Board Game Review: Boss Monster

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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

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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

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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

Comic Book Review: Deathstroke vol. 1 - Legacy

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Hello Enthusiasts,

It has occurred to me that Deathstroke can be a difficult character to write, as more of his comics seem to be bad than good. Today we will be looking at the first volume of his new 52 run and see where exactly it falls. As always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

So the story follows Slade as he is still a well known assassin, but is generally hired for jobs as a bodyguard or bouncer rather than the mercenary work that he's used to. Thus, he is starting to feel like he is loving the respect that he spent so much time earning around the world. He gets fed up with this, feeling that the money from these jobs isn't worth the respect he's losing, and he takes a job that will have him working with another group of mercenaries. They pull off the job, Slade kills the other mercenaries to eliminate competition, and he feels that he is back on track. However, he soon receives a briefcase that holds evidence suggesting that his son, Grant, is alive. While Deathstroke pursues this lead, it turns out that someone is questioning his talents and has been sending several would-be assassins after him, all wearing similar costumes. Stacked on top of all of this is Deathstroke realizing that, while he does retain the majority of his abilities, he does begin to notice that his age is starting to catch up with him, It all leads up to a final showdown where Deathstroke confronts the enemy behind many connecting dots of the story (I don't want to give too much detail away.

To start out here, Deathstroke is my favorite comic book character. He's clever and has defeated foes that he had no business even getting in a fight with. This story is fast paced and frequently shows the kind of awesome work that Slade Wilson is capable of. I think one of my favorites is one where Slade is brought into a prison, all tied up, and proceeds to take down all of the guards around him. He also takes out a pretty powerful meta-human with a submarine, though you'll need to read it to see how that feat plays out. The artwork in the story is great, and I love the design that they give Deathstroke in this volume. It has a traditional look to it, but it's updated to also look a little bit more like armor. I was also glad that they didn't fundamentally change the character for the New 52 lineup like they've done with other characters (like Superman was near the start, when he was just wearing jeans and a T-shirt). Deathstroke was a true product of the 80's, he always felt like the action star of a big action movie, and this graphic novel certainly keeps up that feeling.

Despite the positives I have listed out above, this is not the best volume of comics you will ever read. My biggest problem is the plot point I mentioned about Slade's age catching up with him. Everyone is aged back in the New 52 except for Deathstroke, and I was really upset by that. Give me a few volumes of Deathstroke being the world's greatest assassin first, then we can have a story about his age giving him issues. Overall I felt like we could have used a better story, as the "Slade's son is alive and he'll do anything to find him" isn't actually original for Deathstroke. Deathstroke has beaten Batman in a fight, has held his own against Green Lantern, and numberous other feats, so I don't feel like it should be too difficult to come up with a great, original story.

When it's all said and done, this wasn't a great read. It didn't ruin the character for me at all, but there are better Deathstroke stories out there. This comic looked nice and felt right, but it wasn't as strong as I think it could have been. Check it out if you're a Deathstroke fan like me, but you can leave it alone otherwise. I will try to get a positive Deathstroke review out next time.

I give Deathstroke vol 1: Legacy a 5.5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Web Comic Review: The Adventures of Dr. Mcninja

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I'm going to be reviewing a web-comic, which is a different route for me, but this series is definitely worth taking the time to review. I am speaking of The Adventures of Dr. Mcninja, which can be found here. The comic is written by Christopher Hastings, who also writes comics for Adventure Time and wrote Unbelievable Gwenpool. This comic posted it's last panel today, so you will be able to read the whole series from start to finish. Therefore, it seemed like a good time to give you my final review. I will try to keep this from giving away too much, but know that there will be some Mild Spoilers Below.

This series follows our title character, Dr. Mcninja, on his various adventures. As his name implies, he is both a doctor and a ninja, and he comes from a strong Irish heritage. He is aided in his journeys by his gorilla secretary, Judy, the clone of Benjamin Franklin, his Mcninja family, Martin Monster, and eventually a young man named Gordito, who rides a velociraptor named Yoshi (along with others). It's an all-star cast, and the villain line-up is great as well. including Dracula, Donald Mcbonald, Dr. McLuchador, Frans Rayner, King Radical, and others. The good doctor solves a number of odd medical cases, most notably is a disease that children contract if they have been lumberjacking, called Paul Bunyan's Disease, which turns these children into giant lumberjacks. Some other stories include Dr. Mcninja vs. Donald Mcbonald over what boils down to a legal dispute, Dr. Mcninja fighting against hoards of ninjas that are created from a new drug that gives every day people ninja abilities, and Dr. Mcninja vs. Dracula on Dracula's moon base.

As you can probably tell, the series has a good amount of action and a whole lot of laughs. The dialogue is clever and points out a lot of the common tropes that can be seen in action movies and comics. The pacing is flawless throughout the series, and all of the excellent story is complimented by great and evolving artwork. At the start of the series, the art is a little crude and lacks any color. As time goes on though, it all begins to look a little cleaner and color is eventually added in. However, even in its most crude form, the artwork is easily able to portray the story that is being conveyed, it just gets better as time goes on. Speaking of the story going on, this is a decently long series, with 32 stories that have a varying amount of pages. The most recent and final story, The End: Part 2 was 146 pages in length, and it utilized every one of those pages. In fact, the end of the story is a really strong point. Without giving away any plot points, I can say that the final chapter in the series delivers exactly what it should: a well-rounded conclusion that includes essential plot points from all of the stories that came before it.

I really could go on about this web series for hours, but I will give far too much away, so I will stop myself early rather than stopping too late. I don't have any negatives for this series, other than saying that I'm sad to see that it's over. I have been reading this comic for years now, and I will miss checking in three times a week to see what will happen on the next page. If you want a good web comic, you can't do better than this one. Hastings is supported by the sales done on the site as well, so if you really enjoy it like I do, I strongly suggest spending the money you would have put on an actual comic towards some merch.

I give The Adventures of Dr. Mcninja a 10 out of 10, along with a thank you for the great times.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Top 5 Best Spider-man Games

Hello Enthusiasts,

Spider-man is one of the most well known faces in the Marvel universe. He has an interesting set of powers, Peter Parker was interesting for a while, and he is probably the hero that has done the best job in the Marvel universe of keeping his identity a secret. With all of the popularity and interest that surrounds him, it makes sense that he would be exploited for several video games, and today I will be counting down what I think to be his top 5 best games. Now I will only be including games where Spider-man is the focal point, so games like Marvel's Ultimate Alliance won't be included. In terms of a rating system, I will be basing it mostly on story and fighting mechanics, though other factors can come into play (if so, I will list them out). So let's get started at number 5 with...

5. Ultimate Spider-man

This game, released in 2005 for the PS2, GameCube, and Xbox era of systems. It's based off of the Ultimate Spider-man comic book series that was running at the same time. The game allowed the player to control Spider-man as well as Venom, with very different gameplay between the two. The fighting is a lot of fun with Spider-man, and causing chaos and destruction with Venom is fun as well. The story works heavily off of what was put in place with the Ultimate Spider-man comics, which was an interesting take that I didn't enjoy as much as the main Spider-man story line, but it's not terrible. I think the strangest thing is that Carnage is actually made from Peter, but it's otherwise a pretty solid tale. Definitely a Spider-man game worth picking up.

4. Spider-man: Shattered Dimensions

Shattered Dimensions was released in 2010 for the PS3/Xbox 306/ Wii generation, and featured four different Spider-men to play as. There's Spider-man 2099, Spider-man Noir, Amazing Spider-man, and Ultimate Spider-man (wearing the symbiote suit), all of which have very different styles of play. All of their different settings and missions tie together in a larger plot that centers around Madam Web and a shattered mystical tablet. While I liked some of the segments more than others, none of them were bad by any stretch of the imagination. The fighting mechanics were pretty well done, though I didn't love the boss fights that would go into a first-person perspective. The story itself would seem pretty generic, a mystical item shattered into several pieces that need to be collected, but it really works for this title.

3. Spider-man

This easy-to-confuse-by-the-title game was released in 2000 for PlayStation and PC and featured Spider-man in one of the best stories in a Spider-man game. Spider-man is framed for stealing an experiment that is being demonstrated in front of a crowd while the streets are covered in a toxic fog (limiting Spider-man to the rooftops). There is a great roster of villains, including Scorpion, Rhino, Venom, and a Dr. Octopus/Carnage fusion. the fighting mechanics are the only real drawback to this game, as they are basic punches and kicks rather than the more acrobatic style one would associate with Spider-man. It works well for the game, but it leaves something to be desired. Still, the story and level designs make up for any grievances I could have for the fighting, and it is definitely a title
worthy of this list.

2. Spider-man 2

I've already done a full review of this title (which can be found here), so I don't need to go too much into the details for this one. Still, it's worth noting that a lot of people consider this one to be number 1 on this list, and I can see where they come from. The story expands a lot on the movie it's based off of, plus it has a great upgrade system and narration by Bruce Campbell. The fighting was exceptional for the time, and still isn't too far from present day mechanics to make it difficult to pick up. Again, I've already said a lot about this title, it's a lot of fun. But it doesn't hold my number one spot.

1. Spider-man: Web of Shadows

I know that this isn't the top choice for a lot of people, but hear me out. I am only calling the version on the PS3, Xbox360, and Wii generation of games, not the PS2 version. It's a Spider-man game with some fantastic fighting mechanics and two very different fighting styles (the two styles come from being able to interchange between regular Spider-man and symbiote Spider-man at will). It's a Spider-man game with a compelling plot that hasn't been done in the comics (or at least not on a large scale that I know of). On top of all of that, it's a Spider-man game that includes Spider-man, Black Cat, Moon Knight, Luke Cage, and Wolverine. It has a wide variety of villains, including some of the supporting characters I just mentioned. It's creative, it's well executed, and I consider it to stand a step above the rest of the Spider-man games that we've seen so far.

Also, I wanted to put in a few honorable mentions that weren't bad, but didn't make this list:

- The Amazing Spider-man

-Venom/Spider-man: Separation Anxiety

-The Amazing Spider-man Vs. The Kingpin

So that's my top five list, and I am hoping that the new Spider-man game that comes out at the end of 2017 will replace something on this list, because I am liking the way it looks. Did I forget your favorite? Are these in the wrong order? Let me know in the comments!

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

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Comic Book Review: Green Lantern Corps - Ring Quest

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I am going to be reviewing the DC graphic novel Green Lantern Corps: Ring Quest. This review will not only go into its story, but also the story from the "Sinestro War" story, so there will be Spoilers Below for both of those.

As you can probably guess from that last statement, this comic takes place right after the events of that war. A lot of Green Lanterns died (though none of human ones, of course), and the Green Lanterns were granted the ability to kill a member of the Yellow Lanterns if need be. Not all of the Green Lanterns are willing to kill, but many were on board with the change, since they were being decimated by Sinestro's followers. Eventually the war breaks down to a fist fight that features Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner versus Sinestro. Sinestro is arrested, of course, and the war is over. I skipped over a lot of elements of that story, but this isn't a Sinestro War review.

This all sets up the current story, which shows many Green Lanterns getting some well-earned rest after these battles. Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner decide to leave Earth and live on Oa as a change of pace, opening a bar for the Green Lanterns. However, many of the Lanterns are soon called back into battle though, including Guy and Kyle, and so ends their week long vacation. They, along with several other Lanterns, are tasked with rounding up the Yellow Lantern rings that are looking for new members. As it turns out, one of them have already found a new recruit, and it turns out that it's famous DC villain Mongul. Mongul is, of course, thrilled to have the power and immediately comes up with a plan to exploit the fears of the universe. His plan is to alter the Black Mercy plants to give victims visions of terrible tragedies rather than blissful realities. It's up to the small group of Green Lanterns to try to contain this plan, which means fighting an even more powerful Mongul.

This story is done pretty well done, and it's all well paced. I never felt lost during the story, though there are a couple of things in the novel that are in there only to set up the other colored rings that were soon to come at the time. Still, even those teasers never felt like they took anything away from the story or wasted time with their inclusion. I also liked the artwork in this story, including the design of the Mother Black Mercy that is introduced. In fact, I really liked everything to do with the Mother Black Mercy, I thought that element of the story was really well done, including an origin story for the Black Mercy plants. The conversations and the emotions feel organic, and there is quite a range of emotions to display in this story.Guy is more level headed than we normally see as well, which is certainly a nice change of pace for that hothead.

The big negative in my mind was Mongul, who was wildly under-powered here. Mongul has given Superman a run for his money, and now he has a Yellow Lantern's ring, one of the most dangerous weapons in the universe, and he is defeated by a small group of Green Lanterns. No joke, I'm pretty sure more panels were dedicated to Guy and Kyle moving to Oa than there were for that Mongul fight, and I didn't think them moving to Oa dragged or anything. I won't give away much of the fight or anything, but it is disappointing all around. Also, outside of this, the comic just didn't invoke the same kind of drive to get through the story as other Green Lantern comics. I can't put my finger on it, because I thought the story was interesting, but it just didn't feel like the same kind of page turner. It kind of bothers me that I can't identify the issue, but there is something missing from the story.

Overall, it's a solid graphic novel, but it didn't grip me the way I was hoping it would. I would still recommend it to others, as I can't specifically say why I was apprehensive, but my apathy toward the book is certainly there. Pick this one up and maybe you can pin point what caused these mixed emotions. Even if you can't, you will be glad that you picked it up. It's not Mongul's best story, or the Green Lantern's best story, but it is still a solid read.

I give DC's Green Lantern Corps: Ring Quest a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

There Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: House of M

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the Marvel graphic novel House of M, which was released in 2006. As you should expect with most of my reviews by now, there will be some Spoilers Below.

Scarlet Witch, for all of her amazing power, hasn't always been a great example of mental health. At the point of this story starting, she has gotten a lot worse, teetering on the edge of sanity. Since such a powerful mutant going insane could be catastrophic to mutant-human relations, as well as to the world itself, there is a discussion with the X-Men and the Avengers about what the best course of action could be. After some debating, it is decided that they will need to kill Wanda in order to keep her from doing anything terrible, considering that she has to power to alter reality itself. As it turns out, Scarlet Witch does just that when everyone arrives in Genosha. Reality is warped to grant several characters their deepest desires. Spider-man becomes a beloved hero (thought to be a mutant), Hawkeye is alive (he was dead at this point), and Magento was able to prove that humans hate mutants, and now mutants have become the dominant species on Earth. There are more mutants than ever, with over 50% of the population being able to identify as a mutant. However, Wolverine remembers reality as it was and is able to get others to remember as well. So begins their journey to get to Scarlet Witch and reverse what has been done.

So I love the story presented here, I think the comic really does it well. It explores some of the worst that could happen with Scarlet witch losing her mind, going as far as completely warping reality. Wanda really is a entity to be reckoned with, and it is showcased here. The emotions are well written as well, especially when everyone is debating about having to kill Scarlet Witch, it's easy to sympathize with these heroes who have fought alongside Wanda in the past. The artwork in the story is also fantastic, really bringing the great story to life. The conversations are authentic and natural, no complaint there.

If there is a complaint to be made, I would say that the story does feel a little rushed. I know that there are spin-off issues for various character that go more in-depth into their new lives, but I still felt like the main graphic novel could have gone into a bit more detail. It could be a positive to the comic that I wanted to know more about what happened, but there's a difference between just wanted more and feeling like the story was a little rushed.

Regardless, this is a great event. There are some ramifications after this event, though I don't think it's as huge as what came after Civil War or Secret Invasion. Still, it is well written and executed, and I definitely recommend this graphic novel.

I give Marvel's House of M a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: The Walking Dead (seasons 1 and 2)

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the full chapters released so far of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead. Now these games are very much story driven, so I will try to keep spoilers at a minimum, but there may be some Mild Spoilers Below.

So the game isn't based on the group from the comic book series or TV show of the same name, though you may see a character or two from time to time. Instead, it focuses on a entirely different group of survivors. In season one you play as Lee, a man who, at the start of the game, was just arrested for murder. However, as we find out, the murder was a crime of passion, and Lee is actually a pretty level-headed guy. We are also introduced to a young girl named Clementine, whose parents had left her with a baby sitter while they went to the city for a few days. The baby sitter has become a walker though, so Lee kills the zombie and decides to take care of the young girl until they can find her parents (or forever, since her parents are probably dead). They meet others along the way and work to survive the terrible world they live in.

The second game has you playing as Clementine, who is now a bit older than she was previously. This game sees a lot of new characters added, as well as bringing back some old ones from season 1. Clementine has learned a lot and is kind of a certified badass in this season, but I won't give anything away story wise, because giving things away for this game will lead to more spoilers from the first game, and that's not what I'm looking to do here.

So as I said, these games are very story driven. Most of the actions in the games involve exploring, quick time events, some shooting/melee attacks, and choosing things to say in conversations. They players actions in the game can directly effect the outcome of the game, including who lives and who dies (though some characters cannot be saved). You can earn favour or distrust from other characters by the actions you take or the things that you say. I always found myself trying to cater to one or two people rather than the group (though a lot of the people I kept trying to please were the ones who were definitely going to die). The games are also hard to predict, and some actions that I was sure was the smarter, safer option, were actually ones that would cause the most chaos.

I really liked the graphics for these games, they are simplistic in that they try to make the games look like a comic book. This leads to dark outlines of each character, and I think it really worked in the games' favor. The story is compelling and addictive to play, and the games are actually pretty long, so there is a lot of story to get through. I also felt like the ability to remain calm in conversations allowed for the player to make more rational decisions than you would see in the show, so there's less of me shouting at the stupid people on the screen. Speaking of stupid people, you will run into some, but it's not a bad thing. Each character has a distinctive personality, and you will grow to predict each character based on their prominent motivations.

The game does have a few flaws though. I have experienced some performance issues when playing, which can be detrimental if it happens at certain points. This led to a few moments of real frustration on my part, but these issues are few and far between. Also, some events will happen regardless of your decision, even if it seems like choosing differently would have allowed you to completely avoid certain scenarios. Giving more details or examples would likely give things away, and you should still treat every decision like it matters in the game, but some of them really don't.

Overall, these games is a lot of fun, and the flaws can be overlooked pretty easily. A solid story was conveyed, one that was worthy of the show, but the games are their own thing, and I liked that. If you're looking for a good story that isn't as high-energy as some shooting games can be, this could be a good one to pick up.

I give seasons 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead an 8 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Nintendo Switch Announcement Review

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

This post is acting as a summery and analysis the information revealed on 1/12/17 about Nintendo's new system, the Nintendo Switch. This console was announced on 3/17/16 as the NX, which was just a codename to let people know that something new was coming. It wasn't until 10/20/16 that we were given the basic info about the system (and, admittedly, I was really excited).

So what did we get from the conference? Here's are the bulletpoints.

- The console will release on March 3rd, 2017. The system will be released with two confirmed games. The first is the much-anticipated Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The second game is a competitive game that features the unique aspects of the Joycon controllers called "1 2 Switch".

- The system will be released at $299.99 American dollars. The package will include the Console, left and right joycon, wrist straps, grip, dock, HDMI cable, and an ac adapter. Pro controller is separate.

- online is free until fall of 2017

- There won't be any region locking like previous systems

- The Switch will feature a touch screen, though uses for it weren't showcased.

- Battery life is 2.5 to 6 hours based on the game being played, but the system can be charged off dock.

There was also some specific information given about the Joycon sticks for the system, as listed below:

- The right Joycon stick can read Amiibos

- Each Joycon stick can allow for motion control like the Wii remotes

- There are color variations for the Joycon controllers.

- There are going to be straps for Joycon controllers, and the attachment allows for better grip

-The right Joycon has a camera that can determine shape and distance.

-The rumble feature is supposed to be very precise

Finally, there were several other game announcements during the conference, which I have listed below:

- A fighting game announced that features the motion controls of the Joycon controls, called "Arms". This one looks like it works a little like the boxing from "Wii Sports", but with jumps and other movements. Releases in spring of 2017.

- Splatoon 2 was announced, and with some new features from the first game. It's going to release in the summer of 2017

- There was a new Mario game announced that features a ton of different environments (including an urban environment) and aspects (plus it looks great). The new title is called "Super Mario Odyssey". It'll be coming out late in 2017.

- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was announced, no release date

- Fire Emblem Warriors was announced, no release date

- Project Octopath Traveler, an indie RPG. announced. No release date.

- A new Atlas game was announced, no release date

- Skyrim confirmed, no release date

- EA's new FIFA game was announced, releasing sometime in 2017

That was the conference's big points. Some aspects are a little disappointing, like the price and battery life, while other aspects are really exciting, like the games and the different aspects of the Joycon controllers. If I know Nintendo, there are not going to be a lot of systems available at release, so pre-order ASAP if it's sounding like something you want on March 3rd. Personally, I am excited for this title overall, and I'm hoping that I don't have to wait until summer to actually get my hands on one.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Infamous Second Son

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the third game in the Playstation exclusive series, Infamous. This third title, Infamous Second Son, was released for the PS4 in 2014, and is the most recent game in the series (outside of the stand-alone DLC for the title). Per the norm, there will be some Spoilers Below. 

So in the first two game you play as a guy named Cole, who receives his powers from an explosion of energy that he was exposed to while working as a courier. Cole gains the power to absorb, control, and shoot electricity in the first game, and a few additional elemental powers in the second game. By controlling electricity, Cole is also able to traverse the city by sliding on railroad tracks and electrical wires. Cole, and others who gain super powers from the energy explosions and shards from the explosions, are referred to as conduits. It is then up to Cole to decide if he is going to use his powers for good (which involves completing side quests to help people and try to detain enemies rather than killing them) or evil (side missions can include killing people and enemies indiscriminately. Also, randomly killing civilians will wing the meter in this direction). Both paths lead to the same fights in the story, but slightly different abilities are given for each power. In the end, Cole is trying to stop a world-ending event that is systematically destroying city after city, his motivations are just different depending on the path that you choose. Spoiler, he sacrifices himself to stop the Beast. They were fun games, though I preferred the first over the second, and they took a lot of cues from comic books, which I enjoyed.

This third title that's up for review changes a number of things right away. The main character is no longer Cole like in the last two games, as can be expected after the end of the second title, but is now Delsin. Delsin is a graffiti artist on a Native American reservation outside of Seattle. He's considered a delinquent by many, including his brother Reggie, who is a local police officer. When some local conduit criminals (since all conduits are criminals, considered to be "Bio-Terrorists" by the government) come through their town, Delsin tries to apprehend them. He is able to catch one, Hank, only to learn that he is able to take a conduit's power and use it as his own. This leads to him getting the power to control smoke like Hank, who Delsin has to chase down for answer. This brings in the game's main antagonist, Augustine, who works for the government, but is a conduit with the power to control concrete. She captures Hank, knocks Delsin out, and tortures most of his village, leaving pieces of concrete in their bodies that will slowly kill them. This leads to Delsin and Reggie heading to Seattle so Delsin can absorb Augustine's power and heal the people of his city. During the course of flushing out and finding Augustine, Delsin can tear down the government agency in Seattle that is responsible for hunting conduits, earning good or evil karma along the way, as well as meet and absorb a few other powers. These powers include Neon and Video (which is like a materialization of digital...stuff), along with eventually absorbing concrete from Augustine.

Okay, so, is the game any good? Well, there are certainly some positive aspects to it. It, of course, has a big graphical upgrade since it's on the PS4 unlike the other games. The game does look nice, though they did drop some of the comic book feel from it. The controls are smooth and are, for the most part, similar to the previous titles in the series. Some of the new abilities are pretty clever as well, like being able to travel through pipes when using the smoke ability, or covering yourself in concrete and becoming a fully-armored fighter with Augustine's concrete. Overall, the powers are a lot of fun, even if I feel nostalgia for the electric powers of Cole. These ideas took some creativity, and it shows. The audio for the game, both music and voice acting, is right at par; it's not great, but not bad either. The climbing in the game is mostly the same as previous titles, which is not an insult, as is it very much similar to the Assassin Creed games, so it is essential to the enjoyment of the game. The dialogue in the game is good in its execution, though I didn't like it as much as the previous titles. Delsin is younger than Cole, so his conversations end up being less mature, and it fits him, but I liked Cole's demeanor more overall. Still, for it being accurate to the character, it is something I consider a positive.

As good as the positives can be, the game is far from flawless. I didn't enjoy the landscape as much as the first two games, it's like it was trying to include the urban environment from the first and the open environment from the second, but it doesn't pull it off as well as the first two did by having them separate.  The story itself has some issues as well, primarily because the stakes are never as high as they were in previous titles. It's a revenge plot at its core, even if you choose the path of good karma. That's not to say that revenge stories can't be good, there are plenty of example of well done stories of vengeance, but this one doesn't really sell it. Delsin will be mad at some points, only to be joking around like nothing is going on at others. There is an inconsistent attitude throughout a lot of the game, and it can be distracting enough to pull you out of the experience. I was also surprised by some of the activities that could earn certain karma. The first example that comes to mind is the graffiti locations, which Delsin can choose to draw either good or evil graffiti and get karma for the choice. Outside of the problem with it still being graffiti (aka vandalism, which is a crime) the "evil" graffiti isn't noticeably more evil than the good graffiti. It's reflective of a lot of the game's side missions, just inconsequential. Also, if you're looking for a challenge, this is not the game for you. I beat the story of this game, without rushing through, in probably 8 or 9 hours, and then hit all of the additional spots and collectibles in my next 2 hour session. So to 100% complete this game (not all trophies) will likely take you around 10 or 11 hours on the medium difficulty. That is much shorter than the previous titles, which took at least that long just to complete the story.

Overall, this is a slightly above average game that takes some serious missteps. Now that it seems to be running for about $20-$25, it would be a good time to pick up and play through, but don't pay more than $30 from anyone you find. It is definitely passable and playable, and I didn't run into major bugs, but you could do a lot better with a full priced game. It may seem unfair to base so much of my review on comparing it to the other games, but if the game wants to be in the same series, it needs to be ready for that.

I give Infamous Second Son a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Doomwar

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Yes, I'm doing two comic book reviews in a row, and yes, they are both Marvel titles. It's no snub at DC, I promise, just looking to get some great titles out there for you to read. Today, I will be reviewing Doomwar, and there will be some Spoilers Below. 

Backstory to this graphic novel first. T'Challa and Story have been overthrown from their seats of power in Wakanda by a revolution (which was started and supported by Dr. Doom). Black Panther was able to escape the country, but Storm faces trial by the new government for various crimes. This graphic novel starts as Storm is convicted and held in a prison, while T'Challa heads over to the X-Men to seek aid. While all of this is happening, Doom is below the palace, working through the various mystical locks that have been placed on a vault containing all of Wakanda's remaining refined vibranium. Dr. Doom is not looking for this simply because of the benefit it hold in its negation of vibrations, making it nearly indestructible, but because vibranium can be used as a perfect conduit for mystical energies. This could allow someone like Dr. Doom, who is already well practiced in the mystical arts, to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Doom obtains the vibranium, and now it becomes a battle to stop him.There is a bit more to the story that I won't give away, but that is the bare bones of it.

This story works on a few different levels, not the least of which is the artwork. The whole comic looks great, from the settings to the character designs, They panels that show Doom performing spells are particularly enjoyable, really bringing to life the mystical effects. Story wise, there are aspects that I didn't include in my description, because there are great little twists that I wouldn't want to give away, but believe me when I say they can be worthwhile. The dialogue all feels natural, none of the exposition seems forced or anything. The story really puts a great light on Black Panther, as well as Dr. Doom (Doom's light is great in showing how awesome he can be, not making him look like a protagonist or anything). Dr. Doom is relentless and does not hesitate for a second in trying to achieve his goals, which is exactly what I want to see out of Doom. The story really focuses on the feud that the two of them have developed over the years, and it is enjoyable to see applied here. Also, without giving anything away, I can easily say that I really liked the ending of the story, it showed a great sacrifice and was a satisfying conclusion to the story.

As great as the various aspects of this comic are, not everything in the comic is flawless. I mentioned earlier that Black Panther enlists the help of the X-Men, who do help him, but then drop off the radar at the end of one of the issues. All of a sudden, T'Challa is getting help from Reed Richards instead, and I feel like it could have use a little more explanation. It was distracting in its sudden change of events with out giving any real insight, Also, Doom goes through all of this trouble to get his hands on the vibranium, but I didn't feel like I saw him do enough with it. Don't get me wrong, he does definitely use some magic with it, but it seemed a little underwhelming for Victor Von Doom.

So it's a somewhat short review in an effort to keep from spoiling too much, but I can say that, overall, this is a solid graphic novel. It may not be for every single comic book reader, but it should be a read for most, especially if you're a fan of Doom. In a world that could use more Dr. Doom-centric stories, this one does everything it can to deliver, and it certainly didn't disappoint me.

I give Doomwar an 8.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: The New Avengers - Breakout

                                                      The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing Marvel's graphic Novel, The New Avengers: Breakout, which was the first volume in the original run of the New Avengers and includes issues #1-6. Head's up, as always, there will be some Spoilers Below.

To start with, a little bit of back-story here. These are the New Avengers because the original team ended up being destroyed during a fairly convoluted series of events. To keep a long story short, Scarlet Witch was manipulated and multiple Marvel characters met their end. It was a devastating event, and it didn't look like Captain America was going to ever put together another team of Avengers, until this line of comics came out. So just the title had some impact on the universe in saying that another team of Avengers would be put together, something that, as readers, we all expected, but nobody in the comics seemed to think would happen.

So the story starts out on The Raft, which is Marvel's super prison for super-powered criminals. Matt Murdock, Foggy, and Luke Cage are on their way to visit a prisoner on The Raft, the former hero known as Sentry. They are greeted by Jessica Drew (AKA Spider-woman), who works for shield and will be escorting them down to the cell. However, while they're in the prison, Electro causes a blackout, resulting in all of the criminals being let loose. While Daredevil, Spider-woman, and Luke Cage battle from inside, Captain America and Spider-man make their way over to The Raft as well to assist. So the battle rages on, with Spider-man taking a lot of punishment in the process. Sentry throws Carnage into space, Luke Cage wails on Purple Man, and Iron Man comes in and ends the battle. The team work and dedication shown at that prison convinces Captain America to rebuild The Avengers (although Daredevil declines), and we have our team. They follow some leads to Electro, who says he was hired by someone in the Savage Lands, where our team meets up with Wolverine, and now we have our actual team of Avengers complete.

Short version, I loved this volume. It was incredibly influential, as this one volume introduced three new heroes to the team that have become easily associated with the Avengers when it included Wolverine, Luke Cage, and Spider-man. It also established the Avengers' home base in Stark Tower instead of the Avengers' Mansion, which has persisted on and off since. Outside of that, I felt like this was a solid story as well, with the Avengers coming together naturally to tackle a big problem. From start to finish, it didn't feel like there was any unnecessary padding or forced exposition. Another big plus is the artwork of the story, which is consistently fantastic. David Finch is the primary artist and really brings this already great story to life with a crisp and clean style of art. The dialogue is believable and natural, with the additional of some jokes that land well (like Luke Cage and Spider-man discussing Spidey's "Booties"). The conversations and chemistry between the characters is wonderful, and it really feels like this is a team that would have brought itself together, it just needed Captain America to help them along a little.

While not a lot of motivation is revealed for the villain, this isn't the complete story, and I can assure you that more is revealed in later issues. This one volume did prompt me to buy the entire run of this series, which doesn't always reach the bar this volume set, but is mostly solid. I would say that this run is one of the stronger ones that Marvel has put out in some time, at least for me. Again, it doesn't all hit the high point of this first volume, but it never seems to stray too far. Honestly, this first volume simultaneously started several trends (as mentioned above) and didn't have any real negatives. I only wish it had been longer, but at that point it may have dragged a bit, so I would leave it just like it is even if I could change it.

So yeah, I'm about as difficult to see through as a clean window on this one. If you read comics, read this one. If you don't read comics, this is a great place to start, so read this one. I cannot recommend this graphic novel highly enough, and I consider it to be at a level that other comics should be striving for. It has an impact, it's well written, and well drawn. A flawless performance by Marvel.

I give The New Avengers: Breakout an obvious 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: Rocky

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Are you ready to go the distance with Apollo? Do you feel like you have the eye of the tiger that you'll need to beat Clubber Lang? Do you feel...American enough to beat Ivan Drago? I'm also not too sure what I would say for fighting Tommy Gunn, but you get the idea. Today's review is on the 2002 movie tie-in, Rocky, released on GameCube, PlayStation 2, XBOX, and the Gameboy Advance.

The story is pretty much what you would expect it to be. You play as the Italian Stallion, working your way through the first five movies. There are more fights in this game than there are in the movies, but most of the extra fight are names you would have heard in the films, like Mac Lee Green , the fighter that Apollo Creed was supposed to fight in the first movie before deciding on Rocky.

There are training opportunities between each fight, with the chance to increase two of Rocky's stats. You can work on his strength, speed, stamina, movement, and determination, each one having it's own assigned minigame. If there are any training minigames that you're just not good at, you can auto train and get 5 points added to that stat (the most you can earn in a minigame is 10 points). I, for one, was good at all but the stamina training, which involved making Rocky jump rope, so that became an auto train for me.

It does feel great to go through the big moments in Rocky's career, fighting for the title and working to keep it. There are original bits of sound used during the cut scene clips and when fighters taunt each other in the ring. Several of the cut scenes are also direct recreations of scenes from the movies, which is a nice touch the get the player more involved. The fighting controls are pretty solid, with multiple types of punches, dodges, and blocks. There are a few different locations that Rocky travels to throughout the game, though they will repeat as Rocky's career progresses. The graphics for the game aren't bad, but they also aren't anything special for the time; the game looks like it fits in with a lot of the other games that were released in the early 2000's.

Much like Rocky's career, there are some low points to this game as well, the largest of which is the opponent's AI. The fights in this game are pretty easy on every level. I beat this game on easy, medium, and hard (though not in that order), and I did not lose a fight during any of my runs of the game. That is a feat that even Rocky in the movies couldn't pull off, since he lost to Clubber Lang the first time. Outside of the enemy AI though, I also take issue with some of those cut scenes. Yeah, they use some original sound from the films, but I didn't feel like the short scene from every movie showed the most important part of the movie. For example, the Rocky IV scene shows Ivan Drago hitting the machine that measures his strength, he kills Apollo (spoilers I guess), and then the fight starts. No arguing with Adrian, no training montage, they didn't even include a short clip of Rocky tearing down the picture of Drago off of his mirror. I feel like they wanted to take as little time as possible on these clips, but I would have appreciated just a little bit more, with the option to skip them still remaining for those of us who beat the game a couple of times.

Overall, this game is fun, but easy. Unlocking all of the fighters (including the statue of Rocky and Mickey) is rewarding, but the game rushes through its enjoyable cutscenes, and therefore source material. Despite any negatives, it's a fun game, otherwise I wouldn't have gone through every difficulty. It's certainly above average, but I wouldn't call this a must-own for anybody with a compatible system.

I give the 2002 game Rocky a 7 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Secret Wars

                                                             The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of Marvel's 2015 graphic novel, Secret Wars, not to be confused with the Marvel storyline of the same name from the 1980's. Keep in mind, there will be some Spoiler Below.

So the story starts off with the Marvel and Ultimate universes fighting each other to try and be the last remaining universe, as all of the other have already been destroyed by an unknown force. While the main heroes battle it out, some of the others are building a life raft that will be able to keep a few of them alive to rebuild. This raft includes the Fantastic 4, the two Spider-men, Black Panther, and others. However, after the two universes are both destroyed and the lift raft takes off, part of the vehicle breaks off, killing 3 of the Fantastic 4, leaving only Mr. Fantastic from that team.

Fast forward, and we have a whole new world that incorporates pieces of the old world. The vast majority of the characters have been reborn here, though with slightly different roles. Many have become Barons of the various sections of the world, including Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, while others serve different roles, like the Human Torch being the Sun for that world. There are similar problems as the old world, such as small revolts and power grabs, as well as some new problems, like there being an entire realm of the world populated by zombies of the dead that try to get in. There are regular attacks by a group of Ultrons as well as Hulks from planet Hulk. But this land is ruled by an iron fist, and the head of everything, this planet's God and king, is none other than Dr. Doom (when I say God, I mean he has God-like powers. He is omnipotent, but not omniscient). Queue the life raft full of the old heroes, who hav ebeen kept in stasis for years, and we have a fight between Doom's army and the revolt to either keep the world as it is, or change it to something else.

So it's a bit of a long description, I know, and it gives a good deal away, but that's why I said there would be spoilers. Still, I left out several key details of the story, so you'll be getting something else than what I said if you read it. And it is a good read, I enjoyed myself as I turned through these pages. Doom is the apex of badassery in the Marvel universe, so having him play the role of God is interesting to say the least. And Doom brings up that, while he is enjoying his reign, something he has worked for his whole life, he did save millions and millions of people in the process, something which even Reed Richards couldn't do with his life raft. So long story short, I really liked the plot of this story and the details that had been considered.

Outside of the story, I do have a few good things to say about this book. The art work is right up my ally, just wonderful from start to finish. The action is really well done in these panels as well, with fight scenes (especially near the end) practically jumping off the page. The artwork also does an excellent job of displaying the emotions that characters are going through. Yes, it is playing off the dialogue, but just the facial expressions of some of these characters could convey everything you needed to know. I really appreciated the small twists that were incorporated in there, like how Doom got his powers and who helped him, neither of which will I give away. Suffice to say it's worth discovering as you read through. Finally, the comedy, what little there was, was legitimately funny. I normally don't find the comedy in superhero comics to be great, but it worked well here.

While this book is great, it is not without a flaw or two. My biggest issue in this volume is that some of the exposition, and some important exposition at that, felt really rushed, and was told a spot and in a place that did not seem to fit. I mean, the regular dialogue is above average, but the telling of Doom getting his powers and what had happened just didn't feel like it was set up well enough, there wasn't a reason for that character to start going into these details (other than to hear themselves talk to Doom I guess). Also, while the end of the comic does tie things up nicely, it seemed a bit too perfect for me. After everything that happened, after all of the chaos that had occurred, nothing was lost, there isn't any apparent great change to the Marvel universe on the ground level. Things are different on the cosmic level, but the day-to-day stuff will remain the same.

Overall and despite my few grievances, this is a definite recommendation. The story is fantastic, it's pretty easy for even more casual fans to follow (save for a detail or two), and it all looks great. I went in with some knowledge of what would be in these pages, but I want someone who knows nothing about this story to dive right in. If you have read this, go find a friend who hasn't and make them read this book.

I give Marvel's 2015 Secret Wars a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: X-Men Legends

                         The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the 2004 action role-playing game, X-Men Legends. This title was released on XBOX, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.

So many of you are probably familiar with the X-Men in one capacity or another, and the X-Men team in this game allows you to play as most of the characters you would want to use (as long as you're not looking to play an Angel). However, this game also includes one new member of the team, who is introduced at the beginning of the game. This mutant's name is Alison, but goes by the code-name Magma. She was actually part of the New Mutants comic book series on and off for years, but not traditionally part of the X-Men. She ends up being a focal point of the game, as it starts out with her powers revealing themselves and the Brotherhood of Mutants attempting to kidnap her for some sort of nefarious scheme. This is the starting point that allows the X-Men to begin their investigation into the Brotherhood's plans, and the rest of the game more-or-less follows that path.

This type of overhead, multi-character gameplay is a style that I really enjoy and wish more games would utilize. It's basic, but it's fun, and putting together a team of mutants that I want to use is more enjoyable than it should be. Can all of the X-Men's missions can be completed by Wolverine, Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Iceman? Because that seems to be how I think it would go. The system of leveling up isn't the very best, but it is solid. There is some real decision making in what to level up, because the enemies certainly get stronger as your team does, but having a variety of powers can be beneficial as well, so there is some strategy involved in selecting how to level up. The levels themselves are all pretty large, with several secrets throughout them. This means that there is a lot of opportunity to explore in hopes of discovering some new equipment, health, energy, or collectibles. Even without exploring around everywhere, this game is fairly long, and could take several long sessions of play just to get through the main story, I do recommend getting the collectibles though, especially the comic books, which have a decent amount of content from past X-Men adventures. However, getting those may not be something you're willing to do as you fight for your life, because this game can get difficult at times despite how easy it will seem at others. It's not an inconsistent difficulty, as the levels do progressively get more difficult, but there will certainly be spots that can be overwhelming. Final positive, the voice acting in the game is excellent, and there are some big-name voice actors involved. Patrick Stewart even came in to voice Professor X, which was great for the times, since this game was released after the second X-Men movie.

While there aren't a lot of complaints for this game, the negatives really distract from the game here. As much fun as the game is, it just looks absolutely terrible in terms of graphics. Not so much when you're actually playing or during the cinematic cut scenes, but in the small dialogue pieces that keep the graphics level from the in-game models are atrocious. Character's mouths don't move, some of them barely have faces, and they don't necessarily have fingers on their hands.  It's bad in comparison to other games that came out at the same time even, so it is definitely not a product of the times, it just doesn't look like that's where any focus went during development. I don't really recall a lot of the conversations from these parts, because the character models are just so bad. Another negative to this game are the missions in the X-mansion. Granted, they do get a little more interesting as the game goes on, but every time you're in there it's a whole lot of searching through the mansion, looking for various characters to talk to, and it's pretty tedious. By the time you get back to the action, you are craving to walk out of that school. Also, the AI on your team can leave something to be desired, and I've even had characters walk off a ledge and die before, so you're in for a less enjoyable experience if you aren't utilizing the multiplayer option.

Overall, this is a fun game that I would recommend to a lot of folks, though not everyone. Superhero fans, retro gamers, and those who like this style of gaming will generally enjoy this, but the drawbacks to the game can be pretty off-putting. The game did well enough to get a sequel, which I may review in the future, but it doesn't hold up as well as some other titles from the same generation (or even the same year). Pick it up if you're interested, it is fun, but certainly not for everyone.

I give X-Men Legends a 6 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Project Superpowers Chapter 1

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the first chapter of limited comic book series by Dynamite, Project Superpowers, which includes issues #0-7. Since this isn't tied with Marvel or DC I feel like giving any information is kind of a spoiler, so there will definitely be Spoilers Below.

So this universe takes place in a world where most of the world's superheroes disappeared not long after the end of the WWII, though nobody really knows why. Nobody, that is, except for the one who got rid of most of the heroes. EARLY PLOT TWIST, it was one of their own, Bruce Carter III (called the Fighting Yank), who was under the impression that trapping them all in Pandora's box (urn) would eliminate all of the world's evil. He was told this by the ghost of his ancestor, Bruce Carter the first, who fought in the War for American Independence. As it turns out, that did not stop all of the evil in the world, and the Fighting Yank is tasked in his old age with setting all of his old comrades free so they can help the world again. He encouraged to do so by an entity that is draped in an American Flag. However, when the urn is broken it releases the other heroes in various locations around the globe. And so begins the quest to reunite the heroes and have them fight the evil of the world whole getting used to the new world they are in.

I don't want to give away too much more of the story, so I'll stop there, but it stays interesting throughout. Really, the story has excellent pacing and always seems to balance out action and dialogue. The heroes are all unique and interesting in their own ways, though some get more spotlight than others, of course. There are a lot of great ideas in this story as well, like keeping new soldiers from being deployed to way by making Frankenstein monsters out of the ones that are already dead. There are so many cool things to discuss from this book, but I don't want to give it all away.

One other huge positive for the book is the artwork, which is just phenomenal. It's crisp, it conveys exactly what it's trying to, and there is obvious motion within these pages. Seriously, from the character designs to the fight scenes, even the settings, everything is given such life with the artwork, I wish more comics looked this good.

Now I do have one big issue with this book. I knew I would be going into this with no knowledge of these heroes, that was fine with me.  What's disappointing is I don't really get a breakdown of each heroes abilities or anything, not even in the form of bios for each of them at the end of the book. We do get some very short insight on each of them in the form of a caption next to their picture, with the captions written by the Fighting Yank, but I still felt like I was in the dark. So Devil can throw some sharp boomerangs, is that it? Does he have super strength, durability, agility, the power of flight, anything? I don't know, because he's only shown a couple of times (despite being on the cover) and most of those times he isn't fighting (or talking, for that matter). I just like to feel like I'm up to speed with these things as I read through. I hope that more is explained with each character when I get into chapter two.

Overall, the first chapter of this series is a great read. I enjoyed this book a lot and I wish I had picked it up sooner. It's refreshing to get introduced to a new world with so much depth to it, and I am really looking forward to getting chapter 2. If you like superhero comics and you're okay with venturing into the unknown, pick this up, it'll be worth your time and money.

I give chapter 1 of Project Superpowers a 8.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Lego Marvel Super Heroes

                                             The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

As I mentioned in my discussion comparing Lego to Minecraft (which can be found here), Lego is one of the most successful toy brands of all time, and they have released several video games that reflect their toy's unique features. Today I will be reviewing one such title, the 2013 game Lego Marvel Super Heroes, which was originally released for PS3/XBOX 360/ Wii U/PC, but was also released for the current gen of systems.

This title is an open-world action/adventure game. The game follows several Marvel Heroes as they work through several villains and disasters occurring in New York City, which is a fairly vast open map. As our heroes progress, many of these situations point to the work of Dr. Doom and Loki, both of which are in a satellite above earth. The heroes are then tasked with taking down the villains, only to find that there might be something far worse on the horizon.

A lot of you are probably thinking that this is a Lego game, so it's gonna be pretty childish and not fit for a more mature player. You are half right, the game's humor can be childish at times, with slapstick humor and jokes about Tony Stark being caught with his pants down. However, this is a game for all audiences, not just children. As previously mentioned, the map for this game is pretty massive, with several hidden areas that open up additional levels (with Deadpool as the narrator). The selection of characters in the game is also baffling, with 155 different heroes and villains to roam around as. Since the movie came out after Iron Man 3 some of the characters reflect their cinematic universe counterpart, while other's don't. There are also plenty of collectibles and vehicles to unlock as the game progresses, from a fire truck to Ghost Rider's bike. Some of the puzzles in the game can take a few tries to get through as well, so completing the game 100% is no easy task. I've completed more difficult games (most of the games I've reviewed) in less time, which just shows the amount of effort this game will require. To expedite the process of unlocking everything, the game does offer split-screen co-op, both in the missions and in free-roaming New York City.

The game had received some criticism in the past for frame-rate issues, but it always ran wonderfully for me, so I consider it's operation as a game as a positive. The controls are easy to get down, including the mechanics for flying, which is a load of fun in New York. The game rewards you both for flying around as well as taking to the streets as you will find secret areas when doing either. Some characters will swing from webs (you can guess which ones) instead of flying, and large characters like the Hulk and the Thing will run faster on the ground than a normal character. This is, of course, separate from the vehicles I had mentioned earlier, which offers an even wider variety for traveling. All of this means that there are several ways to traverse the urban landscape, which only adds to the enjoyment.

The downside to this game is that, despite it's best efforts, it can get a little repetitive. I really don't know how this could be avoided, as it is something that can be said of just about every Lego game. The puzzles can sometimes be a little predictable or the same system will be used to solve a few of them, which can get a little old. Even though this isn't an issue specific to this game, it is something I hope the people at Lego are working to resolve. The collecting of studs (the currency in Lego video games) can also be a bit tedious, especially considering how many you'll need to unlock every character. It think it would have been a bit more fun if there were more options to collect studs, or if the characters cost a bit less, as some characters would require as much as 1 million studs. To compare, a cheap character will cost 15,000 or 25,000 studs, which is quite a difference.

Reasonably, there are very few changes that could really be made to this game to make it better, it's already pretty great. Its flaws are small in comparison to its strengths, of which there are plenty. I can easily recommend this game for players both young and old, you'll likely get a kick out of it regardless.

I give Lego Marvel Super Heroes a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters

                                                                 The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the first volume of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters by DC. Now I say this is the first volume, but there really isn't any indication by the title that this is the NEW team of Freedom Fighters, rather than the originals. Of course, there may be some Mild Spoilers Below.

This volume takes place after the events of 52, so it is fairly recent (this volume was released in 2007). The original team of Freedom fighters were actually disbanded during the Infinite Crisis and the aftermath in Bludhaven. It was during the Infinite Crisis that many members of the team, including Uncle Sam, were killed in action by the group known as The Society. In this comic it is revealed that Uncle Sam was just in recovery for a while, as he is the collective will of the American people, and so cannot die as long as he is needed. Still, he will need to recruit a new team of Freedom fighters, and that is exactly what he does.

Just to start, I love the character of Uncle Sam. He fits his source material so well, in being a walking propaganda poster for patriotism. His lines and dialogue are some of the highlights of the book, his ideals and opinions being right up front, though without getting political. In fact, oddly enough, this book about fighting factions of the American government does steer clear of a lot of political talk. The only topic here is the topic of oppressing the freedom of American citizens. In regards to that topic, we certainly get a lot of Uncle Sam's opinion, and it comes in the form of several great speeches. I swear, everything the guy says sounds like it's taken from some famous presidential speech or something.

Outside of Uncle Sam's wonderful propaganda, the book does have some decent action and high stakes, though not as high as you might be used to from DC. The Freedom Fighters themselves are all able to hold their own, it never feels like there's one weak link in the team. Even Doll Man, a regular guy who is permanently shrunken, is able to hold his own in a fight. The villains and the plot tie in well with the main DC universe cannon, as the main villain is brought into the universe during the Battle for Bludhaven. I also thought the pacing for the book was perfect, it never felt like it was rushing or taking too long with any particular subject. The book also had a great climax, though I won't give any of the essential plot points away.

The big downside for me was the artwork, it all seemed too still, I didn't really feel the motion of the characters during a lot of the comic. I can kind of understand it to some degree, since they all looked a lot like paintings, similar to those depicting moments in early American history (see the artwork of the signing of the Declaration of Independence), but I didn't feel like it worked here. It all seemed a little muted in a story that could have benefited from something a bit livelier. Also, smaller note, I could have done without some of the strange plot twists that didn't seem necessary.

Overall, this book isn't depicting any defining moments in the DC universe, but it is a fun read. This is my first real introduction to Uncle Sam outside of the Infinite Crisis, and I was eased with what I found. I wouldn't say this is the most important graphic novel to pick up by a long shot, but it's certainly enjoyable.

I give this volume of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: Super Mario 64

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me 

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing a N64 favorite, Super Mario 64.

The game opens with Princess Toadstool (Peach) inviting Mario to her castle in a letter. However, when Mario arrives he discovers that she has been kidnapped by King Koopa (Bowser), and the only way to get to her is to collect all of the stars that are held within the paintings and various areas of the castle. The more stars that Mario collects, the more doors that will open, and the more paintings and areas he can access. So begins Mario's epic journey.

It's a short paragraph about the plot, but there isn't really too much to the main plot. It's an excuse to get Mario into this castle and explore various areas, most of which are pretty cool and diverse. Harder areas are unlocked by collecting more stars, and most of the areas contain 6 different stars that can be collected there. Now from the start, this is not an easy platforming game. The levels are somewhat complex, and a certain degree of precision is required in order to complete the platforming. Even as I got better at the game, I never felt like I was good enough for the game to be easy. There are also a number of pleasant surprises around the castle to discover, areas that aren't obvious to the naked eye as being levels.

The levels themselves are as fun as they are challenging. Even though I would go through several lives (and sometimes Game Over's) to get through a certain area, I never got too fed up or anything, because I was enjoying myself. There's also some diversity in playing through the levels with the different hats Mario can wear, which grant him various abilities, such as limited flight and invisability. I also forgot how good the graphics on this game are for its time; the character models and level design far surpass a lot of other N64 titles.

I can only think of two issues with the game, and they were issues for a lot of games at the time. The camera is a real hindrance to game play, it always seems to be just a little off and doesn't adjust quite right. I've missed more than a few jumps because the camera is in a really bad spot for them. Also, the controls aren't quite up to par for me. Granted, there are only a few different controls (move, jump, punch, duck, and variations on thise), but it's the movement that I have issues with. Somewhere in the making of this game the precision on movement seemed to have gotten lost in a way that's difficult to explain. It basically just seems like Mario walks in almost the exact right direction, but frequently ends up being a degree or two off, causing for frequent realignment. When running in a large area, it's a non-issue. However, when trying to make your way across a thin board, it means walking very slowly so you can adjust where Mario is going part way through.

Small grievences aside, this game is a lot of fun. It's a staple of the N64 library for a reason, because it's an absolute blast. It paved the way for later Mario titles, and I would definitely recommend this as a game to pick up if you have an N64.

I give Super Mario 64 a 9 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast