Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) Episode 21 Review (Spoilers)

So I have never reviewed an anime on here before, but I could not pass up this opportunity! Every week I've been excited to see what was next in this series, however episode 21 did this and more. This episode got my blood pumping more than any other episode and just goes to show what animation can do to make a sequence extremely exciting.

The moment everyone waited for happened, Eren battled another titan. We get huge build up with some brilliant dialogue which have a very deep meaning in terms of the story. Each scene just worked so well, the combination of music and the voiceover for Eren did a fantastic job of showing real emotion through his voice.

 

 



 The fight sequences looked beautiful, Shingeki no Kyojin has done a fantastic job at creating an anime which looks visually stunning. It must of taken ages to draw this frame by frame. Now I must get into spoilers, it's impossible to talk about this episode without doing so, it's just too complex to not talk about some of the plot points. At the start of the confrontation the special ops team look like they are kicking some serious ass. In a second this all turned around with the Female Titan gaining the upper hand yet again, killing everybody.

Eren looks on in a mixture of anger and sadness. The impact of this scene was that they built up this idea of trust within the squad, but now they are all dead.  Eren transforms into his titan form to confront the Female Titan and for a while it looks like it's working, however Eren is new to this whole titan transformation thing,  it looks like Eren is about to win. Eren throws punch after punch at the Female Titan and even knocks her to the ground several times. She manages to evade Eren long enough for him to become tired, and in a moment of weakness it is all over for Eren.

Eren is successfully captured and Mikasa and Levi go off in pursuit to get Eren back. I can't tell you how excited I am to see what's next, this series really is something special.

10/10 Perfect - I've always loved an emotional and engaging story, this episode did it better than I've seen in a LONG time. With a brilliant mixture of action, there's nothing at fault with this episode. I suggest if you haven't already, jump on this show and start watching, it's something not to be missed. (Episode below)

R.I.P Ryan Davis

We received the sad news that video game journalist and podcaster, Ryan Davis passed away at the age of 34. Ryan was the co-founder of Giant Bomb and it's such a sad loss to the gaming industry. I for one only discovered him in the last couple of months through his podcast, I'm saddened to hear this news as he seemed such a genuine, nice guy.

Ryan Davis will be missed and I'm sure we will remember him as the guy who always looked forward to the next adventure. The guy who made every day just a little better.

Ryan Davis 1979 - 2013

The Walking Dead: 400 Days Review

The Walking Dead: 400 Days did what it said it would do, deliver five new stories, five heart-breaking stories. It reinforces that video games have a larger impact than a film due to making them critical decisions ourselves and facing the consequences. The episode introduces a cast of characters, who more than likely will be our primary characters for season 2 of Telltale's The Walking Dead. If you played the original five episodes, you owe it to youself to experience more of Telltale's award winning story.

The Walking Dead: 400 Days acts as a bridge to season 2 and also makes nods towards season 1. The title suggests the story, five characters, five stories, in the span of 400 days in the same area of Georgia around a truck station.

What I love about Telltale is their ability to get you attached to a character in such a small space of time in every story. We can see what these characters have been through and their relationships, despite their motives we can see that they are all human. They all have their reasons for what they do.

What I loved the most was the brilliant writing that this episode had. Every story has very small links with each other which can be spotted by a keen eye. What amazes me with Telltale Games is the fact that they can cram five brilliant short stories into around 1 hour and 30 minutes of gameplay. I was worried that the tie-ins would seem a tad unbelievable, they are in fact completely natural and also rather small.

Each episode also has a different pace, for example, Wyatt had a very panicked story whereas Shel had a much more calm yet more dialogue engaging story. Each episode has different gameplay mechanics which give a very nice change every story, it's not just repetitive gameplay, I never knew what to expect next.

Technical issues have always been a fault for Telltale's Walking Dead, I noticed a couple of technical issues, however they were nowhere near as bad as season 1. It's nice to see attempts were made to prevent this.

The Walking Dead: 400 Days is beyond incredible, it serves as an outstanding taster of what to expect from season 2. The characters feel like they have a great story to tell and I can't wait to get back into the world of Telltale Games for season 2.
9.5 - This episode is nothing but exciting news for what to expect later. It's something not to be missed by Walking Dead fans. If you have no experienced season 1 yet, I demand you go out and buy season 1 and this episode, trust me, you'll thank me.

The Walking Dead: All Out War Story Arc

It's been announced that starting October we will get an issue every 2 weeks to cover the new story arc that will appear in October. Expect regular reviews of issues leading up to this and I will also be covering this entire story arc, giving a review for each issue then an overall review for the arc once it's done.

This is the End Review!

This is the End could very well have been one of the biggest disappointments this year in terms of films. Instead what the audience got is one of the biggest surprises in film history, the audience are in for a treat, one that you would be mad to miss.

The premise for the film is Seth Rogen and his buddy Jay Baruchel meet up and end up going to a party at James Franco's house. Rogen, Baruchel, James Franco,Jonah Hill, Danny Mcbride, Craig Robinson and a handful of other celebrities such as Emma Watson play themselves. It turns out all these guys are brilliant as simply portraying themselves on screen and create a real special feel to the group of actors and have brilliant chemistry on screen. In a world filled with terrible comedies such as Scary Movie it's nice to see that gems still exist.

The group are the last survivors in an apocalyptic world and the film simply follows them and their hilarious adventure. It's basic, but perfect. Each character has a place that fits perfectly for them and not a single joke went flat for the entire film, even having some rather surprising and hilarious moments. Danny McBride for me was the best character in the film and stands as a rather bizarre but brilliant character. It works perfectly as a hilarious conflict point in the film.

If I had to pick out a very minor flaws with the film (which they are rather minor for the overall product). The humour is not smart humour by any means, which is still brilliant and hilarious however all the dick related jokes may not be for some viewers.

However if you are a fan of straight up comedy, this film is for you. Overall the package is brilliant and in my opinion this is probably Rogen's and Goldberg's finest film yet. With some VERY minor flaws which in no means should take away from the whole film. This film will go down as a comedy classic and I really can't wait to watch it again.

9/10 - Brilliant

Coming This Saturday!

A little sneak peak to the DLC episode to Telltale's The Walking Dead game, since I'm an Xbox user I can't get it out until Saturday since the episode itself is not out until Friday.

This will be one of my big reviews of the month along with Pacific Rim and possibly a couple of uncertain reviews. Stay tuned and share this blog with your friends and followers to help get the word out!

Top 3 Games That Got Me Excited at E3

E3 was a rather bizarre event this year, with Microsoft being trashed by the public and Sony being declared the people's champion. But all that aside some brilliant games were shown at the event and these are 3 games that got me really excited!

The Division



 The Division was a really big shock to gamers, but right after this trailer was shown I was sold, I needed this game. The idea of an open world run down city which I'm allowed to explore with a squad of friends is brilliant. The constant dangers of opposing groups performing ambushes wherever you are is genius to me, it creates suspense and gameplay that will always keep you at attention.

The game also looks stunning, the graphics are beyond beautiful and I can tell this game will be a real winner for Ubisoft. Being a fan of many of the Tom Clancy games for their realism also helps. However I always saw Tom Clancy games as being a tad underappreciated with the rise of modern day shooters cluttering the market and leaving little room for games not considered as blockbuster like Call of Duty. Hopefully this will be the mark of an era of Tom Clancy.

Destiny

 

I grew up with Bungie delivering huge hits with the Halo franchise. Since then Bungie have departed and a part of me was sad to see them leave such an iconic franchise, however with the stream of news coming from Destiny I was more than happy that Bungie were allowed to move onto new things and create new ideas. The trailer and gameplay from E3 solidified my thoughts, the game is beautiful and I love what we have seen from this new universe Bungie has built. With Bungie saying the game will have a 10 year life cycle I am excited to see how this game progresses as time goes on. Bungie could potentially be sitting on a goldmine here.

 

The game of course visually looks incredible with a real futuristic feel. People are already comparing it to the gaming equivalent to the Star Wars franchise so already people are setting expectations high. If anybody can live up to the hype, it's Bungie.

 

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

 

 

Metal Gear Solid has always been a franchise I've loved, the story, the characters, it all adds up to a brilliant experience overall. In the past Kojima has commented on the dark story that this game will have, certainly from the trailers we have seen the story really fills me with interest. Speculation has already begun of course, as with any Metal Gear Solid game, such as Eli being Liquid Snake.

 

 It's all exciting stuff and the idea of a open world Metal Gear Solid game is interesting, it will be interesting to see how exactly the game will work like this, what will populate the world to keep players interested? It's all questions I'm sure will be answered, but the mechanics shown and the gameplay we have seen all seem to be great additions to the gameplay, I can give nothing but praise to the genius that is Kojima.

Small Update on What to Expect!

 

So if this picture isn't obvious enough, I'm really excited for Pacific Rim! The image above is a Jaeger that I made on this link http://apps.warnerbros.com/pacificrim/designer/us/ 

 

So expect a review from me when I eventually see Pacific Rim and lets cross our fingers that it lives up to my expectations! So I've now finished school until September in which I will be going to university (yey?). So expect a lot more frequent blog posts now that I have no exams to worry about, expect a couple reviews of newer games and I'm also looking at reviewing a few classic games!

 

Please do keep reading and spreading the blog would be a huge help to me with a simple share of this blog to Google+ or other sites!

 

Top 10 Games of This Console Generation

We have seen some brilliant games from this console generation, some games that stood out from the crowd and left many happy memories.

Number 10: Dead Space 1
Although I'm a huge fan of the rest of the series, Dead Space 1 created a terrifying new universe that had me jumping from start to finish. It was a game that set out to breath life into a genre which needed some love. Having rich atmosphere, the brilliant Necromorph threat and what I consider one of the greatest uses of sound in a game. The fact you were simply an engineer, Isaac Clarke, not your badass soldier we see too often today. Just a man and his tools fighting a terrifying threat. It's truly a science fiction horror that rivals the Alien films.

 

Number 9: Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect is the Star Trek or Star Wars of the games industry. Mass Effect 2 improved in every single area from it's first game in the trilogy, cleaning up the technical issues of the original and adding one of the strongest narratives I've ever seen. Choices feel like they had impact behind them and left me with regrets when I made a harsh decision, showing just how powerful this game actually is. With no spoilers about the end, the final mission is brilliant, so much emotion and narrative add up to a powerful and well deserved ending to the game, in no way underselling the many hours we had invested.

Number 8: Last of Us  
Last of Us certainly deserves that Naughty Dog name on the box, living up to the high standards set by their past games. A breath-taking story mixed with gritty and super realistic combat mechanics, all this lead to an unforgettable experience and one of the best of this generation. This may be one of the final memorable games that closes this chapter of this generation, ending it on a high note. Naughty Dog has taken past experiences and thrown in a new twist to their storytelling and gameplay, boy does it pay off big time.



Number 7: Grand Theft Auto 4
Grand Theft Auto V is getting close, we can't forget the fantastic game that is Grand Theft Auto 4. In the past Grand Theft Auto had a much less serious tone, with jetpacks and model planes. However this tale following Niko Bellic was much darker than anything we had seen from GTA. It provided an immersive world and loads of fantastic fun to be had. With 2 brilliant DLC expansions:The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Lost and Damned. There is plenty of content to be played.  However there was a bit too much bowling with Roman for us to handle which many gamers still love to laugh about today.

Number 6: The Orange Box

This game kept with Valve's tradition of giving the gamer one hell of an experience and bargain. With Half Life 2 and the brilliant episodes, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, there's a lot to play with here. Combining Valve's best games into one package was a brilliant move on their part and it's a shame we don't see such great packages like this from many other companies. Getting three incredible chapters of one the best single player first person shooter ever created, a unique puzzler, and an incredible multiplayer game has never been so satisfying.



Number 5: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

MGS4 is the perfect ending to Solid Snake's story. It successfully ties in every games plot to create one of the most emotional and beautiful endings to a game ever. It answers the questions that had been set by previous games and provides one of the coolest final boss fights I can think of in this generation of consoles. The game has an attention to detail which is rarely seen by any industry, pulling everything off and producing a work of art in gaming.

Number 4: Uncharted 2
If there's one game that makes me want to own a PlayStation it's Uncharted 2, sadly I was forced to use my friend as a source to play this fantastic game.  At the core of Uncharted 2 is an action-adventure masterpiece. A game that provides a brilliant mix of narrative and action that Naughty Dog are well known for. A game that sends Indiana Jones home with his tale between his legs. What more can we say about this game? It's truly an adventure from start to finish, one that gamers should be ashamed of if they have not played it.

Number 3: Halo 3
The long awaited finale to the original trilogy of the story of Master Chief. The series that is seen as the flagship of Xbox. The series ended and left gamers both sad and happy. Sad because the trilogy was now over and Master Chief's story had been told (For now) and happy because gamers received the game that they wanted. A package so rich on content, with Forge allowing for creativity and creating some unforgettable moments with friends, a campaign which had so much brilliant moments it left us wanting more. But the biggest revolution from this game was the multiplayer experience, providing one of the most competitive shooters for gamers.

Number 2: Fallout 3
Nobody really knew what to expect from this game, it was a fresh take on the Fallout games. It turns out that this would become one of the most addictive and interesting games out there with a huge scale. It's a thrilling, all-consuming experience that will absorb you for weeks, with hours of new experiences. Having multiple playthroughs I can say, every time I play I discover something new and crazy, something that I need to tell my friends about. If you have not had a chance to explore the wasteland yet, you really are missing out on one hell of a fantastic ride. It's a game that gets better every minute and with 4 DLC packs for this game, them hundreds of hours already in the game are made even better.

Number 1: Skyrim
Bethesda successfully bag the top 2 spots. Some may not agree with me that Skyrim deserves this top spot. However never before has a single player game had me gripped and immersed like Skyrim. With over 600 hours played on Skyrim, to this day I still regularly turn on my Xbox 360 in search of new adventures. Bethesda really have a talent when it comes to creating a brilliant single player game. Anyone can pick this game up, both the casual and hardcore gamer, as you're free to play the game how you like. Skyrim is a charming game which never fails to make me smile as I discover ancient ruins or find a crazy talking dog (Yes the game has one). To people who have not played this game, I demand you go out and buy yourself a copy, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with what you buy. With 2 DLC packs furthering this experience, most notably the Dragonborn DLC, which in my opinion is one of the greatest pieces of DLC out there. I can not praise this game enough as it beyond epic. Despite minor technical flaws and rather funny voice acting, Skyrim holds up as a masterpiece.

Wreck-It Ralph Review!

Wreck-It Ralph has proven to be one of the greatest animated films of 2012, (2013 in the UK). Wreck-It Ralph took the task of creating a film around gaming culture, as you can tell from my blog I'm a huge gamer myself! So coming from somebody that this film is aimed at, I can say it has completed the task with great success. I found myself chuckling at so many inside jokes which my friends did not understand, they really did work hard to include some references that gamers would find special.  From Sonic to Street Fighter and even the unexpected Metal Gear Solid, Wreck-It Ralph is bursting  with these gaming references!

Wreck-It Ralph is set inside the world of a video game arcade, a bright and stunning world where game characters can hang out together, it was rather funny to see some odd characters hanging out together. The story revolves around Ralph, a bad guy who wants to win a medal so he can be treated like the hero of his game. He sets out on an adventure to finally get that medal and become the good guy , the only way possible is by leaving his game and going elsewhere.

The world of Hero's Duty was my favourite location in the film, inspired by modern FPS games such as Halo or Call of Duty. The use of Skrillex, even though I usually hate him, actually worked rather well, it fitted in with the scenery and the action on the screen. The world of Sugar Rush I thought was not as impressive as Hero's Duty, it kind of lost its game feel, although it did give a feeling of Mario Kart. Gaming references also seemed to have stopped at this point and the film kind of lost its uniqueness to an extent, the film was still enjoyable though with the rather funny Oreo guard scene!

 The film's supporting cast are rather strong also, Fix-It Felix, Jr is the hero of the game Ralph inhabits, he is certainly a character inspired from the likes of Mario. Sergeant Calhoun, is the stereotypical FPS character, coming from Hero's Duty. A bad-ass soldier, who is usually paired with Felix as a love interest in the film.

King Candy is also a rather strong villain for the film and the 'end boss' you could say. His happy characteristics hide his true evil intentions and serves for a brilliant plot twist and fits in well with the rest of the story, leading to huge pay-off.

Vanellope is probably the weakest character in the film, she does provide some nice moments but her humour brings her down. Her jokes at times did seem a little childish and clearly made for the child audience to enjoy, they made a genius film at times look rather idiotic. Shame on you for whoever thought they were funny.

Wreck-It Ralph is a bold and risky move that certainly paid off for Disney, it's a brilliant and well-crafted film filled with gamer goodness. With originality comes success. - 8.5/10

Dead Space 3 Review

Dead Space 3 was met with some mixed feelings back when it was first shown at E3. Have these worries been adressed in the game? Does it live up to the high standards of the original 2 games? The game has certainly taken a turn from fright factors, it instead heads towards breathless entertainment. The campaign's story will grab you and involve you straight up to the final credits.

We are yet again put into the shoes of Isaac Clarke, this time to destroy the Necromorph origin, a Marker, on an icy planet called Tau Volantis.  Before you start, the game makes a decent attempt of filling in the back story through the use of a short cutscene which talks about the events of the previous 2 games for new players to the series.

Dead Space 3 still sounds brilliant, with gruesome noises such as the snapping of bones been clearly heard. It adds to the horror of the game as you hear silence being broken as a Necromorph smashes through a vent. With headphones it certainly provides a sense of horror and panic for the player, so if possible experience Dead Space 3 with a set of headphones.

Dead Space still keeps the focus on well-thought out shooting mechanics and strategic dismemberment of your Necremorph foes.  Once you reach the frozen planet, the game does seem much more open than previous titles. This shifts foxus away from constant suspense and more towards a more action-based experience. This is not bad though, we still get them moments of horror, but this time it feels like a blockbuster experience.  With a large portion of the game set in on an open planet rather than claustrophobic corridors, Dead Space 3 still manages to capture a wonderful sense of atmosphere. 

With constant strong blizzards you never really know what is ahead, even in an open world, an enemy can be a couple feet in front and you won't know till it's too late.  Scenery is stunning with huge variations in every chapter, each giving their own sense of danger.

But perhaps the most blatant statement of  an intent to focus on action comes is with the new co-op mode. The second player takes the role of John Carver, a hardened soldier. Co-op is certainly fun and probably the most amazing thing is the changes in the story with co-op, it will make you want to play a second time to see the changes.

Dead Space 3 has taken in some new features to help with the action style, rolling is one. Isaac can now roll out of the way of attacks, but it feels very clunky and unreliable at times and proves hard to roll out of the way of incoming attacks. The cover system, although it works, does seem a little underwhelming and could do with improvement to help combat feel more epic against the marines.

Probably the best new feature is weapon crafting, a much bigger improvement from the former simple weapon upgrades. You can now mix and match weapons together to create the ultimate killing machine, the pieces are available throughout the campaign or crafted with resources. This certainly adds more replayability to the game as players will want to collect and build the ultimate Isaac.

For anyone who was worried about Dead Space 3, you really are worrying over nothing. Dead Space 3 still lives up to the high standards set by the first 2 games and delivers on every level, the move away from horror was not as obvious as I thought, I still found myself getting scared by a surprise Necromorph attack. If you look past the very minor problems of the cover system and rolling, you’ll be rewarded with one of the best sci-fi shooters of all time and a game of the year contender. Dead Space 3 gets a solid 9.5/10, a must buy for any gamer.