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laurencefilms · 5 months

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Lone Survivor Review

Hello again film fans!

Another film I’d like to share my thoughts on is Lone Survivor, having recently watched both Lone Survivor and 1917 I think it’s important to review this film as both show us a personal insight into a soldier life while both being in very contrasting times.

Lone Survivors plot is very compelling and interesting, It takes the viewers deep into a war zone in Afghanistan during an operation called “Red Wings”, in which 4 navy seals are tasked with capturing or eliminating a notorious enemy leader. However, their mission takes an unexpected turn when they find themselves fighting for their lives against an overwhelming enemy force. Marcus Luttrell, played by Mark Wahlberg, is the protagonist of the film, a member of a group of four who face a very tough decision early in the film which shapes the rest of the cinematic experience. Similar to films in this genre “Lone Survivor” successfully captures the horrors of combat and the unbreakable bond between soldiers.

The cinematography by Tobias Schliessler is expertly done and is gritty and realistic, creating an immersive experience for the audience while capturing the realities of the troubles they face. The rugged beauty of the Afghan landscape creates a visually striking environment for the unfolding tragedy, and the use of handheld cameras during action scenes brings viewers into the chaos of the battle, heightening the tension throughout. Impressive sets and intensely choreographed combat sequences highlight the danger faced by the soldiers can be felt throughout the film.

Having read a few reviews of the film myself it's clear that the relationship between the SEAL team is interesting to many viewers, and it's not hard to see why. The brotherhood among military personnel is brought to life by powerful performances from the cast, and the chemistry felt between Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster's characters feels very real. Making their shared struggle more moving. The actors truly capture the emotional and physical weight carried by soldiers in the line of duty and show how grappling with fear and loss is extremely taxing while remaining committed to their mission and one another.

Beyond the exhilarating action and emotional depth ‘Lone Survivor’ also sparks important discussions about moral complexities in war. The ethics of combat, the value of human life and the ripple effects of decisions made on the battlefield are all aspects that this film explores and being so rich in importance these themes stay with you long after the film ends, leaving me and other viewers contemplating the harsh realities of armed conflict and the impact on those involved.

One scene which I feel captured this film brilliantly is the moral dilemma, without delving into spoilers, this crucial scene presents a predicament in which all the characters have a choice to make. The cinematography within this scene shifts to close-ups and emphasises the internal struggle they are all fighting. The facial expressions and body language become crucial in conveying the moral weight of the choices before them, and the subdued lighting adds a sombre tone, reflecting the gravity of the situation. I feel as though because so much can be invoked and felt from this film as a viewer it is more important than any traditional action film, traditionally action films are heartless and often lack the emotional impact of film with strong narratives. But ‘Lone Survivor’ has a story which brings viewers right into the middle of the warzone and makes you feel part of this team of four.

However,, with all great films comes things that are to be criticised. The simplistic portrayal of the Afghan people is one of the main concerns, the one-dimensional portrayal of the locals shows little exploration into their perspectives, culture, and motivations. This lack of depth isn’t great as it allows stereotypes to seep in and give an audience less understanding.

Being a modern film, the limited female representation is also something that stands out, it is noteworthy that ‘Lone Survivor’ lacks female characters and this is a missed opportunity to shed light on the experiences of women serving in the military and their contributions.

Aside from all this, I highly recommend and think ‘Lone Survivor’ is a great watch for any fans of cinema, the tension and action throughout this film will truly bring you into the world of the soldiers and leave you emotionally numb after going through the events in the film.

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insanityclause · 2 years

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Radio Time interview below

TOM HIDDLESTON

The actor talks Shakespearean supervillains and mythical sea serpents

"I'M WORRIED I'm going into the red zone on the Pretention-o- Meter here… But why would a human being decide to portray other people for a living? It's a question I ask myself all the time," says Tom Hiddleston, reflecting on his two decades as an actor.

"The one thing I do know," he continues, "is that I identified something when I was younger - that sometimes I'd watch actors and feel like my experience was being articulated on my behalf; it made me feel less alone in the world.

"Genuinely. I remember thinking: 'Wow. How does that person I've never met know how that feels?'

"That's the thing that matters, that we connect with each other and feel less alone in the world… Maybe." He bursts out laughing.

Hiddleston, 41, is relieved to be back home in England, having spent lockdown in Atlanta, where he had been filming Loki. He didn't want to put his cocker spaniel, Bobby, through quarantine while coronavirus was raging ("There was so much uncertainty about every aspect of life, I thought, 'Let's stay where we are.'") and stayed sane by strolling to the park and scanning the BBC for updates. "I reflected a lot. I read a lot. I tried to hold fast to what is good, as they say."

One of the things he held fast to was his relationship with the actor Zawe Ashton, to whom he is now engaged. (The news slipped out when her engagement ring was spotted on the Film Baftas red carpet earlier this year.) The pair got to know one another while co-starring in a production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, back in 2019.

He also immersed himself in research for his mischievous Marvel villain, who was given his own Disney+ series last year. Loki started life one afternoon in 2008, when Hiddleston jumped into Kenneth Branagh's dressing room at Wyndham's Theatre in London and attacked him with a water cooler. The pair were appearing in Chekhov's play Ivanov, and Branagh had just been announced as director of the new Marvel movie, Thor. Hiddleston thought it would be fun to pretend the water cooler was a battle axe. Branagh decided there and then to cast him as Loki, God of Mischief and brother of Thor.

"This is going to sound really w**ky, but because Kenneth and I are both such lovers of Shakespeare, we made Loki out of Shakespearean characters," Hiddleston told me when I first interviewed him at the beginning of his journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

When we talk again on a spring morning in 2022, he is firmly established as a fan favourite following the Shakespearean supervillain's six-part series (another is due to follow). "It's been 12 to 13 years now, which is one of the most surprising things in my whole life," he says.

He has since filmed a sumptuous six-part adaptation of Sarah Perry's bestselling novel The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+. It's set in 1893 in a coastal community in the marshes of east Essex, where a mythical sea serpent is said to have returned.

Recently widowed amateur naturalist Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) heads to the coast, her head filled with the theories of Charles Darwin, hoping to find a "living fossil". But her presence unnerves the locals - including Hiddleston's character, Will Ransome, the local vicar who is desperately trying to contain the anxieties of his parishioners while undergoing a crisis of faith himself. "It was funny making it during this time because it's about uncertainty," says Hiddleston. "How, if you don't have the answers, the imagination can rush in to fill the void."

The series is an all-round, highclass treat. Creepy, too. And filming it sounds like a literal blast. "We had days on set where we'd be walking along the marshes, keeping an eye on the time so the tide didn't come and wash us away, and the wind would come in across the North Sea… You'd be saying: 'Can someone please turn off the wind?!'

"But it was good for atmosphere," he concludes. Before adding with a mischievous grin - "Anything unpredictable is always good on set."

The Essex Serpent will be available on Apple TV+ from Friday 13 May

#Tom Hiddleston #The Essex Serpent #Loki #interview #Zawe Ashton #Claire Danes

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feralphoenix · 3 years

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NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS: Leitmotif & Sound Palette In “Sealed Vessel”

whats UP hk fandom i am back with—“more picante takes?” WOW YES HOW DID YOU KNOW!!!

CONTENT WARNING FOR TONIGHTS PROGRAM: today we are discussing the hollow knight boss fight, and all that entails for all the characters involved. relatedly this post does not have anything nice to say about the pale king, so if you’re very protective of his character, you may want to skip it.

FURTHERMORE, i would like to iterate that this essay is working from a place of compassion for ghost, hollow, radiance, AND hornet, because every single one of them is miserable at this point in the game and doesn’t want the events of this boss fight to be happening at all. this post is not an appropriate place to dunk on ANY of them. if you want to do that, please do it elsewhere.

thanks for your understanding.

ALSO, AS USUAL: if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i’m discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of radiance and the moth tribe’s backstory is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and please be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay, ty

NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS: Leitmotif & Sound Palette In “Sealed Vessel”

A while back @grimmradiance made a lovely essay about comparing and contrasting Hollow’s moveset in their Hollow Knight and Pure Vessel boss fights and using what can be gleaned from the differences to speculate about their psychology. (This essay is currently their pinned, but I’ll attach a link in a reblog.) It is extremely good, and it made me want to look at the Hollow Knight boss fight my own self through one of my own areas of expertise, meaning music!

As we are all well aware, Christopher Larkin's soundtrack to Hollow Knight rules ass. There are two specific ways in which it rules ass that are relevant to this essay: Leitmotif, and sound palette.

Quick rundown for folks who aren’t familiar with these terms: A leitmotif is a melody associated with a character or event or mood that's incorporated into songs in different ways based on what's happening in the story. Undertale is an example of a game with an incredibly strong use of leitmotif that’s really only possible because Toby Fox is both the composer and the game creator, so he can synchronize the subtleties of the writing with music and scene scripting too.

The phrase “sound palette” can have a lot of meanings, but in this case I’m using it to refer to specific instruments or groups of instruments that are associated with certain characters. If you’ve watched Steven Universe and seen interviews/production commentary by its composer team Aivi & Surasshu, you’ll hear them talking about part of their approach to scoring episodes being how each main character is represented by certain instruments: Steven with the triangle wave, Pearl with jazz piano, and so on.

Hollow Knight is a small team project rather than a one-person show, so Christopher Larkin can’t go quite AS over-the-top with leitmotif integration as Toby Fox can on simple virtue of Team Cherry having to communicate what they want to him. But Larkin is Hollow Knight's sound designer as well as its composer, so he folds leitmotif and character sound palette together with striking use of stems to create a very immersive and cinematic musical experience that enhances HK’s story and gameplay.

This brings us back to the track Sealed Vessel, which has EXTREMELY tight and cinematic sound design and uses leitmotif and sound palette to not just sock players in the feelings during a charged and dramatic boss fight, but also tell us a lot about what Hollow and Radiance are experiencing emotionally, especially with the gameplay in mind.

So, let’s play the soundtrack version of Sealed Vessel (and some other stuff) and talk about what’s going on in the game during it!

You may want to get out your copy of the OST or visit Christopher Larkin’s Bandcamp page so that you can listen along.

LEITMOTIF & SOUND PALETTE

Before we actually get into analyzing Sealed Vessel, let’s talk about the involved characters’ leitmotifs/sound palettes so we know what we’re listening for.

Both of these things are easiest to identify when characters have a distinct theme song. Ghost does not. However, the main theme of Hollow Knight (see: the title track, Hollow Knight) is used as a leitmotif for the vessels as a whole. Most pieces involved with a vessel character include this leitmotif somewhere. For instance, you can find this leitmotif and variations on it in Broken Vessel’s boss theme. The Vessel leitmotif is led by a cello solo here, so we can identify that the cello is the central part of Broken Vessel’s personal sound palette.

When the Vessel theme is associated with Ghost in specific, it tends to be performed by viola and/or piano, as it is on the title track and in other places like the opening cinematic.

Moving on to Hollow, their specific sound palette is established not in Sealed Vessel but in Pure Vessel, their pantheon boss theme. (Sealed Vessel was composed first, since the Godmaster DLC didn’t drop until over a year after HK’s initial release, meaning Pure Vessel was reverse-engineered/extrapolated from relevant parts of Sealed Vessel. But we’ll get into that later!)

The major instrumental fixtures in Pure Vessel are choir and tubular bells (i.e., those dramatic vertical fellas that sound like church bells or a carillon), with some soft background instrumentation: bass drum, woodwinds (appropriately led by flute in the main melody’s “falling motion” - flute is the centerpiece of TPK’s sound palette), strings, and high/mid brass. Hollow’s overall sound palette has a very Christian choir-esque sound (in the Pure Vessel theme this is very idealized and saintly: soft and slow and tragic) and the beginning of their leitmotif has a very distinctive climbing melody that mirrors their ascent from the Abyss. The Unbearable Vesselness Of Being leitmotif is absent from the Pure Vessel track.

Meanwhile, Radiance’s boss theme is a very fun expression of her character upon which Larkin evidently went ham. Her sound palette is expressed through full orchestra (plus choir and pipe organ) that has a special emphasis on the bass part of the brass section, which does not see much use in the HK soundtrack. Her leitmotif has also got cute and distinctive touches: It’s full of triplets to match her tiara-looking antennae, and also has a repeated “fluttery” pattern of background sixteenth notes as countermelody, often spiraling downwards.

The majority of the piece is loud and bombastic and in a minor key to play up the “resplendent and terrible” wrathful aspect of herself Radi is pushing during this section of gameplay, a very quintessentially moth intimidation tactic: Try to look as scary as possible to keep your enemies from messing with you, since you’re not built for fighting. These blasts of intensity from the brass section match Radiance’s strategy of Overwhelm You With Bullet Hell Spam To Make Up For Lack Of Battle Experience/Poor Aim. But in between said intensity spikes you can hear traces of softer instrumentation and major key, little glimpses of a gentle warmth we can otherwise only infer from her backstory and the implications of Moth Tribe lore.

0:00 - 0:41 - OPENING AMBIANCE

The Sealed Vessel track begins with the ambiance of the Black Egg Temple’s interior: The faint tones of the glowing seals we hear when we pass by them, the only light in a pitch-black world besides the floor lighting up under Ghost’s feet.

Then a slow string tremolo fades in, slowly growing louder. In the track new notes join the tremolo progressively, while in-game a violin joins the anticipatory chord every time you snap one of Hollow’s chains. Which, may I say: A+++++++ sound design!!!!!! Rules ass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The tremolo reaches a peak in dynamics - all three characters present are extremely tense - and then cuts off to allow for Hollow’s boss battle opening, i.e. Radiance screaming. Team Cherry kindly demarcates each phase of the battle with a Radi yell.

0:43 - 1:39 - PHASE 1: HOLLOW ON AUTOPILOT

Phase 1 opens immediately with Hollow’s leitmotif in bells, but with brass, piano, and percussion backing them up; grand and tragic. In the background the bass section of the orchestra's strings flutter in a repetitive pattern of 16th notes, i.e. Panicky Radi Noises. The violins harmonize with Hollow's leitmotif as it climbs, but then join the rest of the string section in fluttering 16th notes, transmuting what in Pure Vessel is the flute leading Hollow back down (8th notes) to a slightly louder “a” from the backseat.

In actual gameplay, the only attacks Hollow uses are their basic nail skills. Building on grimmradiance’s analysis of the window their attacks provide to their psychology, and pairing that with the Pure Vessel leitmotif booming over the metaphorical loudspeakers, we can tell that this is Hollow reacting automatically to a threat the way that their father trained them to. Their conscious mind might still be making dialup noises at Ghost’s sudden reappearance jumpscaring them with murky childhood guilt and trauma, but that’s only let muscle memory take over. Slash, parry, charge and thrust. Their time spent at bee bootcamp (which we can assume because Hornet was trained at the Hive and Hollow’s form while nail fighting is identical to hers on their shared moves) has served them well.

Radiance, meanwhile, has frozen completely for this combat phase, and contributes nothing here except the anxiety of the string section.

As the strings continue to go “a” the piano (Ghost) and woodwinds harmonize on something between Hollow’s personal leitmotif and the Vessel leitmotif in the backdrop.

However at around 1:29ish, the key changes, building into an overall color change for the Sealed Vessel piece.

1:39 - 2:15 - PHASE 2: SHE’S AS SCARED OF YOU AS YOU ARE OF HER

In actual gameplay, the part of Sealed Vessel used for phases 1 and 2 of the Hollow Knight fight is the Entirety of 0:43 - 2:15, possibly because there’s no easy transition spot like there is between phase 2 and phase 3. But the changes to Hollow’s moveset are clearly tied to this specific part of the piece.

Phase 2 is where Radiance pushes herself past her freeze response and starts trying to hit Ghost. Hollow gains two attacks here, which we can tell are Radi because they’re often accompanied by her crying (a softer and more abbreviated sound than her full scream): These two attacks are the Infection blob blast and the Light/Void pillar attack that hits for a full 2 masks damage (which appear to be Radi’s take on Hollow’s Pure Vessel-exclusive moves, their grabby tentacles & silver knife pillars respectively).

In the Sealed Vessel track, this part of the piece is almost entirely Radiance’s fluttering. The strings start by following the descending motion of Hollow’s leitmotif but in 16th notes, then ratchet up to start spiraling down again while straying further from Hollow’s leitmotif. This section ends in a back and forth between hard blasts in a one-two-(rest)-one-two-three pattern and gasps of fluttering between, with piano and low brass building behind it. Eventually the nervous fluttering of the strings becomes less frequent between the blasts: Radiance is inexperienced with fighting and very very afraid, but she’s also FUCKING PISSED and prepared to defend herself.

The OST version of the piece punctuates the break between the first half of the piece and the second with Radiance’s scream.

2:16 - 4:04 - PHASE 3: “I’M HELPING! :)” SAID HOLLOW; “HOLY SHIT PLEASE DON’T,” SAID LITERALLY EVERYONE

Phase 3 opens with Hollow stabbing themself repeatedly, a movement pattern they repeat throughout the phase. It is shocking the first time you see it, and never stops being horrible and sad no matter how many times you do this part of the fight.

Here, Hollow’s mind has finally come back online after their own freeze response, and they choose to destroy themself and bequeath the duty of sealing Radiance to Ghost. Even if they can’t be the one to make their father proud, they can still make sure their directive gets carried out.

Radiance knows exactly what they’re up to and why, and she reacts to this by completely losing her head and mashing buttons in a panic. This is something we see out of her at the ends of her boss fights too, where she’s feeling too threatened and afraid to do anything but spam optic blasts. In the Hollow Knight boss fight this manifests in two horrifying-looking but easy-to-avoid new attacks: The Infection blob sprinkler and the ragdoll.

Ghost does not react visibly because we're in gameplay, but their horror and grief at their sibling’s choice is echoed in the BGM. The Sealed Vessel piece goes soft and sad, with Ghost’s associated viola leading the bass strings in the Unbearable Vesselness of Being leitmotif. At 2:51 the violin comes in with Hollow’s leitmotif, and gradually the choir appears in the backdrop. The ensemble’s overall dynamics build in a slow crescendo, and at the very end of this segment the other instruments begin to join in.

This segment of the piece is also used in phase 4, which occurs if you don't have Hornet’s help or miss your cue to Dream Nail Hollow. Phase 3 ends when Hollow reaches 0 HP; in phase 4 they are for all purposes already dead. But Radiance manifests an extra 250 HP out of terrified, unadulterated FUCK YOU FUCK THIS!!! even though all she can do is get Hollow to fall on their face trying to slash and ragdoll them around. The BGM continues to play as Ghost absorbs Radiance from Hollow and Hollow’s body loses its shape and dissolves into liquid Void.

And there’s one other place in gameplay Sealed Vessel (Unbearable Vesselness of Being) is used: The Path of Pain, the completely evil kaizo-level obstacle course which presumably featured in Hollow’s childhood training, and behind which the Pale King has hidden his last and most terrible secret—that he had realized on some level that Hollow was a kid with feelings who loved him and wanted to make him proud, and condemned them to death despite it all by using them to imprison and torture Radiance as he’d always planned.

The OST version of Sealed Vessel includes the music for both normal ending cinematics, so we’ll be looking at them too.

4:05 - 4:35: ENDINGS 1/2: NO ONE IS HAPPY WITH THIS

In the BGM for The Hollow Knight and Sealed Siblings endings, the Vessel leitmotif is played by violin, viola, and choir while the cellos and contrabasses—and then the brass bass section too—play a slower version of Radiance’s downward spiral. But once Ghost is pierced by the Black Egg’s chains and Radiance’s struggle to free herself ends in failure, the soprano and bass sections harmonize. The animation zooms out of the temple and the seal reforms. They are stuck together now until the end of Ghost’s life. Hooray.

The OST version of the track immediately segues into the BGM for Dream No More.

4:36 - 5:45: ENDING 3: THANKS, I HATE IT

Here, Hornet’s associated instrument, the violin, plays one long sustained note with a few notes of Ghost’s piano alongside as she wakes up.

TPK’s goddamn flute comes in at 5:00 with his leitmotif overpowering the backdrop Vessel leitmotif on piano while Hornet surveys the carnage: The temple has been destroyed, Radiance is dead, and what’s left of Ghost’s corpse is smeared across the floor. The Void may have taken umbrage with his horseshit and unceremoniously vored him, but the motherfucker still got what he wanted in the end; the Pale King has ended the Infection by completing his genocide of the moths, using the children he abused and abandoned as his proxies, and wasting two of their lives. Can I get a hearty THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the chat.

Given that Hornet herself is canonically unsure if bringing the fight to Radiance is really a just course of action, one can only imagine how she must feel when she sees the cost of that decision.

Our only real moment of catharsis is in this shit situation comes in at 5:13, where the flute gives way to a solo from Ghost’s associated viola, playing the Vessel leitmotif as the Siblings curl up and sink back into the mountain of their corpses. Goodnight, kiddos. You deserved better, and so did literally everyone involved in this whole stupid boss fight.

This is where the OST version of Sealed Vessel ends. Even without the gameplay and story context it slaps, but now that we’ve taken a look at how this 5:45 piece is wall to wall misery and fear on the part of literally every involved character, hopefully it will have even more impact!

#hollow knight #sealed vessel #the hollow knight #the radiance #hk radiance #ghost hollow knight #hk ghost #hornet hollow knight #hk hornet #essay #hollow knight meta

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thesteadydietofeverything · 5 years

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Video Game Year in Review: The Top 10

As with any year-end list, this one probably isn’t complete. Last year, I fell in love with Nioh over winter break after I had already made my top 10, and just a few days ago, I started playing Hollow Knight. As I made clear in my previous lists, Metroidvanias can be hit or miss for me. I can get fed up with wandering around without a clear destination, and Hollow Knight has a bit of that so far, but it also has one of the most atmospherically welcoming settings for a video game in recent memory, and so far I’ve been pretty damn enraptured by it. I’m not too worried about it making the list at this point; it didn’t even technically come out this year anyway, but its Switch release earlier this year gave it somewhat of a second debut, for all the earned attention it finally got. At least I got a little shout-out here before publishing.

Anyway, here’s ten games I loved the shit out of in 2018. This was one year with a handful of games that I absolutely adored, none of which necessarily immediately jumped out to me as hands down the best one of the bunch, and honestly, that’s the way I’d prefer it, but it did make ranking them a bit tough. Really, from number five onward, the ranking gets pretty interchangeable. I didn’t plan on the game in my number one spot being the one that it is until I actually wrote out my feelings for it and decided that out of all them it was the easiest for me to just gush about. Alright, no further ado:

10. Donut County - Overall, it’s probably a good thing that Donut County isn’t longer than it is, but for as mechanically simple as sucking objects into an ever-expanding void is, it’s something that I felt I would’ve been perfectly entertained doing for a lot longer than the game lasted. Donut County has a wildly inspired and novel central gameplay hook, a relatably goofy sense of humor that might border on obnoxious if it weren’t so sincerely delivered, and an anti-gentrification, anti-capitalist message that mostly works without beating you over the head too hard with it. Ben Esposito and his team have created one of the most charming and original games I’ve played in years here.

9. Paratopic - “Cinematic” is a grossly overused and frequently inappropriate word to use in games criticism, but this game often had me coming back to the word, observing how many ways it feels like it authentically takes inspiration from creative methods seen more often in film, particularly art films, than in games, much more so than say, Red Dead Redemption 2, which typically embarrassingly pales in comparison to any movies it’s obviously aping from. There’s its willingness to not explain to you what’s going on, letting you pick up on clues from scenery and incidental dialogue. Its multiple switching perspectives, laced together to draw meaningful narrative connections. Its tendency to sit in the atmosphere of a scene. Its ability to tell a succinct story intended to be experienced in one sitting. And most of all, those jump cuts. I know Paratopic isn’t the first game to employ this technique, but as far as I can remember, it’s the first that I’ve played to utilize them for purposeful artistic effect, and every time it happened, it was oddly thrilling. I loved when I’d switch from walking to suddenly driving, and had a moment of panic, as if I suddenly just woke up at the wheel. The cliffhangers scenes would occasionally end on made me desperate to get back to that thread. Hell, even just the fact that there clearly were scenes, that lasted a few minutes at a time, then moved on to the next one, felt weirdly refreshing at a time when AAA design is becoming so absurdly bloated. Paratopic excited me, not in its desire to emulate a separate art medium, but in its casual realization of how many underutilized narrative techniques work genuinely effectively in this medium.

8. Dusk - I really can’t imagine a game that more perfectly matches my Platonic ideal of “video game comfort food” than Dusk, aside from, maybe, the game in the number one spot of this list. I was raised on 90’s PC FPS games like Doom and, as is much more relevant to this game, Quake. Yeah, for the most part, it’s nice that games have moved on, both in depth of gameplay and artistry, but goddamn does a back-to-basics twitchy shooter with inspired level design and creepy atmosphere just feel good sometimes. The grainy, chunky polygons of this game encapsulate everything I love about the rudimentary but remarkably evocative minimalism of early 3D graphics. The movement feels absurdly fast by modern standards, and the effect is thrilling - every projectile is dodgeable, as long as your reflexes are sharp enough. Undoubtedly the most impressive thing about this game is its ambitious level design, so much of which rivals even John Romero’s. The longer this game goes on, the more sprawling and labyrinthine it becomes. The map shapes become increasingly wacky. The gothic architecture becomes more foreboding and awe-inspiring. Dusk does a lot with a little, and in the process, makes so much more than a tribute to game design and aesthetics of the past - for me, it stands right alongside its obvious inspirations as one of the very best of its ilk.

7. Into the Breach - An absolute masterclass of game design. Into the Breach leaves nothing about its mechanics obscured, making sure you understand how every move is going to go down just as well as it does, and the fact that the result is still compellingly challenging is a sure sign we’re in the hands of remarkably skilled and intelligent developers. The narrative in this game is sparse - you assume the role of time-looping soldiers attempting over and over again to save your world from alien invasion (think Edge of Tomorrow), and that’s pretty much all you get for the plot, aside from some effective but minimal character beats and dialogue one-liners. And yet, every battlefield, a small grid with its own arrangement of sprites (giant creepy-crawlies, various creative mech classes, structures full of terrified denizens given a modicum of hope at the arrival of their ragged potential saviors) offers a playground for drama to unfold, as gripping and epic as any great mecha anime battle. As I mentioned in my previous list with Dead Cells, I have trouble sticking with run-based games, and this game wasn’t quite an exception - honestly, if it had something resembling a more traditional narrative campaign, I could see it potentially filling my number one spot. But that a game of its style nevertheless stuck with me as well as it did proves what a tremendous achievement I found it to be.

6. Astro Bot Rescue Mission - This was both the first game I’ve played fully in VR and the first game I’ve ever platinumed. I guess that might say something about how thoroughly I fell for it. For some reason, one of the questions that my brain kept posing while playing this game is, “would you like this game as much if it weren’t in VR?” I would like to pose that first off, if this wasn’t a VR game, it would be quite a different game, but yes, probably a perfectly delightful 3D platformer in its own right. But most of all, this game helped me realize what a bullshit question that is in the first place. By virtue of its VR nature, this game is just fundamentally different, just as the jump from 2D to 3D resulted in games that were just fundamentally different. The perspective you’re given watching over your little robot playable character allows to look in 360 degrees, and often you need to, if you’re seeking out every level’s secrets, and yet, while it moves forward, it doesn’t follow you vertically, so sometimes you’re looking up or down as well. It’s difficult to describe exactly how this perspective is so much more than a gimmick or something, outside of the cliched exaggeration of “it feels like you’re really there, man,” but honestly, this statement isn’t wrong. I truly did feel immersed in these levels in a way that I wouldn’t have if this weren’t a VR game, and while it’s not exactly a feeling I now desire from every game, it does stand out as one of the singular gaming experiences I had in 2018 as a result.

5. Thonebreaker: The Witcher Tales - I gushed plenty about this game in my review. How its approach to Gwent-based combat is both welcoming to newcomers and remarkably varied, offering new ways to approach and think about the game with nearly every encounter. How its sizable story is filled with fascinating characters and genuinely distressing choices, forcing you to grapple with the inherent injustices of your position. How its vivid art style and wonderfully moody Marcin Przybyłowicz score sell The Witcher feel of this game, despite how differently it plays from the mainline entries of the game. And maybe most of all, how criminally overlooked this game has been. So I’ll make the same claim I did before - if The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did something for you, it’s likely this game will too. Don’t worry about the card game - I did too, and trust me, it’s fun. It’s the new Witcher game; that really ought to be all you need to know.

4. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life - There’s...a lot about the Yakuza games that I’ve come to adore, but one of the biggest ones that kept sticking out to me while playing The Song of Life is how they build a sense of place. After playing Yakuza 0, set in 1988, and Yakuza Kiwami, set in 2005, I played this one, set in 2016. Each time, same Kiryu, but older, same Kamurocho, but era appropriate. Setting every Yakuza game in the same map has to be one of the quietly boldest experiments in video games, forgoing fresh new vistas to explore in favor of the same familiar boulevards, alleys, and parks of the iconic red-light district, painting an exquisitely detailed and loving portrait of a neighborhood changing with the decades. While Kiryu’s exasperation at once again walking into the all-too-familiar crowded streets of Kamurocho, brighter and louder than ever, hardly matched my eagerness to see how it had changed, it felt appropriate. Though he’s still the hottest dad (grandpa?) in town, he is kinda old now, and he’s certainly earned the right to just be over it a little. Even the silliest of the era-relevant sub stories (one of which delightfully features Kiryu putting a selfie-stick wielding, obnoxious-stunt pulling, wanna-be influencer shithead in his place) serve to underscore how out of place he now is in his old stomping grounds.

By contrast, the other setting of Yakuza 6, the quaint seaside town of Onomichi, very quickly begins to feel like an idyllic retirement destination. The introduction to this part of the game has to be my favorite video game moment of 2018 - Kiryu trying to calm a hungry baby, while walking the deserted streets after dark in search of one store that still happens to be open. The faint sound of ocean in the distance effectively evokes the freshness, the bitterness, of the air. The emptiness and darkness of the space is almost shocking, compared to the sensory overload of Kamurocho. And there’s Haruto. Kiryu took Haruka in when she was 9, so he’s never had to deal with a baby before. He’s out of his element, but hardly unwilling. The help he gets from Kiyomi and his other new friends is the kind of comfort Kiryu needs at this point in his life. Likewise, the events in Onomichi play out like a retirement fantasy - building an amateur baseball team out of local talent, building relationships with the denizens of a bar in an incredible Japanese version of Cheers, hanging out with the town’s Yakuza, who are so small potatoes they seem to barely fit the definitions of organized or crime. It all works beautifully as a touching send-off to my favorite video game character.

3. Tetris Effect - There was a long time where I was contemplating putting this as my number one game. I went through some strange conflicts in the consideration - next to all these original, thoughtful games, am I really going to say that fucking Tetris is best one of them? Is that even fair? Is this game really anything more than just regular-ass Tetris but with some pretty lights and sounds and a 90’s rave kinda vibe? The answer to all of these, is, of course, yes, but also no. I’d defend my choice any day, though. This is the first game to actually get me into Tetris. I always appreciated it; it’s a classic, but it was never a game I had actually put much time or thought into before. This game not only sold me on Tetris, but got me obsessed with it, to the point where the name feels remarkably appropriate: ever since I began playing, I’ve been seeing tetriminos falling - in my sleep, in daydreams, any time I see any type of blocky shape in real life I’m fitting them together in my mind. The idea that all Tetris pieces, despite their differences, need each other and complement each other and can all fit together in perfect harmony, and that this is a metaphor for humanity, has to be some of the cheesiest bullshit I’ve ever heard, and yet, the game fully sold me on it from the first damn level. It’s all connected. We’re all together in this life. Don’t you forget it.

2. Celeste - This is a damn near perfect game, both as refreshing and demanding as a climb up a beautiful but treacherous mountain ought to be. I died many, many times (2424, to be exact), but the game explicitly encouraged me to be proud of that, acting as a friendly little cheerleader in between deaths, assuring me that I could do it. It’s both a welcome break from the smug, sneering attitude so many “difficult” games tend to traffic in, and absolutely central to its themes involving mental health. As the shockingly good plot starts making it increasingly clear that it’s about Madeline’s quest to conquer (or, at least, understand) her inner demons, the gameplay itself offers a simple but effective metaphor for struggling with mental illness - yes, it’s hard, and yes, you’re going to suffer and struggle, but you can make it, and you will make it, because you’re so much better than you think you are. Oh, and also, it’s not all bad, because at least you get to listen to some absolutely rippin’ tunes while you do it.

1. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - (Another one I reviewed!) This is my ideal JRPG. In my mind it stands next to childhood treasures like Final Fantasy IX. Unlike some recent Square projects that specifically try to clone their late 90’s output, this game hardly feels beholden to the game design of the past, and yet, feels of a piece with that era in a respectably non-cloying way. It has a bright, colorful, inviting world full of charming characters, an all-time great soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi, and an exciting, deep combat system with an emphasis on action. Building my kingdom of Evermore was remarkably satisfying, down to all the little dumb tasks my citizens would ask of me, none of which my very good boy King Evan was too busy or too proud to refuse. There’s very little grinding. It’s a long game by most standards, but at 40-something hours, it feels lean by JRPG standards. And for as much of a storybook fantasy as the plot is, as much as it reduces woefully complicated socio-political issues into neat, resolvable tasks for Evan to solve, it always came across as perfectly genuine, and sometimes surprisingly affecting. It’s the game that I’ve wanted to play since the PS1 Final Fantasy games stole my heart as a kid. That’s hardly what I expected it to be as I started into it, and what a joy it was to discover that it was.

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Was Captain America: Super Soldier Almost Part of the MCU Canon?

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If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t thought about 2011’s Captain America: Super Soldier in years (if you remember the game at all). While a decent enough action game in its own right, Super Soldier is perhaps best remembered as a remnant of a very brief time when MCU films were adapted into video games that were often released the same week as the movies.

However, I recently heard an interesting rumor that I haven’t been able to shake. That rumor suggests that Super Soldier isn’t just based on an MCU film but at one point was meant to actually be part of the MCU canon. The only reason it apparently wasn’t added to the canon is simply that plans changed somewhere along the way.

It’s the kind of rumor that is easy to dismiss as wishful thinking crafted by internet trolls. Yet, much like we saw when we broke down the rumors that Link and Zelda are brother and sister, there are certain truths to this rumor which don’t necessarily confirm or deny it but instead reveal fascinating possibilities regarding what the MCU could have been if a few things had gone just a little differently.

Captain America: Super Soldier is Set in the MCU Universe but It’s Not Entirely Clear How it Fits

The first question that needs to be answered about Captain America: Super Soldier has to be “Is it actually based on Captain America: The First Avenger?”

It’s a surprisingly complicated question. At first glance, Super Soldier seems to be a fairly standard video game tie-in. Many of First Avenger’s main actors reprise their roles in the game, and Super Soldier was even released the same week as Captain America’s MCU debut. That all suggests that the world of the game is roughly meant to be the same as the one seen in the film.

However, the wording of this section of Super Soldier’s official announcement creates some confusion regarding the exact relationship between the game and the movie:

“[Christos] Gage wrote his original story for Captain America: Super Soldier so that the setting exists within the same world as the upcoming movie of the same name, but he infused the game with immersive twists designed to enhance gameplay with all-new cinematic action sequences.”

That statement certainly seems to be trying to carefully avoid the implication that Super Soldier is a direct adaptation of the film, which is an oddly prudent move given that the events of the game’s story happen during a time period that the movie doesn’t specifically cover. It’s certainly not hard to walk away from it with the impression that the intention was for Super Soldier to tell a First Avenger story that happened but just wasn’t shown in the movie.

One other interpretation of that statement to keep in mind is that Sega was trying to suggest that they were essentially creating a “What If?” scenario or some other kind of situation wherein they could justify having so many connections to the movie without strictly being based on it. The biggest problem with that idea, though, is the implication that the game is somehow arguing that there’s an MCU multiverse where the characters from that universe exist as we know them in the films but are going on entirely different adventures. That’s obviously hard to believe given the nature of the MCU’s structure as we know it today.

Mostly, though, that statement is just the first piece in what proves to be a larger puzzle.

Super Soldier Oddly Helps Set-Up Major Winter Soldier Plot Points

The most interesting quality of Super Soldier is how it almost accidentally sets up plot points that would appear in Winter Soldier and future MCU movies. There are few examples of that concept more intriguing than the game’s portrayal of Arnim Zola.

There’s a fascinating moment in Super Soldier when we see that Captain America has been captured by HYDRA. While he’s being restrained, Zola informs him that he has taken samples of Captain America’s blood in the hopes of recreating the super serum that gave Steve Rogers the abilities he needed to become the legendary hero.

While Zola is stopped before he can deliver the completed version of that serum to Red Skull, we later learn that he had intended to use it on one of Captain America’s friends, James Montgomery Falsworth, in an effort to turn one of Captain America’s closest accomplices against him and give HYDRA a living weapon as strong as Rogers.

Strangely, that’s basically what happens with Bucky. In fact, the idea that Zola previously captured Captain America and used his blood to create a super-soldier serum goes a long way to explaining how and why Bucky turned out the way he did in the films. Zola was able to take what he learned from those experiments and simply fashion a new serum that was used to help create the Winter Soldier.

Another interesting “coincidence” involving Zola occurs later in the game when we learn that Zola has transferred his mind to a machine in order to battle Captain America. While that’s clearly a way for Captain America to have a more traditional video game boss fight against Zola, the entire process is oddly similar to how Zola eventually transfers his consciousness to a series of computer servers (as seen in Winter Soldier).

It should be noted that both of those stories were previously seen in Marvel comics and certainly aren’t the sole property of Super Soldier‘s writers and creative team. Still, it’s fascinating to consider how well those concepts gel with future MCU events.

Equally noteworthy (if certainly not as impactful) are the similarities between the HYDRA helicopter Captain America must battle at the end of Super Soldier and the design of the devices we see in the climactic aerial battle of Winter Soldier. In fact, the two designs are so similar that this is one area where you’ve really got to wonder if Sega was working with rough design sketches provided by Marvel or if Marvel Studios was perhaps intrigued by the way that Sega animated and designed those vehicles and decided to borrow them for future films.

It should also certainly be pointed out that one of Super Soldier’s core plot points involved an attempt to awaken an ancient force known as the Sleeper. Well, in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we see an army of robot soldiers known as “Sleeper Mechs.” It’s hardly a 1:1 reference, but it’s another of the fascinating ways that later MCU works at least utilized basic terms and concepts that we previously saw in Super Soldier. It’s not even that hard to imagine a world in which the names of those soldiers have canonically intended a direct callback to HYDRA’s failed plot in the game.

While those similarities are undeniably fascinating, the most interesting thing about Super Soldier may just be the way it differs from what comes next.

The Mysteries of Baron Zemo, Wolfgang Von Strucker, and Madame Hydra’s Super Soldier Roles

Much of Super Soldier takes place in Castle Zemo: the home of Baron Heinrich Zemo. Comic book fans will no doubt recognize that character, but the name “Zemo” may only ring a bell with MCU fans who recall Zemo’s appearance in Captain America: Civil War and his involvement in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Well, Super Soldier follows the Zemo characters of the comics a little more closely by portraying Henrich Zemo as a Nazi/Red Skull/H.Y.D.R.A. sympathizer who is eventually betrayed by forces who largely wish to use him for his resources as well as access to the Sleeper. In many Marvel Comics stories, Helmut Zemo is portrayed as the son of Henrich whose hatred towards Captain America is based on a desire to get revenge for his father. Obviously, the MCU version of Helmut Zemo could not possibly be the son of a man who died around the time of World War 2.

Interestingly, though, the Civil War writers mentioned that they were, at one point, at least intrigued by the possibility of portraying the MCU’s Helmut as Henrich’s son. Ultimately, though, they felt it was too much of a stretch to suggest that Helmut would be so motivated for revenge over something that would have happened over 70 years ago in the MCU timeline.

Still, you could interpret that statement to mean that there may have been a point when the MCU producers and creative team members were at least considering the possibility of portraying Helmut Zemo closer to the version of the character commonly seen in the comics and that Super Soldier could have been an early attempt to get the Zemo name out there.

There’s also the strange case of Wolfgang von Strucker. Strucker isn’t introduced in the MCU until Winter Soldier’s mid-credits sequence, but he ends up becoming a fairly important piece of the MCU in Age of Ultron (despite his relative lack of screentime). His eventual role in the MCU makes it that much more interesting that the first piece of any MCU adjacent media to introduce the character was Super Soldier.

While the version of Von Strucker we see in Super Soldier is certainly different than his eventual MCU counterpart (he sports the iconic Satan Claw from the comics, for instance, and he’s…you know..alive during WWII), it’s fascinating to see Von Strucker oppose Captain America years before the two would share the screen in Age of Ultron.

Then you have Madame Hydra. While not a part of the MCU films, she was a character in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series who was, again, first utilized in this Captain America game that at least suggests it was supposed to be related to the universe of the pivotal MCU film Captain America: First Avenger.

While all of these characters were of course previously featured in the comics, Marvel obviously could have turned to any number of characters from the Captain America comics over the years when expanding the roster of their future films. Instead, they turned to a few characters who were all previously prominently featured in this Captain America game that isn’t technically canonical but certainly starts to feel as if it easily could have been part of the MCU if just a couple of things went differently or a couple of lines of dialog were added to the films and shows that described those characters as “ancestors.”

How did all of these coicidences happen? The answer may lie in the other Sega MCU games.

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Does a Chris Evans Captain America Return Undermine the Avengers: Endgame Finale?

By Mike Cecchini

Sega’s Thor and Iron Man Games Featured Other Fascinating MCU Connections

The massive Marvel Cinematic Universe began with 2008’s comparatively humble Iron Man movie. It was, at the time, little more than another blockbuster superhero movie. Given the standards of that time, it’s only natural the film was adapted into a video game pretty much right away.

“Standard” is a fairly good way to describe Sega’s first Iron Man adaptation. Nearly everything about it is forgettable, including its story which largely follows the plot of the film. The game was touted as the start of Marvel and Sega’s relationship, and it certainly feels like something closer to a trial run.

It wasn’t until the release of Iron Man 2 that things started to get more interesting. That game featured an original story inspired by the events of the film but clearly separate from them. Once again, though, the most important thing about that story is how it (perhaps inadvertently) featured plot points and characters that would be seen in future MCU films.

Ghost is featured in Iron Man 2 years before the character appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp. A.I.M. is mentioned before the organization’s appearance in Iron Man 3. Ultimo is even featured in the game in a way that recalls certain plot points later seen in Age of Ultron.

All those characters and plot points are different in the game than how they appeared in future MCU films, but it remains fascinating that the sequel’s original story utilized concepts that Marvel would later revisit. The same is true of Sega’s 2011 Thor game which takes place before the first Thor film but features characters such as Surtur and Hela who wouldn’t appear in the MCU until Thor: Ragnarok.

All of these appearances could be dismissed rightfully so) as coincidences. Yet, when you add all of them together, you start to wonder what the long-term plans for these games were and whether or not there were ever any intentions of eventually making either them, or any future titles that may have been planned at that time, part of the MCU.

There’s very little official information to suggest that was ever the case, but the ways that Sega and Marvel changed how they talked about these games over time is certainly noteworthy. While the first Iron Man game was described as little more than an adaption of the movie it was based on, Sega started to create a little distance for themselves by using phrases like “same universe” in the PR statements that often announced these games.

The more you look at the history of these adaptations, the more you get the feeling that the relationship between Sega and Marvel also started to change and that the plans for these games changed along with it.

Was Captain America: Super Soldier Ever Supposed to Be Part of the MCU Canon?

While it’s easy to buy into the idea that there was once a time when Super Soldier was developed with the MCU canon in mind, the fact of the matter is that there is no evidence to support the idea that any video games based on the MCU films were ever supposed to be part of the MCU canon or were intended to directly set-up future films.

The genesis of that rumor seems to be both the early relationship between Sega and Marvel Studios as well as the fact that there are so many elements of Super Soldier that do lead into Captain America: Winter Soldier in their own strange way. In fact, it’s been said that an early draft of Winter Soldier featured more WW2 flashbacks. That has only given rise to the theory that there was a point where Winter Soldier would have tied into the events of WW2 a little more closely and that Super Soldier could have represented an early draft of those events.

What you have to keep in mind, though, is that the MCU was in a relative state of chaos at that time. Netflix was a few years away from debuting Marvel-based shows with a loose MCU relationship, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would generate significant confusion regardings its MCU relationship, and as we’ve discussed, these games confusingly existed within the universe of the Marvel films yet feature significant differences that put them in conflict with the stories and characters of those films.

Those games were seemingly little more than a symptom of a time when Disney and Marvel Studios either didn’t have as much control over the narrative of the MCU or were otherwise less interested in exercising that control and dictate everything the MCU touched. Of course, Disney and Marvel Studios would eventually “trim the fat” in terms of both their direct involvement in video game development and their willingness to spread the MCU beyond the big screen in a way that opened any room for ambiguity regarding the status of the canon.

If anything, the idea that Super Soldier was once meant to be canonical and help set-up both Winter Soldier and future MCU projects is a wish from those who always felt that the lack of notable MCU video games denied us the chance to live out some of the best theatrical experiences of the last 15 years. There’s always been a feeling that so much more could have been done with MCU games.

At the same time, Marvel executives had previously stated that they at least once considered certain comic issues to be canonical within the MCU. More importantly, Marvel Studios’ Creative Director of Research & Development, Will Corona Pilgrim, tweeted in 2012 that Marel Studios’ views towards those early games were best described as “Film Agnostic.”

@wyokid in a sense, yes. @cbake76 and the fellas over in Marvel Games like to use a term coined by TQ Jefferson as 'Film Agnostic'

— Will Corona Pilgrim (@willgrem) February 6, 2012

That statement suggests that Marvel may have, at one point, been working much more closely with the designers of those early MCU-based games and were perhaps even sharing resources and preferred source material. It also makes it much more likely that Marvel Studios members could have been inspired by certain ideas they saw in those games. After all, the Marvel Studios team didn’t necessarily acknowledge the existence of these games in a canonical sense, but they stopped short of outright denying their existence either. Still, the idea that they ever intended for any versions of these games to represent definitive MCU plans remains a very loose rumor, at best.

If nothing else, Super Soldier stands as an interesting look at an alternate timeline. No, I don’t mean the one where Winter Soldier’s story is based on the timeline where Super Soldier is part of the MCU canon. I’m talking about the one where Marvel continued to allow game developers to explore the MCU universe a little more freely. It may have been chaotic, but it certainly could have been fun.

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 years

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Exclusive Bias

With Xbox buying Bethesda, there’s been a ton of talk about exclusivity and if it’s good or bad for the consumer. As a gamer of, what? thirty-one years, i wanted to chime in a little on what i think this means. I am on record as being a straight up Sony shill. I’ve been team PlayStation since my brother brought home his friend’s copy of Final Fantasy IX some twenty years ago. Sony has been good to me in regards to content that i gravitate toward. I play a lot of RPGs and single player outings and that has been PlayStation’s emphasis since their inception. I love those types of game because, more of ten than not, they have the most compelling narratives. I do have the original Xbox but that’s basically to play literally six games; Dead or Alive 3, Dead or Alive Ultimate, Kotor, Kotor 2, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball. I also had Sudeki but that game is kind of trash. When the next gen came around, i bought a PS3 and never looked back.

Xbox became the console of the NA region. They have a lot of First Person shooters and cater hard to the battle royale crowd. Madden and 2k have a massive install base on the Microsoft console, not saying there aren’t that many on the PlayStation ideas i have been known to get down on a 2K every so often, but those games are easily more important to that system than Sony’s machine. I mean, Sony just makes great f*cking games and Microsoft doesn’t. I don’t care about Halo or Gears or whatever else they want to force my face into. I enjoy wast worlds with compelling characters like the Horizon series or the new God of War. Hell, even their licensed titles like that new Spider-Man game sh*t on everything that Xbox has to offer, which is why i think they shelled out so hard for Bethesda. Xbox is not a console built for my gaming tastes and this acquisition doesn’t change any of that. From what I've seen Microsoft pushing, buying Bethesda moves them farther away from my interests as a whole.

I love playing games. I have for years. The thing is, for me, narrative trumps game play in this genre. Video games are far more enriching entertainment that film, and we all know how much I love cinema. A cursory search through the archive on this blog will show you essay after essay, review after review, that I've written about movies. Video games take those experiences and profoundly expands upon them in every facet. The fact hat you can play a game, interact with the narrative instead of just experiencing a story being told to you, is amazingly rewarding to me. Once I played my first Final Fantasy title and understood what could be achieved with story in games, I was hooked. This turn toward the cinematic in both narrative and presentation with the PS2/Xbox era, lends itself to the core aspects of why I love movies as a whole. However, gaming is free from all of those Hollywood studio constraints. Unless you work for EA, 2K, or Activision. Those guys are assholes. Outside of those horrific companies, the creativity displayed with gaming is profound and some of the best narratives I've ever experienced, have been interactive. Even shooters and fighting games are starting to incorporate story into their game play heavy entries, all of which I adore. I love great story telling and video games present a medium that can give the most immersive take on those narratives. Bethesda tends to tell some very interesting stories but I don't know that their plots are enough for me to buy an Xbox. A lot of the titles I play tend to have more unique, original, worlds to explore outside of the pedestrian fare presented by the house that Todd Howard maintains.

I need to clarify that i play a ton of Japanese RPGs. I like their battle systems and like that they have a rather eclectic choices in how to deliver that type of content. Western developers often force an RPG into a hard fantasy world like Dragon Age or Elder Scrolls, which is fine because i generally enjoy fantasy stories, but i love sci-fi or a modernized version of a fantasy title even more. Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorite games of all time specifically for those reason. Off the top of my head, I can think of the Xeno franchise and Star Ocean games that give me something new, something different, but still grounded in sci-fi fantasy. That’s not to say the west doesn’t occasionally hit it out of the park. Mass Effect fast became one of my favorite titles in stark contrast to my aversion with shooters but that narrative and character writing was just too delicious not to get fat on, you know? Despite the shoddy nature of Andromeda, i still really enjoyed the character writing in that game, i just wish there was a better, overall, writing. Bethesda doesn’t have games like that. They don’t make titles that capture my imagination or lure me back in with grandiose worlds outside of that Arthurian or Tolkein-esque fantasy world. I don’t care for Elder Scrolls and my chick is the Fallout fan, even if she’s wavering due to how sh*tty 76 continues to be. I was looking forward to Starfield specifically for this reason but, knowing Bethesda and their hard on for the FPS, I probably would have passed on I anyway, RPG elements or not. The only games available on their roster currently that would even tweak my interests are maybe Doom and Wolfenstein but, even those are a near miss. I just don’t care for shooters. I don’t care about what Bethesda makes.

I think that’s the ultimate stance i have on this; I don’t care. Look, gaming is f*cking awesome and everyone should be able to play with everyone but I'm not going to sit here and say that a first party studio should be forced into supplying games to a direct competitor. It’d be nice if that were a thing, maybe have one of those timed exclusives or whatever, but I'm not ignorant of commerce. I know that in-house studios don’t have to share with outsiders and i am okay with that as long as the quality of games doesn’t diminish. Do i hope Bethesda continues to release on the PlayStation platform? Sure but that’s mostly because my chick likes their games, not me. I asked her of this merger was enough to buy an Xbox if Bethesda went exclusive and she said, rather frankly, no. There’s not enough content coming out of that company to warrant another five hundred dollar purchase, especially since we are both, for sure, getting a PS5. The fact that the aforementioned Horizon and God of are are almost certainly going to be exclusive to Sony is more than enough to secure that purchase but it looks like Final Fantasy XVI is going exclusive, too. Probably limited but still, I'll have that game long before Xbox receives it. It might suck for the Microsoft lot but i am indifferent to it. Sony makes better games for me and my tastes so my loyalties lie there, exclusivity or not.

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smokeybrand · 4 years

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Exclusive Bias

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miuplays · 4 years

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Miu’s Games of the Decade

Hello all! Wishing you a Happy New Year wherever you are in the world! It’s already January 1st where I am, but I’m sure people are still counting down in other parts of the world. But anywho! I wanted to end the year with a celebration of some of my favorite games released this decade. The 2010’s have been an incredible year for video games, I think. With strides made in graphics, scale, and storytelling, I think this has been easily one of the most innovative eras on all fronts. I hope you enjoy this list of a few of my favorites, and hopefully some of your favorites are here as well! If not, make a list of your own and share it with me! I’d love to see some of your opinions.

But without further ado, on to the countdown…

2010 – FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS

This game, for me, set the standard for what every RPG game should be. From its worldbuilding, to character interactions and on-the-nose commentary, to the way it expands the Fallout universe both mechanically and through storytelling. Of all the Fallout games, this is the one that left the biggest impact on me, and it’s the one I still reflect on to this day.

Honorable Mentions – Bayonetta, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2, Bioshock 2

2011 – DRAGON AGE II

So I looooove Dragon Age. It’s, in my opinion, one of the best RPG franchises ever made, and this game in particular is easily my favorite in the series. The writing is at its best, and every character is so loveable that I found myself playing it multiple times just so I could romance everybody. Despite some structural issues in the overall story, I still consider it to be one of the most memorable in the franchise, and I don’t regret a single hour put into this campaign.

Honorable Mentions – Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dark Souls, Portal 2, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2012 – DISHONORED

As RPG-heavy as this list is, I do wanna give some love to immersive sims. Another favorite genre of mine, and Dishonored is by and large one of the best. I found myself entangled in a number of sticky situations that I had to sleuth and stealth my way out of one too many times. Yet they somehow managed to make that the best part of the game. Player freedom and creativity are practically the foundation of this game, and it’s something that made this game not only an enjoyable and unique experience the first time around, but its replay value is through the roof. I do think that later installments in the series, as well as other immersive sim games like Prey, definitely improved upon this one in a lot of areas. But regardless, I still really enjoyed Dishonored, and I’m holding out hope for the future of the series.

Honorable Mentions – Sleeping Dogs, Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2, The Walking Dead

2013 – THE LAST OF US

I’m sure you’re all surprised, but yes. The Last of Us is my GOTY for 2013, and possibly my favorite game of all time. Before playing this, I’ve never had a game put me in such a state of emotional duress for an extended period of time. Not even MGS3’s ending did what this game did to me. And even as I’m typing this, I realize that the technical aspects of this game—the graphics, mechanics, level design, etc.—aren’t what makes it stand out in my opinion. My favorite part of this game has to be the journey. The connection between Ellie and Joel (two characters so brilliantly portrayed by Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker). My love for these characters and my desire to see them succeed despite all of the hardships and challenging decisions they were faced with. That’s why I love this game. It is, for me, the most incredible storytelling experience I’ve ever had.

Honorable Mentions – Grand Theft Auto V, Tomb Raider, The Wolf Among Us, Injustice: Gods Among Us

2014 – BAYONETTA 2

The Queen has made it onto this list, and I have nothing but praise for the greatest hack n’ slash game ever made. Character design? Stellar. Combat system? Robust, intricate, and absolutely flaw-fucking-free. Improves upon its predecessor in every way imaginable and still remains as stylish and fun as ever? 100%.

If you haven’t played this game yet, please stop reading this and go play this game. It is… phenomenal.

Honorable Mentions – Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dark Souls II, Alien: Isolation, Tales from the Borderlands

2015 – THE WITCHER 3: WILD HUNT

What can I say about this game that hasn’t already been said, like, 9 million times…?

It’s legendary. Simply put. A flawless and unforgettable RPG experience that simply cannot be replicated. Also, I would die for Yennefer. And Ciri of Cintra is the love of my life.

Honorable Mentions – Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Life is Strange, Mortal Kombat X

2016 – HYPER LIGHT DRIFTER

The only indie game on this list, but its spot is well deserved. What has always set video games apart from other storytelling mediums is interactivity. Despite this, I feel like most games still rely on heavy dialogue and cinematic cutscenes in order to spin its narrative. Which is why I’m so appreciative of games like this, where art and exploration are key to understanding the world and the happenings around you. Hyper Light Drifter is a gorgeous game, with challenging combat and beautiful, stylish music and design that will have you feeling both nostalgic and mesmerized. Even in its quieter moments the game remains so rich and thoughtful, and even now it’s hard to decipher my feelings afterwards. A mixture of melancholy, delight, and solace. It’s a journey I thoroughly enjoyed taking.

Honorable Mentions – DOOM, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Titanfall 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

2017 – HORIZON: ZERO DAWN

This year was a solid year for games, which made this decision insanely difficult… but after a lot of deliberating, I decided to go with my gut. Aloy stole my heart the moment she came on the screen. She’s an incredible leading lady who’s strong, determined, complicated, and layered in ways that both intrigued me and that I could relate to. But beyond just my crush on the game’s protagonist, the scope of this game is just… fantastic. The way they mixed post-apocalyptic tribalism with futuristic technology, the physics of every monster you encounter being so dynamic that every battle feels viscerally intense, even just the combat mechanics and how much effort was put into designing Aloy’s bow and her diversity of combat options, I’m just so!!!! In LOVE with this game!!!!!!!

Honorable Mentions –Tekken 7, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Butterfly Soup

2018 – GOD OF WAR

Yet another game that I’ve showered in so much praise that I don’t think there’s anything left for me to say about it anymore. This game is flawless for a number of reasons. Its meticulously crafted combat system, amazing graphics, beautiful character and game design, gorgeous score, and seamless transitions from action to story that make it feel like a film taken in one single camera shot are all key selling points. But what sold me on this game, and makes it my top pick for this year, was its compelling narrative. The story is one that’s very personal to me. I felt for them and their loss at the very start of the game. I resonated with Atreus and his struggles to connect with his father. And I understood Kratos’ inner battle with coming to terms with who he is and the things he’s done, and trying to be the father his son deserves. I related to these things, as they resembled all to closely the relationship I had with my own mom. God of War moved me in more ways than one, and I’m very thankful that this game exists. I felt like it was my own story being told on that screen as well.

Also… the boss fights are just so fucking fun.

Honorable Mentions – Spider-Man (PS4), Red Dead Redemption 2, Gris, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

2019 – RESIDENT EVIL 2: REMAKE

This may be a more controversial pick considering the amount of quality games that came out this year, and I know most of my viewers were probably expecting Control or The Outer Worlds to be here considering how much I hyped those games up. But in my defense, Resident Evil 2 was already one of my all-time favorite games, and this remake nothing short of a masterpiece. To me, it’s what every horror game should be. The atmosphere is dark yet engrossing. Every aspect of design, from sounds to levels to enemies, make this one of the scariest horror games I’ve ever played, all without relying on jumpscares, or grotesque imagery (although there’s plenty of that as well, it’s not what makes the experience so horrifying imo). It’s one of the most beautifully crafted survival horrors, while manages to improve upon the original while still remaining faithful to it. I consider it a masterclass in how to approach any remake. Capcom truly earned back my trust with this one.

Honorable Mentions – Control, Katana ZERO, The Outer Worlds, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

And so concludes the list! I hope you enjoyed reading, despite how lengthy it got. I wanted to get out as much praise as I could because every game listed here deserves it. I’m in love with every single one, including so many more that weren’t mentioned. It was truly an amazing decade for gamers and game developers alike, and I’m nothing but optimistic for the future.

See you all next year.

– ミウ。

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h2smedia · 4 years

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Best Upcoming PS5 Games for 2020 to keep your eyes on

Along with the launch of Xbox Series X, the Sony PS5 will also launch at the same month, which is holiday 2020. Just like Xbox Series X, the Sony alPS5so bringing their 10th gen gaming console, which is Playstation 5. Though the announcement of the PS5 launch news came to the market earlier than the Xbox Series X, after the news of Series X most of the console lovers started comparing both consoles with each other to determine which is better and which one they should get. As per the looks, Playstation 5 is way better than Xbox Series X, you can take it from an Xbox lover like me. If you compare the specifications Xbox may prove to be better in some cases, to know more about the specifications read other articles & blogs on PS5 and Xbox on this website and decide yourself which is better. But, when the war is between two gaming consoles, the main question arise that which are the main exclusive games offering by these consoles. As we know, even all the Xbox users know that PS5 always comes on top in case of exclusive games, which makes them the fan-favourite. In this article, we are going to discuss the upcoming exclusive games for PS5, for which you should buy PS5 and you won’t regret. Most of those games would also have support for their 9th gen counterpart which is PS4 but with cut-down in graphics and FPS for sure. The biggest titles like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy, Spider-Man, Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed, The Elder Scrolls, etc. have already lined up for PS5 launch. Apart from them, other upcoming titles like Cyberpunk, Lord of the Rings, Horizon Zero Dawn 2, God of War 2, Ghost of Tsushima etc. are also lined up and showing huge promise according to their game trailers. Note: Images are just for reference.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 for PS5

Story-wise Call of Duty: Black Ops 5 is going to be Cold War-related and the game is going to be a loaded FPS game and going be launch at fall 2020. Story is set on the Cold War, unlike any other Call of Duty instalments beforeHeritage FPS shooting gameGoing be launch on both PS4 & PS5Probably going to feature a huge Multiplayer mode as well There is a piece of bad news for some people as this game is going to be a cross-platform game, and going to release both on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. The good thing is the generation of the game would be also cross-generation so that 9th and 10th both generation’s console holders can play this game. But to get the best out of the game you should own the 10th console like Playstation 5 as the game is designed for 10th gen actually.

The project is being headed by the Californian-based game developer Treyarch. If you buy PS5 then you can enjoy the game in higher resolution and in higher FPS. 4K 60 FPS gameplay is conformed in PS5, apart from that the SSD will provide you zero-waiting loading time, and the powerful GPU is going to ensure the highest level of performance.

Horizon Zero Dawn 2 - PlayStation 5 exclusive

As always Horizon Zero Dawn is going to be an exclusive PlayStation game, based on the same futuristic Robot ruled the world, this game is going to explode with the graphics presentation this time with the power of Playstation 5. Exclusive Title for PlayStation onlyOptimized especially for PS5, so out of the world graphics and ultra-level 4K 90 FPS can be expectedLaunching just with the PS5 itself, so it would make a great bundle dealSSD performance would make the gameplay experience even smoother

As last time with the 9th gen console’s marketing, the Xbox lost the battle to the PS4 due to PlayStation’s awesome exclusive game collections, even with the 10th consoles with games like Horizon Zero Dawn 2 on PlayStation’s side, the same could happen again. The game is an original one, no remake of any old classic games, where Horizon features a far-future game world where gigantic robotic machines ruling the Earth, along with that world they feature immersive graphics as well. Along with the awesome graphics and huge explore-able world they feature an addictive open-world role play like Assassin’s Creed or Tomb Raider gameplay. This fully-featured game won the heart of millions of players last time, they are going to do the same with Horizon 2 as well. This time with the next-gen AMD Navi GPU and Octa-core AMD Zen 2 CPU PS5 is more powerful than ever, and it is going to serve you the best possible graphics and performance for sure.

Cyberpunk 2077

This one is a game for which everyone is waiting for since the last E3 conference. This game features some crazy casting like Keanu Reeves and some others. The game features dystopian society and outlawed groups along with an RPG experience. Being developed by the same developers as The WitcherGraphics is not just good actually it is the sate-of-the-art level.A full-fledged RPG experience with a player decisive choice to influence the story outcome.Based on established IP (Intellectual Property) This game is being developed by the CD Projekt Developers, the fine team behind the “The Witcher” series. Cyberpunk 2077 is going to feature a fantasy-based future world of dystopian California. https://youtu.be/qIcTM8WXFjk Like any great RPG game, Cyberpunk 2077 is also going to be an Open world, player based decisive role-playing game, where the players have to select eight different operatives, customize and control them according to the story. Accordance to the players' choices and decisions the outcome and ending will differ in various ways. There are many alternative endings are possible, which the players will have to discover. This game is going to launch on PS5 after the launch of Playstation 5, but officially this game is going to launch on April 2020 and this one not going to be an exclusive game, as it will also be released on various platforms like, Xbox One, PC, PS4, PS5 etc. But, for sure Cyberpunk 2077 is going to one of those very first games to be launched for the PS5 10th gen console. Though according to me if you want to enjoy the Cyberpunk 2077 at its fullest then wait for the PS5 launch. With the powerful specs of Playstation 5, you would be able to unlock all the performance nodes of Cyberpunk's Red Engine 4 based developments. As the art-style is just like the Blade Runner-style, so the PS5 featuring Radeon Navi GPU, Ryzen 7nm Zen 2 CPU, and super-fast SSD are actually the hardware you would need to get the best performance along with the best graphics of this game.

Ghost of Tsushima for PS5

A Samurai styled RPG (Role Playing Game) with a stunning graphics and the outstanding storyline is coming up with the name of Ghost of Tsushima. This game was first teased back at 2017, and at 2019 E3 the trailer and gameplay were launched. This one is a piece of art many players are waiting for. Feudal Japan setting is super cool.Swordplay looks amazing, many players do prefer swordplay than a gunfight.Authentic Japanese score will give you an extra feel.Cinematic presentation makes the game more intuitive.An exclusive for PlayStation only. After the gameplay trailer launched, suddenly this game attracted a lot of attention towards it, but the game was announced for PS4 mainly, however when the PS5 news aroused, the developers of Ghost of Tsushima also turned to more agile towards the cross-gen compatibility. So, it has now been confirmed that this game is going to be launched on PS4 first but afterwards, with the release of PS5, the ghost of Tsushima will also be available for PS5 as well. The game is being developed by Sucker Punch Productions who previously developed the “Infamous” series. https://youtu.be/kSAvzeopPC8 Like I said about Cyberpunk 2077, the same stands for Ghost of Tsushima as well. As this game is very much Artwork and cinematic presentation dependent, the best of this game will be coming out with the best hardware only. So, it would be wise if you buy this game on PS5 instead of PS4, to enjoy the game at max graphics and performance. With Playstation 5 you will have guaranteed 4K 60 FPS and 8K 30 FPS performance. Also, this one is an exclusive PlayStation game, so if you own the game it will be a matter of pride for you as a console gamer.

God of War 2

Here comes one of the biggest PlayStation exclusive of all time, God of War. The God of War 2 (or whatever the name will be) has not been officially announced, but it has been spotted that the developers of Sony Santa Monica, was hiring for their God of war 2 projects through their career website back at the Q4 2018. The first instalment of God of war for PS4 was even better than the originalsPlayStation ExclusiveThe immersive graphics will flourish along with the PS5 specs. If you have played the God of War originals and the reboot version, then you know this for sure that Sony made the reboot version even better than the originals. In terms of gameplay, graphics, aesthetics, sensitivity, story presentation, everything was better with God of War reboot than the already awesome God of War original series.

When the God of War reboot on PS4 got that heartwarming received by the fans around the world, there part 2 is going to happen normally, and anyone can tell that. So yes, the God of War 2 is coming, and most probably it will be a mainstream release for PS5 users. The PS4 version for God of War 2 is still not confirmed. God of War is going to feature best in the industry graphics and going to look awesome with 120Hz display support with 4K 60 FPS and even better in 8K 30 FPS. So, for the PlayStation fans and the God of War fans, this game can be a sole reason to buy a PS5 in the upcoming season. God of war 2 is something which is ought to be 10th gen, therefore if you are still thinking about PS5, it is recommended not to think anymore, and start saving for it.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy is not loved by all kind of gamers, by there is a huge community, who do use PlayStation just to play this exclusive game year after year. The Square Enix president and CEO, Yosuke Matsuda, have officially announced about the launch of Final Fantasy XII Remake, so the JRPG game lovers are waiting impatiently since then. It is a remake of a god-tier JRPG120Hz and 120 FPS gameplay guaranteedPerfectly used the Ray Tracing BusterAnother PS5 exclusive According to the official announcement this game is going to be a cross-gen game, so it will be supported on both the PS4 and PS5. But whether you have played the Final Fantasy VII on PS4, then playing the remake on the same console is just bizarre. As the remake game is meant to be more graphics enthusiast then playing the game with better hardware is recommended any day, hence PS5 is the way for you. https://youtu.be/tEPb8uQ27BI The PS4 version of the game will hit the market at 3rd week of March 2020 but the PS5 version will come up with the launch of the PS5 itself. One more update is there about the new engine of the game which is going to be Unreal Engine 4, so you can expect the maximum from the game along with PS5. Also experiencing the legendary Final Fantasy VII on 4K 120 FPS 120 Hz is something which no Final Fantasy fan would want to miss, plus do not forget that Final Fantasy is a PlayStation exclusive.

The Elder Scrolls VI on PS5

This one is a legendary game, and I myself a big fan of the Elder Scrolls Series. Thus, when it comes to playing Elder Scrolls with intense graphics with 4K HD R and along with 60+FPS, then I would say Hell Yes. A new game engine is being usedThe performance is going to be so optimized that the developers are claiming it to PC-level gameplay experienceThe game is even more expanding, so it will be featuring a bigger map and many more interactions throughout the map. Elder Scrolls VI has been claimed as one of the biggest launches for PS5 at the time of E3 2018. So, this game is going to be worth trying. But there is a point that Elder Scrolls is not an exclusive game, as it is going to be released for Windows PC, Mac PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo switch all the platforms. The game is being developed by their legacy developer Bethesda and going to be a big name on the 10th gen game list. https://youtu.be/OkFdqqyI8y4 When Elder Scrolls VI was first teased at the time of E3 2018, they did not say anything about the PS5 launch, but when both of the 10th console’s release timings have been confirmed, there it can be easily deduced that the developers are making the changes to make this game also a 10th gen console supported. So, with 10th gen consoles like Xbox series X or PS5, this game is going to provide you 4K 60 FPS gameplay, with the intense graphics. For best and optimum gameplay, the developers are suggesting this game should be played on a console rather than PC.

Spider-Man 2

Yes, Spider-Man is coming again to web you up. This time it is meant for 10th gen gameplay mainly. So, playing Spider-Man on PS4 would be a waste of money and you would not get the same performance or experience as PS5 for sure. Till the date of Spider-Man games, this one is going to feature the biggest map.The gameplay is much smoother, and less complex this time. So, pulling off complex stunts using simple button mashing is going to be easier.Due to SSD optimization, this game is going to be a much responsive one this time.PlayStation exclusive As this game is one of the most popular games around the world, and an exclusive one, this game has been always a pressure point on the players because of which they bought PlayStation. That pressure point is still on, and even this time Spider-Man 2 is going to be a PlayStation exclusive game. Actually Spider-Man 2 is going to be a PS5 game, but a PS4 version will also follow. However, playing a 10th gen game on a 9th gen console is not something I would suggest.

The largely non-interactable world of the primary game can be given an actual jolt, with the energy on tap in the PS5 allowing more NPCs, environmental information and, crucially, the capacity to visit each indoor and outdoor local without prolonged loading screens. It might be awfully exceptional to move to get shouted at by way of J. Jonah Jameson at The Daily Bugle, for example, while not having to take a seat via a humdrum you're-going-inside-a-building transition. The fact that Mark Cerny himself has confirmed that the brand new SSD within the PlayStation 5 allows the original Spider-Man to load 18-times faster than on PS4 also shows that the sequel would load, to begin with much faster, too, whilst the reality that greater in-game belongings will be addressed after which loaded much quicker manner than Spider-Man himself ought to be able to move via it quicker and at a smoother frame-rate as well.

Uncharted 5

Uncharted has always been a pinnacle at PlayStation’s library, as it is an exclusive to PlayStation, good story, cinematic gameplay, fun to play fun to watch a game. This time the story will continue from Cassie’s point of view where she picks up Nathan’s love for treasure hunting adventures. So yes, this game is going to be a sequel of Uncharted4: A Thief’s End.

As per the Thief's End epilogue, there were hints about there are more to comeEpic graphics, special effects and cinematic action scenes would look jaw-dropping on PS5Would be PlayStation exclusive for sure. Its developer, Naughty Dog, are currently working hard, and the game is not launched is soon, as the team is working on Last of Us 2, another PlayStation Exclusive. Uncharted 5 is reportedly to be launched at the end of 2021 or at the middle of 2022. Even the name of Uncharted 5 is not confirmed yet.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

The legendary Lord of the Rings is getting another game from the German developers Daedalic Entertainment, which is going to named as lord of the Rings: Gollum and going to feature the legendary fictional character Gollum as the centre character of the game. Features the rich world of Lord of the Rings in an interactive wayGoing to be one of the best Action-Adventure games of the yearA full-fledged RPG where your decision would impact the story-flow of the game directlyWill uncover many other storylines related to Lord of the Rings world and novels which are not covered in movies.

It is not cleared yet that this game is going to be an instalment of Middle Earth series or not, which other franchises based on the same fictional world of the Lord of the Rings. The point is, this game is going to feature a kind of graphics which is going to be so serious that you would be needing a $2500 PC to play the game nicely. There you can grab a Console in a much cheaper price, even the 10th gen console, and can play the same game in 4K 60FPS. So, playing this kind of graphics immersive game on console is sometimes a better deal in terms of money and gaming experience. Yes, this one is not a console exclusive game, as it is going to release on Windows PC, Xbox and PlayStation, but no update for 9th gen console support yet.

Sniper Elite 5

The developer of the Sniper Elite series, Rebellion, has already announced they are working on the post-production of Sniper Elite 5. Sniper Elite is a good game, not a great one, but unlike me, you may be interested in Sniper Elite 5. https://youtu.be/CpW974q2O-8 The game is even better in terms of performance with the PS5 as it is going to be featured as a 10th gen game.This time the mission environments or the maps are going to be even bigger than last time.The audio system is fairly tweaked and upgraded, to make the player aware of the presence of the enemy nearby.This time the game comes with the 4K 60 FPS support, thanks to the 10th gen consoles.Not a console exclusive, but fans are going to try the same on consoles for sure.

GTA 6 (VI) for PS5

Yes, it is Grand Theft Auto or so-called as GTA, and this is the GTA VI this time. Many of the players stared gaming because of GTA. There are still many players who do play GTA regularly and they only play GTA over again and again. GTA probably has the largest fan base of all the games, and especially in RPG games, there is no doubt that GTA is The Most Popular game around the world around all community of gamers. Another huge new and epic map to discoverAnother new story and loads of adventures to experienceOne of the very few RPG which you will play 10 times before you get bored.The graphics are more immersive this time.A true 10th gen flagship gameLaunching just with the PS5 launch, so you can get a great bundle deal. The developers are Rockstar Games, as GTA is their flagship game. This time they are working even harder to put a better storyline this time. Also, another multiplayer universe is going to be featured with this game. GTA will be followed by many other worth experiencing DLC after the launch of the game to take the story and the fun even further. Like always GTA is not an exclusive game, but experiencing a game like GTA is worth it with consoles only. While it PS5 you are going to get the best gaming experience due to the optimization along with 4K 60+FPS gameplay. Though GTA is a very good choice for Xbox lovers as well.

Assassin's Creed: Kingdom

Assassin’s Creed next instalment has been confirmed by multiple sources, even by Kotaku. This time Assassin’s Creed is going to feature the society of Vikings and the expectations are at highest peak already. The new world, new map, new adventures, new story, new uncoverings, new characters.Viking age settings and we all know that Assassin’s Creed is great at presenting any era and historical events.Great Naval combats are induced, this time the naval combats are going to be better than Black FlagThey took the game 2 years two develop, so you can imagine how much hard work and new things have been induced in the game. This time Assassin’s Creed is going to be even better than the last part as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey received mixed reviews. So, this time Ubisoft is not risking their brand name and flagship game’s future again. To get the best experience, of the game and to play this game at 4K 60 FPS in a cheap price, getting a 10th gen console like Xbox series X or PS5 is a better option than investing a fortune in a PC. Other Games announced for PS5 Dragon Age 4 has been announced and set to release in 2022, so not soon. BioWare is making the game. They also said it will be nothing like the previous editions, so the players can expect a lot of changes and new things from this game.Final Fantasy XIV has also been announced and set to release at 2021. This one is going to be an MMO game and is getting developed by Square Enix.League of Legends: Wild Drift with 100 million active players around the world on PC platform of this game, this time it comes to console at last. In the console, the matches will be shorter and faster. This time this game is not only made for a console but for mobile devices and Nintendo also. As the developers are on the verge to beat all the competitors in MOBA games around the world at all platforms. Huge control shifts can be seen to be played on a streamlined control on consoles and mobiles. So, I do not expect much from the game, but there is a lot to discover about the console version of the game. The console gamers who have never tried MOBA games before, this the time for you to turn up. The launch will happen at Q3-Q4 2020. Dying Light 2 is another game which is going to be a survival-horror game and going to be released on Q4 2020, on all the platforms. Other Articles: Top 10 free and offline addictive games for Android device 11 Best free Action Games on Google Play Store for Android How to Install Call of Duty Mobile on PC What is Cloud gaming? Everything about streaming games Read the full article

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dpillustrations · 7 years

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Dunkirk and The Sacred Humanism of Christopher Nolan

"You can almost see it from here."

"What?"

"Home."

As what I have come to expect from a Nolan film, Dunkirk is an entirely unique and profound experience. Although I'm not a war or history buff, Nolan's cinematic portrait of the struggle and survival of the men at Dunkirk is deeply moving and beautiful to behold. I could only describe the feeling as being like looking upon a painting of the Masters, which to some might not sound particularly inspiring, but coming from a visual artist like myself, means a lot. When studying a work of art from Rembrandt or El Greco or Da Vinci, what you noticed is the meticulous and intentional care in how they apply their brushstrokes, how the light and shadows create mood and atmosphere, and how they capture depth and meaning in what they choose to depict. It is the same while watching a Nolan film, and it was most certainly the case for Dunkirk.

It is his most visual film to date. Sparse in dialogue, the emotions and feelings that it evokes come mostly from the visuals - in what he chooses to show us and *not* show us, because both are equally important. Like for example, I loved how we never see the faces of the enemy. Even at the end with the capture of the pilot, they are just blurred shadows moving against the backdrop of a red sunset. This deliberate hiddenness conveys further the sense of ominous dread, with the enemy harassing them and the promise of death from all sides. There is also another reason why I think he chose to do this, of which I'll come to later.

In any case, Dunkirk is undoubtedly a masterpiece of filmmaking, with such a sense of sacredness underneath the desperation and horror. That was what struck me most, that love towards humanity and the sublimity of perseverance. The tension is extreme, to be sure. Nolan understands how to immerse his audience in any mood, and his creative and dexterous use of the timeline structure of the battle was done in a way only Nolan could do, but it was really the heart of the film that struck me first. I had heard much of Dunkirk even before I saw it, and one of the main themes of criticism was the lack of emotional investment in the characters and the events. I had quite the opposite reaction, however, feeling deeply for the characters and their predicament. I loved every one of the mini storylines, each bringing their own powerful emphasis on the human experience during war.

Straight away from the opening sequence where we meet our soulful main protagonist, I was drawn into their struggle to survive and get home. Probably my favorite storyline being the family on the boat, with what happens to George because of Cillian Murphy's character. It was so incredibly sad, but real and terrible – a heartrending portrait of the casualties of war – which aren't always on the battlefield and those killed aren't always soldiers. Not that I would know by any personal experience, but simply from an artistic point of view, I think it had a lot to say.

Yet each story and character had its own piece to say, and it spoke true. I had read that Nolan called this film a "survival story", and not a war film, and I believe that's exactly what this film is. Interestingly, I see some of the same themes carrying over from Interstellar. Dylan Thomas' poem which had such a pivotal place in that film, could have easily been used for Dunkirk! "Do not go gentle into that good night..." - is precisely the feeling you get as you watch this film, and are echoed in the words of Churchill by the end, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!' - "Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" Nolan's humanism is such a strong theme of his films, and made even more so through his rendering of this miraculous historical event. And this is where things get *really* interesting.

You see in all my reading of the criticisms leveled against Nolan's film, there is actually one piece of criticism that is strangely absent from any review that I've read, and it is one that I think is key in understanding why Nolan chose to tell Dunkirk as he did. It was actually my Mom who had pointed this out to me, that while it was certainly miraculous that the English people rallied together to rescue the men trapped upon those shores, it wasn't the *only* one that happened that day nor technically the most miraculous. There were actually a list of unexplained events that occurred which allowed the rescue attempt to even happen and succeed at all!

One: The timing of very poor weather conditions, which prevented much of the German approach from the air. And there was fog that developed between the Germans and the Allies which helped in obscuring them as well.

Two: Despite this turbulent weather all around them, somehow the beaches were quite calm, and the English Channel remained strangely still, which even on days of pleasant weather was very unusual! This enabled the swift and speedy passage of the civilian boats, who would not have handled well in extreme conditions otherwise.

Three: The mysterious decision that came from Hitler to stop the German advancement, despite having the Allies surrounded and at his mercy – the reasoning of which is still being discussed and researched today!

My Mom had expressed disappointment in not seeing any of these events play out, as these are considered all part of the miracle that happened that day. Which then raises a question, why did Nolan choose not to highlight any of these crucial facts? And in answering it, we see exactly what Nolan does so well (and what I love about him the most) – the creation of art from ideas themselves.

There are themes that he uses consistently in all of his movies which all stem from his secular humanistic ideas. As I mentioned, Interstellar shares this theme strongly with Dunkirk, as it was in that film that the bulk beings of the higher dimension are the evolved humanity which used the tesseract to save humanity in its past. As Cooper says, "But they didn't bring us here at all. We brought ourselves." - Interstellar was about Mankind saving itself, about human conquest over death, and the glory of humanity as an entity onto itself – with its one chief and noble feature being Love. In the same way, Nolan molds the events of Dunkirk through this lens. He intentionally strips everything down to a very narrow focus. The isolated, empty landscapes and shots, the lack of gore and blood, the focus on survival rather than the politics of the war - all these aspects distill the story down to its most basic idea: of people struggling together to overcome insurmountable odds, of people risking their lives so that others may come home. – Mankind’s love for Mankind. This is Nolan’s divinity.

This is why I believe he never lets us see the face of the enemy, even calling them "The Enemy" in the opening title cards – not the Germans. He doesn't name them, and he doesn't put a *human* face to them. This keeps any hostile connotation associated with the concept of humanity from being expressed in this film, which seeks to showcase the warm, brave and heroic human spirit of the English and French that day.

And so, for this reason, no mention of the strange occurrences of the weather are brought into the story either, because even during that time the English associated those miracles as an act of God. There was a National Day of Prayer on May 26th, just before all those anomalies occurred, and after Dunkirk, a Day of National Thanksgiving. Whatever you may believe about what had happened that day, it is clear what the English believed. It was then very crucial for Nolan's controlled narrative to not mention even an implied "higher power" gave rescue that day.

This attention to themes is also shown in the characters and their stories as well, where we see this ideal portrayal of humanity’s loves towards one another:

Peter and his father both show mercy on Cillian Murphy’s character by not burdening him with George’s death.

Peter gets George’s name in the newspaper as one of the heroes at Dunkirk.

Our protagonist stands up for the poor Frenchman during the scene with the soldiers trying to kick him off the sinking boat.

Commander Bolton selflessly stays back for the French.

All these moments and elements are crafted meticulously from the palette of Nolan’s ideas, and he paints a compelling picture of humanity, with all its frailties and all its strengths, with the absolute reverence of a Michelangelo. For Nolan understands the medium of ideas as deftly as a sculpture understands the stone, especially when being expressed through the visual language of film, and how an idea can become powerful and resilient within a story. So that in any one of his films, whether he is dealing with black holes or historical events, you must always ask yourself:"Are you watching closely?"

I would highly recommend watching Nerdwriter's The Prestige analysis on YouTube. He describes perfectly why Nolan’s films are so effective in immersing the audience, and how many of his films are meta-narratives - reflections on the filmmaking process itself.

“What do you see?”

“Home.”

#Dunkirk #Christopher Nolan #humanism #secular humanism #ideas #analysis

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insanityclause · 2 years

Text

Here’s the Radio Times article - from Lexis,Nexis so no pictures

THEIR FINEST; Ahead of the Baftas, RT celebrates the stars of last year's biggest hits who have a lot more to look forward to in 2022…

Export Citation

Radio Times

May 3, 2022

Edition 1, National Edition

Section: FEATURES; Pg. 8,9

Length: 679 words

Byline: RACHELL SMITH

Body

TOM HIDDLESTON

The actor talks Shakespearean supervillains and mythical sea serpents

"Genuinely. I remember thinking: 'Wow. How does that person I've never met know how that feels?'

"That's the thing that matters, that we connect with each other and feel less alone in the world… Maybe." He bursts out laughing.

good, as they say."

He also immersed himself in research for his mischievous Marvel villain, who was given his own Disney+ series last year. Loki started

life one afternoon in 2008, when Hiddleston jumped into Kenneth Branagh's dressing room at Wyndham's Theatre in London and attacked him with a water cooler. The pair were appearing in Chekhov's play Ivanov, and Branagh had just been announced as director of the new Marvel movie, Thor. Hiddleston thought it would be fun to pretend the water cooler was a battle axe. Branagh decided there and then to cast him as Loki, God of Mischief and brother of Thor.

Recently widowed amateur naturalist Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) heads to the coast, her head filled with the theories of Charles Darwin, hoping to find a "living fossil". But

her presence unnerves the locals - including Hiddleston's character, Will Ransome, the local vicar who is desperately trying to contain the anxieties of his parishioners while undergoing a crisis of faith himself. "It was funny making it during this time because it's about uncertainty," says Hiddleston. "How, if you don't have the answers, the imagination can rush in to fill the void."

"But it was good for atmosphere," he concludes. Before adding with a mischievous grin - "Anything unpredictable is always good on

set."

The Essex Serpent will be available on Apple TV+ from Friday 13 May

nb - Thanks @stuffstuff1757. I've also posted it separately.

#submission

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ges-sa · 6 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://ges-sa.com/the-red-dead-redemption-2-review/

The Red Dead Redemption 2 Review

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Imagine for a second; you’re alone; sitting on a beautiful white stallion, wind bouncing of your face as the cigar smoke raise past your eyes, creating a mist over the horizon that only your eyes get to see. You’re a free man, riding with your gang to create havoc for your own gain everywhere you go. This is the life, this is the life indeed. What more could you ask for?

Red Dead Redemption 2. The highly anticipated sequel to the extremely successful Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar Games created a silent hype around this game that no one really understood. The advertising was discrete, the events weren’t publicized to the extreme, yet, the game was still highly anticipated, which we all know comes with its own set of problems as we all know. The thing we all wondered was; will this game stand the test? Will it be a continuous cycle of bugs and glitches considering the amount of lines of code put into this game? Let’s talk about that.

The Beginning

You know when you start a game and you’re like tired after 30 minutes because the tutorial really like takes it out of you? Well that’s something RDR2 really does well, they drag the tutorial out over an entire chapter of the game, subtly giving you direction and not off the bat hitting you with “Push forward the left analog stick to walk forward”. I mean, we are all gamers and we know the basics, please Devs; stop doing this (I’m talking to you Nintendo).

The game plays out beautifully from the start. The scenes are set and the characters are introduced far apart enough for you not to be overwhelmed and giving you time to remember each persons and identify the Protagonists by accent, traits and roles. The first thing I noticed about the game was the insanely beautiful landscapes and vast open areas, even though you start in the Northern Snow Mountains.

Story Line

Playing as the antagonistic protagonist, Arthur Morgan, you fall under Dutch Van Der Linde’s gang with the likes of Hosea Matthews, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella, Micah Bell, Sadie Adler, Charles Smith, and many more. It’s 1899 and the gang has just escaped their hideout in Blackwater, they are on the run, wanted dead or alive in and around the Blackwater area. The gang settle around Valentine, Hanover and have to fend for themselves, leaving you and some of the other members to do all the hunting, jobs and whatever you can to bring in some money. Dutch catches wind of a train that is passing by that he gang can hit seamlessly. This train belong to Leviticus Cornwall, an oil magnate, who gets the Pinkerton Detective Agency in to investigate the heist. Ultimately leading to a shootout in the main town Valentine, forcing the gang to uproot and move down south to Rhodes, Lemoyne. Here, Dutch gets the gang involved in local law enforcement and come to find out that 2 wealthy families are at war, and decides to use both families against each other and hopefully walking out the richest of the 3. These chapters really set up for the rest of the story, which I won’t spoil because it get juicy and good, no spoilers. Also I am only one chapter ahead of this so I even I am seeing the story unfold right now.

Gameplay

I will not lie, at first I battled with the movement of the camera, I found it to be really slow and dragged. I eventually got used to it, realizing that if you have this fast paced action packed camera, you’ll miss everything that is Red Dead Redemption 2. The smoothness of the controls and camera angles really give you a sense of immersion that you can’t understand off the bat. The cinematic mode, helps you dive even deeper into the beautiful world Rockstar has given us. I personally haven’t experienced any major bugs or glitches but I have seen some crazy stuff out there, ranging from exploits to visual glitches. I think that the overly exaggerated animation and distortions are a 1 in a million bug that you would probably have to go out your way to find, considering the size of this game and the level of detail, this is extremely impressive. For a game that has a main story and missions, there are so many other things you can do.

Activities

The Red Dead universe is nothing short of exciting and action packed, however, there are several activities one can do on the side. These activities can be found as missions or as free roam activities around the map. Some of my personal favourites include: hunting, poker, bounty hunters, fishing, five finger fillet, and going to the theater. There are many more to choose from and they can keep you entertained for hours. I usually spend and about 3 hours on just going fishing, hunting and doing chores for the homestead before I actually start doing missions. One very important activity is hunting (or fishing), as this brings in food for the camp and/or money. The pelts of the animals also can be used to upgrade gear or make you some brand new clothing, this all depends of the quality or the pelt and the rarity of the animal. You’ll never be bored in this world, I can put my guarantee stamp on that.

Final Overview

There has never been a game more pleasant to play. Everything about the game play is smooth and crisp. The level of detail put into the small things on the game creates a wonderful world of fun and discovery, the list could go on and on about all the hundreds of things that make this game unique. One of the things that makes this my favourite games of the year are the distractions. You could be getting off to start a mission and some lady laying on the side of the road will holler out for help because she just broke her leg, you; being the great citizen that you are; will stop and see if the woman is okay only to be jumped by 4 men who will rob you and kill your well trained, well groomed, perfectly bonded horse. I may or may not be upset about that! The story, side stories, citizen missions and random NPC missions truly immerse you, creating a world of possibility and endless hours of fun. This is my favourite game of the year and in my opinion is the best title that has been released in the last 5 years. I won’t lie, there was so much more I could say about this game, but this post would be equal to that of our last 10 reviews, just grab the game and experience the beauty that is, Red Dead Redemption 2.

youtube

[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”32251,32250,32249,32248,32247,32246,32245,32244,32243,32234,32235,32236,32238,32239,32241,32240,32242,32237,32231,32232,32233″][/vc_column][/vc_row] [vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Additional Information

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Reviewed on: Playstation 4 Available on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One Genre: Action / Adventure Age Rating: Pegi 18 Publisher/Developer: Rockstar Games Estimated RRP: R999.00 Release Date: 26 October 2018[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Likes

Beautiful Scenery

Controlled Game Play

Well Developed Story

Fun Side Activities

Hours of Fun

Dislikes

None

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

#RedDeadRedemption2 #PS4 #XBOXONE #RDR2 #RockstaGames

#Console #GOTY #PS4 #RDR2 #Red Dead Redemption 2 #Rockstar #Xbox One #Gaming #Reviews

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mikemortgage · 6 years

Text

Battlefield V review: A welcome respite from twitch-driven combat

Score: 8.0/10 Platform: Xbox One (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Windows PC Developer: EA DICE Publisher: EA Release Date: November 20, 2018 ESRB: M

That EA DICE’s latest Battlefield instalment is loads of fun despite some very noticeable technical issues at launch should be interpreted as testament to the strength of its core design, modes, aesthetic and sincerity.

During my pre-release play period I encountered endless little glitches, ranging from a scoreboard screen that refused to update over the course of several matches to AI enemies running through thin air. Most had little impact on play, but some did. For example, I encountered some consistently troublesome problems traversing rough terrain, especially when trying to climb over low objects or shimmy around the ground while prone.

Red Dead Redemption 2 review: An immersive and sympathetic tale of American outlaw life

Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aimé on Labo's educational potential

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review: Bye-bye campaign, hello battle royale

And yet I willingly overlooked these issues — many of which, hopefully, will eventually be addressed by patches — in favour of the broader experience, a grand and respectful foray back to the military shooter franchise’s Second World War roots.

Unlike the recent Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which ditched any attempt at incorporating a campaign, Battlefield V includes a single player mode — dubbed War Stories — that strives to create a foundation for the game’s setting, soldiers and action. There are three stories to start (with at least one more to come), each of which lasts perhaps a couple of hours. These stories not only endeavour to tell reverent tales of bravery and sacrifice, but also exemplify DICE’s progressive studio philosophy by placing the focus not on typical American GIs but instead a trio of fictional characters meant to represent little known or unsung groups of fighters: Africans fighting for France, a female Norwegian rebel, and a rule-breaking British convict drafted into service for queen and country. These tales depict the grisly horrors of the battlefield with unflinching realism and provide all the reason anyone should need never to want to go to war. But they also offer an appreciation of the strategic thinking, camaraderie, and courage that lead us to respect those who fight.

The story missions suffer a bit from schizophrenic design — DICE’s team seems torn between wanting to give players the option to play stealthy or engage in all out open world war, and the two never quite manage to mesh — but they’re genuine in their intent to depict the horrors and heroes of war. What’s more, they help to create a sense of time and place that informs the rest of the Battlefield V experience. I’m happy the stories are here, warts and all.

But the reason why most players will pick up this latest instalment is to jump straight into multiplayer, which should feel familiar to franchise veterans but also introduces some interesting new tweaks to the formula.

The primary multiplayer mode, Conquest, delivers classic Battlefield action, with two teams of 32 players dropped onto massive, beautifully drawn, wonderfully destructible maps with the objective of taking and holding control points while whittling down the opposing teams respawn tickets. The environments are expertly designed to spread out the action, with natural choke points, defensive positions and flanking routes. As usual, a collection of vehicles — tanks, planes, and cars — and emplaced guns are at both teams’ disposal, but new this time out is the ability to build fortifications to protect specific locations against enemy armour, which is particularly handy when defending against armoured vehicles.

New players might find all of this a bit overwhelming at first, but Battlefield V slots players into squads and organically encourages us to fight in groups by respawning on squadmate positions so that we can work together and support each other, which in turn often gives rise to longer-term group strategies uncommon in most shooters. Plus, inspiring players to work together as teams can result in some memorable and cinematic moments. Being hopelessly overwhelmed by a sudden wave of dozens of enemies on foot and in vehicles, and then lying there, slowly bleeding out as foes trample past is like being a part of the chaotic final battle in Saving Private Ryan.

A new mode I might like even more than Conquest, however, is Grand Operations, in which teams fight together over four in-game “days,” working as a group to achieve a variety of objectives. The results of each day set the tone for the next, with a brief textual narrative between battles that sets the tone for the next mission, as determined by your success or failure in the previous operation. If the four days end in a deadlock, a tense final battle takes place in which no respawns are allowed, resources are limited, and a battle royale-style boundary wall slowly pushes everyone together to force conflict. You’ll get to know your allies’ play styles, develop rivalries with specific enemies, and feel a grander sense of purpose than most multiplayer modes allow. If you’ve got an hour or two to spare, this is definitely the way to play.

A third node in the multiplayer menu focuses on smaller maps and modes more common in other shooters, such as team deathmatch and domination. I confess I didn’t spend as much time here as the other modes, not because there’s anything amiss but rather simply because Battlefield is, to me, a game of grand scale and teamwork and these smaller skirmishes simply don’t satisfy in the same way.

Regardless of which mode is your favourite, you’ll always be working toward growing the squad members of your Allied and German companies, which are broken into familiar classes such as medic, assault and engineer. A seemingly never-ending series of mini-objectives associated with both specific classes and the weapons you use gradually unlocks new customization options. It’s not quite as deep or multifaceted as the progression systems seen in recent Call of Duty games, but it does have the advantage of being significantly less confusing/intimidating, especially for first time players.

It might lack the spit and polish seen in some other shooters, but Battlefield V delivers a visceral thrill unique to the series. Its adrenaline-filled, large-scale battles give rise to memorable moments simply not seen in other games, and these moments are augmented by the faithful Second World War setting. Those looking for an alternative to the twitch-driven combat of other popular shooters will find it here.

from Financial Post https://ift.tt/2DlwK1Z via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

#IFTTT #Financial Post

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ellie-steiner · 6 years

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5 Directors and The Way They Ace Pace

Published on the Raindance blog 05/09/2018

Someone once compared watching a film to listening to a piece of music. Thinking about the whole process, it makes sense. Music notes on sheet paper guide musicians to play a piece of music in harmony led by a conductor. And yet music is not just about fitting all those components together like a puzzle. Instead they meld and cohere so invisibly to create a mood and flow of that piece. This is like film. Cinematography, sound design, editing, writing and actors all lift a story onto the big screen but don’t work in and of themselves. Their roles sync to create the right atmospheres for engaging narratives.

Understanding film like music cannot be a better comparison to situate pace in film: because pace is all about establishing mood and flow. Watching a film is about experiencing its patterns, the symmetry of its parts and, very importantly, timing. Pace relates to the progress of the narrative arc; how we are guided through the story. We engage with the scenes in terms of the flow of dialogue and action, in other words, its rhythm.

But understanding what we mean by pace can be very difficult because it is subtle. Let’s just say that bad pacing is when something happens too long on screen or contrarily too short: we’re either twiddling our thumbs, waiting for the next piece of information to reveal itself or are confused because we haven’t had enough time to process what we see. Good pacing constantly mediates that middle ground, adjusting between fast and slow to keep us emotionally engaged through one and a half hours of storytelling.

I’ve chosen to examine how 5 contemporary directors use pace in order to understand how films can be read this way. Although it’s not often explicit, the way these directors have paced their films have been influential in defining their specific directorial style.

1. David Fincher

David Fincher is perhaps most known for his hard-boiled, fast-thinking and emotionally twisted protagonists. Think the insomniac narrator in Fight Club, whiz brain Zuckerberg in The Social Network and the frantic but driven cartoonist Graysmith trying to find a killer in Zodiac. By following the journey of these characters, the pace of Fincher’s films are mostly fast, sharp and succinct. His punchy dialogue is definitely key to this, but also his slick editing and camerawork. Fincher for instance has this camera technique of following the movement of characters, tracking alongside them as they walk; lingering as they pause. It’s as if we’re experiencing the events alongside them, searching for truths the same time they are. Fincher always provides us with a lot of information to grasp in a short space of time, often jumping between different points in time, yet his films’ steady pace helps us process all of that whilst focusing on a clear plotline. As a result, you can pick up new details in his films with every viewing. However, Fincher’s best achievement lies in the way he brings his viewers to the level of his protagonists’ pace of thinking. When we watch the Social Network we can’t help but start think fast like Zuckerberg. This is the crux to the way Fincher builds suspenseful plotlines.

2. Quentin Tarantino

People usually associate violence with fast-paced thrillers. Violence in Tarantino’s films however occurs at a purposefully measured pace, usually at the end of a very long piece of dialogue, to make it all the more unexpected and ruthless. If you think of the opening scene of Inglorious Bastards, SS colonel Hans Landa has a pretty banal conversation with the dairy farmer, but psychologically transforms him into such a nervous wreck that he is led to reveal the Jewish family hiding under his floorboards. This scene draws out the characters’ conversations line by line, dragging out the tension without changing pace for as long as possible to the point of becoming unbearable: then he brings out the guns. Pensive but suspenseful pacing is particular to Tarantino in making viewers wait to jolt at newly erupted action. Additionally, Tarantino often utilizes confining claustrophobic spaces to establish power dynamics between characters. The intrusion of a Nazi officer in the basement bar of Inglorious Bastards for instance is a visual disruption because he walks in from a different camera angle within that space. This change in framing is disarming and considerably changes the flow of the scene, showing how instrumental shot composition is to pace.

3. Damien Chazelle

Music has been the main subject of Oscar-winning Damien Chazelle first two features, Whiplash and La La Land. As a musical, La La Land is obviously filmed and edited according to the film’s soundtrack but I found Chazelle’s other film Whiplash equally fascinating in a rhythmic sense. Chazelle’s debut feature centers on an ambitious student drummer challenged physically and psychologically by a renowned but abusive conservatory teacher, Terrence Fletcher. Whiplash opens on the protagonist, Andrew Neiman, playing on his kit, his drum roll in gradual crescendo as the camera pushes forward to a close up. This audio-visually establishes the increasing emotional frustration Andrew experiences throughout the film on the pulse of a drumbeat, pushed further to the brink of sanity. Sound architects Andrew’s state of anxiety and the film’s spiraling tension. In a finale jazz performance, when Andrew realizes he has been cheated by Fletcher he takes the orchestra into his own hands with an electrifying drum solo. Conductor and drummer lock heads in battle on the basis of whether Andrew will lose his furious beat, at times matching viewers’ racing heartbeat. Chazelle’s method of pacing posits Whiplash’s key point of contention: is Fletcher trying to screw Andrew over, or by challenging him does he help him become famous?

4. Terrence Malick

Whilst for Fincher pace is key to locking viewers into characters’ minds, the films of Terrence Malick remove them from the main narrative focus altogether. Malick’s films have often (controversially) been described as poetic essays, extended philosophical enquiries on the meaning of life. This is because he has a specific form of cinematic storytelling that is based on loosely associated images, using a drifting camera wafting in and out of a scene, placing characters in an out of focus. This is particularly distinctive to the flow of Malick’s work that doesn’t impose a particular way of viewing action according to characters’ perspectives. Malick builds his filmic narratives around moments and gestures, as if we’re guided by characters’ stream of consciousness. In Tree of Life for instance, Malick tries to express how protagonist Jack searches the farthest recesses of his mind to bring back his earliest childhood memories. The dislocated images and snippets of voices embody that indeterminacy of remembering. It’s Jack’s sensorial rather coherent experience that Malick tries to convey in his particular cinematic language. His sense of pace establish that illusion of what is floating, lilting and lyrical; to show how action doesn’t have a purpose or ending but just wafts in front of the camera.

5. Lynne Ramsay

Studying the pace of Lynne Ramsay’s work is intriguing on the basis of her formal background as a photographer. Her aesthetic practice weaves into her cinematographic work because they are as detailed as photography itself. What we see in her films are studies of characters, focusing on details that break free from the confines of the plot and set up a pace to her films both tender and meditative. Ramsay tells stories of ordinary people’s lives, oftentimes harrowing or burdened by grief or pain, and within the worlds they inhabit she unfolds images and sounds that make us immerse in its folds and textures. As opposed to Whiplash’s plot-driven sound and image, to Ramsay they are part of her attention to detail. This is to show the way James in Ratcatcher wraps himself in a curtain, as if shrouded by his friend’s death who drowned in a bog. There’s this memorable close-up shot of ants crawling on a jam sandwich in We Need To Talk About Kevin. This not only reveals the mess left by an ill-mannered boy, but also how his parents, by post-poning the problem, let it grow into a bigger one. Through careful framing and shot choices, both films portray different portraits of childhood and adulthood, revealed in the visual pacing of their day-to-day lives.

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stevenvenn · 6 years

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Steven's Nifty 50 of 2017 - Albums #50 - #41

It's that time again and I'm not disappointing you. Here are my favourite albums of 2017 starting with albums 50 - 41 (of 50). These are in no particular order just how I saw them relating to each other. Doing a true countdown would be too nerve-wracking. You can listen to my favourite cuts from each of the albums on Spotify and watch them on YouTube (links below). You can also read my thoughts on the albums below the links broken into 5 posts counting down by 10s. Enjoy and feel free to comment.

Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/stevenvenn/playlist/7qSpcgdwXuoLtIStRQeRto?si=09LiErQ9QwCONq0XEfG91Q

Youtube playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqUMf7mP_mnMOmDl94VCPIJPFliPf62a5

NOTES

41. Four Tet - New Energy (Text Records)

Kieran Hebden is back in 2017 with another beautiful collection of rich samples, zen beats, and incredible melodies that make this album, on his own Text Records label, a startling release. Incorporating small sounds of birds, countryside, and other natural sounds Hebden makes this more of a meditative headphone listen than an upbeat groover (but then that's what we've come to expect from Hebden this many albums in). There's something of the gentle grace of Boards of Canada and the 90s ambient of Aphex Twin in the retro electronics and economy of well-constructed layers. The dulcimer on "Two Thousand and Seventeen," steel drums on "Lush," and kalimba on "You Are Loved" as textural examples carry us along on their magical long loops as dreamy, marshmallow-y, and tiny synth stabs throb and dissipate over top of low tempo percussion samples. The looped melodies often create a rhythm all on their own in a lot of the songs. The meditation album session wraps up with the pulsating zen bumper "Planet" incorporating temple bells, spacey moog, and Japanese string samples. Nothing especially new here but there is a simplicity and organic quality that Hebden has really carved out over his career. This has helped him maintain his status of one of the best in electronic music.

42. Bonobo - Migration (Ninja Tune)

Another artist Simon Green has, like Four Tet, been exploring the confluence of soothing organic sounds, acoustic instrumentals, and world music with a infectious glitchy rhythm that crosses into low-key jazz textures at times. Here we have kalimba, harps, and other African instruments crashing into soft meditative synth pads. This might the most "easy listening" album by Green in his discography (not meant as a slight). The use of smooth singers like Rhye's Mike Milosh make Migration a truly chilled out affair and one of the most tranquil and relaxing listens yet.

43. Indian Wells - Cascades (Friends of Friends)

Italian producer Pietro Iannuzzi returns with a meditative collection of intricate and clean-sounding techno complete with beeps, blips, and bounces that all flow together beautifully like a dreamy electronic river. The sounds are all very colourful and bright and deliver a hypnotic and mesmerizing quality overall. There's a certain feeling of travel through music here as if by train, boat, or plane in sped up montage expressing the look of a well worn and stamped passport. Also you can't help think of the natural world of sights and sounds with song titles like "Alps" and "Forest Hills." There is a sound akin to Pantha Du Prince and other electronic producers who take you on a journey both within a song and over the course of an album and Iannuzzi's is no exception. The title track "Cascades" and the album as a whole embodies that impression of flowing falls, sounds continuing to rush by as you sit beside and get carried along by rapid beats and sounds.

44. Bing & Ruth - No Home of the Mind (4AD)

The project of composer and producer David Moore No Home of the Mind is his first on the exclusive label home for all things arty on a grand scale, 4AD. It's a dreamy and melancholy release of repeated piano notes that move along with the rhythm of a train on songs like "How It Sped." There's an emotional quality to Moore's playing that recalls other composers who cross over into the ambient and electronic genres like Max Richter and Brian Eno. Alongside all the thought-provoking and mesmerizing piano drones and repetitive phrases are various textures provided by synths and samples. What Moore's newest release also resembles too me at times is the soundtrack work of Michael Nyman. Indeed a lot of No Home of the Mind feels very cinematic.

45. High Plains - Cinderland (Kranky)

No year end check-in would be complete without a release by Scott Morgan (aka Loscil) who has released some of my favourite minimal electronic albums over the years. Following on the heels of his excellent release Monument Builders as Loscil, Morgan teams up with classically trained cellist Mark Bridges as High Plains for an album inspired by a small town in the Wyoming mountains. This a very wintry and melancholic affair with incredible depth from both collaborators with Morgan effectively laying the musical groundwork for Bridges' solemn and isolated cello sound. There's a bit of a modern twist on chamber music here that feels like a bleak winter scene from a prairie noir. At the same time there's a touch of Tangerine Dream to the pulsating electronic beds by Morgan that can't help but create images of open nocturnal spaces and thrilling mystery in the listener's mind.

46. Slow Meadow - Costero (Hammock Music)

Matt Kidd and his moving chamber ensemble and sound project return with a sophomore album of inventive, soaring, and melancholy compositions. There's a feeling of recalling past memories forever clad in amber with a patina of sadness. This pensive quality pervades the whole album but it's not so much sorrowful as accepting of memories as just the sometimes darker side of life broken up by moments of grace and sunlight. There's a really intimate quality to Kidd's compositions that describes a lot of emotion and depth just below the minimal musical surface.

47. Sarah Davachi - All My Circles Run (Students of Decay)

Vancouver-based ultra-minimal drone composer Sarah Davachi's albums always sound more like feeling you get walking around an art gallery looking at Mark Rothko paintings than following any kind of distinct rhythm. Many of the compositions here are in fact beatless and made of minimal mesmerizing drones for strings, piano, organ, and voice. In a similar way to Rothko, the simplicity is deceiving at first but if you spend time with his work you can see a lot of emotion and depth unfolding after prolonged exposure. Musically Davachi is Rothko's compositional kin. The seemingly isolated and lunar soundscape of "For Voice" takes its cues from haunting classical vocal pieces like Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna" best known as the music used to set the mood of the moonscape portion of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The very minute variances in the drones here lend Davachi's pieces a feeling of nordic temperature and desolation as well with the glacially paced tonal whispers reverberating in the listener's mind long after the song has ended. There's a real sense of the importance of the smallest of variation having incredible impact.

48. Ryuichi Sakamoto - async (Milan)

The Japanese composer musical artist has been creating stunning works for 40 years or more and after a battle with cancer years ago he has released his first solo work in 8 years after being busy with other sound projects and working on the soundtrack to The Revenant. async is a literal soundscape to float within comprised mostly of soaring background retro synths, field recordings, spoken word, and occasional appearances by Sakamoto's solemn and haunting piano. The inspiration for this release was creating a soundtrack for an imaginary Tarkovsky film. You can really feel how Sakamoto interpreted the pace and experimentation of the Russian film master. There are art sound experiments that are very cinematic like the excellent "disintegration", "walker" and "full moon" that sound like art installations. The title track is a captivating piece that wouldn't be out of place as an experimental dance piece full of chilling percussive attacks on instruments. Sakamoto has always pushed the boundaries of music as a "visual art" and the moods and impressions that async provides are incredible.

49. Hotel Neon - Context (Fluid Audio)

The Philadelphia-based trio have created here an incredible sea of sonic texture that you immediately immerse yourself in and float. All the song titles are reflective of either the times they seem to have been made perhaps (early am) or perhaps reflect Hotel Neon's desire to describe the feeling and headspace you would be in at those times, either dreaming, in hypnogogic states, or walking in the early hours of a cold morning with streetlight radiating and filling up the streets with soft orange light. There are no beats to Context just various realms of foggy and dense sound to step into.

50. Federico Durand - La Niña Junco (12K)

Hailing from Argentina Federico Durand set a very strict limit for his wonderful sophomore collection of songs that speak of the small objects in life and our memory of those precious moments that the objects take us to. There's a nostalgic sentiment to the weathered and dusty keepsakes from our younger times that make us smile when we consider them. So it is with Durand's improvised compositions here. The album was recorded in just one take, over a series of two days, using only Durand's aged and well worn Crumar Performer synthesizer and some loop pedals. The economy of instruments mirrors the economy of sounds but despite the feeling of "small" there is a lot of emotion and reflection to the songs on La Niña Junco. The melodies and pulses are minimal but the effect is intriguing. I feel like he's a bit of an Alexander Calder of electronic music here, creating simple but beautiful mobiles of fragile pieces, not of twisted bits of wire, but of quiet simple notes. Like Calder the motion of the parts is tranquil and effortless but incredibly reflective and beautiful. So much from so little.

#nifty50of2017 #stevenvenn #bestof2017

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