Game Review: Splatoon 2

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Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

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

I give Splatoon 2 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Broforce

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Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

I give Broforce a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

TV Review: Castlevania

                             The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Game Review: Battlefield 1

                          The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me 

Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

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

I give Battlefield 1 a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Movie Review: Justice League Dark

                            The image above belongs to its respective owner, not me

Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

I give Justice League Dark a 6.5 out of 10

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

Book Review: The Rules of Supervillainy

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Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast

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

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Hello Enthusiasts,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast