Happy New Year! It’s time for me to go over the past 6 months, in a somewhat quick fashion.
Okay enough of this nonsense time to actually begin.
Movies
Toy Story 4: This movie kind of undoes the great ending to Toy Story 3 but it wasn’t bad and it kind of feels like an epilogue. It had many moving moments but also a lot of crap just thrown in without much thought. Very much a mixed bad and I just hope they stop making these before they drop the ball completely.
Spider-Man: Far from home: A decent movie with a pretty well done villain and nothing that made me actively annoyed while watching it. Although the direction they seem to want to go in future with this character looks unstable to me (Post credit scene made me just kind of disappointed).
Rambo: Last Blood: This movie was fun to watch but I think that’s because of the ridiculous nature of the violence and the fact Stallone is looking worse for wear to put it lightly. However it’s more believable than a lot of schlock since most of rambo’s violence in this movie is meticulously planned as opposed to the more spontaneous and athletic violence in the rest of his films. It actually makes some sense that old man rambo just can’t do that shit no more so he’s got to prepare some elaborate traps. Overall it’s an okay film.
Joker: An excellent movie that is probably the highlight of the year in terms of film. Definitely worthy of the praise it’s received and I don’t have much else to say that hasn’t already been said elsewhere by more articulate people.
Ford V Ferrari: A pretty decent biopic but since I’m not the biggest car enthusiast it didn’t exactly amaze me. It was somewhat enjoyable.
Anime
Weathering with you: A rather emotional movie that kind of has a silly ending as far as I’m concerned (if I was to go into this it would be spoilers). The cameos were lost on me as I have not seen “Your Name” but all the noise in the theatre at the time suggested they worked as intended.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (Part 5): I really enjoyed the first half of this one. However things got a bit messy in the second half and I’m still not sure what I think about the final battle (it was somehow both really cool and also unsatisfying). Still worth watching but not as enjoyable as what came before.
Dororo: An incredible action show that offers many interesting moral questions. It’s short but powerful and there wasn’t really anything I’d consider an obvious flaw at least not one that has stuck in my mind. It’s violent and the opening episode is gruesome (not the worst mind you) but if you can handle it I can easily recommend it.
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Also known as Demon Slayer this show was pretty fucking awesome and I’m looking forward to where the series goes in future (I think there’s a movie coming out next). I can definitely see why this got popular so hopefully it doesn’t go down the tubes.
Games
Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee: I saw this on sale so I figured I’d finally give this experiment a shot and unfortunately most of my assumptions were proven correct it was a mostly shallow experience that was quite underwhelming. It is cute and some of the core gameplay is in-tact so it’s not all bad. I was surprised that it wasn’t stupidly easy but it was still easier than the average pokemon affair. Not worth full price.
Super Mario Maker 2: This one improves upon the original in almost every way. One glaring omission though is the amiibo costumes that gave the previous game a lot of replay value and charm. However if the latest update is anything to go by they may find ways to further compensate the features removal. It’s a fantastic game worth playing even if you’re not the creative type, just be sure you have nintendo switch online.
CTR Nitro-Fueled (PS4): While I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment out of this title it most definitely wants you to play online and to play frequently. It often devolves into a tedious grind because of how most characters and vehicles are obtained through the shop. This seems to be in place as an incentive to buy wumpa coins directly which is a scummy idea for a game that already costs money. If you can overlook the microtransactions and the grinding then this is a fantastic game but those are very hard things to overlook (they weren’t present when I bought the game).
Untitled Goose Game (Switch): A very short game but a rather fun and charming one.
Undertale (PC): I did two and a half play-throughs of this one and after getting my ass handed to me at a certain infamous point I figured it was time to move on (might go back one day if I feel some need to feel frustration). The game itself is a mixed bag, sometimes it’s funny and sometimes it’s not, some characters are lovable and charming and a few are just annoying. It’s a solid story that messes with you the player and the fourth wall to some degree while also establishing it’s own world and lore. The graphical style can be charming but some of the designs just reek of the ‘lol random’ humour that was around at the time (some of the dialogue also feels dated in a similar way). The real crowning achievement of this game is the soundtrack it’s freaking beautiful and has already become iconic which is incredibly impressive for a small title like this. It was worth checking out.
The Mummy Demastered (Switch): Who new something good came from such a mediocre movie. This game is a very simple but engaging metroidvania with a neat soundtrack and visuals. If you have the itch for the genre like I do this may be worth your time. The only downside was the dark souls-esque design choice of having your items be stuck to your corpse when you die which ended up in some really frustrating bullshit situations late game (it was neat in theory but needed tweaking).
Castlevania the adventure (Switch): Originally for the Game Boy this game is a slog but not entirely unplayable thanks to the castlevania collection’s modern features. The real problem is that it’s slow as hell and the game then includes a level that has you trying to out walk/climb a moving wall/floor of death spikes. Probably worth avoiding unless you hate yourself.
World End Syndrome (Switch): A cute visual novel that unfortunately has multiple routes but only the one good ending that solves all the plot threads. I say this because while it was an incredibly moving story (I sure as hell cried) the deception might really irk some people and honestly it seems unneeded for the story to work. If you’re wanting a good mystery with some mild spooky themes and several emotional moments this should do the trick although I’d wait for it to go on sale (Also I think it may be on steam).
Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge (Switch): Much better than the previous Game Boy title in the collection. Difficulty is more consistent and the game is much faster. Only problem is the final boss fights are a little bullshit.
Kid Dracula (Switch): This castlevania spin-off for the Famicom plays more like Mega-Man which isn’t a bad thing. It’s also pretty easy compared to a lot of famicom/NES games which seems to be the intention. It wasn’t a long game in fact I played it all in one afternoon, however it was a fun and relatively peaceful afternoon. (Also in the Castlevania collection).
MediEvil (PS4): Perhaps not as polished as other PS1 remakes over the last couple of years MediEvil still got a decent upgrade for the most part. It was still a great time and the platforming is mostly improved however the inelegance of the combat is much more obvious this time around. I’d still recommend it though since it should be at a lower price point and the original is included as unlockable content.
Castlevania: Bloodlines (Switch): I made sure to play through this one twice. Once with each of the playable characters (John Morris and Eric Lecarde), which differ in terms of weapons and abilities. John plays like more traditional castlevania and some sections seem easier with him however I think Eric was perhaps more beginner friendly just due to the way his spear works. The soundtrack is the usual greatness of the series but the Mega Drive sounds give it enough of a different feel to stand out. The setting is during WWI this time which at the time was unique for the series. It’s still a good looking game and it was a lot of fun. I played it on the Castlevania collection but it’s also included on the Mega Drive Mini.
Detroit: Become Human: A mostly compelling story about androids but given the David Cage treatment although the choices felt far more meaningful and story impacting than the previous games of his I’ve played. For the most part it was a fulfilling experience except the one choice that essential boils down to dooming innocents or dooming yourself which is accurate to our reality (these things can happen) but goes against the themes of the game which for the most part rewards the player for ‘doing the right thing’. Thankfully this was just a PS+ game for me and not a retail purchase, I don’t recommend full price on this one.
Luigi’s Mansion 3: An excellent follow up to the 3DS game that adds more mechanics and reintroduces the portrait ghosts in a way. It starts off kind of open ended but once all your abilities are in place it’s quite linear (There’s potential for a more metroidvania luigi game here). This game is a blast though with charming cartoony visuals, location variety and a satisfying gameplay loop. Highly recommended.
Shenmue (PS4): This was interesting and I was surprised just how engaging it was to play considering most of the gameplay is just talking to the people in your neighbourhood. For the most part I enjoyed this however the one stealth section blew and at one point you need to learn a fighting move which is poorly explained. Late game becomes combat focused however they do build this up slowly over the course of the game. I’m looking forward to playing the next one sometime this year.
And that’s it for now, I’ll be posting again in another 6 months. I hope this was mildly enjoyable or informative thanks for stopping by.
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