I know there are more than one of you wondering how a second Wolverine movie even got made considering the complete abomination that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine and you would be right to think that. The movie made money, but is universally reviled by most comic fans and let’s not even start on Deadpool fans. The simple answer is that Wolverine is the most bankable of all of the X-Men, so that is why director James Mangold was given the helm and the character has been given a second chance to make a first impression.
You would think the surprising part is the fact that there is another Wolverine movie given what I just said. That’s not the truth. The surprising part is that The Wolverine is actually really good.
Director James Mangold and screen writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank have decided to take the character on a personal journey based on one of the greatest Wolverine stories ever written by the legendary Chris Claremont. Not only is Claremont’s Japanese epic the basis for The Wolverine, but there are plenty of nods to other historic stories in the Logan/X-Men universe including Fatal Attractions and Old Man Logan. When you notice these it becomes clear that some care was taken with the character this time instead of just having him wrestle The Blob, fight the shittiest Deadpool ever and deal with bad CGI.
The Wolverine takes place after X-Men: The Last Stand with Logan playing the part of mountain man recluse living his life as a Grizzly Adams look-a-like and deep in despair over having had killed his love, Jean Grey. There really is no reason to watch X-Men 3 to catch up (or any reason to watch it at all) because that is the only main part that connects to this movie. He is content to spend his days drinking whiskey and listening to the radio while dreams of Jean haunt him. A young Japanese woman named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) tracks him down and requests that he come to Japan with her so that her employer, Yashida, be given the opportunity to say goodbye and thank Logan for saving his life in World War II when the bomb hit Nagasaki. Through some coaxing he boards a plane for the Land of the Rising Sun.
Meeting Yashida becomes more complicated than anticipated when he informs Logan that he has the ability to transfer his healing ability to another and can allow Logan to live a normal life. And yes, you guessed it, Yashida would like it transferred to him so he can keep on living. Needless to say Wolvie declines with a simple “you don’t want what I got”, but that is not quite good enough for the dying man and has his associate Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) implant a device in Logan that robs him of his ability to heal correctly. It is still too late for Yashida as he passes and control of his corporation passes not to his son, but his granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto). This puts a target on her back as the Yakuza try to kidnap her at her father’s funeral. Reluctantly, she allows Logan to help her flee and during their escape and hideout the two form a relationship. Eventually the Yakuza gets their tattooed, grubby mits on Mariko and Logan has to figure out a way to reverse what has been done to him and save his new found love.
Like I said, this isn’t On The Waterfront.
What The Wolverine manages to do well is pacing. The slow parts do not drag on for too long and the dialogue is believable for a action movie like this. It is always interesting, for me, to watch the Japanese culture clash with anything different. Of course, the different this time is a self-healing mutant with adamantium claws that calls everyone “bub” and it completely works. You can never adapt Claremont’s story perfectly and there is plenty to point out that has been altered, but the central heart of the story is still there.
The set pieces are handled well including a Yakuza shootout at a funeral which leads to a chase throughout the street of Tokyo and ends with a fight on top of a bullet train which you may have seen in the previews. As over the top as the train scene is, it is still handled with a deft hand. The fighting never really gets too over the top or for the lack of a better term, comic book-y, until the final moments of the movie and it is in the final 15 minutes of the film where the train doesn’t fly off the track, but it begins to wobble like someone put a penny on the rails.
The final showdown, while wrapping up the story, left a little to be desired when compared to all the good the story had set up in the first 90% of the film. Yes, there is a nine-foot tall robotic Silver Samurai and you have already decided whether you hate this decision or not. For me, I was not hot on the idea, but it received a pass from me because of a very guessable reason. I am not saying the end ruins the movie…far from it. It is just a decent end game to a very good movie.
The Wolverine has surprised me more than any other movie this summer. Going in with blinders on, not wanting to remember the horrors of X-Men Origins is the best way to view this. It is far and away better than its should-have-been aborted offspring. It also holds up on its own as a singular movie including Jackman’s best performance as Logan due to a much better script than he has ever had for the character. If this had been the first movie for Wolverine, we would be talking about what an amazing future the character has in his own set of movies, but with the stench of Origins hanging this feels like an apology to fans and a hope that maybe there is more in store for “The Ol’ Canucklehead”.
I grew up watching shows, cartoons and movies about gargantuan creatures and giant robots. Sometimes they fought each other, sometimes they fought with each other, and sometimes they just sat around while their teenage pilots whined about how hard it was to be the only ones gifted enough to use the giant *!&^ing death machines; thanks, Evangelion, Z.O.E. and every Gundam series except 08th MS Team. The end result is a deep and abiding love of watching as one 60-foot-tall thing punches another one in the face, so long as it’s not directed by Michael Bay (The Devil).
You can imagine my excitement, then, when it was announced the Guillermo del Toro was making Pacific Rim, a film about giant monsters and robots, all of which would have his signature artistic style. I went and saw it this weekend in IMAX 3D with my friend Adam, who is my preferred film companion for such cinematic ventures. What followed was a little over two hours of raw, childish glee, interspersed with moments of trying not to think too hard about what was going on.
Pacific Rim is essentially Cloverfield Part Deux, to the point where J.J. Abrams should have an acknowledgement in the credits. Giant creatures called kaiju start coming out of an inter-dimensional tear called “The Bridge” in the Pacific and wreaking havoc on coastal cities, while the military desperately tries to stop them. Eventually, it becomes apparent that the attacks aren’t going to stop, and so the world comes together to create an international guard team of giant robots known as jaegers.
The jaegers prove to be exceptional at stopping the kaiju, but the strain of using the neural interface that controls them proves too much for a single pilot. To overcome this, a system (the drift) is developed that allows two pilots to access each other’s minds and control the jaeger in unison. This requires that the pilots be compatible in fighting technique, and pilots who share the same memories gain an exceptional advantage.
All of this happens in the first ten minutes of the movie, while the main character Raleigh Becket narrates, leading up to the deployment of the jaeger that he and his brother Yancy pilot: Gipsy Danger. Their objective is to patrol the waters ten miles out from Anchorage and be ready to protect in from a category three kaiju – categories indicate the level of combat evolution and theoretical danger – that has been detected nearby. Instead, they decide to face it head-on when they detect a fishing boat about to fall victim; the resulting fight is a sight to behold, but doesn’t go quite as planned, setting up one of the movie’s key conflicts.
At this point, the story jumps ahead another five years, and the jaeger program is being scrapped; governments have grown weary of the costs, and so are trying to tout a guard wall project that will supposedly keep the kaiju at bay. The head of the program, Marshal Stacker Pentecost, knows that this won’t be enough, and so recruits Raleigh and the other three remaining jaeger teams to attempt an attack on the Bridge that will hopefully seal it shut. The three jaegers other than Gipsy Danger are from China, Russia, and Australia respectively: Crimson Typhoon is an agility-focused, three-armed model piloted by triplets; Cherno Alpha is a heavy-hitting juggernaut whose pilots patrolled Siberia for six straight years; and a father-son team operates Striker Eureka, the newest and fastest model, with the highest kaiju kill count on record.
That leaves Raleigh and Gipsy Danger, both a little worse for the wear, and generally considered the most unpredictable in the field. There’s also the issue of Raleigh needing a co-pilot (remember that key conflict from before?) and not necessarily being in any shape to drift with someone new. The best bet is Mako Mori, a female Japanese pilot with outstanding scores, but who has a tragedy in her memories that makes her a wild card while interfaced. She also shares some sort of connection with the Marshal which makes him reticent to let her pilot and keeps her from challenging him on the issue directly.
There’s also a duo of scientists trying to understand the kaiju, the Bridge, and their connection, albeit in completely separate ways: One is a biologist and “kaiju groupie,” who is obsessed with the creatures and thinks that he might be able to learn more by drifting with a living kaiju brain; the other is a stoic, introverted mathematician, whose predictive analysis of kaiju attacks shows it’s only a matter of time before we are completely overrun.
Sounds like a fairly decent set-up for a movie about big things punching other big things, right? Yes, for the most part, but the problem is that it never really becomes more than a backdrop. I’d be surprised if this all didn’t sound familiar; this movie has a lot of Independence Day and Armageddon running through its veins. Where those movies succeed in making me care about the characters, Pacific Rim gives me too many faces and names, without any reason to genuinely care about them. For instance, this global-disaster-level action movie features a heroic sacrifice (Spoiler warning? I guess if you don’t watch movies.), but it lacks the impact of Russell Casse or Harry Stamper’s last moments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vc_MNJj67A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pILXoPluHtw
The few story moments that stand out are genuinely great, I’ll admit. The rivalry between Raleigh and the younger Striker pilot Chuck Hansen hits a few good notes, culminating in a very satisfying fist-fight between the two. There is also a fantastic sequence in which Raleigh experiences Mako’s tragic memory first-hand via the drift; in fact, everything with Mako is slightly better than the rest of the movie. This is ultimately due to the fact that we’re given a genuine piece of history relating to the character that almost doesn’t exist for any of the others.
Herein is my biggest complaint with Pacific Rim: The whole thing feels a bit rushed, and I’m asked to care about too many people without any reasons. I can get past plot holes, hokey dialogue, and bland acting if the story being told is a compelling one. In this case, the most compelling parts of the concept – the first devastating kaiju attacks, the rush to develop jaegers, the sacrifice and losses that would make the victories seem worthwhile – are taken care of in that first ten minutes I talked about.
I mulled it over, and what I decided is that Pacific Rim feels like the final movie in an awesome trilogy we never got to see: The first film would cover the initial kaiju attacks, the race to develop jaegers, and the first big victory; in the second film, humanity would be winning left and right, and people would be lining up to be pilots, but the governments would be getting complacent, and the movie would end with the incident in Anchorage; and then this movie would be the finale, with everything that happened before reinforcing its climax.
What we get instead isn’t terrible, but the lulls between kaiju fights tended to be when I would get distracted and start thinking too much about the plot. That being said, the fights themselves were almost completely worth the price of admission; if you’re going to see this film, see it in IMAX 3D. The sense of size on the jaegers and kaiju is impressive, and each blow rattles your teeth. There are jaw-dropping moments on each side; once when a lizard-like kaiju reveals a new mutation, and once when Gipsy Danger absolutely destroys a sea-serpent-type beast. There are a handful of smaller moments that are equally awesome, and my inner ten-year-old wanted all of the action figures for these things the moment we left the theater.
Ultimately, though, that can’t be everything a movie is; remember when I mentioned the Director Who Must Not Be Named above? Pacific Rim is far-and-away better than the garbage known as Transformers, but I honestly don’t know that it’s any less forgettable. For me, the difference is this: I enjoyed watching Pacific Rim on a “giant things hitting each other” level, and wanted to enjoy it more on a story level. I could never manage that with Transformers – those films are garbage, and I guarantee you I will win this argument – but I can now relate better to the concept of enjoying them.
I honestly don’t know if I will own Pacific Rim; I might just spend that money on an awesome statue of a jaeger and put it next to me on the couch while watching Big O reruns. I’m not unhappy I saw it, by any means, and I firmly believe it wouldn’t have been worth it on the small screen. If you’ve gotten several of the references I’ve made, grab a friend and go cancel the apocalypse. Otherwise, just grab copies of Cloverfield and The Iron Giant and rotate scenes from each one.
Honestly, just go watch [amazon_link id=”B00009M9BK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Iron Giant[/amazon_link] anyway, because that movie rules.
At some point in the past year or so, Beth* presented me with a paperback novel called The Mongoliad: Book One. She had gotten in on an Amazon sale for next to nothing; it caught her attention because she recognized Neal Stephenson’s name from other works on my bookshelf. I didn’t actually get around to reading it, largely because I am not a fan of starting trilogies without being able to finish them shortly thereafter.
I kept an eye on the release dates for the next two books, but the series kind of slipped my mind until I was going thru my Amazon wishlists a few months back and came across the fact that all three volumes had been released; there were also numerous Kindle-exclusive short stories that tied in to what was now called the “Foreworld Saga.” Furthermore, special hardcover editions of each Mongoliad book had been released which included an additional short story and illustrations by the amazing [amazon_link id=”1401238629″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Mike Grell[/amazon_link].
A little more digging revealed that the entire series is a kind of experiment in collaboration and multi-media storytelling started by Stephenson; he was displeased with the authenticity of his fight scenes in another series, and so wanted to team with other authors and martial arts enthusiasts to create a series with realistic melee combat and military engagements.
Beth was awesome enough to get me the hardcover editions as an anniversary present, on the condition that I actually start reading them and review them here on the site. I recently wrapped up the first volume, which was comprised of the main novel and a short story called “Sinner” that serves as a kind of prologue.
The story takes place in an alternate-history version of the 13th century, and the authors have done a great job of researching the time period before using it to their own ends: Between the crusades and infighting, most of Europe has been left open to potential invasion by the descendants of Genghis Khan, and dark forces work unseen to bring more chaos to the world. Christendom’s last hopes reside with the Ordo Militum Vindicis Intactae (Knights of the Virgin Defender) a brotherhood of warrior-scholars who embark on a suicide mission to stop the Mongol horde.
The story is told from the perspective of numerous dialogue characters, each one written by a different author, and spanning several sides of the conflict. In addition to members of the Order, there is the mysterious young woman serving as their guide; a Mongol warrior sent into the fray of the khans’ courts; the Chinese slave woman who has been assigned to teaching him politics; and two warriors assigned to fight against the Order in a tournament for one of the khans.
The story being told is not groundbreaking, but is full of enough adventure and intrigue to keep things rolling along. I wouldn’t say that I disliked any of the dialogue characters, but I definitely had my favorites, such as Gansukh, the “Mongol of the Steppes in a Khan’s Court.” The initial sense of frustration he feels at his situation results in a genuine payoff as he learns how to play the political games of the palace regulars. Unfortunately, my favorite character isn’t introduced until the third act, and only gets two dialogue sections before the book ends.
That storyline, like almost every major plot point, goes unresolved when the book just kind of ends before anything gets wrapped up. While I understand that this is a trilogy, it started as a serialized set of stories, and the ending is the only time that really created an issue for me. The final dialogue segments for most characters don’t even have the panache of a good cliffhanger; it just feels like the collaborators went “Well that’s a good spot to leave off at before the next book.” While I certainly understand not wanting to make the first volume too long just to wrap up a few loose ends, the third volume is massive compared to the first two; I can’t help but wonder if a better balance of material could have been struck.
I’d also like to point out that my genuine interest in all of the characters does not extend to all of the authors involved in creating them; none of the collaborators are bad writers, but there is a distinct lack of polish to some of the sections. There is also the issue of multiple writers presenting their own version of the same characters, and the resulting viewpoints don’t always match up. Fans of any franchise that has an “expanded universe” involving novels written by multiple authors will be in familiar territory. The novel doesn’t suffer too much overall, but it was annoying to see an interesting character from one section be presented blandly in another.
Characters and plot aside, no good crusade-era adventure story would be worth it without some action scenes, especially when the entire project was started out of one author’s desire to write better combat. I can confirm that the Mongoliad serves up plenty of sword, shield and spear action, but there’s a reason Bruce Lee’s movies had a bigger audience than his technical demonstrations. To the right reader, I’m sure the novel’s action scenes read fluidly and evoke a sense of appreciation; for me, the amount of time spent trying to figure out the descriptions destroyed any sense of tension or urgency in the fights. In many cases, the dialogue between characters is sharper than any of the swords they’re wielding, and often has higher stakes.
The last thing I’d like to address is the short story “Sinner” that takes place before the novel, which introduces us to the Order and sets the tone of the Foreworld universe for new readers. I have a strange complaint, in that I found this story to be more compelling than the rest of the book. Perhaps it benefits from being a shorter, more concise piece that was written by a single author; that doesn’t change the fact that I would have rather read an extended version of this than the novel I ended up with.
The short still involves the Order – two knights named Andreas and Raphael, who are characters that appear in the larger work – but it also contains a fair amount of supernatural elements as well. I was therefore surprised when the novel itself only hinted at fantastical happenings; perhaps the next two books will shed more light on the subject. We also get a better grasp of the characters involved than we do in the larger work, with the exception of possibly Gansukh. Until I read the next novel, “Sinner” remains the best part of this work, in my opinion.
*= the significant other
[amazon_link id=”1612182364″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Mongoliad: Book One can be purchased on Amazon for only $7.99[/amazon_link]
I have been looking forward to State of Decay since last summer when Undead Labs announced the project for the Xbox Live Arcade. An open-world zombie survival game that lets me live out my dreams of a zombie apocalypse without all the…you know…death, destruction and general end of the world stuff? You could not sign me up quicker. But still, some hesitation remained. This was a twenty dollar XBLA title after all. There was a good chance that expectations could be run head first into a brick wall, but I am happy to say that State of Decay is easily one of the best deals you will ever find and one of the most fun times you can ever have with zombies…you know, if you’re looking for that kind of stuff.
The best way to describe State of Decay is “open-world zombie survival”. You will begin the game as a man called Marcus, but this is not a singular story. You will quickly learn that this is not a game with one protagonist. You will meet new characters throughout and have the ability to swap to them anytime during the game. As you and your rag tag band of survivors make shelter in a church you will learn that killing zombies is only a (fun as hell) portion. State of Decay is about as close as you will get to dealing with the minutia of day to day life in the zombie apocalypse. You need food, medicine, gas, weapons and so much more to survive and these items do not magically appear like manna from heaven. You must go out into the world and search.
You must go out and search through houses, gas stations, fast food restaurants, backwoods hillbilly homes and too much more to name to keep your group going. Each of your characters only have a finite amount of inventory space depending on what you left on your run with. Did you take two melee weapons in case one breaks while fighting off zombies? Did you remember some aspirin or morphine for a health boost? There will be times where you simply can not carry back what you need so you will have to make multiple trips or leave supplies behind. That is the beautiful thing about State of Decay. Like The Walking Dead (the comic or the show), there is a risk reward whenever you go outside the confines of your home base. You have to get supplies back to your group to keep the morale level up and help with your influence (of which both have actual value in the game) and all without trying to get eaten because if that happens….
Permadeath.
That’s right. The dreaded word only uttered in certain games. Now do not think that this means the end of the game. No, this simply means you will swap to another survivor in your group to continue on and fight, but I will tell you that nothing hurts worse than having a character that you have played with for hours on end and leveled up through multiple missions and close calls fall while trying to secure some meds for the group. Then you swap to another character that is still lingering around at level one that you don’t particularly like, but oh well, you gotta keep on going or the zombies win.
When you begin to get deep into State of Decay it can almost seem overwhelming and that is what the people at Undead Labs wanted you to feel. Not only do you have whatever character you are controlling at the time to worry about, but everyone in the group will have their own set of problems that you need to help out on. Members will go missing (to an annoying extent) and you will have to go and search for them. Leaving them out there means certain death and even though they were a dumbass for leaving you can not afford to lose anyone. You also have the ability to go out into the world and forge relationships with other groups of survivors and trade goods and services with them. At random times you will receive news that someone needs your assistance, but you may be already in the middle of a mission and must decide on the greater good. State of Decay will make you make choices. Get used to it.
Now sometimes it can’t all be doom and gloom. You need to let off some steam every now and then and I will tell you how I accomplish this. I take someone from my group that is a level one and don’t have any particular attachment to. Backpack them up with multiple melee weapons (lead pipe, machete, etc.) a host of molotovs and some health. Get in the truck and drive out for some “me” time. Just let loose and keep hacking at zombies until your weapons are depleted and no more health is left then get back to base mowing down every zombie I can find in my F-150 lookalike.
Side note: you can open your driver side door while driving and whack zombies at full speed. This can not be more satisfying and may end up being my top guilty pleasure moment this year in gaming.
Photo courtesy undeadlabs.com
State of Decay is not without some issues. This is not a triple-A beautiful game obviously. There is a ton of pop-up and clipping and general wonkiness when it comes to the graphics. When you weigh this against how much fun you are having for a twenty dollar game it is easily forgiven. Camera issues are prevalent especially inside houses when the action gets heavy and will lead to many “oh shit, jump out a window!” moments. Driving is serviceable at best. You can get where you need to go with ease, but don’t expect any kind of hairpin turning like you would get from Sleeping Dogs. The problems are really negligible and only are posted here for full disclosure. Nothing that I found lacking in the game took away from the huge amount of fun I was having trying to decide if I should let an infected group member stay in my camp or just invite them to “go for a walk” which in my world means “I will be lopping your head off with a giant knife”.
Don’t be fooled. For twenty bucks State of Decay is giving you all of your hopes and dreams of seeing if you could survive in the zombie apocalypse in one package. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get down the fact that you will have to make choices and can not complete every task put before you, there is an insane amount of entertainment to be derived from this game. Whether it is micro-managing the day to day activities of your base, to fortifying your defenses, making supply runs, gaining new allies or even just having a blast running over every zombie horde you see in the streets, State of Decay is easily the best value you will find on Xbox Live this year.
At the very least it will occupy your time until The Walking Dead returns.
If you keep up with any kind of movie news on a regular basis then you have at least heard some horror stories about the filming of World War Z. Brad Pitt’s production company gained the rights to the Max Brooks book in 2007 and quickly hired J. Michael Straczynski to bring the zombie apocalypse to the big screen. To make a long story short, Straczynski’s script was re-written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and filming began in 2011. The budget blew up way beyond the $125 million the studio handed out and production even ceased at one point. Damon Lindelof was brought on to rewrite the last third of the script, but due to scheduling conflicts could not, so his Lost co-scribe Drew Goddard finished it up and Brad Pitt and company went back in the fall of 2012 for seven weeks of reshoots.
With the film’s budget creeping near $200 million and press for the zombie flick not exactly on the positive side, one would easily write this off as another big budget disaster that a star could not escape, but a weird thing has occurred.
World War Z is actually entertaining.
Now I have not read Max Brooks’ novel, but I am dating a certified zombie lover and fan of his work so I did not go into this movie blind. The way World War Z is written does not lend itself to a movie narrative well so we get a singular story starring Pitt as former U.N. worker Gerry Lane. He has been out of work for three years and is a stay at home dad with a working wife. One day as they are stuck in Philadelphia traffic on the way to school all hell breaks loose. They narrowly escape the city and, using Gerry’s connections in the U.N., secure themselves a spot on an aircraft carrier.
Gerry is recruited to go out with a SEAL team to try and track down the genesis of the disease and by “recruited” I mean the government tells him he has to go or his family gets a one-way ticket back to the mainland. A dick move, for sure, but when you think about it, not that far-fetched for a government fighting against the end of the world. Gerry then begins a jet-setting adventure all over the world trying to discover what was the cause of the outbreak.
During these sections to South Korea and Israel, World War Z moves along at a brisk pace. It will feel a little “by the numbers”, but it did not distract me from the overall scope of the movie. Pitt is believable as the reformed family man who is trying to do his best to get back to his wife and kids while having the weight of the world on his shoulders. It won’t win any Oscars, but it is good for the material presented.
When the around the world trip stops is when you can tell Drew Goddard came on to help with the rewrites. If you did not know about all the production problems going into this then you will not pay this a second thought, but knowing made me get a distinctly different feel from the movie and the weird part is that it actually kind of works. World War Z goes from a quick pace to a tense, slow moving corridor explorer like Resident Evil (the game, not the movie). That is just one of the many things that confounds about this flick. This should not work! To completely change directions and stick the main star in a zombie filled lab instead of using the $12 million big battle in Moscow that was thrown away? Let’s just call it one of Hollywood’s great mysteries like, “why do people complain about Bane’s voice not knowing what an idiot he would have sounded like Mexican?” or “why were all the characters in The Last Airbender the wrong race?”.
I do wish World War Z would have upped the jump scare quotient and been a bit more gory. I will admit to having a small jump to begin the movie, but there were none to speak of after. Maybe that was because of the giant scope of the movie where zombies are seen in such great numbers that they do not hold the same scare as a one on one (or two or three) encounter in a confined space, which does happen in the final act of the movie as I said. As for the gore, don’t get me wrong, I am not asking for Saw levels of blood spillage here, or hell, even The Walking Dead but even for a PG-13 movie this is an almost bloodless affair.
When all is said and done, World War Z is a tale of everything going wrong in every way and ending up with the best possible results. This was a passion project for Pitt and while it may not be on par with a lot of the zombie fare that is saturating the market, it does have a big movie feel and is the very definition of a “popcorn flick”. Just go and have some fun with it…even though the world is ending.
Friday night, I picked up my copy of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, after which I was fortunate enough to be entertained by the author, Neil Gaiman, and then get my copy autographed. After getting off work yesterday afternoon, I sat down with nothing on my agenda except to enjoy this tale at my own pace. Even still, the reading didn’t take very long, partially because it’s not a very long book, and partially because it flows so well. Length notwithstanding, it left enough of an impact that I didn’t want to dive directly into my review; I wanted to spend a little more time letting my mind wander around the novel’s world, and get a better sense of it all.
According to Mr. Gaiman, this novel originated as a short story for his wife, who usually doesn’t go in for “all that fantasy stuff.” It was intended to be a story about the world as he saw it when he was a small child, and that still remains; most of the story is told from the perspective of our unnamed narrator when he was a seven-year-old. The more the author worked on the piece though, the longer it became; he writes everything by hand, and was still convinced it was just at “novella” status until he typed it up. Then, in his own words: “I sent a very surprised email to my editor with the subject line, ‘I appear to have written a novel’.”
The end result was a work that is chock-full of “that fantasy stuff,” but deals with it from the perspective of a young boy who is dealing with the struggles of growing up (his parents’ financial woes, a few untimely deaths, bookworm loneliness, etc) every bit as much as he is dealing with strange creatures from other worlds. More than once was I reminded of my own childhood, which was lived as much inside books (any I could get my hands on) and within my own version of the world (complete with talking orcas and velociraptors) as it was in what adults like to call the “real world.”
The main thrust of the novel begins with our narrator meeting a young girl named Lettie Hempstock, who lives on a farm down the lane form his house with her mother (Mrs. Hempstock) and grandmother (Old Mrs. Hempstock); think the three fates (youth, adulthood, and old age) but with a fair amount of old European witchcraft and nature worship thrown into the mix. The three of them are concerned by strange happenings in the area, and this only deepens when our narrator receives a silver shilling from within a dream in “a most uncomfortable fashion,” as Neil put it during the reading.
Lettie sets out to find the cause of the disturbance and takes our protagonist with her, and what follows is an adventure that any imaginative child would be very familiar with: strange plants grow deep within forests; rows of tails like corn line fields where the Hempstocks “get cats the normal way”; children’s songs and nursery rhymes hold great power; and ancient things without form lurk under dark skies. The sense of childlike wonder is very real, as is the fear and frustration of knowing something vitally important and being worried that adults won’t believe you; or worse, that they’ll be angry and somehow think the bad things are your fault. It also deals with the inevitable transience of childhood loves and friendships, such as the sting of saying goodbye to a friend met at camp in an era before cell phones and social media.
The novel is book-ended by narration from the protagonist on a return trip to his home town, which is why these old thoughts and memories are stirring. I found these parts of the novel especially difficult, mainly because they evoke a sense of change that grows in my adult heart and mind with each passing year. When the narrator finally returns to the “ocean” – a duck pond at the rear of the Hempstock property – his adult self finds little more than a muddy pond. I can’t help but remember how huge and full of adventure my grandparent’s backyard seemed when I was a child; the last time I saw it, while helping my grandmother move out just a few years ago, it seemed heart-breakingly small and ephemeral.
I’m not going to give this novel a “score,” nor do I know that I will ever be able to do so with any book review I write. I dislike it enough with games and movies, but I can still dredge up a number; that just feels wrong with books. What I will say is that if you ever lost yourself in an afternoon of imagination as a child, [amazon_link id=”B009NFHF0Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Ocean at the End of the Lane[/amazon_link] is probably the closest you’ll come to getting to do it as a “grown-up.” Just remember that some things, once they are opened, can’t ever be closed again; and some things, once lost, may never be found in this life.
If Batman is considered a comics legend then the only way to describe Superman is iconic. The Dark Knight is the most popular hero character going today, but for 75 years the Man of Steel has been the most recognizable superhero in the world, even if his movies have let him down more often than not.
Warner Bros. recognized this after Bryan Singer’s valiant, but boring, effort in the form of 2006’s Superman Returns. They called upon the master of Batman reboots Christopher Nolan to begin crafting Superman’s next cinematic adventure. He first got friend and Dark Knight Trilogy story head David S. Goyer to come on board as screenwriter and then to some people’s dismay (and my excitement), Nolan decided on Zack Snyder, who expertly brought Watchmen to life, to direct this new vision of the big, blue boyscout.
Would this gamble pay off? Could Warner entrust the return of Superman to the man that brought Batman back to the forefront of movie pop culture?
The answer is a resounding YES.
Like Richard Donner’s classic, Superman: The Movie, Man of Steel begins on Krypton and instead of a white-haired, scene-chewing Marlon Brando, we get a soft-voiced and poignant Russell Crowe portraying Jor-El. As Krypton’s foremost mind of science he is trying to warn others of the planets ultimate destruction. Yes, this is old hat, but new to the equation is General Zod (Michael Shannon) attempting a takeover of the Kryptonian government. As the planet erupts around them Jor-El and Lara send their child to Earth.
“This sounds like the beginning to Superman: The Movie!”
I hear you, I hear you, but where Snyder and Goyer have gone so completely right is how fully fleshed out Krypton is as a world. No one, outside of comic readers, have truly seen any type of Kryptonian environment represented on the big screen. Full of mountains and flying creatures, it was great getting to see a true eco-system that makes you feel more connected to this doomed world, and therefore, feel more of a connection when the inevitable happens.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
Going into Man of Steel I can sense some of you feeling some trepidation that you will have to sit through an entire origin story that you already, for the most part, know backwards and forwards. I am hear to tell you to have no fear because one of the best aspects of this movie is the way Goyer has interweaved Clark’s early years into the story of Man of Steel. You will not be sitting through 45 minutes of young Kent exposition to bring about the birth of Superman. Rather you will be getting adult Clark looking back on his life as moments remind him of his childhood years. Such a simple and completely satisfying way to watch an origin story, even one you already know all too well.
The wonderful thing that Man of Steel does is show Clark’s need to be more. His want to help, even in the face of people learning his secret. This is the essence of a hero and the biggest reason why Superman is who he is. He is learning the hero thing as we watch. The lessons that both of his fathers instill in him are the bedrock of the film. Will the world reject a savior? Even if they do, is it still his responsibility to use his gifts for the good of mankind?
As adult Clark drifts through life from job to job trying to figure out what his role is on this planet, he has reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) hot on his heels after meeting in an earlier encounter. Now she is trying to find out who this mysterious helper is. Yes, Lois finds out who Clark is before anyone else and even before he begins to work at The Daily Planet. Get over it. One of the wonderful things about Superman canon is that there is no real set canon. Pa Kent is alive in some universes, he is dead in others. Lois knows Clark’s secret in some, in others she is oblivious. I am glad that she finds out this early because I have always thought it was insulting to the character of Lois, who is supposed to be one of the world’s premier investigative journalists, that she could not determine that Clark was Superman. Man of Steel deals with this in a realistic manner and proves Lois to be worth her weight in smarts.
Zod comes to Earth after a thirty year search for the son of Jor-El that has sent him across the stars. He and his defectors were freed from their prison (you know what it is called) when Krypton went ka-boom and he needs Superman for more than just revenge. He has given the planet 24 hours to turn over the Man of Steel or suffer the consequences. From here on out it begins to be apparent that this is a tale of two minds. While Man of Steel has one screenwriter (Goyer), it very much feels like the first half was a Christopher Nolan exploration of the character of Superman. Who am I? Why am I here? What do I do to make things better? It is very introspective and thought provoking.
When Zod comes to town and Supes realizes it is time for fight AND flight, this is where Zack Snyder shines through. No matter what haters have to say about the director he knows his way around filming action scenes. Man of Steel has heard your cries of “we want to see Superman punch things!”. Get ready for the thunder because you have seen nothing like this outside of the comics. I love Superman 2 as much as the next guy (even though the foil “S” symbol was just…the worst), and when I was a kid, the fight between Zod, Ursa, Non and Superman wowed my undeveloped brain, but this is how Superman should throw down in every single movie from here on out. Punches thunder through the air, skyscrapers fall over and no IHOP is safe.
When all is said and done is Man of Steel the greatest comic book movie ever? No, but it is way up there. It is beyond a shadow of a doubt on par with Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie for the best Superman movie. It is hard for me to put one ahead of the other for different reasons. Man of Steel is this generation’s definitive Superman flick the same way Donner’s was back in 1978.
The best connection between the 1978 original and this year’s reboot are the quality of the Supermen. Henry Cavill is built from the ground up to be Superman. Like seriously, the dude is jacked. When he simply walks in the costume it is not like watching a man playing dress up, but your imaginations of Superman brought out for all to see (a lot like Christopher Reeve in my childhood years). This is a very human tale about a not so human person and Cavill brings the force of will, and oddly enough, fragility to the most powerful being on Earth.
For seven years we were spoiled with The Dark Knight Trilogy as Superman waited in the wings for his return (and not in 2006). Now in 2013 it is the Man of Steel’s time to shine and Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer have taken the proper care and taken the right steps to make sure that Man of Steel is more than just a single Superman story. This is just the beginning of something larger and the re-establishment of DC’s greatest hero has set things on the right course.
Warning: Though I generally do my best to avoid them, there may be minor spoilers. That being said, nothing should compromise your enjoyment or gameplay.
Image courtesy of masonicgamer.com
Welcome to Neo-Paris in the year 2084. Technology is more prominent than ever, and much of the world is suffering for it. Sensen, a futuristic mind assistant, controls everyone’s lives – for some it is a blessing, for others a curse.
Meet Nilin (pronounced nill-in), an Errorist – that is, a memory hunter. Using a rare form of Sensen technology, Nilin has the ability to invade people’s minds – to take their memories, to destroy them, and to change them.
image courtesy of tumblr.com
The Errorists are revolutionaries, determined to end the rule of technology by destroying M3morize, the corporation monopolizing memories. The population has become overly dependent upon Sensen — it is used for everything from making calls to displaying shop names and caution signs. It is used to remove the negative memories of the blissfully unaware elitist class as well as to punish criminals and submit them to human testing.
Our story begins in the Bastille Fortress, where Nilin has been captured, imprisoned, and had her memory wiped. With the help of the mysterious “brother” named Edge she is able to escape, and so begins the journey to regain her memory and to punish those who took it from her.
Remember Me is a captivating game. Though the campaign only took me about 10 hours on the medium-level difficulty, I do not regret the money I spent to get it on release day, and there are a number of reasons why.
(1) The Story.
I absolutely love the story. I’m sure that I am not the only person who starts a game by making guesses about where the story will go – who will betray, who will falter, who will change sides, etc. But I found myself surprised at every turn. The storyline is original and captivating and, in some ways, scary. Now, when I say scary, I don’t mean that I was jumping out of my seat or screaming at my tv – no, I mean that it made me think. In some ways, Remember Me is a psychological thriller. In fact, the creators said in this interview that the story was inspired by modern social media and its impact on society. How do you think social media will be defined 70 years from now? I for one hope that this story remains just that – a story. This is not the type of change I want to see come to life in the future.
(2) The Combo Lab & Special Abilities
In a traditional Capcom Devil May Cry sense, the action gameplay is heavily dependent upon combos. Luckily, Remember Me does a fantastic job of distinguishing itself from other games. Rather than have a set list of defined combos, you get to make your own. As the game continues, you unlock pressens, links that can be combined in order to create completely customized combos (heh… alliteration is fun). There are 4 pressen types – damage (inflicts damage on the enemy), regeneration (increases your health), cooldown (reduces the cooldown rate on special attacks), and chain (amplifies other pressens). Every enemy you kill increases your total number of procedural mastering points (PMPs) – which is really just a fancy way of saying that you gain experience. The more experience you have, the more pressens you can unlock, and the more powerful combos you can make.
image courtesy of nerdist.com
Now, when I say that these combos are customizable, I mean it! For example, I spent most of the game with one of my combos completely dedicated to health regeneration. I knew that pressing X-Y-Y-X-Y-Y would quickly fill up my health bar – all of those pressens were focused on regeneration. But then if I found a boss fight where I needed to use a lot of my special abilities, I could easily change that combo to focus more on cooldown – perhaps I would change 3 of the regeneration pressens to cooldown pressens – that way I could maintain a comfortable level of health while still reducing cooldown time. The options are endless, and the Combo Lab is a fantastic aspect of the game. And it can be accessed and changed at any point in the game, even in the middle of a boss fight.
Special attacks are also a major part of gameplay. Nilin’s power comes from a sleeve she wears on her right arm. As the game progresses and as Nilin slowly regains her memory, her abilities increase, ultimately resulting in five special attacks:
(1) Fury –Nilin has a short rage attack where each hit increases the damage multiplier
(2) D.O.S. – All enemies are stunned for a brief period of time
(3) Camo – Nilin becomes invisible for up to 30 seconds
(4) Logic Bomb – Nilin places a short-fuse bomb on a nearby enemy
(5) Rest in Pieces – Nilin recruits an enemy drone, which attracts enemies and then blows up
Along with the Combo Lab, these special abilities make the game experience truly unique – there are countless ways to get through every skirmish, and each gamer will have their own preferences. And unlike other games, I actually found myself using every ability. Rather than picking a favorite or two, I found that it was easy and seamless to use them all – each has its own unique way of helping out.
(3) Memory Remixes
image courtesy of weknowgamers.net
Memory remixes are by far the most unique aspect of Remember Me. Nilin uses her powers to enter the mind of her victim and find a strong memory, usually something with a lot of emotional attachment and/or consequence. The sequence begins with a short cut-scene of the memory as it actually happened. And then Nilin’s job is to change the end result – something as small as closing a cup-holder, moving a bottle, opening a purse – and your job is to choose the right things to change in order to alter the memory. And keep in mind that this only changes the memory of what happened, not the event itself.
I don’t want to discuss the details too much since it is so much fun to figure out on your own. And if it’s not too late, I would advise not to watch any of the remix trailers – I watched one, and it definitely spoiled the scene.
The memory remixes, though rare, are a seamless part of the story. They execute perfectly, and they always make sense. This is not a game where you will find yourself doing meaningless tasks or wondering why you have to bother with this or that – no, everything you do is important, and it all weaves together perfectly.
(4) The Score
I don’t really have much to say here, except please take the time to LISTEN TO IT. The score is absolutely fantastic, and I can guarantee that I will own it. To put that it in perspective, I would like to point out that I have never owned a video game soundtrack before. This is the first time I have ever taken the initiative to listen to the music separately from the game.
(5) The Enemies
The enemies in this game are truly fantastic. From the Gollum-type Prowler Leapers to the electrifying Elite Enforcers – there are just enough different types to keep you on your feet, but while still letting you get used to them and learn how they move and act. By the time you reach the last few episodes of the game, you’ll have met every enemy type and you’ll know how to beat them all individually without taking a scratch. But then…it becomes a game of strategy. This isn’t your boring button-masher. When you find yourself fighting two Brute Skinner Leapers and two Elite Enforcers at the same time, you’ll need to find a very specific strategy if you want to live. But then if you take away the two Elite Enforcers and replace them with two Seraphims, you’ll have to completely change your tactics.
Perhaps this style isn’t for everyone, but I loved it. You know exactly how all of the enemies fight and how to defeat them, but then you have to apply what you know and adjust your strategy every time the circumstances change. It keeps your mind working, and your mouth grinning.
(6) Nilin
image courtesy of edge-online.com
I’m pretty sure that I want to be Nilin when I grow up.
Well…kind of.
As I said before, I found the story unpredictable and fascinating, and I found that I was always agreeing with Nilin’s choices. It was like she was inside my head. Any time I felt doubt about a character or about something she/we had done, she voiced the same doubt. Any time I felt anger, she did as well. The writers did a fantastic job of making the player want the same things that Nilin wants.
Once you play the game you’ll understand the “kind of” from above – Nilin is a great character, but everyone has their reasons for despair…
(7) The Achievements
I enjoy games where the achievements are, well, possible. I don’t want to have to destroy 39 enemies at one time by clenching the muscle on my left big toe…no, that’s not fun. Achievements are the most fun when they are actually achievable by the average gamer, and Remember Me handles this well. Just like any game, there are the regular story line achievements (completing each episode) and the difficulty achievements (completing game on hard), and there are the stragglers — things like defeating a certain enemy in a certain way, or pushing 40 leapers off of ledges (whoa. say that 10 times fast…leapers off of ledges leapers off of ledges leapers off of ledges…). Anyways, there’s nothing that I personally feel is impossible, and I believe that this game has just enough replayability that I’ll go back and get all of the achievements. Since the only games I’ve ever completed achievement-wise have LEGO in the title, I think that this will be a welcome change and a happy addition to my repertoire.
image courtesy of gameinformer.com
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end – let’s look at the negatives.
(1) The Sensen and your Environment
Imagine what would happen if you combined the beautiful landscapes and visuals of one of the more recent Assassin’s Creed games with the boring limited movement you’d find in Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within…and you’ll pretty much understand Remember Me. The graphics are gorgeous, but you don’t really get to experience any of it. The game has a specific path for you to follow, and unless there’s a hidden artifact nearby, you have no opinion in where that path should go. It’s a pretty big disappointment considering that there is so much potential for more.
image courtesy of dualshockers.com
Your Sensen has the unique ability of identifying the shortest path to your destination. The entire game is filled with little yellow arrows, always pointing you in the direction you need to go. It makes travelling between destinations rather dull. At one point towards the end of the game, you’ll find yourself in a tall room (maybe 4 stories high), and you’ll have to operate a number of switches and cranes in order to get to the exit. But rather than create a puzzle for you to decipher, your Sensen leads you every step of the way, even telling you when it’s safe to jump.
For me, this is one of the biggest disappointments in the game. There is so much potential for Assassin’s Creed or Uncharted-style platforming, but there was no initiative.
(2) The Combat Controls
Let’s think back to the combo system I discussed earlier. It’s great that it is so customizable, but I also found that the gameplay was not as seamless as I would have liked. I would occasionally find myself in the middle of a combo and it would suddenly disappear, leaving Nilin vulnerable to attack until I found my bearings and started again. I think that there are two main reasons for this issue:
(1) A combo can only be performed against one enemy; if you are in the middle of a horde and enemy B puts an arm between you and the combo you are performing on enemy A, then the combo is broken and you stumble.
(2) The button mechanics seems to fail sometimes – for example, I would begin a combo of Y-X-Y-X, but for some reason the game would do a Y attack and then begin the combo as X-Y-X (even if I hit the buttons at the correct times). So though I may have been hoping for a cooldown combo, I would instead find myself in the middle of a regeneration combo. Not ideal.
Though this was enough of an issue to get my attention, I would not say that it really effected my attitude towards the game, or my overall happiness. The broken combos were few and far-between, so they were never more than a minor inconvenience. And luckily, the game’s dodge move is seamless, allowing you to quickly evade enemies. So when your combo breaks at least you can get away easily.
(3) The Camera
Though it was never an issue during boss fights (probably due to the typical large arena size), the camera was sometimes a pain. If you climb a ladder, it will follow, but then when you get to the top it will remain where it is, looking straight up into the sky. As a relatively avid gamer, I’ve learned little things about the best ways to control a character – for example, if you’re turning the character to the left and decide to also turn the camera, you usually compensate by adjusting both sticks so that the character does not change direction. However, there were a few times when I would do this…and the game would just fail to understand. Nilin would continue to turn to the left even if I had my left stick pointing straight ahead. Luckily it was a rare issue, and the camera usually cooperated. But as with the combat controls, it was still annoying enough to gain my notice.
Those were my biggest concerns and they are really only minor in the long run. If we are lucky enough to get a sequel, I only hope that environment interaction gets a lot more attention.
Hopefully this review gives you a good idea of what to expect from the game. Of course I did not share all of the fun little secrets, since some of the tricks you will learn just shouldn’t be spoiled. Be prepared for an interesting story and some really fun boss fights.
image courtesy of cheatcc.com
I purchased Remember Me for the Xbox 360. It is also available on PS3 and PC.
Before I launch into the review proper, I’d like to ask that you take the time to read my retrospective on Metro 2033. Whether you’ve played it or not, it will help establish my history with the series going forward.
If you don’t have the time, I’ll paraphrase: Metro 2033 was a completely unexpected surprise, and even though it is flawed, it remains one of the most atmospheric and compelling story-driven games I have ever played. It was a cult hit, but not really enough to warrant a sequel, so I was thrilled when Last Light was announced.
Metro: Last Light is a true tale of survival in its own right: The sequel no one expected, it somehow managed to stay on track even as THQ burned around it. That is no doubt thanks to the efforts of the team at 4A Games, who had a polished product ready for Deep Silver to get on shelves almost immediately after the acquisition. I will also give credit to the marketing team that brought us the live-action trailers; assuming those were funded by THQ that was money they probably didn’t have to spend.
From the marketing, both before and after the property changed hands, it was obvious that this game was going to try and walk the fine line between what made 2033 such a hit (atmosphere, nuance, compelling storytelling) and what the mainstream demands (tighter gunplay, bigger set-pieces, more overt storytelling).
The changes in storytelling are apparent right from the start, with the events of the last game being chronicled for the player in a series of cutscenes narrated by protagonist Artyom. Scenes that took place outside of first-person were rare in 2033, but are more prominent in Last Light. The main plot is also touched upon more frequently; while I don’t want to say it is “spoon-fed,” there are a few characters that might as well have names like Exposition Jones.
A legitimate reason for the shift in tone, main-plot-wise, is that this is no longer the story of a desperate young man groping his way through the tunnels, coming upon the larger world almost by happenstance. Artyom is a full member of the Spartan rangers now, the enigmatic peace-keepers and trailblazers from 2033. After the discovery of the military installation D6, the rangers made it their base, but word of the spoils in contains has spread to factions like the fascist Reich and the communist Red Line. The ensuing tension and possibility of war intertwines with another (spoiler-heavy) plot thread to form the main thrust of the narrative. As such, it makes sense that this story would focus more on the larger issues and intricacies of the world, since Artyom is now privy to them.
Fortunately, the world is still full of little side conversations and small acts of humanity for you to witness and participate in. I actually felt a little overwhelmed by how busy some of the populated stations were, and know for a fact that a missed some little moments here and there. One of the ways these games gauge Artyom’s demeanor – something which impacts the possible endings – is by how often you stop to listen and interact; statistically, fewer things trigger the system this time, but you never know until after the fact. The guys at 4A really outdid themselves scripting and programming all of them, and it would be a shame to rush past it all.
Personally, I didn’t care if I was getting “credit” for it or not, because these little moments are so well written and integrated into the world. Beyond just deepening the atmosphere, some of them also provide useful information about your objectives, or where to locate hidden supplies. My personal favorite was watching an old man make shadow-puppets of animals for children. Most of the time the kids thought he was making creatures like nosalis or demons; when he tried to explain the animals that lived before the war, they either didn’t believe him, or got scared by his descriptions. It was a moment of raw humanity and genuine heartbreak.
Easily the best new populated area is Venice station, which was never visited in 2033. “Venice” is not the actual name of the station, but rather a nickname given to it because all of the tunnels around it are flooded, creating a kind of canal system. This obviously means most of the economy is based on fishing, and the station itself is laid out like a bayou shanty town, with several levels of buildings having been constructed around and above the water. Also of note is Theatre Station, so named because it resides under the famous Bolshoi Theatre. It is the cultural hub of the Metro, and Artyom can actually take in a performance there… though the show isn’t what it used to be.
Due to the story changes, there are also more instances where you will be in tunnels or stations surrounded by human enemies, and it’s up to you whether you want to run-and-gun or stick to the shadows. New to the series is a non-lethal takedown, which allows you to dispatch guards without making Artyom a murderer; if you or an unconscious body gets spotted, though, all bets are off as the alarm klaxons blare and heavily-equipped reinforcements storm the area. A few changes to the formula keep things fresh, such as one station that is burning around you; this limits your hiding places, challenges you to move quickly, and even forces you to give up on certain routes as they become blocked.
That’s not to say there aren’t still plenty of times the player finds themselves alone in an abandoned tunnel, or wandering through the ruins of the city above. Those moments are still present, and still hold ever bit as much tension as they did in 2033. It brings me no shame to admit that I sometimes took a break so that my hands could rest from their white-knuckle grip on my controller. As with any solid genre entry, familiar mutants are intermingled with new monstrosities, such as the aquatic shrimps and the arachnid spider-bugs. Each species also has multiple variations this time around, with standard grunt-types, tougher and smarter officer-types, and even the occasional boss-level behemoth.
Unfortunately, there weren’t as many memorable areas that hinged on the dominance of a certain species: The watchmen hoards roaming the DeadCity; the lost tunnels swarming with lurkers; the minefields of amoebas in D6. Finally, nothing in Last Light comes even remotely close to the experience of the Library, and the terror and tension of trying to keep line-of-sight with the hulking librarians even as they charged at you. Even the boss fights are all variants of the familiar “big baddie in a semi-circular arena” fight, with a slight environmental or mechanic twist throw in.
I know anyone familiar with Metro 2033 will know that one of the main complaints was the gunplay, and is probably waiting for me to talk above whether or not it has improved. The thing is, I never had any issue with the gunplay in 2033; it doesn’t play like a Call of Duty or a Battlefield, but I never got the impression it was supposed to. These aren’t the well-oiled, super-sleek, camo-customized weapons of a twitch shooter; these are well-worn, battle-scarred, hand-me-down tools of survival.
Each gun still feels like it fits well within the world and the game; each one has its own pros and cons, handles differently, and is perfectly suited to at least one combat approach. I think you could probably tell a lot about someone’s Metro experience by asking them what weapons they favored for the majority of the game. Personally, I opted for the following:
A silenced “bastard” machine gun with and extended stock and an IR scope, perfect for shooting out lights and tracking patrols in the dark.
An AK with a reflex sight, laser dot and extended magazine for when the quiet approach wasn’t an option against human targets.
A sawn-off, quadruple-barrel shotgun with both stock attachments for accurately turning charging mutants into little, scattered bits of flesh and bone.
Overall, there are at least a dozen weapons at your disposal, ranging from more refined military hardware, to jury-rigged, gas-powered weapons of necessity, to truly unique items like the helsing. Each weapon is customizable, with slots for barrel, optics, stock, and miscellaneous additions; thankfully, except for on instance after what is essentially the tutorial level, the game doesn’t ever permanently strip you of your hard-earned gear.
While I didn’t think the weapons handled noticeably different from 2033, you are presented with a few more situations where combat is 100% the focus of the area. In addition to the aforementioned boss fights, there are a couple of hold-the-line scenarios as you wait to be able to access the next area, and a few times you find yourself surrounded by enemy troops who are already alerted to your presence. The game’s climax in particular is about as action-packed as you can get, and I’m sure will be seen by some as a total sell-out to the mainstream shooter crowd. Of course, there is an achievement for completing the game without a single human kill, which means the developers are challenging us to avoid the carnage even as their level designs steer us into its path.
I do have issue with some slight changes to the user interface, and the visibility of weapons in the field of view. Several gear items that had a dedicated button in 2033 are now relegated to sub-menus that pop up when a certain button is held; additionally, weapons and gear have been split between two such menus, yet the gear menu still feels crowded. More than once I switched my secondary weapon while trying to replace the filter in my gas-mask or charge my flashlight. I was also disappointed that throwing knives became a secondary weapon, meaning that we no longer get the physical presence of Artyom’s hands when trying to line up shots with them.
There were also changes for the better, especially when it comes to the gas mask and its filters. The system for tracking how much time was left while using the filters was much improved, and the mask as a whole had a more immersive presence while being worn. There’s even a button for wiping water, mud, and gore off of the visor, and I sometimes pressed it for fun just because the attention to detail was that cool. I also loved the ability to use my lighter and gun at the same time, and frequently utilized it as my primary source of illumination; the fact that it burned away cobwebs and could light the occasional torch or lamp was just an added bonus.
All of these things combine to make a game that is a sequel to 2033 in literal terms of continuing the story, a spiritual successor in terms of continuing to craft and refine this universe, and feels almost like a reboot in terms of the approach to the combat experience. The resulting Last Light experience is very reminiscent of its predecessor: It gets the majority of things right most of the time, absolutely nails it all here and there, and despite a few fumbles the whole thing comes together nicely. The atmosphere and ambient storytelling I adored are still present, even if set against a revised backdrop, and I have no doubt that this isn’t my last time taking this particular journey with Artyom.
I don’t know that I can say which game I liked “better”; my preference for one at any given time could probably be attributed to my mood. I think a fitting comparison would be the differences between feeling like watching Alien and watching Aliens. 2033 is a lonely game, one filled equally with quiet moments of reflection, moments of raw terror, and moments of wonder at the world Artyom never knew lay beyond Exhibition station. Last Light is more populated, its reflective moments more observational than introspective, its tension driven more by human machinations, and its potential stakes are higher.
Last Light is very much a game that will give back as much as you put into it, for better or for worse. Artyom must decide whether the dark ones, mutants, and other factions are hostile and a threat, or simply misguided and misunderstood; so must we decide what the Metro can do for us, or will do to us. In the end I can’t help but feel like we are all watching shadow puppets on the wall. What you choose to see in them is up to you.
[amazon_link id=”B0053BSN82″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]I played Metro: Last Light on the XBox 360; it is also available on PC and Playstation 3.[/amazon_link]
As I sit here and begin to write this review I am just now seeing the weekend numbers for Star Trek Into Darkness and disturbed greatly that the movie did not bring in the metric shit ton of money the studio “expected” it to over its first weekend.
Why am I disturbed?
Because of all the things I want to be associated with this movie, flop is not one of them. Star Trek Into Darkness is big, bold and just plain damn fun and emotional.
I will keep this review spoiler free, so no need to read ahead with trepidation.
Star Trek Into Darkness moves at a break neck pace. I am not saying this in a bad way, much the contrary. There is no wasted movement here. When I say a lot happens in the first thirty minutes, trust me, it does. From Kirk and McCoy being chased off a savage world as Spock dives into an erupting volcano to save a planet, Kirk losing his command, an important character death, new faces being introduced and the set up for the majority of the movie, STID has a lot of explaining to do and thankfully it is done without feeling rushed…even though it sort of is.
Starfleet is under attack by a one man army. A former Starfleet officer named John Harrison coordinates a bombing in London and then lays waste to an important meeting of Starfleet brass and flees the planet. Kirk finds out he has gone to the Klingon home world of Kronos where Harrison believes Starfleet can not follow unless they risk starting a full-scale war with the Klingons.
Now don’t get your nerd panties all hot and bothered about seeing a lot of Klingons in this. Kronos and the squadron of Klingons are used sparingly during one part. It does seem like they are laying the groundwork for a larger scale event with them, possibly in the third film, but for now just enjoy what you get.
And yes, the new Bird of Prey looks A-MAZ-ING.
Sorry. Where was I?
After disobeying orders on killing Harrison (it’s James T. Kirk, what did you expect), they try to capture him which leads to a shootout with the Klingons and Harrison shows that he is indeed more than meets the eye. It is a secret and no, he is not a Transformer. Harrison begins to place doubt in Kirk’s mind about just what exactly Starfleet has been up to of late and if they are truly exploration based or a military on the rise. I loved this being brought up because there are some that have questioned Trek’s future losing Roddenberry’s original idea that the show was about seeking out new life and touching on social issues of the day.
A great thing that Star Trek Into Darkness does is continuing the ever evolving relationships between all of the main crew, even while the movie keeps whizzing along. The main focus, as is with most of the films involving the original cast, is Kirk and Spock’s friendship, which is something Spock is unfamiliar with for a lot of the movie. Giving this franchise the old reboot has allowed us to see it take shape and form into the lifelong bond that we all grew up watching.
The cast is more fun to watch this go round because they seemingly have connection with their characters. They were birthing them in the 2009 reboot and here we get to see the fruits of that labor. The roles are becoming theirs and can be compared less and less with their legendary counterparts. If I had to pick out the real standouts it would be Karl Urban as Bones with his (sometimes) Georgia draw and metaphor filled advice (of which Kirk makes mention) and Chris Pine can seemingly put Kirk on cruise control and still come off as suave and cocky as Shatner ever did. The biggest parts are left for Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch who are worth the price of admission by themselves. Quinto’s Spock runs the full spectrum of emotions (yes, emotions) and should really have any doubter of his ability to be this generation’s Spock put to shame.
Quinto could have easily stolen the movie had it not been for Benedict Cumberbatch. For those of you who are used to him flexing his mental and vocal muscles on Sherlock you are in for a surprise when he uses his actual muscles. Like seriously, dude put on like 20 pounds and is completely badass. Imagine if Sherlock went evil and mix him with the physicality of Tom Hardy’s Bane and you have a good beginning.
Say what you want about J.J. Abrams (except a lens flare joke, its been four years), the man knows how to do big, and make no mistake about it, Star Trek Into Darkness is big. The effects, the feel, the music (again by Michael Giacchino) is sweeping, haunting and nostalgic at the exact right times. Watching this should give Star Wars fans hope that the prequels are long since gone and better days are ahead. I instantly began wondering where this would rank on my list of Trek films as soon as I left the theater and it is high…very high, which are also my expectations for the future adventures of the Starship Enterprise as this franchise boldly goes towards its 50th anniversary.
