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GDC Recap: Second Wave

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I had a blast trying out Second Wave at GDC this year. I want to give a shoutout to the two young ladies I faced off against in that accidental mirror match. We were evenly matched, and it helped me get the perfect first impression. Wherever you are, thank you!

Second Wave is a cute little anime 1st/3rd person shooter that pits two teams in arena-style combat reminiscent of Overwatch. The characters are unique with some fantastic art, the abilities are a lot of fun, and combat is fun. I only got to try the alpha build during my demo, but it was enough to make me curious.

I got to meet the COO and lead developer of the game, and they were passionate about their project. They were super friendly guys who took the time to answer all my questions, and I appreciate them for that. I also got some cute little figures to decorate my desk, which I put up immediately.

images taken from the official website

The Second Wave will release on PC, all major consoles, and mobile devices. While there will be cross-play between consoles, players on mobile devices will only be able to play against each other. This is to keep matchmaking fair, and I support the choice. Do not think that this is a cheap cash grab in a popular genre. Challengers Games has worked on other popular games such as Tera, Black Desert Online, and Elden Ring. They are also an official partner of Microsoft.

The demo was a solid experience, and I can only imagine how much fun a full release with more players will be. The combat was fast and fluid, and I loved the art. I will be keeping a close eye on this project so I can join the beta as soon as it is available. If you are in the market for a game to supplement or replace your Overwatch grind, keep an eye out for Second Wind. Challengers Games are active across all their socials; make sure you follow them to keep up to date on the news. You can follow them on Discord, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Pixel Ripped 1978, Possibly Your Next VR Purchase

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I am attending GDC this week, so my posting schedule will be a bit sporadic and more focused on gaming. I am very excited about the opportunity and will share everything I can. If you’d like to aid me on my adventure, please consider buying me a coffee

The first game I got to try out at GDC was Pixel Ripped 1978, a VR game that lets gamers relieve their Atari nostalgia through a quirky meta experience. You play as Dot as she works alongside her human counterpart Bug, a programmer at Atari. Together you work to perfect a game, but the evil Cyblin Lord has gone back in time to make sure he is the hero of your game. Can you stop him before it is too late?

Pixel Ripped 1978 is the third game of the series, but the developers assured me that 1978 will be a standalone story. There will be references to the previous games, but you won’t need to play them to understand what is going on. You should still go out and play them, and I am hoping to make some time to try them out before the game’s release this summer.

Images and gifs from press kit

Pixel Ripped attempts to capture the love of gaming by creating an homage to its different eras. With the Atari partnership, the developers were able to implement games from the Atari era without running into licensing issues. This love can be apparent when you look at the protagonist. Dot was inspired by the many heroes from the games the creator played growing up. Characteristics from characters like Princes Peach, Link, Samus, and Megan can be seen in Dot’s design. Ana Riberio, the creator, wanted to create a strong female character that was cool because there weren’t many back then. I think she was successful. Dot is a cool character with fun and interesting powers. You can shoot with your laser, hit things with randomly generated melee weapons, and build code that changes the game. Playing the demo left me wanting to see what else she has in store.  

Pixel Ripped 1978 is an interesting meta experience where you are playing a game about playing a game. In parts, you will pick up the controller and play a game on the classic Atari in a virtual world where deal with real-world distractions. While playing the Atari, people will come to ask you questions, try to talk to you, and just try to get your attention. There was a moment I had to move my head to see around the person blocking my TV. It was incredibly immersive, and I was easily distracted by the people walking around in the background. It creates this neat dynamic between an adventure puzzle game and a simulator.

The other feature of this game is that you get to go into the game world and play as Dot. You get to move through this beautifully stylized pixel world fighting enemies. The combat in this game was arcadey and fun. The world is vibrant and colorful, and enemies are beautifully nostalgic. It was very reminiscent of the Adventure Box event in Guild Wars 2, but here you get to be in it.

This game will release on the Oculus, Steam VR, and PSVR. I tried it on the PSVR, and it was spectacular. I almost want to buy a PS5 because I felt it to be a superior VR experience to my current Meta Quest 2. Everything looked great, there was a minimal light leak, and the tracking felt great. But this isn’t a review about that. 

Pixel Ripped 1978 is looking to be a fantastic dive into a nostalgic era that everyone can enjoy. The gameplay is fun, the tone is quirky, and it is a solid VR experience. Keep an eye out for news, or try out the previous two.

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Game Review: Avatar Generations

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I just received my press pass to attend GDC! If you like what I do and want to help me out, consider buying me the coffee I’ll need to get me through the week.

I was sent Avatar Generations to review, and it isn’t good. Avatar Generations is the Avatar the Last Airbender gotcha game that you shouldn’t bother downloading. I haven’t been disappointed in the IP since the live-action movie.

This game crashed fresh off the install. The performance never got better as it stuttered through most of its content. Navigating anything in this game feels clunky and slow. When the game stopped crashing, I was finally able to play through the story, and it isn’t fun. The story goes through the same events as the series, and I’d rather be watching the series. You will be spending most of your time waiting on timers whether it is traveling over land or waiting on combat. The combat is boring, but at least there is an auto-battle feature. 

I wouldn’t mind the combat if the animation was cool. There seem to be a few frames missing, making combat look clunky and dated. I am not a fan of the art style. This game is kind of ugly. 

The main draw to a gotcha game is the collectability aspect. The unlockable characters need to look good and be desirable. I love Avatar the Last Air Bender, but there wasn’t a single character I wanted to pull for. I did use whatever gems I had to pull from the available banners and only unlocked one new character. Everything else I pulled seemed like trash. I can’t tell you how predatory the monetization is because I didn’t have it in me to play enough of this game to do more testing, but it doesn’t seem very free-to-play friendly. 

Avatar Generations lacks what makes gotcha games worth the trouble. Where most games shower you with free pulls and rare characters, this one makes you sit through ads. Where most have great art and at least some fun gameplay, this one doesn’t even feel finished. I am not expecting Generations to be this high-fidelity gaming experience with a fantastic story, but I at least expect it to be playable. If you are looking for a gotcha game based on a popular IP, Pokemon Masters does it better. Don’t download this game.  

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Series Review: Scissor Seven

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I just received my press pass to attend GDC! If you like what I do and want to help me out, consider buying me the coffee I’ll need to get me through the week.

I know I am a bit late in reviewing Scissor Seven, but I loved it so much that I needed to write something. If you haven’t seen this series yet, now is a great time because season four is on the horizon. If you are even remotely a fan of anime, this is a great series to get into.

Seven is a strange kid with no memory of his past who lives on Chicken island. With the help of a pair of scissors that he can control with his qi, Seven tries to make a living as a hired assassin. The problem with this plan is that Seven is too kind and ends up befriending the people he is supposed to kill. But Seven’s mysterious past comes to disrupt the peace he’s achieved during his time there. Can Seven unlock his full potential as an assassin in time to save his friends?

Scissor Seven is originally in Mandarin. While I always recommend consuming media in its original language, the English dub is fantastic. The animation is what sold this series to me. I love the blending of different art styles and animation. Sillyness aside, the narrative of this series is very well done. I was caught off guard by how cohesive and intricate the narrative can be. Sure it hits many of the traditional anime tropes, but it does it in such a way that it doesn’t matter. Watching Seven slowly regain his memories, make friends, and a life for himself is a delight to watch. 

If you are a fan of anime or Asian dramas, you will love how it parodies the genres while maintaining its narrative. This series is full of bad puns, dad jokes, and physical humor, but it gets away with it. Once you get past the obvious parodies, the action is amazing. The epic choreography of the fights will keep you on the edge of your seat, even when it gets ridiculous. Package off this with one of the most amazing soundtracks I’ve ever sat through, and you have a series that should at least be on your watchlist. 

Do yourself a favor and watch one of the most ridiculous and epic anime series on the Netflix catalog. 

Image by candoyi from Pixabay

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Diablo IV Developer Livestream Recap

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I just received my press pass to attend GDC! If you like what I do and want to help me out, consider buying me the coffee I’ll need to get me through the week.

The Diablo 4 developers just did an update livestream and it wasn’t too informative. The biggest takeaway from the stream is that we got dates for the Beta later this month. If you have preordered the game at any level, you will be able to play during the early access beta on March 17 from 7 am pst to March 20 at noon pst. Players will only get to play the barbarian, rogue, and sorcerer classes. For everyone who wishes to try the game before buying the game, the open beta is on the following weekend, March 24, 7 am pst – March 27, 12 pm pst. The open beta will give players access to all playable characters. The beta will be on PC and console with preloads available closer to launch. If you have a friend, Diablo 4 has couch co-op so long as both players have a Battlenet account. 

Images are screen shots from the stream

It is important to note that while your progress in the early access beta carries over to the open beta, your progress will not carry over to full release. This restriction is because the first season will start shortly after the launch, and the developers wanted everyone to have the same advantages. There will be a few achievements that will carry over to full release. You can earn a couple of titles by playing through the game, which will also be available at launch, and a cute cosmetic you can only get from maxing out a character during the beta.

Make sure you make enough time to earn this cute little guy!

The max level for the beta is 25, and you will be allowed to create ten characters. Make sure you take as much time as you need with the character creation because your character will be featured in the cinematics. The beta will also have four world boss events. Make sure you check the schedule and location on the game’s socials or blog so you can participate. World bosses are 12-player events that do not need a party to enjoy. You should be able to participate so long as you are at the appropriate level. I like that Diablo 4 will have more of an MMO feel than 3. As you unlock more towns and strongholds, you will start seeing people running around the map like in Diablo Immortal, but hopefully with fewer predatory microtransactions.

Ashava will be the world boss for the beta

There wasn’t too much else to the stream. The rest of the stream focuses on how to play Diablo 4. Unless you’ve never played an RPG, the livestream isn’t worth your time.

I will be playing the open beta because I love Diablo, but $70 to preorder isn’t in my budget at the moment. I am a bit upset that a game this expensive also has a $10 season pass. While the season passes won’t affect gameplay, I don’t want to pay $70+ to play a game and an additional $40 a year to look cool. Season passes seem to be the norm now. What can be done?

*Featured image By Blizzard Entertainment – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72522405

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Movie Review: The Whale (2022)

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If you haven’t seen The Whale yet, you need to go out and watch it. This is one of the best movies I have seen all year, but it is also one of the saddest. Be prepared to cry a lot.

Charlie is an obese man at the end of his life. He spends his days as a recluse, hiding away in his apartment and eating his feelings. As his health worsens, Charlie attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Will he have enough time to amend his wrongs before his time is up?

Brendan Fraser shows the world his true gift as an actor in one of his most powerful roles to date. The chemistry he shares with the rest of the cast is truly moving. I am at a loss as I try to collect myself through the tears. This movie was that good.

Charlie’s story of addiction is very well done. Charlie uses food to cope with the emotional pain he carries with him. Charlie’s pain, issues, and mistakes weigh heavily on his conscience. As his time runs out, he becomes desperate for some closure. It can be hard to watch at times because Charlie faces issues common to the human condition. While some people can overcome their adversities and live the normal lives people pretend to have, others can’t. Addiction to drugs, food, or sex becomes an easy but temporary escape until it becomes a necessity. It is when a person becomes addicted to this escape that he gets stuck in a spiral toward the bottom. Some people need to hit bottom to regain control of their lives. Others will never get the chance. The Whale does a terrific job at showing the struggle of addiction as well as the collateral damage that comes with it. It can be very triggering, especially if you know someone struggling with addiction. 

Anyways, please don’t let me dissuade you from watching this movie. The Whale is an important film that I believe everyone should watch at least once. The acting is fantastic, and the story is powerful. If you haven’t seen it or thinking of seeing it, watch it however you can. Just be prepared to cry a little. 

Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today!

Image By https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72209554

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Elderand

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Elderand just released on the Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, and Steam. Elderand is a 2D metroidvania-type game that looks incredibly brutal. I love the retro feel and pixel art. Take control of a hero as he uses magic and weapons to defeat some truly terrifying-looking enemies. 

The game promises an RPG experience as you can customize your character’s appearance and skills. From the trailer, this seems like a great way to keep combat fresh through the adventure. I am not a huge fan of platformers and probably won’t pick it up. If you are a fan of the genre, it might be worth looking into. The game is on sale until 2/23/23 on the eShop, Epic Games and Steam.

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Sea of Stars Demo

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Pictures are screenshots from demo

The Sea of Stars demo is out on the eShop, so I decided to give it a try. I love the pixel art, and I am always in the market for a new RPG. The demo is only available on the Nintendo Switch, but the game will also release on Steam and PlayStation on August 29, 2023. If you are interested in the game and have a Switch, I recommend downloading the demo.

The demo does a fantastic job of giving players a sense of the combat mechanics and dungeons featured in Sea of Stars. The demo lets you control the three featured characters as you make your way through an abandoned wizard’s tower. It was such a beautiful setting, and I am curious to see what they do with the rest of the world.

One thing to note right off the bat, this game does not waste time on a tutorial level. You will be thrown into the story and left to figure things out. I highly recommend you read the help guide included in the main menu because there are mechanics introduced in this game that aren’t intuitive. I hate having to sit through tutorials, and I am happy with this choice. The guide is pretty comprehensive and easy to follow. 

The puzzles in the demo were very manageable. I found the experience quite relaxing. The game might be more difficult at release, but I will be here for it either way. Combat is where this game truly shines. I have never played an RPG where the combat was this engaging. Instead of waiting for your turn, you can press buttons to either buff your attacks or defense. If you get the timing right, the small boost you get from this mechanic makes a nice difference. You can play this game like every other RPG, but I recommend you do the extra work to keep things interesting.

My favorite part of Sea of Stars is the way in which they handle magic. Each spell has an extra step that determines how much damage you do. For example, there is a spell where you cast a boomerang that you can keep bouncing between enemies by pressing the A button. Timing is crucial for this spell. Missing the timing on the return means the boomerang doesn’t bounce, and you do less damage. Any mana you expend casting spells you can earn back performing basic attacks. I loved that I didn’t have to horde potions in spells for the end of the dungeon. 

The demo ends with a fun boss battle. It didn’t feel like the usual slog against a damage sponge because I was so focused on the buff/debuff mechanics. The fight was difficult enough to keep me engaged without feeling like a slog fest. Please make sure you save at the save points! When you die, you restart at your last save. I lost a lot of progress.

I’ll reserve my judgment for the story because there wasn’t much of it in the demo. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, but it is too early to know for sure. There is also no voice acting, and I didn’t really care for the music. That said, I am looking forward to this game’s release! Make sure you mark your calendars for August! In the meantime, go check out the demo.

Image By Sabotage – Giant Bomb, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72375507

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Movie Review: At Midnight (2023)

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If you like what I do and want to show your support, please consider buying me a coffee

At Midnight is the cheesiest movie the cheesiest romcom that I have seen this year. The writing is bad, and the story is predictable, but it isn’t the worst movie I’ve seen all year. If you enjoy cheesy bad movies, this one is fun.

The movie is about a generic couple that can’t be together because of their social status. Sophie is a famous movie star stuck in a role she doesn’t want. Her life changes when she finds her boyfriend cheating on her, but because of her fame, Sophie must stay in this relationship. Alejandro is a hotel assistant manager who until he meets Sophie, doesn’t believe in love. A secret fling in paradise quickly turns into something more. It soon becomes impossible to keep their love a secret. But can their love survive the pressures that come with fame and status? Of course, it can! This is a cheesy rom-com.

At Midnight takes every chance it gets to namedrop the title, and it isn’t subtle. This obsession leads to my absolute favorite line of dialogue in this whole movie, and it goes like this:

After a few secret dates, the relationship between Sophie and Alejandro becomes more serious. They sneak away at midnight every chance they get just to share a few moments together. As they sit for a romantic movie date, the Paramount Pictures logo shines brightly against the camera so that the couple appears as simple silhouettes. Sophie turns to Alejandro, the logo still visible, and says “Midnight with you is my favorite hour.” Alejandro looks down at her and responds “Midnight isn’t a time. It is a place we can be together.” This is the best example of what kind of movie it is. It’s not a good one, but it is fun if you like to make fun of bad cheesy movies. 

The acting is the best part of this movie. Don’t get me wrong, no one is getting an award here, but I appreciate the energy put into the performances. The leads had decent chemistry, and it certainly has its moments. It doesn’t do enough to earn a recommendation, but I had enough fun with this movie that I didn’t mind watching it.

The movie is bilingual, and I have to say I preferred the Spanish bits. It felt like the cheesy telenovelas I used to watch with my grandma, but this movie required a lot less commitment. They aren’t a great example of Mexican cinema, but I found the plot threads a bit more interesting than the English bits. All the English plot lines involved the life of a fake actress and her struggle with identity, but none of that struggle was interesting. At least in Spanish, I got to hear people argue. 

This movie is lazy. The plot is very predictable as it follows the same generic plot common in the genre. They even dare to rip off the speech from Say Anything because they probably ran out of ideas. This is a movie riddled with holes and terrible lines, and it will try to distract you with shameless fan service. As much fun as I had with this film, it isn’t good. 

I have a soft spot for cheesy movies like this, so I enjoyed it more than I should have. You aren’t watching this movie unless you love this genre or love making fun of the bad ones. It is a lazy generic romcom with a pretty terrific cast. I didn’t mind that I watched it, but can’t recommend it. If you don’t believe me, check it out on Paramount+.

Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today!

Image by Openpics from Pixabay

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Movie Review: Babylon (2022)

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If you like what I do and want to show your support, please consider buying me a coffee

I would like to take a moment to thank Catherine for buying me coffee and for her kind words. I can’t function without coffee and I appreciate every drop I drink. I wish you well on your journey hope you stay blessed. Thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me.

Babylon is a fictional snapshot of the end of the silent film era. It follows different players as they struggle to adapt to the evolving landscape of cinema. Things move too fast in Hollywood, and not everyone can adapt fast enough. Those left clinging to a world that has become obsolete struggle with the harsh reality that the world has moved on without them. It is a tragic tale and one that this movie does well.

The music is fantastic, the acting is phenomenal, and the stories are well done. Unfortunately, this movie isn’t going to be for everyone. A lot of this movie focuses on the uncomfortable debauchery of the era. This movie is filled with drugs, nudity, and sex. Keep that in mind if you find the overuse of these themes problematic. I was fine with it, but I think it was a bit overdone. This movie could have been shorter and better without as much indulgence, but it wasn’t so much that it ruined the movie. The real issue I have with this movie is that it will sacrifice the story for its raunchy scenes. You have to sit through a lot of wild parties before you get any development. I understand that it is important for describing the era, but this movie could have been shorter. 

I liked the structure of this movie and how quickly it moves through its many plot points. This movie made me feel like I was on as much cocaine as the people in the movie. It gave me well-earned anxiety and kept my attention for the most part. The constant shifting between stories was a bit jarring, but a great emulation of the pacing emblematic of Hollywood. This movie also does a great job of showing the changing of an era. One moment, an actor rules the world surrounded by adoring fans, and in every theater, the next moment, he struggles for relevance as he is no longer compatible with the scene. This movie does an excellent job of showing the tragedy of washing out in Hollywood.

Babylon does a fantastic job of dramatizing the cruel revolving door that shows business. It does a great job at not only capturing important moments in cinematic history but also showing how quickly it evolved from silent films to what we have now. I enjoyed this movie flaws and all, but I wish it was shorter. I don’t think this movie is worth the full ticket price, so I suggest you wait for it to come to streaming. Three hours is much too long to spend in the theater with a movie like this. If you are interested in the movie and don’t mind the debauchery, check it out when you have time. It isn’t something I would go rush to see, but it’ll pass the time and it tries something interesting.

Now for a shameless plug, check out Canva. If you need a quick and easy photo or video editor that works in your browser, try Canva. It is free, easy to use, and you get access to a wide selection of templates for those who are like me and aren’t that creative. Check out my affiliate link today!

Image By http://www.impawards.com/2022/babylon_ver7.html, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72368059