Jumping back in to ‘Dark Souls 3’

Dark Souls has always been a game series that I stayed away from. The difficulty was something I was never interested in, especially since my gaming time is very few and far between, I wanted to have fun while I was playing, not be stuck frustrated while going through an area. I’ve always been more into the FPS (First Person Shooter) genre, and enjoyed games like Battlefield and Call of Duty while dabbing into the Halo series. I always played those games on the hardest difficulty, thinking that they were hard, I was completely wrong.

This article will be talking about my experience with the game, and will contain critical spoilers about the story, and bosses. 

My addiction to the souls series started when I had a knee surgery back in April. I had the choice of Quantum Break, or Dark Souls 3. I asked multiple friends about what games I should get, and unanimously, they all said Dark Souls 3. I picked up Dark Souls and I posted a picture to a Dark Souls group I was in, “I died picking this up” with a picture of the cover. I went home and started loading the game onto my hard drive, and the game started. The first thing I remember thinking “this game isn’t going to be as hard as everyone said it was.” I had been watching some walkthroughs just to get an idea of what I was getting into, and it looked easy, but man was I wrong. As a souls noob, I wasn’t aware that I could level up and I died at least 30 times on the first boss. On my very first play through, I made it pass the first area without leveling and I felt so accomplished, that feeling never ended throughout my entire gameplay.

1: Cemetery of Ash

The first thought I had while getting into this game was not only the beauty of the level design, but the enemies that seemed to be easy. My first death came from the Crystal Lizard and my inability to dodge roll on time, something that every Souls player I feel has to practice a lot to get good at. I finally made it through and then I saw the beauty of the mountains, and took a screenshot. I continued on and encountered the other enemies that came with the area then I got to the boss. For a first time souls player, I got my butt kicked. I died about 10 times until I just got lucky. Dodge roll timing was something I needed to work on and I kept up with the practicing. My main mistake was dodging away from his attacks and not recognizing his tells for his moves. I got him down to half health, and I was nearly mortified with the Abyss Beast. This was the point where I died so many times, I made the mistake of not reading the messages and not seeing that you could lock on to your enemies, which once I found this out, I beat him on the next try. Iudex Gundyr will always have a special place in my souls experience, as my first boss I beat.

2: The High Wall of Lothric

I didn’t understand the leveling system and went through the The Wall without leveling and I do have to say, I was impressed with myself for doing so. The beginning of the level, I wasn’t sure what to expect nor what enemies I was to expect. The dogs gave me a lot big trouble, and I was still getting used to the controls and the dodge roll timing, getting my ass handed to me by the the men with the Ax’s on the way to the boss run. I was dodging away from them, in stead of dodging towards them and backstabbing. I also didn’t understand that all the enemies respawned when I rested at the bonfire, which I learned the hard way after going all the way to the winged knight and then resting at the bonfire, I was losing at life it felt like. I had so much fun delving into this game, but I was tired of what felt like “grinding,” which could’ve been prevented if I had  leveled up. So finally, I make it past the winged knight, not to mention the whole “nope” situation with the Abyss Beast at after “The Tower On The Wall” bonfire, which I later learned you could kill with Firebombs super easy. I get up to the Lothric Knights and I just run past them, not even giving a second thought to the the items they may drop, then I spoke with the NPC and got the flag to go over to the Undead Settlement, the next area. But then, the box came. I can’t even remember how many times I died on Vordt, probably at least 30 times. And I just recently played through this area on NG+, and I killed him within 90 seconds, just shows the advancement in gameplay and understanding of the mechanics I have now. By far the most excitement I’ve ever had with that game was when I finally beat Vordt. I was yelling profanities at the TV, while trying my hardest not to wake up my sleeping wife in the process. Overall, I liked this area, but I have a love/hate relationship with it because of the difficulties I had with it, which were all my fault.

Undead Settlement:

Passing through this area was a wake up call to the difficulty the game actually has. The dogs were my least favorite of the group of enemies so far, they were wild, erratic, and hard to judge what their move sets were, at least back then, now they’re an easy enemy. My souls journey had taken a new meaning now that I was finally past Vordt, after nearly 5 hours of gameplay (2 of that probably fighting Vordt), I finally made it past the first area. My new least favorite enemy became the Thrall’s, they were agile, had strong attacks, and were annoying to fight in numbers, which they always seemed to be in. I was catching on to the idea that you should fight enemies one by one, and not be the hero and fight them all at the same time. Being as that I was new to the series, I kept resting at the bon fire and running past the enemies, not really dodging attacks nor timing my hits. The Priestess gave my the most trouble in this area, I was constantly just running past enemies and not really caring about drops, just finishing the game more or less. Then there was my first invasion. Hodrick gave me trouble a few times that was mostly because I was, again, not timing my attacks right, and I was being too aggressive. I was used to playing games such as Shadow of Mordor, in which it’s easy to stagger enemies and playing hack and slash style gaming, but this was completely different. However difficult it was to take out Hodrick, the workers were somehow easier and didn’t give me much of a challenge as some of the other enemies in the area. I traveled through the area, and finally made it to the Boreal Knight, at which I got my butt kicked and quickly died. Then I found a cheating way to take him out. I went back to the elevator, and I sent it down, then I pulled the knight back towards the elevator and finally he went down killing him. I almost felt a sense of shame for doing that, almost like cheating in a way. Dark Souls 3 does a great job at that, it makes you feel like you’ve played the game wrong if you don’t fight and kill something, almost like you’re not satisfied without killing them in a duel. I ran past the knight and went straight into The Road of Sacrifices. I went and looked up a Wiki and found the way to get to The Curse of the Rotted Greatwood, and proceeded to take him out. The game seemed to be fair, and the bosses were progressively getting a little bit more difficult every time I fought a new one, but this boss gave me no problem. I took it out first try. I loved the game up to here, and I was ready to push on.

The Road of Sacrifices:

I felt this area is where the difficulty of the enemies really took a giant leap forward. The first enemy I found was the ax guys up the hill and I wasn’t aggressive enough and he turned into a bird and killed me quickly, that’s when I learned to be aggressive in this area. I just started rushing the enemies and keeping up with the aggressive approach to this area, which is probably why I felt comfortable. Stay aggressive is the key to this area, and knowing when and where to attack was what I learned very fast. I liked how this area just stepped up in the difficulty, just pushing you into this world. The crazy “monkey bird” things were what killed me a few times, being aggressive was the way to get through this area. The enemies seems to be grouping more, and attacking you in waves during this area, so being smart about your encounters is the way to progress through. Exploration really came into play here, learning how to avoid certain enemy encounters and make things easier for you was the key to navigating the early part of this area. Seeing as how the game was still in the early stages of throwing you into the fire so to speak, this area really lets the difficulty take over. Enemies become smarter, more in numbers, and much more difficult. The Crabs in the swamp gave me the most trouble, a lot of the moves they perform all start out the same and having patience is the key to defeating them.

Farron Keep:

Every dark souls game has that one area that has poison, this was top 3 most annoying areas in this game. I hated the fat roll swamp against fast enemies, almost like they wanted you to fail during your walkthrough. The poison swamp was annoying, but it was a learning experience. The enemies took a big leap from  being slow and hitting hard, to being very fast and hard to anticipate actions. The Elder Ghru’s gave me the most trouble, the mix of magic and the tree branch hitting hard was  something that gave me fits. Also, they’re strategically in places where you have to fat roll, or try to lure them to a small hill. They also have a huge awareness area and will follow you wherever you go. The little Ghru’s gave me fits as well, the grunt’s were the worst and and gave me the biggest trouble of all the little Ghru’s. The way they grab you, made for problems all around the area. I was finally able to use my Dragonslayor Shield, which made life ten time easier on NG+, and even that couldn’t keep me from getting grabbed by them and health being drained. My only saving grace for this area, was my shield. My first play through, the Catacombs were my least favorite, but this play through this area is. I hate the curse frogs, I hate the large Ghru’s, I hate everything about this area. I couldn’t wait to get through it.

Cathedral of the Deep:

The Cathedral was an area that I didn’t hate, but I didn’t mind either. I thought the area was very well balanced, as far as enemies go and the way the map is set up was intriguing. If you played your cards right, every enemy was easy to take on, and if you can pull them all out individually, this area was very easy. Although the boss was bull crap, and probably the easiest of them all, the area had a lot of story implications. I enjoyed the lead up to the giants as well, the area seemed very difficult, and enemies were spread out in a way to keep the area interesting and not too challenging. The Thrall’s were the most annoying enemy in this area, then the random Priest’s and odd enemies that were scattered throughout the area. Going through this area with my Dragon Slayer Shield was easier than I thought it would be, the shield helped a lot through out the level, especially against the knights. The story implications were very high in this level, and I was happy when it was over.

Catacombs of Carthus: 

By far, my least favorite area of Dark Souls 3. I hated the enemies, the way the area was set up, and even more how the enemies spawned. The relentless torture with skeletons coming up from the ground constantly, the sneak attacks from behind through out the whole level, and the constant trolling by the developers with loot that isn’t worth the fights you’ve encountered. The hardest part for me was when you get past the first rolling ball of skeleton death and you encounter the three skeletons that come up front he ground, one spitting dark magic. The Dark Magic encounter was the hardest for me, then I had the bright idea of taking on the two red eye swordsman at the same time, which ended in my timely demise. Then, the more times you die, the less patience you have  and it turns into a huge cycle. I hated the entire experience, and the boss was one of the easies bosses in the game, once you figure out how to kill him. The first time I was killed by his poison shitty breath, but I quickly took care of him the second time.

Smoldering Lake:

My first play through, I had the most trouble with this area. Mainly because I was using the Flameberge infused with a fire gem……….yes I wasn’t the brightest ‘Souls’ player back then. But the enemies aren’t too bad, but the main enemy that I had a problem with was the Smouldering Ghru. Staying aggressive wasn’t my strong suit during my first play through, I played more of a laid back approach and tried to react to the enemies actions, in this area you couldn’t do that, which lead me to learning a new play style, aggressive. Remembering what I was doing back then, I can’t help but laugh. Instead of dying and trying to find another way around, I just kept going the same way and not changing, which especially in the ‘Souls” games,’ isn’t the best idea. The NPC with the FUGS gave me some of the biggest fits, I felt he was more of a mini boss than anything, this area when I went back through it on NG+, wasn’t nearly as hard, but I also hadn’t infused my weapon with a fire gem. DOH! The boss was boring, I was expecting more of a bigger fight after all the trouble I had with the area, but I was disappointed. Then the trolling with the damn crabs again, and again, and again. This was my second least favorite area of the game, purely for the enemies and the lackluster boss.

Irithyll of the Boreal Valley:

When I arrived to this area, I felt a sense of relief for about 45 seconds, then that alligator dog attacked me and I started to understand this area wasn’t messing around. The difficulty spike was tremendous and sudden, it doesn’t just gradually step it up, it’s immediate. Even after the first bonfire, the Pontiff Knights are fast, do a lot of damage, and are relentless. They’re hard to get the timing right (my first play though they were), and the range of damage with their swords is far for how fast they move. The enemy that I hated the most in this area was the Burning Stake Witch. The range of damage this enemy can do, is absolutely brutal. Especially when you walk up near the boss run, and you see 2 Pontiff Knights and two BSW’s. If you’re not careful, you will get torn up. Even outside of the entrance, those BSW’s can still destroy you. Then there’s the boss. Pintoff Sulyvahn. Besides The Nameless King, this was the hardest boss to me. This guy is a punk, to put it lightly. He’s fast, there’s very little room for error, nor is there room for even Estus chugs, it gets annoying and aggressively frustrating. I eventually had to summon in help and quickly got the job done, but on NG+ I was able to beat him solo. Then you go out into what seems to the be the lead up to Anor Londo. The Silver Knights shooting arrows at you while trying to fight on thin rafters and dodge stagger inducing arrows, thanks Fromsoft, a real treat. Overall, this area was fun, but it wasn’t without flaws nor issues, but it had everything it needed Difficulty, Relentless Enemies, and a Boss that just wouldn’t quit.

Anor Londo: 

This area should be called “Silver Knight Breeding Grounds,” because thats basically the only enemy that is easy to fight in this area. It isn’t that big, so I won’t go into much detail, but Aldrich for being mentioned so much in the game, wasn’t a hard fight like I thought it was going to be. He seemed to be easier than expected, but that stupid Deep Accursed enemy was the hardest, that monster spider which spits curse all around themselves. I was happy to get this area over with, simply to put Irythyll over with, at least so I thought.

Irithyll Dungeon:

Jailers. Literally, the worse enemy in the game. The hatred I feel for these enemies is more than any other enemy I have had in any game, ever. They can stagger you, while dropping your health to basically nothing, then of course because it’s dark souls, your heath doesn’t regenerate when your bar does, because f*** you, that’s why. The hardest part of this area, is navigation. Remembering where you’re going and what you’re doing is not the easiest, as all the hallways look the same, and seem to have the same enemies. Then the ultimate ‘F U’ from the developers, “hey we know you hate those enemies, so here’s a whole room full of them, enjoy!” If not for the Jailers, I wouldn’t mind this area, but Dark Souls being Dark Souls, it can’t be that easy. I feel like playing Dark Souls is a lot like raising a toddler, if you don’t see of hear anything, something bad is going to happen, this is the definition of that idea. Something is always popping our around every corner, and hiding behind something  that wants to kill you.

Profaned Capital:

For all the hype about Yhorm, this area isn’t that big. The enemies aren’t anything to really remember, but this is the first encounter with a Gargoyle, which once you memorize the move set, they’re one of the easier enemies in the game. Really the hardest part of the area was down by the poison swamp and the Monstrosity of Sin’s all in one place, they’re big, luckily they’re slow, but they do a lot of damage and if you can, fight them one by one they’re pretty easy, if not, good luck. One of the shorter area’s, and it doesn’t give much about the lore aspect of the map, which leads to a lot of confusion. Dark Souls is usually good at explaining things, or giving subtle hints to lead you in the right direction, but this area is another big ‘F’ U’ to the gamer, which happens a lot in dark souls it seems, but it’s what makes it great.

Lothric Castle:

The pure excitement of this level was what drove my exploration of this area. Also, the boss fight for this area is my favorite in the game. The healing mages that healed the Knights got annoying very, very quick. All the traps and contraptions and tough enemies made for one hell of a ride during this play through. The hardest part I felt about this was the winged knight that came out of nowhere while fighting all the other enemies, it took a few tries, but eventually I got it down. Then navigating the dragons that are going nuts breathing fire, oh and the Boreal Knight that won’t allow you to heal while your fighting it, then the endless stream of fire bombs being thrown at you while fighting enemies with explosive barrels around you, thanks Fromsoft. Then to top it all off,  an Abyss Beast attached to the dragon that you need to kill that now spits poison, the wonderful world of Dark Souls. Then there’s the boss, by far my favorite. I loved the fight, loved the atmosphere, and especially the weapons you got after defeating him. The move set and the way they presented Dragon Slayer Armor was just amazing. Overall, a great ending to a great area.

Grand Archives:

Besides the Jailers, this stupid crystal sage is the worst annoyance in the game. It’s shooting down at you while you’re slowly crawling up the level to your untimely demise it seems, if you don’t like Thrall’s, this was surely your favorite level. It took me a few tries to figure out that the wax helped with the curse and made you invisible to the weird arms that come out of the shelves. Favorite part about this level, was the roof. The multiple Gargoyle encounters, and even the NPC fights that seemed to come out of nowhere, also killing the Crystal Sage was very satisfying. The worst part was the winged knights, they can fly now. They’re difficult, hard hitting, and have unlimited poise it seemed, so you have to really find an opening and take it instead of doing heavy attacks over and over again. They killed me multiple times, even on NG+. There isn’t much else to say about this area, except for the Twin Princes. The boss fight was so much fun, even though it wasn’t fair you had to fight him twice, but the fight was so much fun. This is an example of world design and boss fights that seem to match each other.

Consumed King Garden:

I really won’t talk much about this area because I just ran past the whole bunch of nope that are the Abyss Beasts,’ but the boss fight was fun, that’s all I can really say about that area because I didn’t really explore too much of it.

Untended Graves:

The Cemetery of Ash copy is a testament to how far I’ve come as a ‘Souls’ player. The first area of the game, I struggled with and it took me a few times to get back it. But this time, I breezed through it with ease. Then there’s Champion Gyndr. I’ll always enjoy Index Gyndr because he was my first boss I defeated in Dark Souls, and Champion was a copy of one of my favorite fights of the game. He’s aggressive, hits hard, absolutely doesn’t leave time for error, nor does he forgive a missed move. This fight, just like Dragon Slayer Armor fight, is what Dark Souls is all about, smart tactics, smart weapon swings, and smart dodge rolls. His kick got me at least 4 times, but I got him first attempt on both NG and NG+, loved this fight, and I loved the level that showed me how far I had come in my Souls series.

Archdragon Peak:

I have a VERY love hate relationship with this area. It’s supposed to be the last area of the game, which is why it’s so difficult. The enemies are relentless and the set up is magnificent. The first time you encounter the enemies, they are just like they were in Irithyll, brutal and non stop pain. They attack and swarm quickly, and they all stagger and hit extremely hard. They take a lot of damage as well, but most importantly, they fight as a team. Then there’s The Nameless King. I died to this guy 31 times before I beat him, mostly because my stats weren’t high enough and I didn’t have the right equipment. On NG+, I had my Dragon Slayer Shield and it was money against him, first try I took him down. But this is by far, not even close, unequivocally the hardest boss fight I’ve ever had in any game. He’s a mixture of Champion Gyndr, and Dragon Slayer. He hits hard, doesn’t let you make mistakes, doesn’t forgive it when you do, and won’t hesitate to use every different move set to take you out. Beating him, felt the most satisfying of all the bosses.

Kiln of the First Flame:

Not much to talk about here, just the final boss, The Soul of Cinder. I thought it was a fitting boss fight, it was a mixture of all the bosses you’ve faced up until this point. I got his health all the down, with Estus gone, then he had a second phase………..awesome. How “Dark Soulsy” of the game right?

My final thoughts of the game:

Wow. That’s the only way I can describe it. I used to like Halo 2 as my favorite game of all time, but that has since changed. This game is beyond anything I’ve ever played before, and probably won’t play anything like it again. My review I wrote for it, I gave it a 9.5 and only took the .5 away for some of the bosses being dull and lacking depth, other than that, the game is flawless. The level design is second to none, and the weapons are all fun to use, along with the enemies being brutally amazing.

‘Harry Potter’ Talk

I’ll admit, I was late to the ‘Harry Potter’ party, nearly 10 years late. I watched the first film three years ago and I couldn’t turn them off. My wife had always been a huge “Potterhead,” but I wasn’t interested for a long time. With the new book recently released, and the next movie on the horizon, I wanted to go over my favorite movies.

*This article will contain severe spoilers for the films*

8: The Chamber of Secrets

My least favorite of the movies was TCOS. The main issue I have with the first few movies in fact, is the direction. The first movies seemed to follow the book, but just lacked the “pizzaz” that the later movies seem to have. However, I am huge fan of serpents and dragons, I did love the look of the Basilisk and the final battle between the large snake and Harry. I felt the weaknesses of this  movie were simply the lack of emotion from the characters while acting. It ultimately falls on the director to make things right, but when I think of my favorite Harry Potter films, this is the last one I think about.

7: The Sorcerers Stone

Learning about who Harry is was one of my favorite parts of the series, but the way the beginning started didn’t match up with the book as much as I wanted it to. The origin story was fun to watch, but to be fair, I read the book after seeing the movie, and I found the book much more interesting. I also felt the acting was forced and wasn’t natural, which lead to many of my issues with this movie. The one bright spot was seeing Voldemort for the first time, his face at least, and watching ‘Wizard’s Chess’ unfold.

6: The Order of the Phoenix

Maybe it’s my hate of Madam Pomfrey, but the whole movie made me angry, which is probably a very good thing. When a villain makes you hate the movie, you have to give a nod to the writers, and the director for having such great ideas in the film. This was the first film where I felt the movies took a turn for the better. There was more CG which lead to more dramatic circumstances between the characters, and then of course Sirius Black dying was a hugely emotional part of the series in general. I’ll admit, I shed a tear during that scene. Seeing emotion from Harry, and the pain he felt in that scene really set the tone for the next films and ruled his vengeance against Voldemort.

5: The Deathly Hollows Part 1

Harry’s world came crashing down near the end of this film. When I heard that the studio was cutting the films into two separate movies, I was honestly astounded. Then after hearing about how the book was structured, I understood why. Adding the second film allowed for the creators to fit more into the ending of these movies. Since I had not read the books, seeing Snape kill Dumbledore almost broke my heart. I was so angry, so furious, I almost didn’t watch the last film, but I”m glad I did. The 7th film had one of the best opening acts, and seemingly some of the most character development in the series, but just tapered off half way through the movie, but the  killer ending with Dobby dying, and Dumbledore is how it redeems itself.

4: The Goblet of Fire

Seeing the school work together as a team showed the audience that they could unite against one foe, that the school could fight as one against a common enemy. The twist with Moody at the end, and finally seeing Voldemort rise as his live form was like watching a dead person being brought back to life. The world of Harry Potter was turned upside down after that moment. The repercussions of this incident would follow him through all the movies. The best part about this film was watching Harry selflessly protect those around him, including those who were against him. His relationship with Ron was greatly tested, but made their relationship stronger in the end.

3: The Deathly Hollows Part 2

The ending of the franchise was one that I wasn’t expecting. The final battle was  much more fun than I had anticipated. The humor that was brought into the last part of the film was so great to see. Then of course, seeing Snape redeem himself and be one of the most courageous men to be written in a book ever, was even more heartwarming. The sacrifices that were made so that Harry could be Voldemort and even come back to life were so much fun to watch unfold. The story couldn’t have ended in a more perfect way, the destruction of Voldemort.

2: The Prisoner of Azkaban

I happen to love this movie so much because it’s my favorite book of the seven. The story was interesting, watching Sirius transform from a menace, into Harry’s godfather was some of the best story telling I’d had in a long time. The beauty of this movie is that which you actually believe that Sirius is out to kill Harry the entire movie. Rowling did such  a great job at convincing you who the antagonists were, you were blinded by your hatred for the characters. I’ve also found time travel to be interesting, Back to the Future is one of my all time favorite films, and watching the time travel in the HP universe was so exciting, not to mention the Quidditch match with the Dementor and the constant picking from Malfoy, this film honestly couldn’t be better.

1: The Half Blood Prince

This film is a great adaptation from the book to the film, the way the twist is presented with Snape being the half blood prince was amazing the first time I watched it. The world that Rowling had built had come to a head in this book. Every reader who picked up these books knew that Snape was now the Darth Vader of this universe, she made you think he was the ultimate antagonist. The world was different, the characters war different, and even the tone of the films and books changed after this movie. If this book and movie wasn’t created, the ending with Snape dying and seeing Harry seeing his dreams wouldn’t have been the same. The emotional, and heartbreaking ending to the series couldn’t have been the same without this book. Rowling did an incredible job at progressing the characters and setting the universe up for one of the best twists in storytelling history.

While none of these movies were perfect, they had an incredible story and an even better ending. Harry Potter will always be a sign of courage, strength, and bravery. I admire the man that Harry Potter became, and I can’t wait to hear more from the fantastic story teller, J.K Rowling.

‘Game of Thrones’ to End After Season 8

The HBO Acclaimed show ‘Game of Thrones’ is set to end it’s long run after season 8 in 2018. The show has many characters that have come and gone, but the story has always seemed to be pushed forward every season.

In an article by The Hollywood Reporter, the Programming President of HBO, Casey Bloys, has confirmed the show’s ending. When asked if the show would come to a good end, Bloys responded with:

“Yes, I think [the showrunners, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff] have a very specific plan about the number of seasons they want to do,” Bloys said. “If I could get them to do more, I would take 10 seasons but we want to take their lead with what they could do and what the best version of the show is.”

While HBO has been known for keeping it’s biggest show under wraps, we don’t know much about how the show will end, or which characters will be pivotal to the wrap up. If it’s anything like we’ve seen, we won’t know what to expect.

Many fans have been asking for a spinoff, but Cloys has since stated that there is nothing confirmed, but there have been discussions:

“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “It’s not something I’m opposed to but it has to make sense creatively. I’m not sure the guys can wrap their heads around it when they are about to start production. We’re open to it; the guys aren’t opposed to it but there’s no concrete plans right now.”

I jumped into GOT during the third season, and have since then watched all the seasons and caught up. The TV show has elevated in it’s quality every season, and the story always seems to get better. The characters are those which you care about, for good or bad reasons.

I hope HBO and the show creator’s can come up with a fantastic ending to great show.

 

‘Stranger Things’ Review

Netflix has been knocking it out of the ballpark with the recent original content. Jessica Jones was provocative, dark, and released creative control, not to mention David Tennat blowing us away with his performance as Killgrave. DareDevil brought the character back to life in a meaningful way. Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson teamed up to fight crime and not to mention Jon Berthnal as The Punisher was just as good, if not better, than anything he’d previously done.

When Stranger Things was announced, I did’t know what to think about it. I had grown up in the early 90’s and was never quite in to the early 80’s science fiction films, such as E.T. I sat down to watch the preview and I nearly lost my mind. My hype for this show grew a million times, and I was ready to get this show in my sight.

‘Stranger Things’ does a great job at character development. There are some shows that I have watched where I didn’t quite care about story lines of some characters, or even cared more about others, I cared about every character in this show. From ‘Hopper’ the Sheriff, to ‘Eleven’ the main protagonist, every character had meaning, and every character had a place in this universe.

The show brings the best out of every actor in this show, even the new talent that has been found. The steal of the show is Millie Bobby Brown. She plays the main protagonist named “Eleven.” Who ever is in charge of her acting career, will be making a lot of money in the coming future. Her emotions show on the screen, and she knows when to turn on the emotions, and turn it off. Her range is beyond belief, and the story couldn’t have been compete without her skills.

The young kids who are the main actors named Dustin, Lucas, and Mike are the main characters. They have a sort of relationship like the boys in The Goonies and it kept me invested in the show for the long run. All the boys go through a character arc, and kept the show interesting.

Chief Hopper, was one of my favorite characters in this show. He starts out as a very ignorant man who seems to have a dark past, but we didn’t know much about him. His character goes through one of the biggest arcs, as near the end of the show he makes crucial decisions that lead up to the ending being as great as it is. His character I cared about the most, and I felt had the best story.

‘Stranger Things’ is an excellent blend of horror, science fiction, and fantasy that is perfectly balanced. The characters all have a place in the universe, and all have a story arc that is interesting. The universe is fun, the story was even better, and the characters all had meaning. The show creators have since confirmed season 2, and I can’t look forward to it.

9.0/10

A Look Back Review: Shadow of Mordor

Shadow of Mordor is a blend of some of my favorite media, Assassin’s Creed and The Lord of the Rings. It’s blends together the best of both worlds, the game play of AC and the universe of LOTR. The ability to become half a man, and half a monster was a thrilling experience. The game brought a new dynamic to the gaming community called The Nemesis System (TNS). TNS was new to the gaming world, and the game brought a sleek story to an otherwise repetitive gameplay experience.

Developer Monolith Productions hit the nail on the head with SOM. The gameplay brings unique and different aspects to the gaming world. While the experience wasn’t anything new from what we’ve had, it’s the TNS that makes it worth the play. The enemies in the game get stronger every time they kill you, leading to a feeling of seeking vengeance on the basis of principal. Every time I was killed, and I was a lot to tell you the truth, I had a feeling of anger and need to feel my lust to kill the person who killed me.

The pace of the game starts with a brutal opening scene where you start to understand the character you play as, Talion. During the experience, he becomes half Ring Wraith, and half Human. Through progression, you unlock abilities that upgrade your wraith abilities, or your human abilities. Both are unique in such ways that they don’t feel blended together. Every ability that you gain feels different, and uses different tools to slay Sauron’s minions as they try to destroy you.

The best part of SOM is the way the game makes you feel invincible, without making the enemies feel too easy. Every enemy has their own strengths and weaknesses, but as with every enemy, they can be defeated. The game send hoards of Sauron’s Urk’s at you without any ease. Monolith did a great job at balancing your incredible powers, with the many enemies that you face without making the game feel too easy to get through. If I could compare it to any game, it would be Darksiders combat. The hack and slash style fighting makes you feel invincible, but over estimating the enemies lack of intelligence will end in a swift death.

What makes SOM so interesting to play is TNS. When fighting enemies that you have not seen before, the difficulty level is very low, until one of them kills you. As you’re hunting down Sauron’s followers, if you are killed by one, that enemy becomes higher in rank, gains specific powers, and now gains an army of his own. The very enemy that was easy to defeat, has now become more powerful and harder to defeat.

What the game makes up for in gameplay, it lacks in story. After the first few hours of story missions, I became uninterested in the storyline and the characters other than Talion. While the enemies were worth fighting, many of the are the same and I got tired of fighting them. The game took a turn after about half way through it, and instead of having fun, I felt like I was grinding to an extent. But nonetheless, the Warchiefs kept the game interesting.

Every Warchief in SOM was a different experience. Invading their Stronghold’s was what I could equate to liberating Outposts in Far Cry 3. You could invade the Stronghold and start hacking away, or you could meticulously take out every Urk until there was just the Warchief left, which every one had a different weakness. Exploiting those weaknesses was how you defeated them easier. Battling a Warchief one on one was the easy way, but fighting them and others last the same time was not recommended.

The difficulty of having to fight a boss, with many other Urk’s around was tedious, time consuming and difficult. The game provides outlets and lets the player choose between the paths to take, but also rewards you when you approach every situation differently. SOM also blends the beauty of the living and dead powers together to make something magical. Neither feels too overpowering, nor too hard to handle a large crowd.

Shadow of Mordor is  brilliant blend of stealth and combat into something worth playing. The story doesn’t hold up the entire game, and becomes somewhat of a crutch near the end of the game. Some points were very fun, others felt like grinding, but in the end, Shadow of Mordor is a game that is worth playing, even if just one time.

Score: 8.5

‘The Shallows’ Review

Blake Lively stars in the next shark thriller in The Shallows. The movie is full of suspense and keeps you on your toes until the end. Can this move rival ‘Jaws?’

(This review does contain an end movie spoiler)

The short answer is no.

‘The Shallows’ is a great start to dethrone the 70’s hit movie. The shark in the movie is almost too large to be real, looks about be about 20-30 feet from the camera angles I saw in the film. Although the size isn’t perfect, the depiction of a monster is. The enlarged shark adds drama to the movie and really shows how out of place humans really are in the deep blue.

Blake Lively plays a medical student on vacation and seeking to get closer to her mother though the Island she was on when her mother was pregnant with her. The movie has some interesting camera angles and lighting that leads to different effects on the shark and actress. Lively proves that you don’t have to have many lines to have a good performance in a movie. Her character had maybe 25-30 lines in the entire movie, but pulls off the lack of words with her dramatic acting.

If you don’t know any better, this movie would be a documentary on how a young girl killed a shark while stranded 300 yards off shore. The struggles she faces during her 24 hour stint in the ocean is not quite oscar worthy, but close to being very good. She pulls off the tough young woman  perfectly in this film.

The issue I have with this film is that since it’s a short movie, only 75 minutes long, I could have watched the whole move in 20 minutes if I had skipped ahead a few times. The film was very well paced, very well directed, and the shark was perfectly depicted as a sea monster. The very essence of the movie was built upon the the tension she has between her and the animal trying to kill her.

‘The Shallows’ is a brilliantly designed movie with very high points, and filler that didn’t need to exist. The main antagonist, the Shark, was brilliant and perfectly designed. Lively had a very compelling performance which lead the movie being much better than it would’ve been without her. I applaud the writing, and the direction, but the movie still had it’s flaws.

+Tense moments, and well designed Antagonist

-Felt like I could watch the entire movie in 20 minutes, and too much filler at some points

7.5/10

Why ‘The Two Towers’ Is The Best ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Movie.

The Lord of the Rings wasn’t a series that I had heard of when I was 12. I had heard of my grandfather and his friends talking about how they were looking forward to the movies, but I didn’t have any interest in them. My best friends dad had bought the book series for his three sons and me and said “If you read all the books by the time the first movie comes out, I’ll take all of you to see the movies at the midnight showing.” I didn’t know quite what to expect, but I fell in love with the books. My favorite book of all time became ‘The Two Towers.’

If you haven’t seen the movies yet, there will be spoilers, although it has been 14  years.

The end of the first book had me begging for more. I couldn’t put the books down, if I wasn’t sleeping or doing school work, I was reading those books. My mom was shocked, as I had had no interest in reading before this, and I wasn’t putting these books down. Gandalf was the best, and my favorite was Aragon.

But one thing stood out to me, the way that Saruman betrayed Gandalf. That never left my mind, and seeing it in the movie was one of my favorite parts of the first film. But what I really enjoyed was the battle at Helms Deep. The meticulous writing, and the dramatic story that came with that part of the book was second to none. I had read a couple of books before that had almost captured my imagination, but not like The Two Towers (TTT) did.

TTT brought a different dimension to my imagination. It helped my mind open up to the possibilities of where stores could go. The epic battle of good against evil, the choices characters had to make to survive, and the huge battle for the lives of men. Nothing could’ve make my summer better.

What the book did for my imagination, the movie
doubled it. It was Christmas time in 2002, and I had finished the books the
year before and had already seen the first movie. “I’ve never been so excited for a movie in my life” I remember thinking to myself, and still haven’t. The book was my favorite in the series and I was hoping this movie would do the same. The film started and Gandalf was fighting a Balrog. The smoke demon was going down in flames and then Frodo wakes up. That moment was when I was hooked.

LOTR had always been a very dramatic story. Tolkien had been very good at developing characters over a long period of time, and to me, the Director, Peter Jackson, had done a fantastic job. He used the camera and the dialogue to progress the story and made every second of film count.

One of my favorite scenes in the book was the Warg scene and Aragon “dying.” When I read that he had died, I nearly put the book down. I was hoping it wasn’t true, and it for sure wasn’t. The way that Aragon came back in the film made it fantastic. The way Jackson got the talent out of his actors was perfection. Not only was Aragon a perfect character, but all the other were as well.

What makes TTT the best film, is the power struggle between Gandalf and Saruman. The wizards battle each other’s wits and brains while keeping their soldiers in line as well. Seeing Gandalf change from ‘The Grey’ to ‘The White’ was another great scene in the movie. Calling him ‘The White Wizard’ and keeping the unknown audience on their toes until the reveal. The next best thing was the power struggle  between Theodin and Wormtounge. Having the dark power over the king was a big part of why the story progressed in the way it did.

Then there’s the battle at Helms Deep. The brilliantly directed, perfectly depicted, and beautiful art that is that epic battle. The way that battle started with the man shooting the Urk-Hai first and the rage that comes along with it. I couldn’t wait for that moment, my 13 year old self could barely contain myself. Watching the limbs being cut, the elves and men fighting for the very existence of their lives, I was trying to put myself into their shoes and wondering what I would do if I was in that position? It’s tough to fully grasp the concept as a young teen watching those movies, but I felt I did at that point in my life.

The ending of the film teased Shelob and the biggest battle to come. Although the battles were on a much larger scale in The Return of the King, but the stories of the characters were much better and easier to follow along. The way the characters developed were directed perfectly, and the humor was non stop for a fantasy action film. Aragon came into his own, Legolas  took on a larger role, and the way Frodo slipped into darkness and started to push away Sam was the best story of the three movies.

I left the theater after the first movie ready for more, after the second one I left not knowing if The Return of the King could top the movie, and I left the third film feeling let down after the awkward ending. The Two Towers is my second favorite sequel in a trilogy, only behind Star Wars’ The Empire Strike Back. 

Point Break Review

The original Point Break is beloved by nearly all men who have watched it, even those who were young when they did as I had. Bodhi was the bad boy every man wanted to be, no laws, no limits, and nothing to be afraid of. The seemingly perfect villain for an action film, in nearly a perfect film. The nostalgic love for this film had many wondering what would a remake of this look like with modern technology? Could the spark of the first film be captured when so many others had failed in the remake category?

The answer is no.

What made the original so good was the way Bodhi was portrayed. He was someone who didn’t care about the law, in fact he ignored it. He thought of himself as some sort of “Robin Hood,” taking from the rich and giving to the poor. He kept everything close to his chest, while staying cautious as not to tip anyone off who would jeopardize his operation. Patrick Swazie had the swag and the demeanor to pull this role off, and had the chemistry with Keanu Reeves to make that movie what it was.

In the new film, Edgar Ramirez is the highlight of this film, pulling the role of Bodhi off better than anyone who could right now. This is the film’s saving grace, nearly the only bright spot. His attitude is perfect for the arrogant man that Bodhi is supposed to be. He has no care for the law, no care for his life or the lives of his fellow friends who follow him wherever he goes. Seeing as how the film is built around action sequences, Ramirez pulls them off perfectly.

Johnny Utah was an up and coming FBI agent who wanted to make an impact on the agency. He was played by Luke Bracey, someone who didn’t capture the “dude bro” essence the movie was supposed to have. he seemed to be a try hard in the film, really pushing his comfort zone as an actor instead of looking comfortable on screen. His action sequences are phonemail, as are all of them.

 For the most part, all of the action sequences are real, which brings that level of reality to the movie, but it also feels more of a documentary rather than an action movie at some times. The focus on the action sequences is the downfall, and the strength of this movie. The more time spent on action scenes leaves less time to develop an emotional connection between Bodhi and Utah, something which made the first movie so spectacular. Instead of the audience knowing why Utah was struggling to take Bodhi down, we’re struggling to understand why he doesn’t just arrest him and bring him down. The lack of emotional connection is shown at one particular part near the end of the film when Utah see’s he has killed the wrong person.

The film would’ve been better served not having the “Point Break” name attached to it. As much as we’d like to differentiate between the two movies, it’s nearly impossible to do so because of the title. The name “Point Break” is associated with emotional connections, action scenes, and the audience knowing why these things are happening instead of leaving not understanding what is going on. While this movie is supposed to be more of a heist movie, it’s more of a movie about how extreme sports have taking a leap forward in the last 20 years rather than being an original film.

My final thoughts:

Point Break was a film driven by the action scenes rather than the mediocre story. Seemingly, it was a documentary about an FBI agent who is finding himself through chasing extreme athletes across the world rather than a story driven action film. It tries to hard to be the original, and fails in most aspects.

It’s more of a nostalgic film rather than a fresh take on an old beloved film, it fails in many aspects, and falls short on even more. The action scenes are incredible, but nothing else had me interested in this movie. A shame because the original was so perfect, then again, I didn’t expect much and I was still disappointed.

5.5/10

3 Things I Want From ‘The Punisher’ Series

The first season of ‘DareDevil’ released and I wasn’t too sure about it at first. I waited to watch it until I had some friends of mine tell me what they thought. Of course, they all unanimously told me I needed to watch it. So I obliged. I couldn’t have been more excited after the season ended for season two. Then the news came out that The Punisher was going to be alongside Matt Murdock, I was even more hyped for the March 2016 release. I didn’t think I could be any more hyped for the show, until Jon Berthnal was announced he would be playing the role of ‘The Punisher.’ Berthnal was the only reason I watched ‘The Walking Dead,’ and after season 2, I quit watching.

After watching season 2 of DareDevil again, I’ve thought of some things I want to see from the new Punisher show.

1: Back Story

The Punisher has always been known for being recluse, a loner so to speak. I want to get to know him on a more personal level. We sort of got that after the scene in the graveyard in season two of DareDevil. His family was the most important thing to him, and we didn’t get to see him connecting with them. Berthanal did a great job at helping the audience connect with his character on a personal level. His character did all the wrong things, for the right reasons. I want to see The Punisher as a father, a dad who loves his daughter and see him on a more personal level.

2: Military Service

The Punisher is known for his military service in the TV Show, but nothing is shown as far as what he did in the Middle East. All we know at this point is that he was in the special forces and knows a lot about explosives. I want to see him engaging targets, and going through Boot Camp and get an idea of how he changed from a civilian, to a soldier. He also talks a lot about how hard it was coming back home from war, something I find interesting to watch.

3: Violence

If Season Two of DareDevil is any indication of what The Punisher series will be, it’s going to be violent. Berthanal did an amazing job at showing the violence that his character carries with him, it’s almost second nature to him as a character. His acting skills are perfect for this role and I hope we see him breaking arms, and shooting bad guys all over again.

 

There is no official news on when the release date is, but we can only think that it will start shooting near the start of the Luke Cage series on 9/30/2016 and release sometime around the Fall of 2017 or the beginning of 2018. If his character is anything like he was in the second season of DareDevil, I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.