Game Review: Sonic Mania

Hello Enthusiasts,

So many times companies seem to ruin what many of us loved as children by releasing garbage, cash-grab titles that are purchased based off of nostalgia alone. I have had my share of disappointments in regards to this, so I know the frustration that this can cause. However, once in a while, it seems that we can have a nostalgic title come out that does what it's supposed to in building off of what we already had, and that brings me to the topic of the day. Today, I will be reviewing Sonic Mania. There isn't a lot to these stories, but know that I will dive right in, so there may be Spoilers Below.

This game is similar in style to the original Sonic games, as a fast-paced 2D runner/platformer. Story wise, the stakes are pretty high, as Dr. Robotnic has gotten his hands on a chaos emerald, and uses it to distort time and reality, throwing Sonic around to different stages throughout his 2D history, as well as new stages. Meanwhile, Robotnic seems to want to use the chaos emerald for his own nefarious reasons. The only thing in his way is Sega's favorite hedgehog...and fox...and echidna.

If you loved the old Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, this is right up your alley. It's fast-paced, blending old and new level designs, and it has a great soundtrack that is par for the course with these games. The game looks fantastic, with an updated look on the old 2D Sonic look. The special stages to collect the chaos emeralds offer a challenge as always, and beating the game having collected all of them will open up the "real" final stage. This game takes cues from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles by offering to play the game as different characters, which offers a very different playing experience. I honestly have no complaints about this game, it did more than I could have hoped for.

So overall, this is a great title. If you enjoyed the old Sonic games, even a little, pick this up. It's available across multiple platforms, and it offers a decent challenge. I didn't even touch on all of the extra content like concept art, but I'll let you discover that for yourselves.

I give Sonic Mania a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Splatoon 2

                           The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me 

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing I will be doing a review on the Nintendo Switch game, Splatoon 2. This title doesn't have too much of a story, even in the single player mode, so you don't need to worry much about Spoilers today.

For anyone who didn't play the first game, the Splatoon games involve controlling a character that can switch between being a kid and being a squid. As a kid, you are able to cover surfaces with your ink by using various weapons. As a squid, you are able to quickly move through this ink, which results in your character being somewhat concealed, as well as a faster recharge of ink. This ink will also hurt enemies on top of just covering surfaces, and the ability to swim in the ink also includes swimming up walls.

The single player campaign is a good way to get the controls down and master the equipment, and there are some items that are unlocked by completing the single player story. However, this game really comes to life with the multiplayer aspect. There are regular matches, where you team must cover more area in ink than the other team, as well as various types or ranked matches. There are also regular "Splatfest" events, where everyone chooses a side ( cake vs ice cream, ketchup vs mayo, etc) and those sides battle for both the most wins and most popular side.

This game keeps the positives of the previous title, as well as expand on it. There are new weapons, all of which are fun in their own way, as well as new stages, which aren't bad either. The biggest positive is a new hoard mode that the game introduced called Salmon Run, which allows four players to fight off hoards and earn in-game money. It's challenging, fun, and something that the last game could have really benefited from. The game looks even better than before I did 't experience any real issues from the game itself. Getting to the next level allows different weapons and clothes to be purchased with in-game money, so there is incentive to keep playing.

My only real problem with the game is with the connectivity and waiting times for online lobbies. It doesn't feel like Nintendo was ready to handle the big crowds that can be playing at certain times. This means that the lobbies will sometimes time out from waiting, and I have been kicked out of games before due to a connectivity breakdown.

Technical issues aside, this is a great game, especially since Nintendo's online service is still free. I recommend this game to anyone who liked the first one or who needs a good title for their Switch.

I give Splatoon 2 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Broforce

                            The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I am reviewing one of the most American games I have ever played. Today, I will be reviewing 8-bit side-scrolling shooter Broforce. If you don't want to hit any Spoilers regarding the themes and enemies through the game, I would just skip to the last paragraph.

This game stars many of your favorite action heroes from the 80's and 90's, all of whom are given a "bro" name ( Robocop is Brobocop, Ellen Ripley is Brolen Ripley, etc). Each Bro has unique attacks and abilities as well, so learning who does what is essential. You play as these various Bros to take care of various threats, which include terrorists, Aliens for the Alien franchise, and creatures from hell. This all leads up to a showdown with Satan himself.

There are a lot of positives to this game. It gets difficult as you go through, the mayhem is perfect for this type of game, and there are enough changes as you go through to keep it from ever getting boring. I love so many of the small details that are included in this game too. If you're playing multiplayer you can high five the other bro to slow down time, if you melee kill an enemy with Predator he'll skin them and tie them to the roof (if there is one), and your bros can dig through the ground or walls to change your approach to a situation. The game includes an ironman mode as well, where you have all of the bros, but each bro only has one life, and you have to get through the whole game on that. I haven't tried that mode yet, and I don't know if I'll ever be up to that challenge. The game is a wonderful satire of action movies and it's obvious that the creators knew their material, as well as their audience.

The downsides come in here when it comes to performance, though not as a blanket statement. Most of the time you won't have any issues, but the game is gonna slow down a lot if you're playing online or have more than two players at once. You will also be plagued with some longer loading times as you go through the campaign, even if you're playing alone. Your gameplay won't be slowed down, but it'll take you some time to get the level started.

Overall, Broforce is a lot of fun in a pretty cheap package. It may not look like much from a trailer or a still image, but it is better than you'll expect. If there's one game that truly pays respects to an entire genre of over-the-top action movies, it's this one. It's obvious that the creators of this game know and love the films that this game is based off of, and I really hope we get a sequel or expansion. If you own a PS4 or a PC and haven't tried this game, you're missing out.

I give Broforce a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

TV Review: Castlevania

                             The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I am going to be reviewing the new Netflix animated series, Castlevania. As always, there will be Spoilers Below. 

This show follows Trevor Belmont, the last member of the Belmont family. The Belmonts, by this point, had been excommunicated from the church and are generally disliked across the land due to their dealings with the supernatural. And when Dracula unleashes an army of demons on the country for revenge on the people who burned his wife at the stake, many blame those who are not in good favor with the church (the irony being that the church burned his wife for "witchcraft"). Now, Trevor Belmont will need to work to destroy Dracula and stop the terror being unleashed on the people.

So the show has several things going for it. I really liked the animation, it was fast and set a perfect atmosphere for this type of show. The use of shadows is flawless and it does not shy away from gore at all. The designs of the demons are simple, but they are done well. A lot of the designs and concepts are taken directly from the NES game of the same name, including Dracula's castle. Basically, this show knocks it out of the park when it comes to the animation, themes, and designs. The dialogue can be a little repetitive as a lot of people say the same things to Trevor and he usually has the same responses, but never feels forced.

Where the show ends up lacking is its pacing and length. We don't really meet Trevor until the second episode, we are fully introduced to both of his companions in the fight against Dracula in the forth episode, and season one is only four episoded long. It literally ends with Trevor's second companion (not giving that away here) agreeing to join him in his fight. And it's not like each episode is long like a season of Sherlock or something, this is a four episode season where each episode is 30 minutes in length. I wasn't genuinely interested until episode three, so I essentially got two episodes of a good show here. Having the first two episodes be a slow build up is fine if there are fifteen or twenty episodes, but not when you're starting out with just four.

Overall, I would say this show is worth your time to watch, especially consodering that you'll only need to invest two hours to finish the season. Luckily this show has been given the greenlight for a scond season, because I like where it was going. If you haven't seen it when the new season is close to release, maybe wait until that's out to binge the whole thing, but I am glad I saw what little there is now.

I give Netflix's Castlevania a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Battlefield 1

                          The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me 

Hello Enthusiasts,

A lot of folks are familiar with the Second World War, thanks to a number of great books, shows, movies, and games. WWI though? Not nearly as much has been dedicated to that war, and likely because it was not nearly as cut-and-dry as WWII. Luckily, today's game has provided us with a bit of a history lesson on the first Great War. That's right, today I will be reviewing the 2016 game Battlefield 1, and while you may not care as much for a game like this, I still want to mention that there may be some Spoilers Below.

As mentioned, this game takes place during the war to end all wars. Once you beat what I think is an awesome tutorial mission, you are given the option of five different campaigns, each one focusing on a different aspect of the game to learn. You have one focused on planes, one on tanks, one on using heavy troops, etc. As you work through each mission, you get to learn about the protagonist for that story line, and each one will give you a bit of a lesson on that aspect of the war. And it wouldn't be a Battlefield game without a multiplayer mode, which I will touch on more soon.

This game has earned several positives from me here. The game looks great, especially the character models. The controls feel natural (playing on a PS4), and it didn't take long at all for me to not only learn them, but feel very comfortable with them. I also really appreciated the attention that the single-player game was given, seeing as most people will buy this just for the multiplayer. The campaigns are difficult as you go through them, and I became very invested in several of the characters (though my favorite one dies at the end of theirs). In terms of the history, this game does take some liberties, but does try to stay within the confines of history whenever it can. I think one of my favorite moments in the game is the tutorial, which I mentioned loving before. The reason I think it's so great is because you will be put into a soldier, fight against the enemy, and when you die (and you will), that soldier is dead, you move on to a different one. It shows the horrors on WWI, and that it wasn't am easy fight by any stretch of the imagination.

And yes, of course, the multiplayer is a lot of fun, very reminiscent of Battlefield 1942 with its fairly large maps and wide variety of vehicles to choose from. Even though you will likely play against people that are far better than you due to the time they've had to practice and get better, it generally doesn't feel like you can't accomplish anything, as long as you don't have squad members backing out. The multiplayer quickmatches aren't over as soon as they begin either, as they seem to usually last (in my experience) about 25 minutes each. There are also other modes to search for specific servers or go on a very long multiplayer campaign that will moving from one match to the next to take over a theater of the war. It is all a lot of fun, and I'm happy to see some variety.

A couple of negatives to speak on for this game (though not many). I think the game could have benefited a little with more customization options for online, as you can't set your soldier up with any variation of clothing or armor for others to see online. I have also been caught more than once in multiplayer where several members of my squad will drop out if we start to fall behind, making it near impossible for me to pull out a victory. With that, I think the game could do with penalties for dropping out, similar to what Overwatch does. These are somewhat minor things, but still, these are things that could easily be fixed in the game.

Overall, this is a lot of fun. If you're a fan of FPS games at all, you will likely enjoy this one. If you like games with well-built multiplayer modes, this one's for you. Sire, there are some things that don't 100% work for me, but this is a game that overcomes any criticism I throw at it.

I give Battlefield 1 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Movie Review: Justice League Dark

                            The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the DC animated film, Justice League Dark. Now DC does have a good number of animated movies, and a lot of them are very good, so you may see some comparisons to other films in here as well. Also, as always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

So the story starts off by showing several people who are convinced that everyone around them is a demon who is out to kill them. This leads to a number of casualties until the civilians are brought to their senses by members of the Justice League. A few members suggest that there is likely magic in play, and Batman is prompted (not by the league) to seek out John Constantine for assistance. On his way to finding Constantine he adds Zatana and Deadman to his group, and the four of them move on to investigate what has happened. There are others who help the group out, but most of the film revolves around those four.

So first we can look at some positives with this film. The story itself is intriguing, and it's nice to see some less-prominent characters like Deadman and Swamp Thing get time on screen. The film doesn't hold the viewer's hand the entire time, instead allowing explanations of certain things happen organically. For example, there's a part of the movie where Zatana says that she doesn't practice dark magic because of how she could lose control, but goes no further. Later we see her lose control, and it is surprising/exciting to see that level of power, since we hadn't been told exactly what she meant earlier. Batman being on the team works better than I would have originally thought for a few reasons. He proves useful in a world he isn't too familiar with, but not to the point where it seems like he's the key component to the team. Even more importantly, he serves as a natural way to explain various objects of magic and spells, since everyone else would have a handle on that information.

There are certainly some areas that could use improvement here though. The animation, while not bad, doesn't live up to the standard set by some of the other animated DC films, such as Batman:Under the Red Hood or the second act of The Killing Joke. A lot of the animation feels delayed, and there are a few moments of uncomfortable pauses throughout. I also found it strange the Batman is so quick to dismiss magic when he has worked with several magic users before (Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, etc). With that previous experience, it's strange that he starts the movie so skeptical. We also get a "surprise" villain near the end, though it was a pretty predictable turn of events.

So is this a bad movie? No, but it certainly isn't the best we've seen from DC animation. There are areas that needed some work before release, but it is overall a pretty good animated film, especially if you want to see some lesser-know characters.

I give Justice League Dark a 6.5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review: The Rules of Supervillainy

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I am going to be reviewing a book by C.T. Phipps titles The Rules of Supervillainy, the first book in the "Supervillian Saga". As always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

The story follows our main character, Gary Karkofsky, as he works to become the world's newest supervillain, Merciless: The Villain Without Mercy. He takes on this task as he was strangely mailed the power-imbued cloak that a recently deceased hero wore. This cloak is possessed, and can therefore provide Gary with direction. It also grants him the power to levitate, turn intangible, create ice and fire, and provides increased durability. All of these powers will last a short period of time before the cloak has to recharge for a bit. Gary is joined by his former ex-girlfriend/henchwoman, Cindy (much to the distaste of Gary's wife, Mindy), as well as a former supervillain turned advisor to Gary, Diabloman. Together, they will try to become a very strange set of supervillains that follow a very specific set of moral and ethical guidelines, but who still want to rule the city.

There are some positives to this book. It has a lot of good ideas regarding powers, heroes, villains, and the generally unspoken code that villains have. There is a heavy look at anti-heroes and the problems they can cause with their often unrestricted violence, and the book does a great job of showing how other heroes often work to distance themselves from the anti-heroes in this universe. This book is, at it's core, a comedy, with jokes thrown in throughout the story, the action, and the building of our characters. It does poke fun at a lot of tropes with heroes, and takes things to the next steps from where comics generally go regarding things like Superhero Law and the like.

This is not a perfect book though, and it does have several downsides. The writing sometimes feels underdeveloped, as there are points when things are being explained to the reader in a manner that feels like hand-holding. The code that Gary follows also seems like the author didn't want to go too far with him, as Gary (a supervillain) won't kill a civilian that mouths off to him or anything. Granted, he's supposed to be a normal guy that gets this cloak, just deciding to rob places instead of be a hero, but I think criminal may have been a better first step than supervillain if he isn't going all in here. Also, while we get some depth on Gary and Mindy, we really don't get much on anyone else. A lot of the other characters feel shallow and mostly unexplored. Instead of getting at least a bit more info on Cindy or Diabloman, we get things like an entire chapter devoted to a nightmare Gary has that explains his tragic history with anti-heroes, something that could have been explained in two or three lines of dialogue.

Overall, this isn't a bad book. As I mentioned, it does have some good ideas, even some well executed ones, and I am interested to see where the story goes next. However, this book can definitely be described as "underdeveloped", as so much of it feels like it could be written in a better way. If you're looking for a fun story with new heroes and villains, this is not the worst choice, but I wouldn't call it the best either.

I give The Rules Of Supervillainy a 6 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol 1 - Squirrel Power

                           The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

There are some characters in comics that are made for laughs. You have Deadpool, Harley Quinn, etc. Of course these characters are more than just a punchline, each having their own history and goals. But when you look at a lot of their source material, it's made with humor in mind. Today's comic book review focuses in on another character like that, Marvel's Squirrel Girl. Today I will be looking into the first volume in the "Marvel Now!" series, titled The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power. As always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

So for anyone who is unfamiliar with this character, I'll give you a quick breakdown. Squirrel Girl has the proportionate strength, speed, and agility of a squirrel. She can also communicate with squirrels, who are happy to attack foes for her. Somehow, through her powers, intellect, charm, and luck, she has earns the title of "unbeatable", as she has not been beaten before. Squirrel Girl is a member of the Great Lake Avengers and, as we see in this comic, has been living in the attic of the Avenger's Mansion.

This comic shows us Squirrel Girl as she moves out of the attic to attend college, pursuing a degree in Computer Sciences. She gets to school, starts to make some friends, and is feeling good about the change. She is signing up for clubs and is getting settled into her dorm when her old life comes back to haunt her. Well, not really to haunt HER, it all just so happens that Kraven the Hunter is searching the NYU campus for Spider-man. Squirrel Girl handles the situation, to soon find that Galactus is headed to Earth. She also has a bank robbery to stop and she needs to fight off Whiplash (who is actually after her because she is wearing an Iron Man suit, which I won't explain here). She, of course, handles these threats without too much of an issue, and decides to continue pursuing her education while being Squirrel Girl.

So, this comic does a lot of things well. It's funny for sure, but also very creative in its approach to threats (except for taking down Galactus, that process wasn't as creative). The writing all feels as natural as possible with a humor-based comic book, it does feel like it's laying down the groundwork for a good series with enjoyable side characters. And again, the humor generally lands, and there are some very funny concepts throughout. For example, Squirrel Girl gets her knowledge about her foes from a series of collectible Deadpool information cards, which of course have jokes about each character as well. It's things like this that make the volume all the more enjoyable.

As fun as the volume is, it isn't perfect. For one thing, I was not a huge fan of the artwork. It's not bad, and it fits the more cartoon approach, but I think after seeing Squirrel Girl show up in other comics and look better, it feels like a steps down in appearance. Also, like I had hinted at earlier, the takedown of Galactus left something to be desired, as it was just her finding a different planet for Galactus to eat. It's been done before, and it felt like the least creative thing in the book (though it does fit the character).

Overall, despite a few complaints, this is not a bad volume at all. Sure, it may not be for everyone, but if you are looking for some laughs in your comics rather than the traditional action and suspense that Marvel usually delivers, this is likely going to be well worth your time and money.

I give The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Power a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Legend Of Zelda - Breath Of The Wild

                                The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I am going to be reviewing the newest game in one of Nintendo's longest running series', The Legend Of Zelda. The newest title, Breath Of The Wild, released in March of 2017 for both the Wii U and Nintendo's newest console, the Switch. I played this game on the latter of those two systems, so my review will be based on that version. As always, the will be some Spoilers Below.

The game starts out with our long time hero of the series, Link, waking up from a slumber in a pool of water. This chamber where Link had taken his water nap is apparently a chamber with regenerative properties, and has been allowing our hero to heal from a great battle 100 years ago. He wakes to find that he has no memories of the past and the kingdom of Hyrule is in a bad state. Princess Zelda has been fighting off Gannon's newest form (newest to us, it's been the same for that 100 years that Link has been asleep), known as Calamity Gannon, and she is starting to lose the battle of holding him back. It is Link's job to finish off the beast once and for all, though he is going to need to do some prep work first. And so Link sets off to explore this big open world, gaining access to better weapons and armor, as well as unlocking the "Divine Beasts" to assist him in taking out the threat to the world.

This is a completely open-world adventure for Link, and the first of its kind for the series. You can, if you want to, finish up the starting Plateau and go right for Hyrule Castle to fight Gannon, though you would be missing out on a lot of course. The Divine Beasts don't need to be unlocked in any particular order, and the number if things that can done in the world is impressive. There is dynamic weather throughout the game, though different environments will experience certain weather patterns more frequently. Certain areas also have inherit environmental conditions that need to be taken into account as well. The Volcano area will require you to prepare for extreme temperatures that can cause you to actually catch on fire, the desert is hot in the day and cold at night, and there is a snow-covered mountain range that is, of course, very cold. There are regular rain storms, which can make climbing near impossible, and thunderstorms that will strike you with lightning if you have anything metal equipped. There are a few towns and more friendly areas, but most of the map is, as is hinted in the title, the wild and open spaces of Hyrule. The map is built with a lot of detail, and you can travel to almost any area or landmark you can see.

So what are some of the positives in this game? Well, to start, you have the controls themselves. The controls, while they may take a little getting used to, are set up well and can become second nature by the time you leave the first section of the game. The fighting in the game can be difficult to get the hang of, but does use some nice mechanics of attacking, blocking, and dodging. I have heard a lot of complaints about the weapons and shields breaking too fast, and some of them do, but I feel that it adds to the fighting of the game. Having to decide what weapons are worth what battle brings another layer to the fighting. I think that the greatest merit to the game is the level of detail that goes into everything, including some small things that you can do in the game. You can slide on your shield down hills, create a fire to cause an updraft for your glider, cook a large variety of dishes, and too many other fun things to list.

It is likely easier to list out the negatives of the game and let you find more things to love om your own. Really, the only noteworthy thing to say against the game is the final battle with Gannon. Considering the difficult bosses and creatures throughout the game, one would think that the final battle would be a real challenge. However, Gannon is not difficult at all. If you go into that final battle with a guardian shield, a fully charged Master Sword, and about 5-6 cooked meals to heal hearts, you'll be fine. This was one of two boss battles I didn't die during the course of, and that is disappointing. It really didn't feel like I used everything I learned throughout the game.

Despite a weak ending though, this game has a whole lot to offer. If you have either system, you need to pick this one up. I have friends that haven't played or enjoyed a Legend of Zelda game before, and they fell in love with this one.

While playing the game, I would have said this is a solid 10/10, but after reflecting and taking into account that last battle, I'm giving Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild a 9.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Board Enthusiast

TV Review: One-Punch Man

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the anime One-Punch Man, which hit Netflix pretty recently. Now I never got huge into anime outside of some of the more popular shows from my childhood (Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Yu-gi-oh, etc), so this was really my first non-dubbed anime. I mention this because, if any of you are big into anime, I may seem somewhat naive on the topic and may mention things that are pretty regular across the genre, so please bear with me on that. As always, you may find some Mild Spoilers Below. 

The story follows Saitama, a regular guy who is a hero for fun. He also happens to have enormous power, with lightning fast reflexes, incredible durability, and the strength to obliterate anything with a single punch. This came from three years of an exercise routine that included "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10k run, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!". Because of his incredible power, he gets an unwanted cyborg student, Genos, who worships Saitama's power and wants to learn how can improve his own, already impressive power.  He lives in a world that frequently sees destruction from monsters and disasters, and therefore has an official Hero Association that allows folks to sign up, take some tests, and possibly become a hero that gets paid with the donations of the people. Saitama works with these other heroes (though he really doesn't need to) to stop threats to the world, such as giant monsters from the sea. All the while, Saitama is really just looking for a foe that he can't kill with just one punch. I would love to go into more detail, but despite my spoiler warning, I really don't want to give the whole thing away. 

There are a whole lot of positives to this show for me. Most of the fights and action scenes are pretty grand, and you would think that would be difficult with a hero that can win with a single punch. The show does well of showing other heroes fight as well, showing their struggles with these monsters before Saitama comes onto the scene. The effects of his punches are also some of the best parts of the show, with ridiculous destruction and consequences from each hit. I particularly liked the visual from his final big fight in the series, which shows the clouds on each separating in a cone shape from his last blow. On top of the over-the-top action, the series is also pretty funny. Saitama is usually drawn with a pretty blank expression on his face, and his priorities can sometimes seem completely out of order to the others. He tends to think more about saving money and covering bills than he does of the monsters that he is fighting. However, even with all of this humor, there is a depression to Saitama, as he cannot find a challenge in life for his strength and power, being disappointed with each monster. Saitama is certainly not egotistical though, despite the power he holds. He is generally pretty humble, and at one point allows the public to believe that he is a fraud rather than allow them to think that all of the other heroes in the Hero Association are useless. Things like this in the show demonstrate that, while it does have fun with itself, it can be deeper than expected.

My only problem with this anime overall is the unexplained subplot going on in the Hero Association. It seems that many of the administration part of the Association have some big plans for our heroes, but they never really go into detail about what they’re interested in about them. It also doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere, even in the last episode, instead leaving an open end for the next season. While I can appreciate having a subplot like that arcing across more than one season, I think they could have shown me a bit more to keep me interested. Outside of the strange shadow people of the Hero Association though, I really don’t have any complaints for this series so far.

So yeah, this was a great season of a really fun anime, I can see how it built up the following that it has. While it does have that subplot that doesn’t feel complete, I feel like this show is still fantastic overall and is definitely worth a watch. If you have some time on your hands and you aren’t sure what you should be watching next on Netflix, This show gets a strong recommendation from me.

I give the first (and currently only) season of One-Punch Man a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

Comic Book Review: Batman - Knightfall

Hello Enthusiasts,

There are some comic book story lines and moments that stand out in comic book history above the rest. The death of Superman, the death of Gwen Stacy, the death of Barry Allen, the birth of Venom (at least it wasn't another death), as well as some other stories or panels I'm sure you can think of. Today I will be reviewing a classic piece of DC history, Batman: Knightfall. As always, there are going to be some Spoilers Below for those who aren't aware of what happens in this story. 

So the story begins not with Batman, but with the pregnant mother of one of his most dangerous foes, Bane. She dies when Bane is young, and Bane is sentenced to serve the sentence that his father would have had to have served if he had lived. Bane serves this sentence in one of the worst prisons on Earth, . It's because of this upbringing, along with some amazing determination, that he became not only a physical powerhouse, but also an incredibly intelligent and tactical thinker. During his upbringing he learned of a city called Gotham, which held anything a man could want, and is ruled by an entity known as the Batman. Bane decides that his ultimate goal is not only to kill Batman, but to break him on every level. He escapes prison with the help of a super-drug called Venom and makes his way to Gotham City. Bane proceeds to release every super-criminal from Arkham Asylum, which works to wear down a Batman that is already suffering from some heath issues (an illness that normally wouldn't be too bad, similar to the flu). As Batman is fighting these villains, Bane figures out his identity as Bruce Wayne. After Batman spends far too much effort over the course of several weeks Bane travels to Wayne Manor and fights Batman. Batman doesn't do too well in the fight, which ends with Bane breaking Batman's spine.

Batman survives the encounter, but is out of commission for the rest of the comic. He has Azrael take over the mantle of Batman, with Robin (Tim Drake) to guide him. Azrael doesn't follow Batman's code to a T, coming very close to killing several thugs. He then goes against Batman's wishes in taking on Bane (with the assistance of an armored version of the Bat-suit), and manages to beat Bane head-on. All doesn't end well here, as Azrael is now out taking the law into his own hands in a way that Batman never would, with a powerful set of armor to assist him.

So, as you can probably tell from my very long synopsis of the comic, it was a very enjoyable one. It is very engaging and incredibly memorable, I didn't list half of the details from this volume either (it is quite a long one), so you do not have the whole story here. The art is some of the best that Batman has seen in my opinion, and the whole thing was wildly intense. Batman's determination to save Gotham from all of the former Arkham inmates leaps off the page at you, and you feel his struggle throughout the story. It's hard o pull the positives out of this story since there is so much to compliment on, it is a really must-read for any fan of Batman or comic books. The only downside for me is that I'll need to buy the volumes that follow this one to get the full story of Batman's recovery and his fight against the Azrael impostor.

So yeah, this is definitely a comic to pick up. If you haven't read it yet, get out there and read it. Even if you know what happens like I did, it is still incredibly engaging and entertaining. You won't regret picking this volume up, as it is now one of my favorites in my collection.

I give Batman: Knightfall a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Board Enthusiast

TV Review: Iron Fist

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the next installment in Netflix's Marvel line-up, Iron Fist. As a head's up, as usual, there will be some potential Spoilers Below.

This show, as you can likely tell by the title, follows the Marvel hero Iron Fist (aka Daniel Rand, played by Finn Jones). Danny was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed his parents. He was rescued by two warrior monks, who brought him back to be raised in a monastery in the Himalayan mountains. Here, Danny was trained in various forms of martial arts, and was eventually chosen to wield the powerful Iron Fist. His task was to remain at the monastery and use the Iron Fist to protect it from The Hand, but Danny decided to go back to New York instead, where he finds a more sinister plot at play...one that involves a whole lot of heroine. While he works to follow the leads that this new heroine presents, he is also trying to get back into his life and his parent's company. With very few friends and a lot of enemies, both of Danny's objectives prove to be difficult to accomplish.

This show was panned by critics, who have basically labeled the show as uninteresting. However, fan reaction is quite different. The show has a solid rating on Netflix from the fans, and has been getting some approval from the regular viewers. Iron Fist is one of those experiences that has a 17% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but an 81% from fans on the very same site. It certainly starts off slow, but that's not unheard of with these Marvel shows (see Jessica Jones). It also doesn't have a great villain, much like the issue that you would see with Luke Cage. I have also heard it said that Finn Jones' character seems out of place and off-beat. I can't stand that last argument, as Danny has been fighting in a monastery since he was a child, so it would be more strange if he entered New York as cool as Tony Stark. I also feel that critics saw that this was going to be a show focused on fighting and thought they were in for another Daredevil. I don't feel that's fair to Iron Fist, considering the show needed to spend more time explaining who Iron Fist is than Daredevil needed to (Daredevil did already have his own movie that a lot of people saw, even if it wasn't great). This show knew that it would need to bring some people in who knew nothing about the character, get them up to speed, show them some solid fights, and prepare the character for the upcoming Defenders show.

With all of that being said, what are the positives to this show? Well, the fights may not be as gritty as you'll see in Daredevil, but they certainly aren't bad either. I enjoyed watching the various fighting scenes, both with Danny Rand as well as those including his love interest in the show, Colleen Wing. They are well choreographed, and they do something that Luke Cage wasn't able to do as well, show more of our hero's vulnerabilities. The show also works well in confusing the viewer about who to trust, though not to the point where it gets annoying or anything. I have seen better twists, but the ones in this show hold up well. The supporting actors do a great job in this show, with a few coming back from previous Marvel-Netflix shows to reprise their roles. Character's like Harold Meachum and  Davos are appropriately portrayed for their roles here.

Overall, I liked this show. It isn't my favorite of the Marvel-Netflix shows, but it certainly holds its own and establishes Iron Fist as a solid character. The unfortunate truth is that this show is competing with all of the other Defender's seasons, and so there is a lot of expectation going in. Even with that though, I still suggest giving this show a watch, you may be very surprised if you were believing the critics and their terrible reviews.

I give Netflix's Iron Fist a 6 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Movie Review: Necessary Evil - Super-Villains of DC Comics

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Hello Enthusiasts,

I do deviate from video games and books from time to time, hence some previous posts like 5 completed shows to watch and my review of Mike Birbiglia's "Sleepwalk With Me". So today I would like to touch on another movie, this one being a documentary that lines up with some of my more posted-about interests. Today I will be reviewing Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics. 

So, to start, this film ended up being a little different than I thought it would be when I went into it. I started watching this thinking it would be more along the lines of generally unknown facts about these villains and inspirations behind them, and to be fair, there is some of that in here. However, the main focus of this documentary is actually the psychology behind having villains, what they mean to the heroes, and some insight to why certain heroes have certain types of villains. Some of this ends up being very simple, like, "What purpose does the hero have if there isn't a villain to fight", which is a pretty basic concept. However, at some points you will get some great information or insights from some believable sources,such as those involved with the creation of these comics, movies, and TV shows. This film has speakers like Jim Lee, Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, and others, meaning that just about all of the guests speaking are incredibly talented and creative individuals. 

So what are the positives to this film overall? Well, like I mentioned, the people speaking in the documentary is a big draw. It adds to the credibility of what is being said a bit, knowing that it's the folks writing and illustrating these comics that are providing the information. Add to that the fact that the film is being narrated by the late-great Christopher Lee, and you have yourself an amazing cast to work with a project like this. Also, as I had mentioned earlier, there are certain times in the film that dive more into the inspirations of some of the villains and facts behind them. I love bits like these, showing some additional insight into the characters you were sure you already knew inside and out. Even though the film takes on several topics within the realm of "Necessary Evil, it is also pretty concise, coming in around an hour and a half, which isn't bad at all.

The only downside I can really think of are those more basic concepts I mentioned earlier. We get a decent amount of them in this feature, and I would start to lose a bit of interest when the speakers would dwell on why villains are important and required for the story. I understand that what is being said is true and is interesting, but it just feels like it's being approached on a very base level, and for a bit too long. While this may seem a little picky, the amount of times they revert back to the more basic concepts of light needing darkness and the inevitability of the villain is noticeable. I honestly think that if some of this was cut out, even though the movie would have ended up being a good 20 minutes shorter, it would have ranked a bit higher.

This documentary has several good components to it, enough to make viewing it an enjoyable experience, but it isn't perfect. They did what they were trying to do well, really driving home a lot of ideas and information, all of which was being told by great sources. Despite my issues with some of the more basic concepts, this is a solid film to watch if you have any interest in the villains if the DC universe.

I give Necessary Evil: Super-Villains of DC Comics a 8 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

Game Review: Deus Ex - Mankind Divided

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Sequels can be a strange thing in all forms of media. I'm sure you can easily think of a few games or movies where the sequel didn't live up to the first game, and I'm sure there are other series you can think of where the opposite can be said about the later installments. Today I will be reviewing the newest installation in the Deus Ex series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

This title takes place two years after the events of the previous title, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which has changed the world considerably. Because the previous game ended with all (but one) of the augmented people of the world becoming super-violent, they are now seen as second-class citizens. They have to go through hard checkpoints and are frequently subject to "accidents" involving the police. It's a tense, stressful environment that will have you a little on edge as you walk around. You still play as Adam Jensen, though you are now working as an agent for Interpol (also, secretly, a hacker organization call Juggernaut). Adam also starts to experience some technical difficulties, and when he is reset he discovers several hidden augmentations to unlock. As the story progresses you discover what appears to be a conspiracy to frame a pro-aug organization for terrorist attacks. So if becomes a race against the clock to find the real culprits.

So this game does improve on a lot of aspects of the previous game, especially in the area of versatility. A problem I found with the last game was that you were forced to play in the style that you chose, but it was difficult to change to another as you progressed. If you were trying for stealth, you better hope you don't get seen, because you didn't have enough points to also upgrade your offensive capabilities. This game has a wider spread and seems to offer more points, allowing a player to upgrade for multiple options. The graphics are, of course, upgraded, and the open city offers a lot to look at. It does feel like a lot of the city is open to explore (as long as you have upgraded your hacking skills), and most of the areas have something to offer. The augmentations themselves are excellent as well, with each upgrade noticeably changing the gameplay and how you will approach situations.

Despite the improvements, there are a couple of negatives. The loading can take some time, and the scenes will noticeably repeat themselves over and over. It isn't nearly as bad as XCOM 2, but it is still a good wait for loading. The conversations can be tedious as well, especially when you know it's going to eventually lead to a good action scene. There also a social augmentation that you can use points on that allow you to read the other person and speak appropriately to their personality type, but it's a strange system that isn't fully explained. I ended up looking online for assistance, which did help a lot, and it certainly isn't a bad system itself, they just kind of throw you into it though.

Overall, this game is a lot of fun and incredibly engaging. It can be difficult, but not to the point where you won't want to play. It feels a lot more polished and balanced than the previous title, and it will be hard to put down. Despite the problem of some serious load times, it is still worth the purchase.

I give Deus Ex: Mankind Divided a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: XCOM 2

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing a game that was released on consoles last year, XCOM 2. This game is a sequel to XCOM: Enemy Unknown (or the improved version of the game, XCOM: Enemy Within). As always, please keep in mind that there may be some Spoilers Below. 

This game takes place several years after the events of the last game. As it turns out, even though the XCOM team was able to defeat the original alien invasion, the Earth was still lost, since they were just fighting the first wave of many. Now, XCOM is a resistance force that isn't publicly supported as they once were. The humans have embraced the aliens as their masters, and the aliens act as though they are here to make our lives better (and apparently the population has forgotten everything the aliens did during their initial invasion). Now it's up to the XCOM team to resist the aliens, along with settlements around the world, before it's too late.

This is a great game, a whole lot of fun, but my God is it difficult. Don't get me wrong, that's a good thing, I would be furious if this game was easy, but sweet Christmas is this game going to beat you to a pulp. It is, without a doubt, the most difficult strategy game I have ever played. It takes everything that was difficult from the previous game and kicks it into high gear. You will face giant swarms of enemies, sometimes against groups that are twice as large as yours (just in one section of the level). The AI is also a lot smarter in this game, going after your strongest members instead of the closest or most vulnerable. I used to always bring a rookie to bait the aliens with (sometimes they would survive), but now the aliens won't give them the time of day if they can see my other, stronger characters. Soldiers stay wounded longer, funds and resources are more difficult to come by, and you are really racing against a countdown to defeat the aliens. It is unforgiving. With that being said though, you have been given a few advantages on your side as well. You will start almost every level concealed, which helps you to set up an ambush. Your support character now has a drone that can heal or assist teammates who the character wouldn't be able to reach by running, and the shot-gunner now has a very effective sword they wield as well. One of my favorite additions is for the sniper, who can fire upon any aliens on the map that other characters can see (as long as it's a clear shot), giving them an incredible range. Still though, these boosts don't ever make it feel like you're in charge of the situation, it is always an up hill battle. It is a stressful game to say the least, but despite all of that I still found myself saying "just one more mission" every time I thought I should wrap it up. If you enjoy strategy games, this is one to put you to the test. For the truly insane, the game also offers an "Iron Man" mode, where you will be unable to load previous save files, saving is just for when you have to turn the game.

Outside of the changes in difficulty, there are a few other updates. The graphics are a lot better than the last game, there is a lot more variety when customizing your troops, and there are more options on how to pass time while the next mission approaches. You can use that time to collect resources, heal troops, unlock new areas, and the list goes on. While it is nice to have these options, it only makes the game more difficult, since this is the type of game where every action has a consequence. Collecting resources to buy new weapons and armor is great, but now this mission popped up and you have only one experienced soldier to carry it out since the rest of them are still wounded. Meanwhile, if you spend your time speeding up your soldier's recovery, they are likely going to end up in the same condition after the battle since you don't have any new equipment to assist them. Plus, you need to keep unlocking areas if you don't want to lose the entire game. There is also a wider variety of enemies in this game, though some of the aliens are just upgraded versions of the same enemies from the previous game. None of them are easy targets though, with even the most basic grunt being able to make a situation more challenging.

I think the only negative things for me lie more in the performance of the game rather than its design. The loading and reloading screens will take a good amount of time, with my highest wait time being almost 5 minutes. I found that I was keeping a comic book on standby to read while I waited for the load screens to pass, something that probably wasn't intended. The maps can also take a moment for the details to kick in once you move to see more of it. This doesn't end up changing the gameplay at all, it's just a cosmetic issue that can take you out of an otherwise totally immersive game for a moment. It will also take a moment sometimes for your characters to load up when you are going to customize them, but it's not more than 10 or 12 seconds at most. Outside of some delays in loading though, this game didn't have any faults as far as I could see.

Overall, this game is excellent, showing the world what a good sequel should be. It improves on everything that people had complained about in the previous game, plus some. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is somewhat unreasonable loading times, but that shouldn't deter you from making the purchase. It can seem unfairly difficult at times, but only to the extent that you are now a small faction fighting a large ruler, so of course they can constantly bring in reinforcements. If you are looking for a game that you can breeze through in one run, stay away from this title. But if you are looking for a real challenge that will have you reloading the same mission over and over to try to not have everyone die, this is the title for you. It was certainly a great one for me. To be honest though, some of those trophies/achievements are ridiculous, take a look at them some time to laugh at the thought of even trying to get them all.

I give XCOM 2 a 9.5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: X-Men Legends 2 - Rise of Apocalypse

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the sequel to X-Men Legends, titled X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse. This title was released in 2005 on the same systems as the previous game. If you didn't get a chance to check out my review of the first game, you can find it here. Of course, there may be some Spoilers Below. 

This game takes place some time after the first one and opens with the X-Men and the Brotherhood rescuing Xavier from a heavily guarded facility. They also went there to rescue Polaris, but she wasn't found there. How were these two teams thrown together? Well, the answer is in the title, Apocalypse has begun his plan to take over the world, and his first target was the mutant have country of Genosha. As it turns out, Apocalypse is capturing several mutants that have "Harmonic DNA", which are needed for some machine that will give him even more power. The teams begin here and move though a few different locations to stop Apocalypse and save the mutants that have been captured by him. Other than some details, that is pretty much it for the story, it's a pretty easy synopsis.

In terms of game play, it is very similar to the previous game. You control a team of four mutants, some of which have the ability to fly, put out fires, pick up larger objects, etc. Each mutant can use one of a few different powers that drain their mutant energy. Destroying objects in the world grants items such as health packs, energy packs, armor, and currency, all of which are useful in their own way.More so than the last game, this one rewards you for sticking with the same characters throughout. In the last game, characters you weren't using would essentially be brought up to speed with a number of upgrade points equal to the average of what they should have for that part of the game. This game doesn't do that as much, meaning that you will end up using pretty much the same team the entire time.

What works for this game? Well, it does have better graphics than the last one did, both in-game and during the cutscenes.  The enemies are more detailed as well, especially in the more monster-like ones. The voice acting is as well done as the previous title, which is to say that it fits well. There are also more areas to upgrade and the active powers of each mutant can be changed, leading to more control of each individual character. I thought this was a positive change, as I was able to balance my team out a bit more, making some mutants carry more of a support role while others would go in as power houses. Most of the positives carry over from the first game as well, such as the difficulty, since this still isn't as easy a game as one might think when they first see it. Health is lost fast, and energy is depleted even faster. Enemies just keep getting stronger, and it never feels like you're so powerful that you breeze through the missions (unless you are replaying older missions). The game is more fun when playing with others, but that's not to say it's a bad game when playing solo. Still, I suggest getting a friend to play through the story with you.Finally, even though it makes it easier and I enjoy a bit of difficulty, I like the addition of Blink in the game, who can teleport you from the middle of a level back to the home base and the portal will stay open for you to use on a return. This is great in that it means you can stop to return to base and save at any given time.

This game did improve in some areas, but not all of them. An issue I have with this title is that, even though there are two teams, the game has the same amount of playable characters. I would have thought that there would have been more , but the game instead removes the ability to play as Emma Frost, Beast, Psylock, Jubilee, and Magma instead of keeping them and adding the others like Magento and Juggernaut. While the maps were more detailed, there were fewer locations than the last game as well, and the lack of diversity is noticed. The game instead has several long missions in the same areas like the Savage Lands, rather than each mission being in different locations. Speaking of a lack of diversity, because of how the upgrade system changed, you won't be unlocking new characters as you play, instead you get all of your characters up front. While the number of characters ends up being the same, this makes it feel like less, since I'm not getting anything new as I play through.

Overall, this was a good follow-up to the first game in the series. It doesn't feel like it does as much as the first game, but it does well with what it has. I would say that this can be a good game to play if you have a friend and a decent game to play if you're on your own. If you enjoyed the first game, pick this one up. If you didn't like the first one, you probably won't like this one either. And if you're new to the series, you can start with this one instead of the first one and you would be fine.

I give X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Mobile Game Review: Fire Emblem - Heroes

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Hello Enthusiasts,

It seems that the games I've been playing as I recover from Christmas spending seem to be ones that I already have or ones that are free for me to get. With that being said, today I will be reviewing a fairly new free-to-play mobile game by Nintendo, Fire Emblem: Heroes. 

This title ties in with other Fire Emblem all of the other games in the franchise (full disclosure, I haven't played them all, but this is what my research suggests). You play as (your name here), a summoner who can summon any heroes from any of the previous Fire Emblem games, though you don't get to choose who you summon. Unlike some games of the past, your character isn't actually in the game as a fighter, instead playing the background role of tactician.  The story revolves around a group of heroes that assist in guarding the various realms within the Fire Emblem universe, such as the "World of Mystery" and the "World of Awakening". As anyone who has played the games before will recognize, each world is a different Fire Emblem game, and each one includes specific characters from those games. There is, of course, a threat to the order and these worlds, one who is able to have each world's heroes fight for her. To do this she doesn't use mind control or blackmail, but instead tricks them into being bound by contracts that require them to fight for her until they encounter a hero too strong to handle. I am not mentioning the name of this villain, because there isn't a whole lot of story here for a Fire Emblem game and I don't want to spoil everything (which is also why I won't mention her motivations at all).

As you move through and save the various worlds you have a team of four that you fight with. You will, of course, unlock a lot of additional heroes, but a team will only consist of four of them. Each one level's up individually, and the stats from leveling up are raised automatically rather than allowing the player to upgrade the stats manually. There are four main types of heroes, which are assigned different colors and has different strengths or weaknesses:

Red - Strong against green, weak against blue, generally armed with swords or magic

Green - Strong against blue, weak against red, generally armed with axes or magic

Blue - Strong against red, weak against green, generally armed with lances or magic

Grey - no strengths or weaknesses, generally armed with bows or magic staffs

So any characters armed with magic or bows are ranged, so they cannot attack or counter if they are adjacent to their target/attacker. This does add to the tactics and planning, as they can attack through walls or trees, so attacking close characters through an obstacle with one of these characters is ideal. This game is not as punishing as other titles in the series, as deaths are not permanent, but that is sort of expected with it being a mobile game. What can be difficult though is building experience. Even though character deaths aren't permanent, a character who dies on a level will not receive any of the benefits they earned while they were alive on that stage. This even applies if one of your characters levels up from building XP, so it is still in your best interest not to play too haphazardly.

There are some strong positives to this one, one of which is the strict nostalgia that comes with seeing so many characters from previous titles that you love. I was thrilled when I unlocked Robin and he was immediately placed onto my team. The movement and fighting is pretty simple, and the game gives you the outcome of an individual battle before you engage in it. However, the game does nothing to warn you that moving you character to a particular spot may be a bad idea outside of that single battle, such as being in range of other characters that can take yours down. This means that, while some areas have been made easier, others have still held some difficulty. Another big positive for me is that Nintendo has announced that, at least for a while, there will be updates to this game released every other week. This is great news, since the main story of the game isn't too long (although each level has normal, hard, and lunatic difficulties that you can play on). A huge positive for me is that this is, indeed, a FREE game; money is not required to win and I have not yet felt like I was at a disadvantage for not pouring cash into the game. This ties heavily into the fact that even the best and more rare characters will still start out at level one. While they are more powerful than other level one characters, they still can't complete with characters that have spent a lot of time in battle and obtained a mountain of XP.

The game isn't perfect though, and I feel like a good amount of that comes from something I've mentioned a few times already, the difficulty. Fire Emblem games have been, traditionally, pretty unforgiving. If a hero dies, they are dead. If you make a wrong move, recovering can be a task. This game goes as far as allowing players to revive all of their characters in a battle if the last one falls by using one summoning orb. It takes anywhere from three to five orbs to summon a new character, but it takes just one to revive your whole team. The maps are also pretty small, and you will sometimes start out a match with all of your characters stuck in a hallway-like area with only one exit, so you are basically lining up for battle instead of working to gain a tactical advantage. Also, even though there will be those updates I mentioned before, the short main story included at release is noticeably short, even for a mobile game.

Despite any issues I have with this game, this title really is a testament to the types of games that be one mobile devices now. This game wouldn't be worth the price of a new console title, but it is better than it should be for free (don't tell Nintendo). If you have a smart phone and enjoy strategy games, I would recommend this title. It may not be the most challenging game, but for a mobile game, it more than pulls its own wait.

I give Fire Emblem: Heroes an 8 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Mirror's Edge - Catalyst

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review is going to be on the sequel to the 2008 title, Mirror's Edge. The sequel to be reviewed, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, was released in 2016, and is actually a prequel. As a head's up, as always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

So as mentioned, this title is a prequel to the original game. It still revolves around the same main character, Faith, and looks a little closer to her origins. The game isn't the origin of her being a runner in the city, though it does show some of that in cut-scenes. This is looking more at how she got herself in the position that she was in during the original game. The story opens up with Faith being released from prison, where she presumably been for some time. She immediately reunites with her old friends and colleagues, who are other runners. Runners are the couriers (and thieves) of the city. They are openly hated by the city, though the police generally turn a blind eye to them if they aren't currently committing a crime, despite knowing that most runners they see are probably criminals. That all changes in this game, when Faith steals something that she shouldn't have, and from then on the entire city seems to have turned against her and the other runners. All of this is stacked on top of the fact that Faith owes a series debt when she is released from prison and is working to get that paid off, and you have a pretty stressful experience.

The game still focuses heavily on parkour, although this game is actually a free-roam type of game instead of the more restricted level design that the original game had. This means that there are a lot more in terms of side missions and allows a player to get very familiar with parts of the city that they run through frequently. There are a few different gadgets that Faith gets in this game to help out as well, such as a grappling hook and a device hat can disrupt some electronics (like fan blades that block pipe entrances). There is more of a focus on fighting in this game then there was in the last one, though they have taken the entire element of firearms out of this title. There are different types of enemies now, and each one requires a slightly different approach in order to take them down.

This game did certainly improve on a few things from the last title. The running feels as smooth as ever, and the addition of running free throughout the city really capitalizes on this. Running, jumping, and sliding across a city has never felt so satisfying. It's also great having side missions like courier objectives and beating the running challenge that other players have posted to hone your skills. There are still puzzles to solve involving performing specific moves, but they are a little easier to figure out. While I am normally all for more difficult games, the puzzles from the last game brought the fast-paced game to a halt and ruined the experience a little, so I'm glad that the puzzles have been streamlined a little. The difficulty was instead shifted to evading/fighting enemies, which can be a task as the game goes on. With that, it's all about keeping up your movement and momentum in order to win; stop moving and you will stop living. The upgrade system has its merits in that none of the upgrades feel useless like you sometimes see with other games. All of the upgrades can really change the way the game is played and I found myself looking forward to each one of them to make things a little easier (and different). The controls can be a little difficult to get the hang of, but that doesn't mean they're bad, just different. Once you get used to the control scheme, it actually feels pretty natural. Part of this could be the elimination of the firearms, which I was all for, since they didn't feel like they belonged in the last game at all.

The game does have its flaws though, despite the improvements that it makes. I didn't like that there is a greater focus on the fighting, even if they did improve the mechanics of it. The first game would allow me to move past most enemies if I reacted fast enough; fighting was always a last resort. Most of the characters in this game are pretty bland and stock, not really worth noting, which is a shame. Because of this, it was a little difficult to get through the story at times. There were several times I found myself working more on the side missions than the main story because I really didn't care what happened to those characters. Speaking of the characters, there isn't a lot of information in the story about why Faith is in the prison at the beginning, it's all pretty vague. The game instead wants you to read outside material where they have released that story, which is annoying. It's not like they give the reasons and the story and you can go out and get more info if you want (See Injustice and the comics that went with that), but instead require that you read their other material to get anything that can be called details.  I also had a problem with the gadgets that Faith acquires in this game, since in the first game (the sequel to this, chronologically) she didn't have any of these things.

Overall, the game shines in it's main focus, the free-running, but it falls short in a couple of other areas.If another title like this comes out it should move back to the option of running past guards like you could do through most of the first game instead of making the fighting a key point to the game. If you liked the first game or want a fun game that allows you to roam some rooftops, this is a fun buy. However, it isn't exactly the best game of 2016 and isn't for everyone. If you pass it up you missed out on some cool moments of running, but not a whole lot else.

I give Mirror's Edge: Catalyst a 6.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Board Game Review: Boss Monster

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the game Boss Monster. This is a card game rather than the strategy and dice games that I usually play, so if you are looking for something more that speed, I suggest checking out my first impressions of The Others: 7 Sins from yesterday, which can be found here.

For this game, each player takes the role of a video game boss, all who have slightly different attributes. The point of the game is to build a dungeon that will attract heroes with its loot, only to have that dungeon kill them. The boss who hits the set number of dead heroes first wins. There are a few different classes of heroes, such as the warrior, who will go to dungeons that would reward them with weapons, and mages, who go to dungeons with spells to loot. As the boss, you have a few different approaches that you can take to kill the heroes, including rooms that cause straight damage from the creatures in there, trap rooms, and spells that can assist you in one way or another. There are a maximum number of five rooms for a dungeon, and each turn you can add one more room (if you have less than 5), or build a room on top of an old room, which destroys the old room.

This game is fun, and considering the aggressive nature of some of the spell cards, it can get pretty heated as well. I love the idea behind being the boss that kills the heroes, building a dungeon that you can imagine having to fight through when playing as a hero in other games. The art on the cards can be great as well, especially the spell cards, some of which cracked me up when I saw them. The game is pretty simple and straight-forward as well, it's a great game for any level of player, unlike some games that I've reviewed in the past. There are tricks that you will learn along the way that can really help out, but nothing that will ensure a certain victory every time. There isn't really a perfect dungeon either, as each of the different rooms with contain different loot, so even a dungeon that is doing great at killing heroes may need to be changed to attract the heroes that are "in town".

Once of the only drawbacks to this game is the length that each round takes. The game is over in the blink of an eye, so the dungeon that you build will feel like it was under utilized. It's not as if you can make house rules to increase the number of heroes that need to be killed either, as there are a very limited number of heroes in the deck. There are expansion packs that I'm sure include enough to keep the game going longer, but as the base game it is over far too quickly for me. It felt like each round was over as soon as it started. I realize that just one fault shouldn't be cause for me to complain so much, but it feel like a big deal to me, I like my games to feel substantial. Maybe I'm getting too used to games that take an hour or two per game, but still, this one has some quick rounds. It would probably do well at parties for this reason, people would be able to switch in and out without having to wait for long periods of time, but still, it was a drawback for me.

Overall, this is an easy game to recommend. It can easily be a game that anyone can play, and it's a lot of fun. Perhaps it's a testament to the game that I wish it would last longer than it does, but that's the only real drawback to it. It also seems that I made this review to reflect my issue with the game, because this one is turning into a pretty brief post. I hope I get to play the game with the expansions soon, but until then, I review the game as is.

I give Boss Monster a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

First Impressions: The Others - 7 Sins

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be giving you my first impressions of the board game The Others: 7 Sins. I was able to play this game for the first time yesterday and, since each game can last a good deal of time, wasn't able to play too many games, so no full review on it for now.

So this is a horror based strategy game where one player controls one of the seven deadly sins while the other player(s) control the various members of the military team, F.A.I.T.H. (Federal Authority for the Interdiction of the Transdimensional Horrors). Each member of the team has various perks and stats, some of which are more powerful than others. The sins have various creatures that it sends out ahead of itself, most of which aren't too difficult to beat once the military team start to upgrade. When the monsters are attaching, they can inflict two different things on the heroes; they can cause health damage and corruption. Each hero character can take five health damage before they die (there are ways to heal), but the corruption is where it gets interesting. Each level of corruption that a hero gets will increase their power and ability to win a fight, ranging from an extra dice to roll to automatically adding one successful attack to any rolls. This, added on top of any upgrades, can be a huge game changer. Too much corruption can be a problem though, for after a hero hits the maximum benefits from corruption, any additional corruption will count as hits against health. It's a risk/reward scenario that needs to be monitored and adjusted in order to succeed.

While this may sound like the game favors the heroes, don't rush to fight for the heroes yet. The sins have plenty of their own tricks and benefits, including stronger monsters that can be summoned if the conditions are correct. There is also an apocalypse tracker that makes the game more difficult for the heroes each round. On top of all of that, there are fires around the board that can hurt any hero that enters or leaves a space that has it based on a skill check, as well as corruption tokens that work in the same way. The monsters' dice also include only four results instead of six, meaning that two of the results have twice as many chances to land. On both sides of the board there is also a lot of benefit to grouping together for fights, granting any hero or monster that shares a space with another hero or monster an additional dice to roll. In terms of win conditions, the monsters just need to kill all of the heroes in order to win. The heroes, on the other hand, need to complete certain goals that vary from map to map, and as I mentioned before, it pays for the heroes to take care of their objectives as quickly as possible because of the apocalypse tracker.

So the game is a lot of fun. It takes less time than some other strategy games that I've played before, like Eldritch Horror, but that doesn't take away from the fun that I had. It's also not the most difficult strategy game in the world, though I wasn't playing the more difficult maps when I got a chance to try it out. Unlike Descent, which I still believe requires house rules in some instances, the rules in here mostly work well how they are. The only rule that we updated was one about heroes leaving a space that contains a monster, which is supposed to cause 1 immediate damage. After some consideration, we decided that it would make more sense to role for the damage on the monster's side, but that one isn't any big deal (mostly because I rarely shy away from a fight). A cool aspect of the game as well is the fact that the city helping the heroes is something that is incorporated in the game. Healing, reducing corruption, upgrade chests, and even a laser strike from a satellite are all there because the people of the city want to assist the heroes in their quest to save the world.

One thing that did take a little bit to get used to was one of the easier things to generally grasp, the spaces. The different tiles aren't the spaces of the game, instead the spaces are defined by crosswalks in the street that often happen in the middle of a section of the board. Again, it's not a difficult concept, but it took me a bit to get used to the crack of the board not meaning that I was moving from one space to another. However, once you do get used to it, this can really work to your advantage when planning an attack, as a character can cross a map in just a turn or two. There are also several expansions on the base game (since the base game only comes with two sins, Sloth and Pride), and one of these expansions includes the four horseman of the apocalypse. Those horseman, along with all of the characters actually, have very detailed and all around fantastic figures. The low-level creatures in the game are pretty creepy, and the bosses can be outright frightening.

Overall, I liked this game a lot. It's not the simplest game I've ever played, but it doesn't take a lot of gaming experience to jump into this one and have a good time. I look forward to getting a bit more time with this one and learning some more of the ins and outs. If you like strategy games or horror, this could easily be a game to check out.

I give The Others: 7 Sins a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

First Impressions: Pokemon Duel

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Yesterday the mobile game Pokemon Duel was released outside of Japan. Unlike other Pokemon titles (looking at you, Pokemon Go) there wasn't a lot of hype or buildup to the release, it just kind of dropped. Since I just started playing yesterday afternoon, I don't have a full review on this, but I did want to give you my initial thoughts.

So this game is basically a virtual version of a board game that I'm pretty sure doesn't exist in the real world. The primary way to win the game is to get one of your Pokemon statues onto a specific space on the other players side of the board, although there are other ways to win each match. The story of the game is that your character is arriving to a tournament for this game, even though you have never played the game before. You are taught by a new friend named Luca, who you meet on the plane ride over. You will run into other characters as well, such as a professional contestant named Sharon, who it appears to have a crush on your character. You will go through various hotels for the tournament, beating various players until you take on the head of that particular building. There is, of course, a family looking to sabotage the tournament, though they are not actually members of Team Rocket like I expected.

The game itself it pretty fun, though lacks a lot of the strategy that I would expect it to have. There aren't any type advantages to the game pieces, something that Pokemon is known for utilizing in just about every game they have released in the past. You also don't choose the attacks or strategies, each Pokemon statue's attacks are based on a wheel that is spun. So all of the strategy comes in picking Pokemon statues that have better wheels to spin and how you move them around the board. Even though I'm not crazy about the attacking system, it does make the matches more challenging for sure. I also like that, as of now, I have been progressing nicely without having to actually spend any money in the game (the game is free as well, so my wallet is happy for now). There is also a decent system of leveling up your Pokemon, where leveling them up doesn't make their attacks stronger, but allows you to increase your chances of landing on a space of your choice. Still, despite not having some aspects I would have expected, it keeps bringing me back for more.

The big, and I mean big, downside to this game is the performance. The game takes an incredibly long time to load each page, even when I'm on wifi or have excellent 4G signal. It gets really frustrating when trying to get several things done in the game when you don't have a lot of time to play. There are also some real issues with the game just not working. I have seen the error message several times that says the game is unable to connect or that it ran into an issue and I get sent back to the home screen. Considering that this game already had some time being played in Japan I feel like it should have had a lot of these issues worked out by now. Who knows, maybe it was even more troublesome before.

Overall, this is an interesting and addictive game that needs a good update. The performance issues are infuriating, but if you can get past that you'll find a decent game to help pass the time. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the game.

For my first impression of the game, I give Pokemon Duel a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast