F.E.A.R. Gold – PC Retro Review

 

Anyone remember the Survival horror / FPS hybrid “F.E.A.R.” that came out way back in 2005? It was incredibly popular, and was released on not just the PC, but also Xbox 360 and PS3. From what I understand, the console games were inferior, but I can’t say with any certainty because I never played the game on the console. In fact, I had never played the game on the PC either!

I know, I am a horrible gamer! The reason though, was that during those years, I wasn’t doing much gaming at all. My wife had passed away a few years before that, and I was in a major slump and gaming was the last thing on my mind. So, a good many  of the later PS2/Xbox games, and early Xbox 360/PS3 games were completely ignored…I’m still catching up!

Anyway, this is one of the games that I had to catch up on, and I finally got around to playing it on the PC and I have to admit that this is a good cinematic FPS! Easily one of the better games I have played! My only real regret is that it took me this long to pick it up and begin playing it! I wish I started playing it when I first started catching up on old games that I skipped over! Better late than never I guess though right?

The game is also incredibly LONG! Which is a huge plus in my book, and should be in yours too. You definitely get your moneys worth with this purchase, especially since you can pick it up on steam for a mere 10 bucks. Less if you wait for a sale. I got mine, for just 2 bucks. So, unless you are someone who doesn’t have much time to invest into a game, and just want a quick bang-bang, pew-pew experience, then you owe it to yourself to get this now, otherwise stick with the single player CoD campaigns for your pew-pew thrills. This one will take several hours unless you just rush through without exploring. It took me 15 hours to complete the game(That’s including the two expansion packs that are included with the gold edition)

The game is also challenging, so if you want a game that’s a breeze and practically plays it’s self, then might not be for you, and again: Stick to the single player CoD campaigns! However if you want a challenge then this game should be in your library.

Now, the game lists it’s self as a horror game, and I just do not agree with that assessment. Sure there are a few “gasp moments”, but only because the game relies heavily on jump scare tactics, and I don’t consider loud noises or quick rushing objects appearing out of nowhere to be horror. To be fair, I believe jump scare tactics might be the only way to cause a fright in a FPS, as real horror comes from escaping and fearing for your life, not gunning down everything in your way in a blazing hail of gunfire.

So, while I don’t consider it a “Horror” game, I do consider it an excellent FPS that should be in everyone’s library!

–Pros–
Good graphics for it’s age.
Fantastic Story line!
Challenging game play
Bullet time!
Impressive AI
Many hours of game play
Includes two expansion packs!

–Cons–
Clumsy default controls(Can be reconfigured to your liking)
Game maybe TOO challenging for some novice gamers even on easier settings.
Some maps get boring and slightly repetitive.

Overall Score: 7/10

uncharted The Nathan Drake Collection Review

I am a huge fan of the Uncharted series. The original Uncharted game was the main reason I originally got a PS3 as opposed to replacing my xbox 360 After it broke down for the third time. It seemed like a modern day version of Indiana Jones(Which I love) in video game form! It also had pretty slick looking graphics, and at the time Uncharted 2 was to be released soon. So, I went for it, and I have never regretted it.

Since then I have bought and played every Uncharted game, bought and read the comic series, bought and watched the animated comic, and bought and read the book. So, it was kind of a no brainer that I was going to pick up Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection for the PS4 eventually, but the real question is: Is it worth it for YOU to pick it up? Well, since the release of Uncharted 4 is right around the corner, I will try my best to give you my opinion of the game.

It’s not an easy answer really! If you have already played and completed the original trilogy on the PS3 game console, then this doesn’t really have much to offer! Sure, the graphics and have been remastered, and they look absolutely gorgeous, but the enhancements are really only exceptionally noticeable on the first game in the series, the second one is slightly noticeable and the 3rd one doesn’t look very enhanced at all. Let me show you comparison photos!

How are they different?

As you can see, there is a huge difference! The PS4 graphics look crisper and more detailed. You can see that Drake has whiskers, as opposed to what might be dirt smudged on his face, the skin looks less like skin and more like plastic and the lighting is just better! In fact, the only thing I don’t like is Drakes eyes in the remake. On occasion they seem almost white from the light reflection. The eyes just don’t seem as natural as the original.

Like I said, Uncharted 2 has more subtle enhancements. It’s still noticeable. the PS4 version allows you to see the threads in his clothes and the leather of Drakes holster looks more worn instead of just being a solid tan color. Again, the lighting is more natural, but it is only a slight improvement over the PS3 version.

Now uncharted 3 doesn’t have much differences at all. Basically some improved lighting and that’s pretty much it. The reason being is that Uncharted 3 is the newest and latest PS3 Uncharted game, and each game got progressively better looking. What this remastered collection did was basically bring all the games up to the same quality is the third game in the series.

Should you get it?

You should get it if you are a hardcore fan of the Uncharted series and would like to play through them again before Uncharted 4 releases, so that you can refresh your memory on where the story is. You should also get it if you have not yet played the Uncharted games. The Uncharted series, is hands down one of the best game franchises out there, both in terms of game play and storytelling!

If you have recently played the whole series on the PS3 and are completely refreshed on the story line, you can prob skip over this collection. You can also skip the collection if you have it on PS3, and don’t really care about having them all in one program with enhanced graphics and on a newer system. You can also skip this set if your favorite part of Uncharted 3 was the online play. This collection is just the single player campaigns, so there are no online features built into the game.

Is it worth it?

Well, for me it def was, but I picked it up on sale during black friday for 15 bucks. Would it be worth the current asking price of $59.99? Hell no! I love the uncharted games, but would never plunk down 60 bucks for a remastering of a game series I already own on another console. The only way it would be worth it to me, is if you found the game on dirt cheap sale, bought a cheap used copy of the game or have absolutely never played the game before and don’t own them on the PS3.

Don’t get me wrong, the games are great, just not 60 dollars worth of great when they are games I have already experienced. Not to mention the lack of online play is a bit of a letdown. Granted, I never played it online but it was nice to know that it was there and was an option in case I got in the mood or something.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Only Sexists Dislike The Ghostbusters Reboot?

Not too long ago the trailer for the Ghostbusters Reboot film came out. The trailer was met with mixed reactions. Some loved it, some didn’t really care, but a good portion of the original GB fan base hated it! Since then, there have been a few people who have come out and pretty much said that no matter what excuses you’re making for disliking the trailer/film/cast, all it boils down to is that you are sexist.

Am I sexist? Well, maybe to some degree! I’m not going to lie, but I am the type of sexist who will watch a movie because it has women. I like to look at eye candy, and women are very attractive! So, while I maybe sexist, it’s not sexism that makes me dislike this movie! Bottom line, I don’t like the movie (based on what I saw in the trailer) because it looks like pure garbage. It’s nothing but your typical Melissa comedy. Now, Don’t get me wrong, I love Melissa! She is one of my favorite actresses. She’s hysterical! However her comedy just does not mesh with the Ghostbusters franchise.

Look, I admit that I could be wrong about this movie. It’s hard to judge a movie from a trailer alone. What I will say though is that it LOOKS like they stripped everything that made the original film good. The original movie was a blend of comedy and horror that fit so perfectly together despite the fact that horror and comedy are on different ends of the entertainment spectrum. Hell, I remember when I was younger,  the gatekeeper demon dogs used to give me nightmares, but now, it looks like ALL the ghosts are neon, pastel cutesy characters. Even the ghosts from the animated series “The real ghostbusters” looked more ghostly and horrific than the ones in this movie reboot.

If I am going to be honest, I admit that I do hate it when a movie/book/comic changes things drastically from the original. It’s not sexism, I am just not a big fan of changing things that work. I would hate if they remade Die Hard with Jennifer Love Hewitt in a tank top fighting terrorists (And let’s be honest, JLH is fantastic eye candy!) just as much as I would hate it if they remade ALIEN with Liam Neeson as Ripley. Just don’t change what works people!

I get it! The film company is trying to be PC! That’s great, but if you are going to be PC at least do it right! You have the women putting hearts over the dots of the radiation hazard symbol, because I guess they feel that women can’t possibly see a dot, and not change it to a heart. Hey, at least they didn’t give the girls hot pink jumpsuits covered in sparkles, and turn the proton packs into rainbow spewing ghostguns.  Please, if anyone is sexist it’s the people who assume a movie will be better because it’s been remade with women!

End of the day, I just don’t think movies should be remade, at least not when they are films that define our current pop culture! Still, if you feel you absolutely must remake a movie, at least rename the thing!  That way, when people want to watch the superior “Ghostbusters” it doesn’t confuse them and get them stuck with a sitcom in movie format.

You know what? Even better! Just stop trying to recreate pop culture. Reboots are basically saying “Yea, it was ok…but we can do better..” and you can’t! No, seriously you can’t. Actually, it’s kind of like a slap in the face when some director and writer comes along and says “Hey, all you people who loved the previous movie and kept interest in the franchise alive long enough to give us a chance to reboot it…we’re rebooting it, cause the original just wasn’t good enough”….I seriously hate reboots.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

Everybody who knows me, knows that I am a geek. Especially when it comes to 5 major Sci-Fi franchises. Those Being Star Trek, Firefly, Doctor Who, Babylon 5 and Star wars(I don’t consider Marvel/DC movies Sci-Fi, even though many of them fall into that category. Super Hero flicks I consider more Adventure than Sci-Fi). So, I have been very anxious for the release of the new Star Wars move “The Force Awakens”. Unfortunately, that won’t be until December, However they DID release a trailer. Obviously I was breathless with anticipation!

If you have been living under a rock or a bridge with a secret troll lover, then you have heard about it, and already watched it. However, I will put it below so that the Troll lovers out there can catch up with what the rest of the world is experiencing.

Watched? Good! Now, most people I know thought it was awesome. One in particular cried because seeing Han Solo brought her so much joy. Yeah, I’m not the biggest geek in my circle of friends. Surprised? You can be surprised about me either not being the biggest geek in my social circle, or about me having friends in general. Both are acceptable surprising factoids.

Anyway! My point was that I didn’t love the trailer. In fact, I was somewhat disappointed? The whole Melted Vader helmet thing? Seemed stupid, and like it was some kind of forced lip service to fans of the franchise. It just didn’t feel natural. Then there is Darth Wannabe! I hate his voice! He doesn’t sound bad ass at all! Not like Vader did!

In fact, the trailer didn’t reach out and grab me at all, which is insane because it’s Star Wars. It seemed even MORE boring than the prequel trilogy. The only good thing I saw in this trailer was a lack of lens flares! I was honestly expecting the movie to be unwatchable due to lens flares!

It’s like Abrams is going out of his way to direct and ruin all the Sci-Fi movies that are based on franchises that I hold dear. Please keep him away from Doctor Who! I don’t want that ruined for me any more than it already has been.

Lastly, there’s the poster!

Missing Luke Skywalker! Now, for me I am fine with this. His trilogy was the original trilogy. I don’t believe it’s his story, but on that same note I don’t think it’s Hans or Leias story either. However, THEY made it to the poster! So, while I don’t have as big an issue with this omittance as much as others in the geek circle do, it’s still a tad frustrating that they give two other supporting characters a poster place, but not another. His name is printed on the poster, between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher, so It’s obvious that he is going to be in it. Either put him on the poster, or Remove Han and Leia!

Anyway! I will probably still see it, but I won’t be one of those people dressed as Ewoks(Not that it’s ALWAYS a bad thing) and camping in line for tickets…though you don’t really need to do that now anymore I guess huh? You can just order them online these days! If I see it, most likely I won’t even bother going to the movies. Might wait for DVD….Might even just wait for it to come out on Netflix. I’m just not that into it anymore. I would rather have the expanded Universe back. At least THAT was enjoyable. Instead they made that non-canon and gave us this. Not a good trade for Star Wars geeks.

Related articles

• Prepare To Be Devastated By Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• John Boyega Says The Force Awakens’ Script Made Him Cry
• ‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Release Date, Trailer & Cast: Original Character Appearing? [Spoilers]

It’s Not just for computers anymore

Cover via Amazon

Are you familiar with the term ReBoot in terms of film franchises? Some people might not be, so a quick explanation and examples will be given. A reboot, is when a film franchise either grows stale, or just runs out of material, or just received bad reviews. The idea is, if instead of doing a sequel, they just start over again, and hope they can re-write everything from scratch. They can use old characters that might not be alive in the previous version. Personally, I am not a fan of film reboots, but whatever!

Some examples of ReBoots in films:
 
Batman was Rebooted and called Batman Begins.
The Karate Kid was Rebooted and called The Karate Kid,
HULK was Rebooted and called The incredible Hulk.
James Bond got a reboot called Casino Royale
Classic horror films like Halloween, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm St. all got rebooted.

The point of this post? The point is, there’s two upcoming Reboots, that I am really not Excited about. I think one has been rebooted ENOUGH and the other, I think should continue along the same path it has been, and if need be, just recast. Films Recast different actors in their role all the time. How many batmen were there before the reboot? like, 4 or so? How many James bonds before the reboot? Can’t even begin counting!

The first film is “The Punisher“, and this ticks me off because it’s already been rebooted. Not once, but twice! Is three times really necessary? I don’t think it is. Either continue along a path, or just give up on the punisher flicks all together.

The second film is Spider-Man. Sure, it had a good run! Three kick ass films, and I was looking forward to a fourth, but that’s now Not going to happen. The films getting a reboot, so will be starting from scratch with a new actor, who has never had the experiences as the peter parker from the previous three films. Yea, I know it gets complicated.

So, yea. Basically I am not a huge fan of Reboots.

Related Articles

• Mark Ruffalo to Actually Play the HULK Using Motion Capture (geektyrant.com)
• Edward Norton Wants To Be Evil in ‘Batman 3′ (screenrant.com)
• Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk To Be Motion-Capture In ‘The Avengers’; Will Channel Bill Bixby (geeksofdoom.com)

The Wii might not be so bad!

Image via Wikipedia

I have never hid the fact that I am not a huge fan of the Nintendo Wii. In fact, I believe I have even clearly stated that I hated it. That it wasn’t for me. That was all true! However, things have taken a slight turn now. Don’t get me wrong, I am still not a big fan of the Wii, in fact they only have 2 decent exclusive titles. Those titles are as Follows.

Animal Crossing: City Folk – A good game, however there isn’t much difference between this version and the version found on the Nintendo DS called Animal Crossing: Wild World. There’s a few changes but not much. In fact, it’s so similar, that they allow you to transfer your Wild world character over into your City Folk game. Basically, City Folk is like an expansion pack for wild world, and not even a good one.

A boy and his Blob  – This is a remake of the original NES game, so if you were a fan of the original, like I was, then you will no doubt have to play this remake. The graphics are beautiful, the game play is fun. It’s an enjoyable experience for the whole family.

That’s it! Those are the two exclusive Wii titles that are even slightly of interest. Sure, they have other good games! I never said they didn’t, but the fact is those other good games can be played on better consoles with better game controls. Have I mentioned in this post how much I hate motion controllers? Because I really do!

Anyway, despite my dislike for the Wii, I decided today to rummage through the Wii shop, and see what all they had in there, and to my surprise there was some pretty good stuff! The first thing that tickled my fancy was Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, which apparently is a sequel to the Super Famicom / SNES game Final Fantasy IV, which for the record is in my opinion the BEST Final Fantasy game ever created!

After my mind boggled at that game, I decided to dig around some more, this time in the Virtual Console section of the Wii shop. I found myself shitshocked at what I found! Many of the best games ever created from past consoles, all right there on one system! I mean, they were old game titles, Most were well over 15 years old! However they were still incredible games, and they were right there! These were games that I used to play instead of doing homework! Games that I would play hooky for! Games like Super Metroid, Paper Mario, Mario RPG, California Games, the entire Phantasy Star Series and that’s just to name a few!

The one that really caught my eye though? Y’s Book I & II. You see, the original Y’s Game. Y’s book I was the first RPG I ever played! It got me interested in not just Role Playing, but gaming it’s self.  I played the original on a game system called the Sega Master System, and I remember staying up all night until I passed out from sheer exhaustion. Sure, before that game I played other games, but I had never played a game that long without losing interest. Considering I suffered from ADD, that was amazing. Needless to say the game became my all time favorite game.

Fun fact: Not only did Y’s get me interested in Gaming, but it also got both my cousins interested in gaming and even my aunt and mom. Yea, it was that much of a kick ass game!

Years later a system popped up called the TurboGrafx-16, which people were going gaga over. mainly because it had some game called Bonk’s Adventure and everyone thought it was the bomb diggity. The game didn’t appeal to me, in fact none of the games appealed to me, and so I had no interest in the gaming console. That was until they released Y’s Book I & II, the original combined with a sequel. Being such a huge fan of the original, I had no choice! I had to buy the TG16! So I did, I of course also got the CD player, and Y’s I&II, and I have to admit I was thrilled! I felt it was the best purchase ever made, and once again I found myself unable to set the control down, I found myself passing out from sheer exhaustion.

Now, they are available on the Wii, for only 800 Wii Points, which is the equivalent of less than 10 bucks! Needless to say I bought quite a few Wii points, and bought quite a few games and relived my past in ways I never thought I would again, and the games are every bit as good today as they were then.

So, now I don’t mind the Wii. It’s not a great system in my opinion, but it’s also not too shabby either. It has it’s pluses.

MacGyver!

There used to be a show on television way back when called MacGyver. The show was basically about this guy named, MacGyver(Played by Richard Dean Anderson) who managed to get himself out of pretty much any situation using his brains! MacGyver never used a gun, at least in the way you would expect. Apparently guns do a lot more than just shoot out bullets.

This show was on in the 80’s, though had a long run on the USA Network in the form of re-runs! The show had a rather large following, and even if you have never seen the series, it’s a pretty safe bet you have heard of MacGyver in some form.

So, why was MacGyver so special? To begin with, he managed to get out of any situation by making gizmos using whatever items were lying around. These Gizmos later got dubbed MacGyverisms, which is a term still used on occasion today.

Now, I haven’t seen this show in YEARS, not since it was airing on USANetwork, and I was just a wee little tyke then. I didn’t fully grasp how cool the show was until I got older and looked back at shows from my past and thought ‘Jesus christ, that show kicked ass!’ Now, I want to see them all again, that’s just how cool the series really was!

As I said though, I was much younger when I originally watched this series. So, I don’t remember a lot. Many aspects of the series are fuzzy. Take For instance, The Phoenix Foundation! I know MacGyver used to work there, but I have no idea what it was! Was it a government based shadow organisation? Was it an independent contractor? A mercenary group? I’m not sure! Maybe someone who stumbles across this entry will know.

What I DO remember from the show however is this: There is no problem on this planet that can not be solved with duct tape, fertilizer, swiss army knife, Pack of Chewing gum and a paper clip. No kidding! If you ever watched this show, you would know this!

Lastly, and only loosely based on the series. I never could figure out why MacGyver wasn’t taken and turned into a Computer game. I mean, MacGyver would fit in PERFECTLY to a Sierra style point and click adventure title. I mean, that’s what MacGyver does! Go around, gather common items, use them together to form uncommon items and then use the uncommon item, in an uncommon way to solve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. See? PERFECT Point and Click inventory based adventure game.

Kinks – Lola

I met her in a club
down in old Soho
where you drink champagne
and it tastes just
like cherry cola
C-O-L-A cola

She walked up to me
and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name
and in a dark brown voice
she said Lola
L-O-L-A Lola
la la la la Lola

Well I’m not the world’s
most physical guy
but when she squeezed me tight
she nearly broke my spine
oh my Lola
la la la la Lola
Well I’m not dumb
but I can’t understand
why she walked like a woman
and talked like a man
oh my Lola
la la la la Lola
la la la la Lola

Well we drank champagne
and danced all night
under electric candle light
she picked me up and
sat me on her knee
and said “Dear boy
won’t you come home with me?”

Well I’m not the world’s
most passionate guy
but when I looked in her eyes
I almost fell for my
Lola la la la la Lola
la la la la Lola
Lola la la la la Lola
la la la la Lola

I pushed her away
I walked to the door
Well I fell to the floor
I got down on my knees
then I looked at her
and she at me

Well that’s the way
that I want it to stay
and I always want it
to be that wayfor my Lola
la la la la Lola

Girls will be boys
and boys will be girls
it’s a mixed up
muddled up
shook up world
except for Lola
la la la la Lola

Well I left home just
a week before
and I’d never ever kissed
a woman before
but Lola smiled and
took me by the hand
and said “Dear boy
I’m gonna make you a man”

Well I’m not the world’s
most masculine man
but I know what I am
and I’m glad I’m a man
and so is Lola
la la la la lola
la la la la Lola
Lola la la la la Lola
la la la la Lola

Johnny Paycheck – Don’t Take her, she’s all I got

Well, I said friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
Please don’t take her love away from me
I’m telling you friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
She’s everything in life I’m ever gonna need

She is life, and I want to live
She’s everything to me in life, that life can give
She’s my water, when I need a drink
She’s the first thought in my mind, each time I try to think
Let me tell you now friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
Please don’t take her love away from me

Let me tell you now friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
She’s everything in life, I’m ever gonna need
She’s my fingers, and I want to feel
She’s everything to me in life, really real
She is love, she’s all the love I know
She could kiss the ground in the winter time
And make a flower grow

I said friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
Please don’t take her love away from me
I said friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
She’s everything in life I’m ever gonna need
Hear me talking to you friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
I said friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got
Hear me talking to you friend, don’t take her, she’s all I got

Jim Croce – You Don’t mess around with jim

Uptown got it’s hustlers
The bowery got it’s bums
42nd Street got Big Jim Walker
He’s a pool-shootin’ son of a gun
Yeah, he big and dumb as a man can come
But he stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night
You know they all call big Jim “Boss”, just because
And they say

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Jim

Well outta south Alabama came a country boy
He say I’m lookin’ for a man named Jim
I am a pool-shootin’ boy
My name Willie McCoy
But down home they call me Slim
Yeah I’m lookin’ for the king of 42nd Street
He drivin’ a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back
And everybody say Jack don’t you know

And you don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Jim

Well a hush fell over the pool room
Jimmy come boppin’ in off the street
And when the cuttin’ were done
The only part that wasn’t bloody
Was the soles of the big man’s feet
Yeah he were cut in in bout a hundred places
And he were shot in a couple more
And you better believe
They sung a different kind of story
When big Jim hit the floor now they say

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Slim

Yeah, big Jim got his hat
Find out where it’s at
And it’s not hustlin’ people strange to you
Even if you do got a two-piece custom-made pool cue

Yeah you don’t tug on Superman’s cape
You don’t spit into the wind
You don’t pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
And you don’t mess around with Slim