Ghostbusters Reboot: Costumes and Proton Packs Revealed

     While I am still a little on the fence about the upcoming Ghostbusters Reboot, mostly due to the writer/director being Paul Feig, and nothing to due with the amazing ladies cast- and seeing Spy recently has started to turn me around to what the film could actually become.

     Feig has also got my interests peaked with two tweets, one with the updated take on the classic Ghostbusters uniforms, and the second of an updated version of the iconic Proton Pack.  They are both looking quite good, and my initial distaste about the reboot is slowly being eased away.

#whatyougonnawear pic.twitter.com/o5oyHeIaSx

— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) June 29, 2015

#whatyougonnashoot pic.twitter.com/sGsYSgS1Io

— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) June 30, 2015

    Both pics look to be handled with subtlety and simplicity which actually give me hope that this project could turn out well.

     Ghostbusters is set to be released July 22, 2016

Back to the Future: Will Get NO REMAKES According to Director Zemekis

     In a bit of truly tremendous film news, the Back to the Future's time-traveling trilogy director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale have thwarted all attempts to reboot the franchise.

     “Oh, God no,” Zemeckis told The Telegraph. “That can’t happen until both Bob and I are dead. And then I’m sure they’ll do it, unless there’s a way our estates can stop it."

     As the pair hold the rights to the film, in accordance with their contracts with Amblin Ent. and Universal Pictures, they hold the final say on ANY Back to the Future films and they've decided that the film(s) are too good to even think about remaking.  So much so, Zemeckis hopes that his estate will find a way to continue to block the attempts at remaking them after he's died and the rights are distributed.

     Zemeckis has made it clear that for at least the duration of the rest of his life there will be NO remake of the 1985 classic, and Gale has made it obvious that there couldn't really be another Marty McFly, another Back to the Future, without the great Michael J. Fox.  It just wouldn't be the same.
     All of us fans can rest easy knowing that Hollywood can't hope to ruin at least one great franchise.  Back to the Future can remain in its cinematic perfection without fear of being tarnished any time soon.

     Zemeckis also mentioned his disappointment at not being able to stop another of his classics from (currently) being remade- the Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner romantic adventure-comedy Romancing the Stone.  That's just one more film franchise that should be left alone.

     Source [ The Telegraph ]

Batman: Arkham Knight: An "At 40% Completion" Mid-Game Review

MILD SPOILERS AHEAD

     As I continue to plod through the newest Batman game, I can't get enough time to tear through Gotham as fast I intended.  So instead of the final video review, I'm posting a mid-game review as I'm sitting at about the halfway mark now, and have enough hours in to judge the game currently and put up a final video review in a week or so.  This is probably going to get ramble-y.

THE BAD:  THE BLANDMOBILE

     Rocksteady's latest Batman Game, Arkham Knight, sees Batman once again going up against vast array of criminals with a few notable names like Scarecrow heading up the bunch.  Oddly enough the big tagline was that we were supposed to "Be the Bat," but since we've already played as him in the 3 previous games, the only real difference here is the addition of the Batmobile.  Or, rather, the newest forced requirement to fulfill half the game missions, and one that has some serious handling issues at that.  It's truly more like a S***mobile.
     Having the Batmobile could've been a great thing, but when hitting one wall after a loose drift sends you careening, rebounding off every other wall around and losing valuable chase time it gets old real fast.  To make this problem worse is the fact that a ludicrous amount of the game feels tailored specifically to include the Batmobile- as a result it becomes a chore to play through these missions and tasks.
     Rocksteady shoehorned in an absurd amount of reasons to need the Batmobile instead of leaving it as an optional feature.  I've spent almost half my time using the Batmobile to accomplish menial tasks and I would prefer not having it all than having an overabundance of it forced into the game.
     Personally, I would've been happy for a couple decent chases and a simple vehicle instead of the unwieldy Bat-tank we are forced to use constantly.  Even for the Riddler challenges.  I remember the good ole days when the Riddler's challenges used puzzle solving skills as opposed to driving skills.  Now it's all driving and using Batmobile winch features.  It makes it feel like an anchor tethered to Batman and becomes a burden to constantly need to drag the damn thing around.  I want to "Be the Bat," not "Be a sidekick to your own vehicle."

THE MEDIOCRE:  AN EMPTY CITY

     This complaint is a little odd when I say it out loud.  I enjoy how massive the city of Gotham is and the promise of exploitative opportunity, but I have yet to find that awe that the promise should hold.  I heard Gotham is roughly 5 times larger than Arkham City was, but it feels so much emptier.
     Arkham City had a staggering amount of stuff crammed into it.  Every nook and cranny had a little treat- Easter Eggs, missions, and Riddler trophies- there was a genius to its design.  The only other game I can compare Arkham City to is the perfection that Dark Souls had in the game's layout.  Every single thing was put in place for a good reason, and it all tied together nicely.  A near-perfect system of locations.  It all felt connected and necessary.  Arkham Knight's Gotham feels like it is simply huge because it could be.  Sure it is full of common thugs, but it still feels uninhabited.  There is a ton of space and not enough people to populate it adequately enough to make the scale seem worth it.

THE GREAT:  CHARACTERS... MOSTLY

     On The good side of things, the combat is still as amazing as ever.  Stealth options feel a little lacking still, where the game rewards and pushes many encounters into forced open combat with groups.  The graphics are tremendous and everything looks amazing.

After seeing this Joker, I knew I had to take a hilarious screencap.

     Of course the acting is once again at peak- particularly from Mark Hamill who is totally not reprising his role as the Joker here.  He's technically only giving voice to an imaginary Joker, which is so much better.  His role in Arkham Knight starts the game, making players burn the Joker's body to begin playing.  Once he's on the scene, so to say, he steals every single moment.  Randomly showing up and commenting and discussing things with Batman.
     It's true comedic gold.

     Scarecrow has a ton of great lines and scenes.  At the point in the game I've reached his fear toxin scenes are only average, but I haven't started the Nightmare Missions and hope they hold some of the creepy vibes and uneasy feeling that his scenes in Arkham Asylum had.  I also think they did a great job of tying together the story from the secret ending in Asylum- and the conversing goons from Arkham City to Arkham Knight.  Even the line I continously hear about his face, about how it's rumored Killer Croc messed him up.
     The same cannot be said of the Arkham Knight.  He's designed to look amazing, and I really like that aspect, but his character is ultra bland.  All he is is hateful of Batman and "knows how he thinks"- which he says roughly a hundred times.  Honestly, with all the lead ups, I'd guess he was a former protege or sidekick of Batman's.  This story also feels awfully reminiscent of Under the Red Hood, and there is a DLC Pack with Red Hood- so maybe Jason Todd is connected to the Knight as well?

     I must say my favorite surprises so far were running into Man-Bat and getting to play, albeit for only like a minute, as Azrael.  Some of the characters hinted or suspected have finally arrived, but then others feel completely underutilized.  Catwoman, for example, is Riddler's hostage and I think it would've made a much better arc for her to escape and save herself and later meet Batman.  Having Batman show up only for her to have saved herself would be hilarious- even better if she fully captured the Riddler.  Granted, maybe she does, I've only gotten the first couple parts of that story completed.

     I also would've liked that same old feel of all the villains factions fighting each other again.  Or have a bunch of people that stayed behind regardless of Scarecrow's warning.  Where'd all the other big name villains go anyway?  Only a few of them are out and about and it feels like a waste to not have more cameos for the story.
     Where's Mr. Freeze? Batman helped him retrieve Nora, so he could now return the favor and help Batman with tech.  What became of Killer Croc after the sewer cameo of in Arkham City?  How about the return of Ra's al Ghul.  We know he has been using the Lazarus Pits and his body vanished.
     I'm mostly wondering where all the loose ends will get tied up.  Although, since Rocksteady had claimed this was their last Batman game, I wonder if they'll segue into a larger DC Universe.  I've spotter Lex Corp stuff, as well as a building and Lex Luthor himself left a message on Bruce Wayne's answering machine for those that actually listened to all the messages in the Wayne tower room with Lucius Fox.  A tiny Easter Egg and possible hint to the future.  Maybe even a JLA game to coincide with the coming DC films.

OVERALL: IT'S BAT-DECENT

     I'll have to finish the game before really deciding.  Currently Arkham City is a superior game in storytelling and play.  In fact, I think the Batmobile ate up resources that should've been allocated to other places, like story and filler.  Arkham Knight currently feels like it is missing the heart and drive that City had.  It is still better than Asylum and moderately better than Origins, which I don't think gets the credit it deserves.

Dinosaur Simulator: Quick Review (Android)

Jurassic What?!? 

     With all the Jurassic Park stuff experiencing a resurgence due to Jurassic World's billion dollar box office destruction, I've decided to look into some other odd dinosaur related games and came across this wonderful gem- Dinosaur Simulator.

     Dinosaur Simulator is made by Big Baja Apps, a company known for exciting other free games such as Wolf Simulator, Werewolf Simulator, Bear Simulator, Shark Simulator, and Crocodile Simulator.  It is along the lines of the very well known Goat Simulator game, where the only real task is to run amok and wreak hilarious havoc in whatever locale you happen to be in.  They're pretty much all the same- cheap graphics and silly gameplay- just enough to keep you entertained for half an hour.

Is that a Tyrannosaurus Rex in your pocket?

     Sadly no, in this particular case you play as a Carnotaurus, not the stated and advertised T-Rex their official app page shows, but that's close enough I suppose.  The dinosaur you play as is tasked with bringing giant destruction to a city in a limited time period.  There are currently only 2 maps, with very little to differentiate between the two, and the choice of playing either daytime or nighttime, which also doesn't really change anything other than the lighting.

     In the small time period given your job is generally to wreck as much as possible.  There are numerous "levels" with specific tasks such as "Knock Over 20 Street Lights" or "Find 15 Fire Hydrants."  It doesn't change much as all the levels are the same 2 maps and all the fun is actually in running around accidentally demolishing everything in your path.  Time can be extended by finding carrots growing in the ground, and there's even a semi-secret area on The City map, a small farm house with gourds and water tower.

     The controls are mediocre, and often times a bit laggy.  There is also a completely useless jump button.  The jump isn't high enough to make it even a fraction of the way to the top of anything you can't break, so why is it even there?

     As far as gameplay goes, it is a bit sluggish and stuttery running on the Galaxy Note 3, but the graphics are fairly clean and the sound effects continuously brought a laugh- all the weird POINK sounds of knocking things over and, most notably, the extremely questionable juicy fart noise that happens when you run over a human.

     Overall, Dinosaur Simulator is simply a ridiculous waste of time, but a mildly entertaining one at that.

Slayin': Review (Android)

     Once in a while an insanely minimalist game comes along and hits all the right notes, and Slayin' is definitely one of them.  Sure, it is an old release, already out for PC and iOS devices, but Android gets 3 new classes of characters to play as!
     The Tamer, Archer, and Ninja have joined the previous three members of the cast (The Knight, Mage, and Knave).  Each character plays quite differently than any of the others, and do alter the gameplay, but in a wonderful way.  Learning to master each one takes a little time, and keeps players invested in continuing to play.

     The game is ultra simple.  You pick a character, starting with the Knight and unlocking others with gold from playing (or through IAPs), then run back and forth killing as many creatures as possible, leading up to boss monster encounters every so often,  before you die.  It sounds quite boring and repetitive, but the truth of the matter is, Slayin' somehow manages to keep interesting due to the nature of its simplicity.

     To keep things going, every so often a merchant arrives and offers items for sale to lengthen the lifespan of your hero- new weapons, food, potions, etc- all to extend the single life each run of the character has.
     There are even new modes to unlock including an Advanced Mode and a Boss Rush Mode.  The longer you play the more you can unlock, simple and effective.

     To be honest, I was initially hesitant because of the super retro-pixelated graphics and the simplistic back-and-forth gameplay, but after playing it- it is supremely addictive.  Not only that, the IAPs are really not pushed in your face at all.  FDG Games kept them as unobtrusive as they could.  You can pay if you want to get some nice early unlocks or some purely aesthetic changes, but since none of them are truly necessary you don't have to "FEEL" like needing to buy things.  Slayin' never has a moment that screams pay-to-win, never has a play wall, and the IAPs are hidden in the tavern menu- it really is a skill based game so it's never necessary to buy anything at all.  Although, I would recommend doing so just to continue to support FDG Games' continued game making abilities for gems like this.

     Slayin' is worth far more than its free-to-play may lead people to believe.

Terminator Genisys: Revolution: Quick Review

HASTA LA VISTA, BABY

     Somehow Glu Mobile, a company that prides itself on being "The Leader in Freemium Mobile Gaming" has taken everything fun and good about the old Terminator 2 Arcade Game rail shooter and made it worse so it could fit in your pocket...  for free.  Glu focused far too much on the "freemium" aspect and not nearly enough on the much more important "Terminator" part of the game.

NO FATE BUT WHAT WE MAKE

     The first step in the wrong direction comes from the CONSTANT advertising.  Even if you simply enter a menu and immediately exit there's a 70% chance you'll either receive a still shot ad or an entire game trailer popping up.  I'm not kidding- this game is flooded with advertising bombarding you with them every other minute.
     To make matters worse there is a forced need to level each of the 3 weapon types up to pass various missions to progress- heavily encouraging the use of IAPs to speed the sluggish progression due to a severe lack of resources.  Players must level a weapon up nearly every 3rd stage, requiring either IAPs or a preposterously long process of accumulating one of 3 types of currency that trickle in after hours of play.

     The next step wrong is the fact this isn't a real rail shooter, but rather a cover-based shooter making players simply go from point to stationary point.  Granted, had there been a decent difficulty balance (instead of a shallow IAP weighted grind) this may not have been such an annoyance because the short shooting levels aren't too terrible.

CHILL OUT,  DICKWAD

     I mean the controls are simple and surprisingly decent for the shooting with my only complaint about them being that the reload button is at the very top of the right side for some odd reason.  All three weapons feel different enough to merit note.  The machine gun, shotgun, and sniper rifle all actually have very notable variances and it does change how you play in these extremely brief levels.

     In the essence of fairness, I must say the graphics aren't that bad.  They aren't nearly as good as the Google Play store pictures would have you believe, but they really aren't terrible.

JUDGEMENT DAY

     That is really the deal breaker with the game- level brevity.  Players will spend far more time navigating the menus than in the actual shooting parts.  It is absolutely ridiculous that Glu released a half-assed game that was more menus and advertising than real gameplay.  Even if they simply got rid of all the damn ads, it might upgrade this title to tolerable.  As a lifelong Terminator fan, this game held very mild entertainment value for me, but for non-fans it might be too much crap to deal with.  Why they didn't just make a small 3rd person shooter is really anyone's guess.

     Contrary to its title, Terminator Genisys: Revolution is definitely not a revolution in any way possible, but truly an awful mess of a movie tie-in.  Had Terminator Genisys: Revolution been a premium game with a little more work put in, it could've been decent.  It has the rudimentary skeleton, just none of the important components that make it a true Terminator game's T-800 Endoskeleton chasis.

     The Terminator franchise desperately needs an amazing movie tie-in, but this is not it.  In fact, I think someone should send a Terminator back in time to stop them from creating this game.

Lara Croft GO: Reveal Trailer & Thoughts

     At E3 2015, Square-Enix Montreal announced a Tomb Raider related game in the same vein as their previous but wonderful take on another franchise- Hitman GO- and this one will be aptly titled Lara Croft GO, and it looks to be every bit the stylized heir we would come to expect from that comparison.

     From the press release:

"GO is a celebration of our iconic franchises,” said Patrick Naud, Head of Studio at Square Enix Montréal. “With Hitman GO, we’ve distilled a brand we love to its core… the Essence of Assassination.”

“Now, we are bringing this concept to a whole new level. Working in close partnership with Crystal Dynamics, we are excited to tap into the nostalgic love we have for the ultimate female adventurer, Lara Croft, and bring you… the Essence of Adventure!”

Lara Croft GO expands the turn-based puzzle gameplay and takes you on an adventure set in a long-forgotten world. Explore the ruins of an ancient civilization, discover hidden secrets and face deadly challenges as you uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom."

     If Hitman GO was any way to accurately judge, GO could be a tremendous new take on the adventures of Lara Croft.  As Hitman Go turned the "Essence of Assasination" into a brilliantly simple and elegant tabletop puzzle game, I have little doubt they'll do wrong with the transformation of an exploration-adventure game into a tabletop simulation for mobile devices.

     Here's a nice gameplay video for a better look at the game:

     Lara Croft GO will be available on "mobile and tablets" later this year.

     Sources [ Square-Enix Montreal ] [ AppSpy (Gameplay Video) ]

Titan Quest: Making Its Way to Android and iOS Devices

     Back in 2006 Iron Lore Entertainment did something I thought impossible- they made a hack 'n' slash game like Diablo, but somehow, much more appealing to me.  They did that with Greek Mythology.  Simple and wonderous- they took the fantastic elements of ancient mythology and let us play in the role of a hero of those times in places such as Greece and Egypt.

     Last week it was announced that I'll soon be able to play it again, aside from the original disc copies I still have, of both Titan Quest and its expansion pack Immortal Throne, but now it'll be on mobile.  Both Android and iOS devices are slated to be brought Titan Quest by developer DotEmu in partnership with Nordic Games (who purchased the game from former publisher THQ a few years ago).
     They'll be cleaning up the graphics and keeping the game in 3D, and they will be including virtual controls and buttons for easy adapting to the mobile touch screens.  DotEmu has ported other classics such as the Metal Slug games to phones and have quite a high standard, so I'm extremely exited for this update of Titan Quest.
     Now to see if it'll include the Immortal Throne expansion as well...

     Titan Quest is due in late 2015.

     Source [ Pocket Gamer ]

The Secret Life of Pets: Trailer & Thoughts

     Being Illumination Entertainment's (of Despicable Me fame) 5th feature film, it's no surprise they are up to some great things.  Along with Universal Pictures they are bringing us The Secret Life of Pets, and if you've ever had a pet, you know this is the kind of thing any of them would do as soon as you step out the door.

     As a lifelong pet owner, I'd like to think this is exactly the type of thing all my pets are up to.  In particular the Budgie (Parakeet).  I have one exactly like this, and this is most definitely what she is up to when I'm not looking.  I'm fairly sure she has all the other birds doing it with her as well.

     The Secret Life of Pets is slated to hit theaters July 8th, 2016.

Disney INfinity 3.0: PS4 Gets Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire Early Exclusives

     Sony has announced a special deal with the Disney INfinity team to bring content to the PS4 a month early- "before the holidays!"  It'll be a Disney INfinity 3.0 Limited Edition Starter Pack featuring the fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett and access to the Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire play set one month early.

     Disney INfinity 3.0's starter set is rumored to be available in late August.