Games Beat Me: SUPERHOT

SUPERHOT
The most innovative shooter I've played in years
1 Player
System: PS4
Developer: SUPERHOT Team
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: Mar 19th, 2018

SUPERHOT is the most innovative shooter I've played in years.

Games I Beat: Star Wars Battlefront II

Star Wars Battlefront II
FPS a long time ago, far, far away
1-40 Players online
System: PS4
Developer: EA DICE/Criterion Games
Year of Release: 2017
Beaten: Nov 11th, 2017

In middle school my class read 1984 (and then again the next year, and then twice again in high school, they really wanted to bolster our Orwellian fears I guess). While I understand the concept of doublethink, it's a concept I've always struggled to truly understand. Until Star Wars Battlefront II came out. Recently, since a bit before Force Awakens released, I re-realized my adoration for that particular universe. Ironically I've been mostly dissatisfied with the Disney helmed movies, but that's unimportant right now. After Overwatch convinced me I could actually enjoy an online FPS I decided to jump into Battlefront II, seeing as from what I heard, the "first" was, by that time, a sinking ship.

Spookvember: Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight
Generator Fixing Stalk 'Em Up
5 Players
System: PS4
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Year of Release: 2017

I saw a lot of negativity thrown at Dead by Daylight, specifically the PS4 version. Even still, the game appealed to me in a major way, even after learning all you do is run around restarting fucking generators. I just kind of forgot about it until the spooky season fell upon us. A friend wound up picking it up, and that was all it took. Immediately I was immersed in a world of stalking serial killers, hide and seek, and some clunkiness.

Spooktober: Wytches vol 1

Wytches vol 1
Written by Scott Snyder
Drawn by Jock
Published by Image Comics
Released 2014

You know when you wait on something, and it's something that deals with a topic you typically love a lot. Inevitably hype builds up internally, without ever even realizing it. That's what happened with Wytches for me. I haven't read much Scott Snyder, but I hear almost universal praise for his recent runs on Batman, which I still have yet to check out. I also hear universal praise about this book, with people claiming it's actually terrifying at parts, and with a title like that I know the subject matter is something I'm particularly keen on. So does it manage to live up to my hype that I typically try and avoid having? Well..

Spooktober: Shaun of the Dead

Shaun of the Dead
Genre: Zombie Parody
Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield
Released: 2004

It's weird that when I first watched Shaun of the Dead I didn't really care for it. Even putting aside my love for the zombie genre, especially then in it's hey day, I'm just kind of disappointed in myself for not enjoying a thoroughly entertaining and, mostly, clever movie. Of course, I quickly grew an appreciation for it over the course of several rewatches, thankfully.

Games I Beat: Kamiko

Kamiko
Action Puzzle
1 Player
System: Switch
Developer: Skipmore
Year of Release: 2017
Beaten: Oct 2nd, 2017

Kamiko is one of those random games I saw a recommendation for somewhere on the internet and decided to pick it up based solely on that, and the general aesthetic of the game. Developer Skipmore is probably most well known for Fairune, a duo of games that got decently good praise. The first one is, or was, available for free on phones, and I tried it out. Didn't really do anything for me, and didn't really put much time in it. It certainly looked very nice though.

The Phoenix's Roost

The Phoenix's Roost

For a while now I've been interested in expanding the scope of my projects that actually see the light of day. Thanks to a good friend of mine coming together with me one of those projects has finally taken flight. The Phoenix's Roost is a podcast that focuses mainly on video games, but much like this blog, will cover anything that really suits our fancy. Join my friend Mattt and I for a casual chat about things we, mostly, love.

The first episode focuses on Overwatch. Due to figuring out scheduling, this was recorded two months ago (August 2nd) at this point, so if some things seem dated, that's why. Most of what we said still holds true though, and if you like what you read here, it's worth checking out. Please leave any feedback you might have, and if you like it share it with anyone who might be interested!

You can find the podcast on Podiant.

DLC I Beat: Ashes of Ariandel

Dark Souls III Ashes of Ariandel
Action RPG Lore 'Em Up
1-6 Players
System: PS4
Developer: From Software
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: July 15th, 2017

Dark Souls 3 might get a bit of flak from some fans of the series, but it is probably the most polished of the Souls series. Personally I quite enjoyed it even if it felt a little bit like a Greatest Hits album for the franchise. I never felt drawn back to play through the DLC though, until recently.

Games I Beat: Gaiapolis

Gaiapolis
Top Down Beat Em Up
1-2 Players
System: Arcade
Developer: Konami
Year of Release: 1993
Beaten: June 10th, 2017

It's both bewildering and amazing that so many games made by well recognized game developer's are still managing to float just outside of most people's radar. I'm pretty familiar with many video games from every generation, and delightfully still run into little gems I'd never so much as heard of. When I stumbled on a video for Gaiapolis I knew I would want to check it out immediately. So, with a friend in tow, we managed to make our way to Gaiapolis.

Games I Beat: Legend of Kusakari

Legend of Kusakari
Lawn Mowing Sim
1 Player
System: 3DS Download
Developer: Librage
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: April 5th, 2017

Sometimes things happen that further convince me I'm actually just an insane person. Just, look up the trailer for this game and tell me if the main idea and especially the music would draw you in. Granted the art style is cute, simple and pleasant. But that music is just awful. I needed it.

Cinephilia: The VVitch A New England Folktale

The VVitch A New England Folktale
Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Period Piece
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie
Released: 2015

Blair Witch was doomed to fail. The whole gimmick of "this is actual found footage" unraveled almost immediately, and without that aspect a lot of the impact was lost. Found footage is a dead genre in my honest opinion, the whole premise is almost always just going to irritate viewers and even if the climax gets interesting it almost never makes up for the inane opening bits. The VVitch is nothing like Blair Witch, but it manages to capture that eerie feeling of something living out in the woods.

Games I Beat: Yooka-Laylee

Yooka-Laylee
Collect-a-thon
1 Player
System: PS4
Developer: Playtronic Games
Year of Release: 2017
Beaten: April 23rd, 2017

Huh, I really thought I wrote this already. That's weird, and more proof every day I'm waking up in yet another alternate universe. Yooka-Laylee is one of those kickstarter darlings, with promises of returning to the glory days of Banjo-Kazooie it didn't take long to be fully funded. A few years later, and Yooka-Laylee is released to.... an incredibly mixed consumer base.

The Ol' Boobtube: Star Wars Rebels Season 1

Star Wars Rebels Season 1
Directed by: Steward Lee (Mostly)
Starring: Taylor Gray, Freddie Prinze Jr, Vanessa Marshall
Released: 2014

I just can't escape it. As a kid I grew up with Star Wars, luckily the unedited stuff, like many others Episode I put a real damper on my Star Wars high though. In recent years, as the series has begun to truly flourish again (granted I have issues with both VII and Rogue One, but that's another topic) so too has my interest reignited. From watching the movies again multiple times, to experiencing board and card games, the new comics and finally to Rebels. It was only a matter of time before I finally gave it a shot.

Games I Beat: Injustice 2

Injustice 2
Fighting
1-2 Players
System: PS4
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Year of Release: 2017
Beaten: May 22nd, 2017

For a good long while I thought Mortal Kombat was a dead series, the whole early 3D era did not do the franchise any favors. And yet, after Armageddon, and a DC crossover, Mortal Kombat's 9th game came out and proved to everyone it wasn't over yet. Since then NetherRealm Studios has been switching between MK and the Injustice series. As a long time DC comics fan, I can't tell you how happy the Injustice games make me, as a concept alone. While taking place in a very dark version of the DC universe, this is just a really solid fighting game with super heroes as characters.

Games I Beat: Stories The Path of Destinies

Stories The Path of Destinies
Action Story Telling
1 Players
System: PS4
Developer: Spearhead Games
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: May 27th, 2017

Anthropomorphic animals, floating islands, airships, fun action, a Bastion inspired narrator, a pleasant art style, multiple endings, a metaphysical concept as the basic structure of the story, most of these things all appeal to me in some form or another. And yet...

Freemium Perdition: Magikarp Jump

Magikarp Jump
Click the Screen
1 Player
System: Android
Developer: The Pokemon Company
Year of Release: 2017

In the wide world of Pokemon, one in particular has always risen to the top. From competitive tournaments, to contests, to popularity, truly Magikarp reigns supreme. Maybe not exactly, but Magikarp has always had a certain appeal, usually due to his evolution. Magikarp Jump goes out of it's way to put the titular Pokemon in the lime light.

Games I Beat: Dragon Quest VII Fragments of the Forgotten Past

Dragon Quest VII Fragments of the Forgotten Past
JRPG
1 Player
System: 3DS
Developer: ArtePiazza
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: March 31st, 2017

It genuinely upsets me that it's taken over a month to finally get around to writing this. Dragon Quest is a long running series that I have become a massive fan of over the last several years. The main line series is a very true to it's roots series, mechanically the games are all very similar to one another. And yet they manage to appeal to so many people despite that. That being said, Fragments of the Forgotten Past here is the longest game in the franchise (X, an MMO, not included), is it worth sinking upwards of 80 hours into this game?

Games I Beat: Downwell

Downwell
Reverse Vertical Scrolling Platformer
1 Player
System: Android
Developer: Moppin
Year of Release: 2016
Beaten: April 3rd, 2017

So many times on this blog I'll mention that as soon as I caught wind of a game I knew I needed to pick it up. Lo and behold Downwell is one of those games. Look, fuck the typical intro, just look at this:

Games I Beat: Sega 3D Classics Out Run

Sega 3D Classics Out Run
Road Trip Simulation
1 Player
System: 3DS
Developer: M2
Year of Release: 2015
Beaten: April 4th, 2017

Playing through this game left me with a really odd sensation, at least at first. Video games typically don't illicit a feeling of nostalgia that I can't place. Smells, or sounds might do that on occasion, but usually if I play a video game I'll know why it's making me feel warm and fuzzy. As a child I played Out Run quite a bit and I somehow completely forgot. A day care I used to go to as a young child had several arcade machines, one of which was Out Run. Booting up this 3D remaster(?) brought me back to a time that might have been forever lost had I not.

Fangasm: Attack on Silph Co

Attack on Silph Co
Pokemon Short Story
1 Player
System: PC
Developer: Franzo
Year of Release: 2016
Attack on Silph Co

I am a huge fan of these kinds of games. Short little snippets that allow the creator to showcase a small section of the world of Pokemon. Unlike the standard games that follow a pretty strict formula you can explore all kinds of unique settings and ideas. In this instance, four years after they're brought down Team Rocket tries to attack Silph Co again. It's up to you, a low level Silph employee to fight your way through the building and save your coworkers.