Retro Game Review: Spider-man 2

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Hello Enthusiasts,

If you go around and ask folks their opinions on Spider-man video games, you will often hear that the title I'm reviewing today is the best one. Today, we'll check the validity of that statement as I review Spider-man 2. I will be reviewing the version of the game that came out on consoles rather than the PC version, which I hear differs greatly. Also, of course, be prepared for some Spoilers Below.

This game is based off of the movie with the same title, which was released in 2004. The premise is that Peter Parker continues to do his Spider-man thing, but has been running into some trouble. He can't keep up with his school work, he can't make the time to impress Mary Jane, and Harry Osborne is hell-bent on getting revenge on the wall-crawler. This all lead's to Peter losing his powers due to a lack of confidence in himself as the web-slinger. Luckily for this game we were spared the task of having a level where Spider-man has no powers like the movie included. On top of all of that, Spider-man's new big foe comes into the mix, Dr. Otto Octavius, aka Dr. Octopus. I give the movie tie-in's a lot of credit, because they really do add a lot of additional story, which generally doesn't feel too forced.

So why do so many people consider this game to be the gold-standard when it comes to Spider-man titles? Well, this game had a lot of great firsts and set a path for other games to follow. This was the first Spider-man game to feature an open-world environment, and the first one to actually let you walk around the streets of New York City (previous titles were limited to rooftops and inside buildings). This allowed players to take on side missions, help with random street crimes, play arcade games, and gather collectables. This was also the first Spider-man title that didn't force a player to constantly refill their web, which helped a lot with the flow of the game. Plus, on top of those, the game was also the first Spider-man title to offer an upgrade system, which I believe every Spider-man game since has offered.

So outside of being the first to do a lot of different things, there are a few highlights to the game. As mentioned earlier, the story does differ from its cinematic counterpart, and it does the extended story well. Instead of just Doc Ock, players get to face The Rhino, Mysterio, and The Shocker. Players are also introduced to Black Cat in this game, who helps in moving the story along. The game introduced a decent fighting/dodging mechanic that works for what it is, allowing players a chance to counter-attack after dodging a hit (if they've unlocked the upgrade). There's also a system in the game that charges up and, when used, allows Spider-man to move fastter than his enemies and attack them while they move in slow-motion. This is especially helpful when fighting some giant mechanized battle suit guys later in the game. Even the side missions can be fun, like taking picture for the Daily Bugle or delivering pizzas as Spider-man.

However, even with all of these positives, the game does lack in certain areas. The cut scenes are painfully bad in several different ways. The graphics in these scenes get a downgrade from the rest of the game, looking more like they belonged on the PS1 than the PS2. This title came out on the same system as one ofy previous reviews, 007: Nightfire (which can be found at http://boredenthusiast.blogspot.com/2016/12/retro-game-review-007-nightfire.html?m=1 ), and these graphics are several steps behind that. Black Cat and Peter look especially bad in these scenes, which is strange since both of them are in so many. The dialogue in these scenes can also seem really forced, and I always just want to move on to the actual gameplay. This is made even more apparent when the dialogue during gameplay can be pretty funny and natural. Also, while the fighting mechanic does work well enough, the dodging system has a bit of a delay. It's not bad enough that you won't be able to adjust to it, but it will take a little time. I suggest one of the games in the arcade to assist, which is just a game that has you dodging bullets.

So, is this the best Spider-man game? I would say no, but it is a good one. While newer games have made the fighting more fluid and have of course gotten a graphics upgrade, not all of them have a story to match, or enjoyable dialogue like this one does. I think there's really one Spider-man title I enjoyed more, and that was Spider-man: Web of Shadows. So yeah, if you have a system from this gen, pick up this title. It won't look as polished as some other games, but it sure is a lot of fun.

I give Spider-man 2 an 8.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Wolverine - Enemy of the State

                                    The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the graphic novel Wolverine: Enemy of the State. This review, as many do now, may contain some Spoilers Below.

The story, written by comic all-star Mark Miller, opens up with a trap, where one of Logan's old friends in Japan has his child stolen to draw Wolverine out. When Wolverine arrives though, he is captured by The Hand and is brainwashed to kill just about every superhero on Earth, and we all know that he is the best at what he does. This, of course, causes a significant amount of chaos in the Marvel Universe, as one of their more durable heroes is now their enemy, which is something nobody was hoping for. Luckily, he is then captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. and returned to his normal, heroic self, free to get his bloody, hate-filled revenge.

This is the example for a Wolverine comic to meet. The art is fantastic and consistent all the way through, thanks to the brilliant work of industry icon (and son of an industry legend) John Romita Jr. The story is engaging and interesting, with some amazing scenes, like when Logan is being deprogrammed by S.H.I.E.L.D. This scene shows Wolverine breaking out of his restraints and slaughtering every agent on board, until he stops before killing one woman because he can tell she is pregnant. It is revealed that this is all happening in his mind, induced as a mean of overcoming his programming, and this one only the most recent of thousands of simulations (but the first one where he spared anyone). This scene along was great and I loved the idea that shows that it is no easy task  to remove such programming from Logan's mind. Also, even though he isn't doing what we might want him to be doing when he's working for The Hand, it shows him at the pinnacle of his awesomeness, taking down characters that are out of a lot of other heroes leagues. At the same time though, Logan will still help people when he is being controlled, with the example being shown of him stopping a mugging of a woman between his super-powered assassinations.

So yes, the book is memorable and enjoyable. It's also a pretty long book, coming in at well over 100 pages, with very few one-panel pages thrown in there. a lot happens, and it's mostly action. There are a few pages where only a line or two of dialogue are said, letting the action speak for itself. I think I saw more SNIKT than I did conversation. Still, the dialogue is clever and informative, which is impressive since it's a pretty straightforward plot for such a long graphic novel. It''s nice that, throughout everything, Wolverine's reputation overcomes his current actions with most of the other Marvel heroes, with characters like Captain America and Nick Fury giving him the benefit of the doubt right away for his actions. It also helps that Electra knows The Hand's methods when she sees them, and she does have a moderate role in part of this story.

The only possible downside to this comic for me is the final part of it. The story ends with another issue remaining in the series, and it's a look back at a WWII concentration camp where Wolverine was prisoner. He could have broken out at any time of course, but he instead liked to make the wardens go insane trying to kill him, to the point that it's implied that they had all been committing suicide. This is all done without Logan's normal rude remarks either, he would just stand there as a constant presense. It's not a bad story, and I would actually like to read a whole graphic novel about it, but it does not fit in here at all. It's a random jump back that was put in to pad a little bit more space in the book, and I really could have done without it.

If it wasn't for the last, disconnected issue, this could have been a real 10/10. However, I cannot ignore that someone made the decision to include that in this otherwise perfect story of Wolverine becoming a villain and having to redeem himself. If you are a fan of Wolverine, Marvel, or just comics in general, this is a good read. I definitely suggest picking up a copy, because you'll be reading it more than once if you're anything like me.

I give Wolverine: Enemy of the State a 9.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: James Bond 007 - From Russia With Love

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the 2005 game James Bond 007: From Russia with Love. This title was published by EA Games and was released for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and XBOX consoles. It is based on the film of the same name, which was released in 1963 (which was based on a novel that was released in 1957).

For those unfamiliar with the story, I'll fill you in. In both the film, game, and novel, From Russia with Love takes place not long after the events of the previous installment, Dr. No. The organization known as SPECTRE (though in the game they are called OCTOPUS due to some apparent legal disputes) sees James Bond as a threat after he eliminated one of their top guys, the aforementioned Dr. No. So, the organization sets up a trap for MI6, baiting them with a Soviet encoding device called a Lektor. They have a member of their organization pretending to defect and offer the Lektor up, but only if she gets to be picked up by 007 himself. All the while, the real plan is to have a different agent assassinate Bond when the opportunity presents itself. Of course the defecting female agent ends up falling for the ever-charming Bond, and the rest of the story is a whirlwind of action, suspense, and everything else you love about a James Bond movie.

The game itself is a third-person shooter that utilizes an auto-aim feature. The maps are mostly linear, with some hidden areas in each of the maps, many of which include unlockables. There are also some missions that utilize vehicles, like the Jet-pack from Thunderball that shows up a few times. The game features both a single player campaign that follows the story above, as well as a split-screen multiplayer.

So the game stays pretty true to the story, though with several liberties taken. There are several extra missions and areas in the game that weren't featured in the film, like when Bond breaks into the OCTOPUS headquarters at the end of the game. Still, a lot of the scenes are pulled straight from the movie, like the gypsy shootout and train scene (although there is more added to all of them, of course). EA was even able to get the same James Bond himself, Sean Connery, to do the voice acting, which adds a lot to the game for me. The graphics are solid for their time, and the controls are intuitive as well.

On the negative side of the chart I would go ahead and put the difficulty. If you've a lot of my previous reviews, I like a game to progressively get more difficult. However, this game had spots that were incredibly difficult in a game that is otherwise pretty middle of the road in that regard. The function to select a current weapon also leaves something to be desired, as you will find yourself scrolling through the options to find what you're looking for, rather than just utilizing a weapon wheel. I would have also appreciated bots in multiplayer, as the battles can be a little lackluster if you onlybhave two players. It's little things like this that hold the game back from really knocking it out of the park.

Deapite any grievences, this game is a lot of fun. I felt like I was playing an alternate universe version of the movie, and it truely was enjoyable. I suggest picking up a copy, and I hope you like it as much as I do.

I give James Bond 007: From Russia with Love an 8 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Comic Book Review: Black Road - The Holy North

The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of the first volume of Image's comic, Black Road. As a head's up to any parents looking to get this one for a younger reader, this story is a little graphic, so be warned. Also, as I go through this, it's a good idea to remember that there may be Mild Spoilers Below.

So this story takes place during the expansion of Christianity in Scandinavia, which would have been somewhere between 700-1100 C.E. This comic revolves around a warrior from a small village named Magnus ( often referred to as "Magnus the Black"), who is escourting a Cardinal north on the Black Road. The Cardinal dies early on, and his mission is passed along to his adopted daughter, Julia. The Black Road is dangerous for a number of reasons, but it is the only way to travel on foot to a Christian fortification on the northern coast.

The action scenes in this book are pretty exciting, the movements are all very fluid and believable. The main character, Magnus, is relatable, but also a giant mass of murderous muscle. It would have also been easy for Magnus to have been written with no personality but angry (much like how many buff Scandinavians are written), but he is given a range of emotions, though he still never really cracks a smile. I also liked the art in thr comic, which is sketchy, but I feel like it really fits with the setting being so far in the past.

The book does have a few flaws though. It jumps around a lot, seemingly skipping a good amount of the journey; it's almost like watching a highlight reel of a longer story. I realize that I'm not going to see every step the character's take, but leaves a lot to be assumed. This makes the story a bit more difficult to follow, which I found frustrating. This is no more apparent than near the end, which has a plot twist, and then a COUNTER plot twist, both of which happen within a page or two of each other. Also, as someone who really appreciates historical accuracy, I was pretty upset with the language used in the book. The writers don't even try for an older dialect of english like Thor uses, instead using much more modern words and phrases in the conversations.

So is this comic terrible with those flaws listed above? No, it was still enjoyable, but I think the writers over at Image need to slow down. Maybe they're used to writing really short stories or they had some strict deadlines, but I certainly felt like parts of this wete really rushed. Pick it up, if only to have a basis for later volumes, which could be a lot better, the story certainly has the potential, it's just not reached here.

I give Black Road: The Holy North a 6 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Retro Game Review: 007 Nightfire

Thr image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today's review will be of the ps2/XBOX/GameCube game, 007 Nightfire, which was released in 2002. The game was also released on the PC, Mac, and Gameboy Advance, but these other ports were noticible different from the original console set.

The game stars the Pierce Brosnan version of James Bond (though not voiced by the actor) on another mission to save the world. This time he is preventing the corporate head of the Phoenix Corporation, named Drake, from collecting the Earth's nuclear weapons and launching them from a defense satellite at NATO bases, ensuring his domination of the world. This takes Bond through various locations around the world as he attempts to get all of the plan's details and stop the plot, eventually leading to a big battle in space.

The game is a lot of fun and feels like an actual entry to the movie franchise. There are bad jokes, gunfights, driving scenes, and just about everything else you can associate with a Bond film. While the graphics are dated now, they still look pretty solid, definitely in the top half of the games at the time. The story, mentioned earlier, makes sense and is better than some of the actual movies. The level designs are pretty complex and interesting as well, with several hidden areas that provide additional equipment. There are several levels that become a lot easier by looking around to find alternate paths and equipment, and really make the player feel more like a secret agent. Add this to the diverse locations, and you can see how much effort went into the settings.

The multiplayer is also a pretty fantastic, comparable to one of the most popular mulitplayer shooters, 007 Goldeneye, though there are some changes. There is a greater variety of maps, equipment, and character, but the fun is all still there. Various skins, play modes, and weapons are unlocked by doing really well in the missions, some things being obtainable only after completing missions on the harder difficulties.

As you can likely tell, I think pretty highly of this title, but there are some drawbacks. The difficulty, in particular, varies throughout the game, rather than increasing steadily. The second to last level is actually pretty easy, despite the two previous levels being very difficult. The game then jumps up to expected insane difficulty of the final level, but it's even harder without a proper build-up. Also, the basic controls are pretty terrible, and I don't suggest trying to get used to them. Instead, I recommend picking another control layout, like Goldeneye or Thunderball.

Despite some grievences with the peaks and valleys of difficulty, this game is a lot of fun, one of my favorite Bond games (and I have played several). If you're a fan of Bond games or FPS games in general, this is certainly a good one to pick up.

I give 007 Nightfire a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Guest Book Review: Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light

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Here it is, our first Christmas crossover between The Bored Enthusiast blog and the Only in the Movies blog and I’m happy to be a guest writer here to give you a review of a book I really enjoyed.

Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light was written by Patrick McGilligan and published in 2003. For any of you who may be regular visitors to my blog, you already know that I’m a huge Hitchcock fan, but for those of you who don’t I’ll leave a few links to some of my film reviews at the bottom.  (You can also check out my ’10 Alfred Hitchcock Movies Everyone Should See’ list by clicking here)

Patrick McGilligan is a solid biography writer and has also written books on James Cagney, Clint Eastwood, Fritz Lang and others. Focusing just on this one though, I was surprised how much of a page-turner it was. At just under 700 pages (if you don’t count the index, filmography, notes, and sources and acknowledgements) it’s a compelling book and a great comprehensive look at the life of one of the greatest Directors in the history of cinema.

The book is broken up into seven parts, each one focusing in different stages of his life and career. From Part 1 ‘London: The Enjoyment of Fear’ which focuses on Hitchcock early years growing up in London during the early 20^th century, the book takes us all the way through his career in England, Germany, his move to Hollywood and ending, of course, with his death in 1980. Alfred Hitchcock’s ups and downs, his trouble with censorship, his wife Alma’s role in the filmmaking process, problems with actors and studios, innovations in filmmaking, his television show ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’, behind the scenes stories from some of history’s best films… It’s all there and it’s a really good read.

If you’re a fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s work or just a fan of classic films in general, then I definitely recommend checking out this book.

I give it 8.5 out of 10.

 For some of my Alfred Hitchcock movie reviews click the links below:

Dial M for Murder

Vertigo

The Lady Vanishes

Psycho

Comic Book Review: Kingdom Come

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Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the DC graphic novel, Kingdom Come. I will work to avoid it, but as usual, there may be some Mild Spoilers Below.

This story takes place several years in the future. This means that just about all of the traditional heroes have been retired for some time now. Superman is a farmer in Kansas, Batman has an army of bat-robots to control crime, and Billy Baxton is now a full grown adult with a full time job...as Luther's assistant. A new wave of super-powered beings has rolled in, and they leave something to be desired, as all they do is pick fights with each other for no reason. Faith in heroes, and humanity, has been lost as a result. There is, of course, an evil plan by Lex Luther to destroy the remaining old heroes once they decide to come out of hiding to clean up the place.

So this story works in a few places. The dialogue between characters is great, with humor in even more serious areas. The plot for the story wasn't bad, certainly unique, even if it did leave something to be desired. The choices of the heroes are admirable of course, helping humanity instead of taking their well-deserved retirement. The story also really captures how they changw with age, and it's always believable to their characters. It's all very creative and well thought out, but it's not all perfect.

Now even though this one does it well, I'm still not a fan of the attempt of realism in the art of comics. It always feels more like I'm watching a slideshow than a movie, and it comes a bit short here for me, especially when think of aomw of DC's big events.

Overall, this is a really well thought out event, and kept me interested. My review here is a little short to keep from giving out full spoilers, as things happen pretty fast, but I definitely suggest giving this one a read.

I give DC's Kingdom Come a 7.5 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast