owners, not me

Book Review: Prey

                                                                    The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be Prey from author Michael Crichton, the author of Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain.

The story takes place at a facility in the Nevada Desert. This facility has developed a particle cloud of micro-robots to do things like take high-definition pictures of a person's insides rather than relying on X-rays. To do this, the scientists programmed the nanobots to think like predatory animal pack, which would stick together, but adjust to adverse scenarios to keep pursuing it's goal. This comes after many failed attempts with other types of animal behavior, which wouldn't stay focused on the objective when unforeseen circumstances arise, or the nanobots would split away from the pack formation. As it turns out, the only type of behavior that handled both of these was that of a predator. As the story goes on, the tiny machines being to learn, and they begin to hunt. Now it's up to the remaining scientists at the facility, led by their former manager (and our main character), Jack Forman, to stop the particle cloud before it is let loose on the rest of the world.

This book is all around enjoyable and a real page-turner. Crichton likes to toy with the idea of humans killing ourselves with technology, as he showed with genetic manipulation in Jurassic Park, so this is right up his ally. These scenes are well thought out, the story is very consistent with its details, and it's so suspenseful it feels like a movie. Crichton is great at writing the slower scenes as well as the more intense ones, which makes those more gripping scenes even more powerful.

Despite the plot not really being ground-breaking, it is clever in its execution. Without giving anything away, the strengths and weaknesses of the nanobots are well thought out. Some of their abilities can be disturbing as well, though the reader won't see the full extent of that until pretty far in to the book. I'm also a fan of the story being set in the desert; it's far enough from civilization to be secluded, but not too far for the idea of this particle cloud reaching a city to be impossible.

On the downside for this book, we have the characters. They aren't very interesting, and the dialogue is not Crichton's strongest ever. While some of the dialogue can seem sincere, especially in the slower scenes, some of it can feel rushed and very much like straight exposition. I think my biggest grievance is with our main character. He is basically perfect outside of his circumstances. He's smart, caring, moral, and seems to be in decent shape, yet he's in  rough marriage where his wife doesn't seem to care about him, and he lost his job prior to the start of the novel. I feel like he would have been more relatable if he had been a bit more flawed, a little more human.

Character grievances aside, this is a really good novel. I would recommend this book to big Crichton fans or even casual readers, as the gripping nature of the story is sure to keep the pages turning, even if there are some things to gripe about afterwards. I hope this another one of his that ends up on the big screen.

I give Michael Crichton's Prey a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review: Scarlet Fields

                                                                   The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Though it's a little outside of the normal field of my reviews, today I will be reviewing a non-fiction book. The book is Scarlet Fields, and it is the memoir of John Lewis Barkley, a Medal of Honor recipient from the first World War. This is actually a re-release of the original work No Hard Feelings!, but Barkley always wanted it to be titled Scarlet Fields. 

Barkley starts out his memoir by discussing his joining the army and going through training, which sounds like it would be pretty boring, but is humorous and generally entertaining. The reader gets to follow Barkley as he develops as a soldier, then gets deployed out to Europe, right on the front lines. From here the excitement really builds, though with some downtime for the reader to catch their breath. The story leads to a nearly unbelievable climax in a mostly disabled tank on the front lines of France (Barkley's story was confirmed by others who were present). This act is what actually earned Barkley the Medal of Honor, and it is not a mystery how it was given to him. The whole tank sequence reads like the script to a FPS video game. While the story certainly doesn't end there, it's never quite as intense as that climax.

This book is very well written, which cannot be said of all memoirs. The writing feels very human, with the same kind of casual language that one would expect if Barkley was just telling them his story. His recollection of detail is also outstanding, from the smells of the battlefield to the sight of a decimated France. The book is aided by the fact that Barkley also takes the time to explain certain military concepts and lingo for the uninformed reader, which is even more helpful now than it likely was then, since so much has changed in the last 100 years.

Despite the limited amount of time that some of them are have in the book, the story is also greatly aided by Barkley's brothers in arms. They help to keep the mood during the down times, which must have been the only keeping anyone sane in an environment like World War I. As the story goes on the reader gets to know these other soldiers as well, and we get to watch everyone, including Barkley, grow from the new recruits to the seasoned veterans of war that they became. Not everyone makes it, and there is some serious loss, because war is hell. Barkley doesn't sugarcoat that fact at any point; he frequently speaks about how hungry, tired, and filthy everyone is. It's these deplorable conditions that make the quiet moments more lighthearted and enjoyable, like when they find a bunch of wine in the cellar of a destroyed building in France. At their core, these were regular American guys on the battlefield, so the downtime to drink and laugh was almost as necessary as sleep.

Really, the only downside of this book is the ending. After all of the excitement from the war to end all wars, readers are brought to the life after the war. I'm not saying that it's not important for soldiers to come home, that's the happy ending to the war that everyone fighting hopes for, and I was very glad to know that Barkley was able to get home. However, it is a little dry after the action of the battle. Perhaps this could be seen as symbolic, as it isn't unheard of for soldiers to get so used to the battlefield that domestic life just seems too dull for them after a while. Still, compared to the rest of the story, the book doesn't exactly go out on a high note.

On the whole, this book outclasses a lot of fiction in terms of a compelling story, and not just because we know that this one really happened. The book is hard to put down, really compelling the reader to keep turning the page. If you like reading non-fiction or memoirs, you will very likely love this. If you don't normally read this kind of thing, at least check it out from your local library and give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised; I know I was.

I give Scarlet Fields a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Just Cause 3

                                                                The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

My review today will be for Just Cause 3, which was released late in 2015.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the Just Cause games center around Rico Rodriguez, an operative for the lazily named "Agency", who specializes in tearing down opressive regimes in small nations. These games are basically like playing an action movie, with all of the explosions you could ever hope for.

Just Cause 3 does have a bit more story than the previous two games. Rico is brought back to his home land, Medici, to do what he does best. We get to see him interact with some of his childhood friends, particularly his close friend Mario Frigo. Because of this close connection, we seem to get more raw emotion from Rico, who desperately wants to free Medici from oppression. As mentioned before, these games are basically an action movie, so expect the dialogue to be pretty cliché.

Game play wise, these games have always been fun, with each game improving on the mechanics of the last. In Just Cause 2, the player got a grappling hook to play with. In Just Cause 3 we still have the hook, but Rico is also given a new wingsuit to travel with. The wingsuit really speeds up travel, and I found that I rarely used the "fast travel" feature, because it's so enjoyable to glide around the map. While the wingsuit can be a little difficult to get a hang of at the start, it really becomes second nature fast.

Outside of the wingsuit, much of the game play remains the same. Shooting things to destroy them and cause chaos, which is primarily how Rico liberates areas and destabilizes the government. Some areas are easy to liberate, they're small towns with minimal police presence. Other areas are actual military facilities with tanks and anti-aircraft weapons, so those can be a little bit of a challenge. While I personally loved the destruction and those moments that I would absolutely dominate a military base, I can recognize that the game play can get a little repetitious, as you will spend a lot of time destroying the same type of objects throughout the game. The developers did add a greater variety of weaponry in this game than previous ones to keep things interesting, and it helps, but it doesn't entirely make up for this fault.

Graphics wise, this game is impressive, better than it really needed to be with it not being one of the really big titles of last year. The landscape is beautiful, and the water effects are remarkable. And you will see a lot of water, as the map is a series of islands. Speaking of which, the map itself is enormous, which is why they included the fast-travel feature despite all the fun that comes with traveling in this game.

When the game was first released there were a lot of performance issues. During any kind of explosion (as previously mentioned, there are plenty) the frame rate would drop painfully low, which would make things like steering the wingsuit impossible. The game would frequently crash as well, which was made even more frustrating by the insanely long load times. Not long after release people were reporting waiting for a good 15 minutes for just a respawn. I personally never had that kind of wait, but 5 minute respawns weren't unheard of. Luckily, a lot of these issues have been resolved, though the load times are still a little longer than you may experience with other games, and I do still have a crash once in a blue moon.

While I won't be including them in the overall score, I do recommend purchasing DLC for this game, as the Air, Land, and Sea missions are fun with some excellent rewards. Each will give you another hour or two of enjoyment as you earn your new toys. For some reason though, the DLC didn't have the same kind of cutscene that the regular game did, instead replacing it for still shots with audio playing over them.

Overall, I think this game is a good time. It doesn't offer much in terms of a story, and its performance can be a little lackluster sometimes (though much better than it was initially). However, I do consider this a game to buy if you're looking for destruction, fun travel, and a nice looking environment.

I give Just Cause 3 a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: The Order 1886

                                                                    The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Every once in a while, I need to review something for the sole purpose of advising you to not buy it. The review for today is The Order: 1886 on PS4, and it falls into this category. Now, seeing as this game came out right around the same time that the system did, many of you have likely had a chance to try this one out and you probably know where this review is going.

The game revolves around Sir Galahad, a member of The Order. The purpose of The Order is to eradicate the half-breeds (half man, half animal, looks like a werewolf), a task that they have been at since King Arthur founded The Order with his knights. To even the odds against the half-breeds, members of this organization can consume Blackwater, which not only extends their lives by hundreds of years, but also has remarkable healing capabilities. The Order is also aided by the mind of Nikola Tesla, who is their quartermaster. However, there are more problems than just the half-breeds, as The Order is also trying to stop some anti-government plot for some reason (so there's something to shoot outside of half-breeds).

I will start off with the positives. This game looks outstanding, a real example of how far graphics have come. The water/rain effects are especially impressive, but they are just one part of a beautiful game, and that level of design cannot be written off. There are some cool ideas in this game as well, including some of Tesla's inventions (lightning gun!), which work to separate this game as much as they can from other third-person shooters. And this game does have a very distinct feel to it, though not always in a good way.

The game is fun for the first act, as we get some solid build up to these half-breeds. However, the game quickly takes a turn for the worst from there in several different ways. There a lot of cutscenes, and they are not short scenes either. I found myself getting up and walking away several times, as I really didn't want to stay for all of that. The gunplay is mediocre, not the worst I've played, but far from the best. This means that I get out of a long cut scene, go through a lot of slow walking, to have an alright gunfight. It really doesn't feel like it pays off.

As mentioned before, there is a lot of build up for these half-breeds, and they do look menacing. However, fighting them is the ultimate let down. For most of them, it boils down to a very simple dodge and shoot scenario, with literally no variation from the half-breeds if you stay in the same area. The monsters can be bullet sponges, but that doesn't mean much when they are some of the most predictable enemies in all of gaming. There are a couple of big-boss half-breeds, but those end up being quick time events, and not challenging ones at that.

Outside of those issues, the game is just lackluster, and can sometimes feel like it's painting by numbers. We have our main character believe completely in The Order, only to learn from the enemy that they aren't what they seem, there is the standard (and sloppy) stealth mission, and most other game clichés you can think of. Despite so much of the game looking like it had a whole lot of effort put into it, so many other parts just feel phoned in, especially the ending, which is 100% sequel bait.

I do give this game credit for several things, as it does earn them. However, as a game, the bad far outweighs the good. It's boring after the beginning of the game, it's full of clichés, and just feels lackluster. The game play doesn't justify everything else you have to go through, and it can be a chore to get from start to finish (despite how short the game is). I can almost see this as a movie more than a game, since it shines in a lot of areas outside of the game play. It is a great deal cheaper now than it was at release, but I would still say you will get all the benefits of the game by watching a "Let's Play" video.

I give The Order: 1886 a 3 out of 10, and I hope that the sequel they were obviously setting up addresses some of these concerns.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Original Sin

                          The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of Marvel's "Original Sin" story. I had given this story an honorable mention in my "Top 5 Comic Book Events", and it does earn this mention.

First, a summery of the story, where I will try to avoid any spoilers.

The Watcher, a being that exists only to watch major events in human history, has been killed, and his eye has been stolen. This opens up a mystery for the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Who would want to kill the Watcher? Also, how could the Watcher be killed? These questions lead to some unexpected answers, all revolving around some of the most incredible secrets that Nick Fury has had being revealed.

I'll stop the summery from going much further than that, as to say more would give away too much.

This story works on a couple of different levels. I really like the artwork in this graphic novel; it's clean, but doesn't try too hard to be realistic like some others do (not a fan of that art style). The dialogue feels natural for the most part, and the story doesn't ruin itself with its twists. The vast majority of the characters are well known, with only a couple scattered throughout that might seem unfamiliar to the casual reader.

I do think that the highlight of the story is Nick Fury though. As mentioned earlier, he does have a huge secret revealed, so he is a big part of the story. Tied in with that is an incredible narrative, his whole part in the story is excellent and fits him very well. I think more than anything, this story really had me appreciate the depth and dedication of the former head of SHIELD.

However, this story is not perfect. A big issue for me was how the whole thing just comes out of left field and wraps up so quickly. There wasn't any build up to the murder of the Watcher, it all starts and ends within the pages of this graphic novel. Also, outside of a couple of characters (including the Watcher, of course), this story doesn't change much. Again, I won't give anything away here for the few characters this really does change, but rest assured that the status quo isn't radically different after this one.

Overall I would say Original Sin is a good story, but not a must-read. If you decide to skip this one and read some newer stuff, you won't be terribly lost. If you have some extra time and want to pick something up, this certainly isn't the worst graphic novel to choose, as it is entertaining to say the least.

I give Original Sin a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Board Game Review: Eldritch Horror

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of the board game Eldritch Horror.

To start out, this is not a game for anyone who is new to tabletop gaming. There are a lot of components involved, with a lot of different stats and items to keep track of. The game is drenched in a mix of its own lore and the lore of others, with what seems to be a heavy influence from H.P. Lovecraft. This game does also have several expansion packs that, while fun, aren't mandatory to the game play and don't change much. Therefore, their influence won't be included here.

The game itself is about preventing the end of the world at the hand of ancient beasts. There are a variety of ancient beasts, all of which have their own particularities to them, but none of them are good for the world. The player can prevent the ancient ones from being summoned by completing quests, which generally involve killing smaller monsters, collecting clues, and closing dimensional portals. If the ancient monster is summoned, it's an all new, more difficult game (though there are instances where just having the ancient monster summoned means that the players instantly lose).While there are a few ways to win, there are plenty more ways to lose. The characters' health is two-fold; they have their physical health and their mental health, and running out of either means the end for that character. If the game ends up taking too long you will run out of turns, the players lose. There will be different win/lose conditions for each game as well. It can be unforgiving.

As one can gather from above, this game does not often work in the player's favor. Your character will frequently be haunted, infected, stalked, and in debt. While some of the smaller monsters that get randomly spawned will be easy enough, other ones will be nearly impossible to take down. There are difficult decisions to make when there are so many problems and monsters to address at once, and the wrong move can come back to bite you immediately.

Despite all of the difficulty, this game is inexplicably fun. You have an insane amount of choices when choosing a character, all with their own advantages, disadvantages, and equipment. Plus, the player is not limited to just one character, as you can have backup characters in case your first one dies (though there will be a task to go through to get all of the equipment that the dead character had). Also, due to the difficulty, any kind of victory can easily be celebrated, especially an overall victory over the game.

Considering that the only real fault to the game is its difficulty to manage for those new to tabletop gaming, I consider this game to be pretty fantastic. I have had hours of fun with friends with this one, and I look forward to hours more.

I give Eldritch Horror a 8.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: Robocop vs. Terminator (Genesis)

  

                                                                  The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

If you're like me, you likely still have some of your old game consoles. Those games bring back a lot of memories, but do they hold up to this day? Today I will review one of these old games, Robocop vs. Terminator on the Sega Genesis.

The player is Robocop, going through various locations and slaughtering criminals with almost every step. The player's goal? Defeat every enemy in Detroit and beyond. Robocop travels through Downtown Detroit, OCP, a hazardous waste yard, and even the future war with the machines from the Terminator movies.

The game starts off pretty easy, but becomes a lot less forgiving by level 4 or 5. I recall ED-209 being a real pain for me, as he was huge to jump over, and he basically had three different lives and forms. The first Terminator you encounter goes down easy enough, but it is certainly not the last one you will fight, and they only get more difficult from there (mostly).

As hinted  with ED-209, the game includes a lot from both the Robocop and Terminator movies, as expected. You have the same future landscape for a couple of levels that you see in the Terminator films, Robocop 2 from the movie of the same title, Robocop's sweet hand cannon, and you can use the laser rifles that you see in the future scenes of Terminator. All of this creates what feels like the ultimate sci-fi action movie.

I remember playing this one a lot when I was younger, and in replaying it now, I realize just how gory it was. This was in-part because the game came out three years prior to the establishment of the ESRB, who I think would have slapped a solid "M" on this game. As it is, the later releases of the game received the long gone "MA-13". The criminals that you take down will explode into a pile of blood in the most gruesome way imaginable. The Terminators will get taken down in fazes of their skin all being blown off. Suffice to say, I don't recommend this for your children if you want to keep them away from gore, even if it is 16-bit gore.

Even though I remember this game with some strong nostalgia, I do recognize its faults. As a platformer, this game doesn't do too well. A lot of the gaps to jump over can seem impossible, especially when you factor in that Robocop has one of the worst jumps on the Genesis. There's also a weird system of losing special guns when you die in the game. You have the two gun slots, and when you die you lose the gun that you were actively using. This will lead players to switch to their less useful special weapon when their health gets low. This can be really annoying, especially during boss battles, as this means taking longer to take down the boss.

I personally remember this as being one of my favorite Sega games, I would play this more than Sonic the Hedgehog or Vectorman, but only if it was just my dad home. It does have some serious faults though, and I can imagine that anyone playing the game for the first time would not enjoy it nearly as much as I might.

I give Robocop vs. Terminator on the Sega Genesis a 5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review: The Stand

                                                                   The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of Stephen King's epic, "The Stand". I personally think that this is the best story King has put out, and I have read it a couple of times now. It can be a bit lengthy, with most printings of the book coming in at over 1,000 pages, but it's worth the effort.

I'm not going to give away much, but there are MILD SPOILERS BELOW.

To summarize, this is a tale about the end of the world. A super-flu has been released, killing off over 90% of the population. The world goes into a panic, and then it dies. The few remaining survivors begin to group together, but it's more of a more supernatural element calling them to group up than anything else. Without spoiling much, this book is essentially suggesting that mankind is a chess game between God and Satan. Really, it would have been an okay story if it was just the apocolypse caused by the superflu, but the supernatural element really adds a lot.

This story makes excellent use of almost every King trope you know of. People travelling long distances, people having unexpected supernatural powers, and descriptive writing that does not miss a detail. I swear King could write a whole book about how one room looked when he walked in. He uses this to really get the setting to stick out. With people rotting all over the world, there's a good amount of unsettling imagery spelled out for the reader, but it adds to the overall uneasiness of the setting. Never have I felt like I knew a world more than I knew the barren world of The Stand. The characters aren't perfectly crafted, but most of them are well rounded and I felt like I knew them well as I was reading through. The villain is also pretty menacing and doesn't go down without a fight.

The book starts off strong, jumping right into the action, but after the first scene there is a good amount of time where we encounter a whole lot of nothing until the virus really hits. King had to have known that he was writing a brick of a book, because he spends a while setting up the characters in their pre-apocalyptic world before he destroys it.

There are several scenes in the book that stand out for me (no pun intended). There's one where a character has to walk through the entire Lincoln Tunnel in pitch-black darkness, with only his zippo for occasional light, while surrounded by a traffic jam with corpses behind the wheels of the cars. As he walks through the tunnel his fear causes his imagination to run wild, and I vividly remember this being the first time I had a nightmare from reading a book.

The raw emotion in this book can be moving as well. So much fear and pain just come pouring out of the pages that I gripped onto any sense of hope that King would provide. Any spark of love or kindness really stood out to me with everything else that was happening.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes King or horror as a genre at all. There was a somewhat disappointing TV series for this book, as well as a line of Marvel comics. Other than the Dark Tower Series, I don't think any of King's other work comes anywhere near this one.

I give Stephen King's "The Stand" a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair

                                                  The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me
Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review is Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair. This is an updated version of Earth Defense Force 2025, and 4.1 only came out on the PS4.

The premise of the game is that the Earth is being invaded by both aliens from outer space, as well giant bugs that come from caverns deep underground. The player is a member of the Earth Defense Force (EDF), a globally united team who's mission is to protect the planet from these types of invasions. There are 4 types of characters to play as:

   -Ranger: Standard infantry, mostly uses a basic set of firearms including assault rifles, rocket launchers, shotguns, grenades, and more. No great strengths or weaknesses.

   -Wing Diver: a soldier with limited flight capabilities, weapons are primarily plasma-based and use the same reservoir to reload as the player has to fly. The Wing Diver is by far the fastest soldier and, of course, has the advantage of flight. However, this is the soldier class with the lightest armor and once the reservoir runs out, it can take a bit to recharge (too long if in the heat of action).

   -Air Raider: The support class, who can summon vehicles and air strikes, either of which can turn the tide of a battle. On the downside, this soldier doesn't have as much in terms a firearms, and is therefore most effective if they have some protection

   -Fencer: The tank class of the game, this unit has the most armor by far and can carry four weapons instead of the standard two. This class has some ranged weapons, but the majority of it's ordinance is most effective from close-range. This class is the slowest moving due to their heavy armor.

EDF 4.1 is a third person shooter that, thankfully, offers the option of a split-screen mode, a dying feature in our gaming world. The graphics are nothing to marvel at, but the fun and challenging game play more than compensates for it. Speaking of the difficulty, this game is far from the most difficult game you'll ever play, but it's certainly not the easiest, especially once you get to the hard, hardest, and inferno difficulties.

As mentioned prior, this game is an update to EDF 2025. What was updated? Well, the game certainly experiences a lot less slow down during the more intense action scenes, as 2025 would drop to a painful frame rate when things began to get too action-packed. There's also the inclusion of a few new levels that involve monsters that look eerily like Godzilla. These levels add some extra diversity to the game play, as just firing away at Godzilla does nothing.

In terms of drawbacks, there are a couple. Though the game doesn't need much, there's not a lot of story. It boils down to "There are things to kill, they keep upping their game, we need to win". I personally didn't need more than that, but I can see others wanting something more substantial. However, I am bothered by the near uselessness of your AI team. You will charge into these battles with several other soldiers, and they serve only as distractions for your enemies. Rarely do they ever take any of the enemy down if you're playing any difficulty above "easy".

Overall, this game is just a good time. It's not "Game of the Year" material, but it is enjoyable, especially in multiplayer. The game excels when it comes to fighting hoards of enemies and dealing with the absolute chaos. There's not a story to bring out the tears and what the player can do is pretty much limited to moving and shooting, but it does these well. Players won't get much help from their AI, but that's the life of an elite member of the EDF.

I give EDF 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair a 7.5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast