The Purge: Anarchy

By: Robert Murphy

When I first laid eyes on The Purge about a year ago, I was excited to see a film that had such a great idea going for it where the United States finally solved it's problem with job employment, civil unrest and various other issues plaguing us at the moment. The results after the first film though weren't what I expected, it played more off the role of the well to do side of the purge where wealthy people hid behind fancy security systems, high fences and enormous homes. The Purge: Anarchy however, brings what I had hoped for from the film showing just what happens to those unfortunate enough to be trapped in the unsafe chaos that is purge night. The poor and somewhat middle class are not so lucky on purge night because they cannot afford the protection needed to survive the night and this shows the ugly side to America's new success found through the ashes of purging. This America isn't all it's cracked up to be for everyone it seems and you'll find out just how wrong it can all go for the people being hunted. 

The story as I said takes the action to the streets this time around and their are oh so many different kinds of hunters out on the streets to see. Many people enjoy the rush of purging for the most part, even the aspect of dying doesn't really seem to faze many of them as they all take to the streets, armed to the teeth with various weapons and tools of their trade. It was particularly enjoyable to see all the unique figures hidden among the film, some were a bit religious in their slaughter, others created crazy dune buggies heavily armored and even more mysterious were some strange looking semi trucks with high tech gear inside. The unfortunate people being hunted tonight meet with a bit of bad luck as their car stales, some foul play may be involved and Shane (Zach Gilford) and his wife Liz (Kiele Sanchez) are stranded in the streets fleeing for their lives. In their attempts to survive they come across a gruff man Sergeant (Frank Grillo) who is also armed to the teeth out on purge night but has appeared to be a guardian angel, saving them and Eva (Carmen Ejogo) and her daughter Tanya (Justina Machado) from God knows what kind of torture. Whatever their reasons, the five end up being grouped together in their attempts to survive the remaining time left till sun rise but this night will be something that never wants to end. 

Now while I should be over the moon that I finally received the purge movie that I always wanted from the first time I saw the trailer for the original, I just wasn't pleased by what it turned out to be. I said earlier that I enjoyed the purging and the unique ideas placed on the characters who were out hunting, it all becomes moot when you see that that is all their is to it, they're cool and then they die or we move to a new scene. The main characters spend their time somehow avoiding the insane amount of bullets flying then jumping to the next scene as they walk one by one often trying to squeeze out some poor dialogue. The somehow super soldier Sergeant character, who is dressed like he's from The Matrix, seemingly knows everything about purge night and how to survive every encounter their little group comes across, it's almost like he sees everything coming a mile away and makes things feel staged, the poor acting doesn't help too much either though. The other characters are just there, literally they stand their through the film for the most part trying to force an awkward conversation into each brief moment of no gunfire. They all do have their own stories but as quickly as they were introduced they're forgotten such as Eva's father, Rico (John Beasley) being sick and dying and them needing money to pay for the medicine, it gets dropped about twenty minutes into the film.

I know that you can't expect much of a story with a movie like The Purge: Anarchy but even when you look at the guts and gore of the film, you don't feel like you're enjoying what is happening. There isn't a whole lot of fun that went into the writing of the script for this film, it was just a bunch of flash without the bang it needed to really shine. There were a good amount of ideas that were apart of the film that I liked such as the propaganda campaigns strewn throughout the story featuring an anarchist to the purge Carmelo (Michael K. Williams). If only some of the good ideas in the film came into the lime light a bit more then there really might have been something to The Purge: Anarchy but sadly that isn't the case and hopefully someone picks up the pieces and makes something great out of all this mess one day. 

Good:

- An improvement to the last film

- Crazy hunters who are out on purge night were pretty cool

- Has some good ideas and potential hidden away in it

Bad:

- Has no sense of direction with it's story

- Very poor acting on all the main cast part

- Action seemed staged when it came down to the main characters being attacked

- The gore, guts and grit are lack luster and all flash with no follow through 

Scully Rating: 4.5 out of 10 

Naruto 687: You will

By: Robert Murphy

Link to the manga here

Hey everyone, it's a new week and that means it's time for some more Naruto action to enjoy. Last week we saw Naruto and Sasuke reunite with everyone and Kaguya was not pleased by this develepment in the least. She moved to end the threat that the two posed right away but at the last moment Kakashi and Obito moved to protect them from a fatal attack. They were going to meet Rin together in the next life together but Obito had other plans as he used his kamui to move all the attacks toward himself. Obito really has changed immensily much like many of the rivals who face Naruto do and in this last act he goes on to meet Rin once again for some time to themselves while Kakashi aids the new generation. It's another tear jerking chapter everyone and I hope you enjoy it, I'll see you all next week for the next chapter of Naruto. 

Bleach 591: Marching out the Zombies 2

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/591/2477/1

Giselle's zombie army clashes with Kurotsuchi's arrancar zombie squad, but even as the battle begins in earnest, Giselle still has his/her zombified Bambietta to support her already massive number of zombies.  However, Kurotsuchi's arrancar are fully aware, and capable of quickly dispatching the zombie horde.  Just as it seems that victory might be easily attained (if you actually thought that, thought, you must be new here), Giselle unveils her secret weapon.... Captain Hitsuguya!?!?!?

I'm pretty certain the effects of Giselle's zombification must be reversible, or else this is a very bold move on Kubo's part.  Toshiro is a fan-favorite, and killing him off, especially without some final swan song, just doesn't make any sense unless this is somehow reversible.  Considering Captain Kurotsuchi is on the scene, I have almost no doubt that he will be able to devise some method of reversing or blocking Giselle's power, at least to save Hitsuguya.  But even then, we've seen that Giselle is dangerous, not because of any mass of power, but the fact that even fatal wounds are ineffective, and only serve to spread blood to new potential zombies.  How will Kurotsuchi and his arrancar minions be able to put an end to this conflict? ...Well, you know the drill by now, come back next week and we'll hopefully find out.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Zach Goodier

Raiden, AKA "Jack the Ripper," is working as a cyborg contractor for a 3^rd world government in Africa.  His role is to train the new national army and protect key personnel in order to bring stability to a region ravaged by turmoil.  However, there are people out there that don’t share the same views of peace, for in an era of peace, what use are the soldiers for hire?  They ambush Raiden and his convoy in order to assassinate the Prime Minister, and undo all the efforts toward peace.  Despite Raiden’s best efforts, as well as some explosive action sequences, he fails, and finds out that not only is he going to have his work cut out for him to bring justice to the killers, but that his body needs a serious upgrade in order to compete with this new generation of killing machines.

Raiden has a new body this time around, and it comes with a list of upgrades.

Story:

This is in-game, and it's the first boss fight.  Not all bosses are giants,
but like Devil May Cry, it's usually the humanoid bosses
that prove the most difficult.

There isn’t a whole lot of depth to the story beyond what I’ve already shared, but it does involve more of Raiden’s history as “Jack the Ripper,” a savage child-soldier who embodied all the evil he currently faces, and then some.  While it doesn’t continually come up in the story, it does serve as a struggle that Raiden must face, as he tries to come to terms with what side he truly sits on, and whether the killing he’s doing is truly justice, of it he’s simply falling back into old habits.

In terms of the main story, it’s pretty straightforward.  Following the prologue mission, Raiden embarks on a mission to bring down the rogue mercenary group: Desperado.  Along the way, he must fight several of their cyborg captains in epic boss battles.  Along the way, you start to unravel the full extent of Desperado’s activities, and the deeper conspiracy behind it all.  It all comes together well, but doesn’t really give you a wild ride.  It gives you just enough story to know what your goal is, then sets you on your way to cut through or evade your enemies to get through the missions, which is all you really need, anyways.  However, the story is fairly short, only needing a few hours to beat it on easier difficulty modes.

The "Winds of Destruction:" Sundowner, Typhoon, Mistral, and Jetstream Sam. Sam technically isn't a member, but is still highly active as a mercenary within Desperado

Characters:

Raiden himself is a fairly interesting character, although there really isn’t an extensive amount of depth to him.  I already mentioned his internal struggle of identity, which really plays well into the story, on a more personal level.  Aside from Raiden, there are an assortment of other characters that support him, and they can chat through the menus for tips on how to beat enemies/bosses, or just discussing the mission itself.  This is all optional, and you are left to explore this regularly on your own, but it can add to the characters, and make the game feel more interesting.

Raiden can only recharge his health by using nano-repair units,
 which can be acquired in the field, but are most easily taken from enemies
 by cutting them open and taking them.
This game is definitely not for young audiences.

On the other side, Desperado offers mostly cliché Japanese anime stereotypes.  A femme fatale, a vicious and disturbed psychopath, an oversized strongman, and the hero’s counterpart are all on call here, but the execution for all these characters feels solid and believable.  Jetstream Sam, Raiden’s “counterpart” in Desperado, sets up for a strong rivalry, and helps drive the player along in their quest for vengeance, setting up for an epic, yet straightforward duel that not only challenges the player’s skill in gameplay, but your previous conceptions about Sam.

Gameplay:

Sam takes badass to a whole new level.

This is where this game really starts to shine.  While it doesn’t have the same feeling of depth as other games of its’ type, like Devil May Cry, it does have its’ own charm.  The big addition is Blade Mode, which allows Raiden to seemingly slow time, as he moves at impossibly high speeds to freely slice and dice his enemies into pieces.  Now, this sounds like a horror game where you’re the psycho killer, and that’s not entirely a wrong description sometimes, but it can be especially satisfying when you’re ending a boss battle and you get to vent a lot of frustration on the boss that gave you a hard time.  Level design is varied, and the enemies are just varied enough to avoid feeling bland and boring.  Graphics are also fairly good, although some textures seem a little obsolete at times. 

Blade Wolf serves as a useful scout and sidekick to Raiden later on
in the story, but he doesn't help in combat, which is a shame.

Unlockables and collectables make this game worthy of a replay, especially since it doesn’t take too long to beat, making the whole game feel surprisingly digestible.  You collect points via combat scoring and mission rankings, as well as items.  These allow you to purchase new combos, weapons, and cyborg upgrades that can alter appearance, as well as upgrade your attributes.  For easy mode, you can generally default to run and slice tactics, with the auto-parry doing just about all of the work in preventing you from taking damage.  On higher difficulties, success or failure depends much more on your timing and coordination, since evasion generally isn't a good tactic in this game.  That can really hurt players like me, who have been conditioned by games like Devil May Cry to always evade before even thinking of blocking or launching attacks.  This is still a habit I have yet to entirely break away from, and it has resulted in some frustrating moments for me; but to be honest, it does feel more appropriate to be able to deflect attacks in order to land counters.

Conclusions:

The ability to literally hack your enemies into tiny pieces
can bring a mix of satisfaction and a sudden urge to consult a psychologist.

MGR  is a very exciting game that endeavors to allow players to be the badass action hero you always wished you were.  The story has some interesting and deep concepts, but doesn’t really get as much traction in the midst of bloody, brutal action.  So don’t come here exclusively for the thought-provoking moments, because they take a firm back seat to the explosive and brutal action.  There is a lot to enjoy for such a relatively short game, and the challenge really kept things interesting.  However, there isn’t a great deal of depth in terms of gameplay or story, at least when compared to some of the other RPG games out there.  For that reason, this game sits as a solid B-lister, with a lot of fun to be had, but once you get through it, a few unlockables are all that really entice you to return.  It does in many ways break away from defining game of the genre, like Devil May Cry, and bring it's own flavor that does make the gameplay very enjoyable.

Good:

-Awesome action and swordplay.

-Ability to slice and dice enemies in Blade mode adds a new gameplay element that actually challenges you to collect certain items and allows you to heal yourself.

-A few interesting story elements and thought-provoking moments.

-Interesting villains, even if they fall into cliche anime patterns.

Bad:

-Short, especially for a major title.... I really mean it's short, too.  You can probably knock it out in an afternoon and evening if you wanted to.

-Some textures feel outdated at times.

Scully Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Sixty Second Shooter Prime

By: Robert Murphy

Anyone who has spent their time searching through the Xbox arcade before will have undoubtedly come across a game called Geometry Wars which pits a tiny ship against waves of increasingly difficult enemy ships and challenging events. The game style is not something new and while searching through the Xbox One arcade recently I discovered a game that struck me to be in similar fashion, Sixty Second Shooter Prime. In this adaptation of this twin stick style of game you play as a small ship that also progresses through waves of enemies that include enemy ships, spiral like objects, giant three dimensional cubes and much more. Your goal is to hopefully progress further and further to higher levels trying to survive and reach a larger score than the last time with your missiles and guns by your side.

Besides Geometry Wars, I have played a number of this style of game before and it truly can be a hit or miss type of thing to play especially with how limited it can be for those making the game. When it comes to Sixty Second Shooter Prime we see examples of just how limited things can be but can still see the fun to be had. Much of the games graphics are basic and feature simple shapes for your ship and your enemies as well, it feels like many of them could be drawn on a napkin by someone trying to make cool three dimensional shapes. The backgrounds are not any better, lumpy clouds, dizzying arrays of random colors and stark lines that cut randomly through the playable field make things not only confusing but very unimpressive to play on. These and other features such as different songs can be selected in the main menu for the game but this doesn't make the game any more impressive to play through if you're hoping for more appeal in a different background. Other visual effects that will come as you fight to survive through the waves of enemies include the large explosions that come with so many other games like it. This can be caused by hitting a very high combo which explodes everything in the nearby area in a chain reaction, while this is great to accomplish it the joy can be immediately taken away by the confusion of the explosion leading you to hit an enemy you didn't see. 

Getting into the gameplay, Sixty Second Shooter Prime plays like a game that wants to rush through it because you either die instantly or you have to hurry up and make a large score before the time runs down. It isn't to exciting when a game puts a time limit over your head especially when the time frame is sixty seconds, it causes a panic almost with a player and I believe that's why many games have done away with it entirely. Never the less you must try and climb through the levels with your odd space ship destroying everything using bombs, missiles and guns hoping for a higher score each time. You can also collect a variety of power ups such as time slow down, invincibility, multipliers and additional missiles, this was one thing I really thought was stellar about the game and helped make me feel the addiction that the game meant to give off. Another addition that helps the game is the Infinity Mode that takes you away from the panic and the short lived momentum of the 60 second mode and lets you add more time through power ups the longer you survive. 

In conclusion, Sixty Second Shooter Prime is a let down of a game especially when you look at some of the competitors it has and the other games that have been around with twin stick format. The game isn't at all that expensive though and can provide you with some amusement for a short time but that is about all you get with the amount of content the game has in store for anyone who purchases it. Maybe if the game gets a little more work put into it it could have some potential but outside of what you have right now I can't see anyone playing for too long. 

Good:

- Can be enjoyable when you get going like any twin stick shooter

- Power ups are fun and add to the minor addiction 

- Infinity Mode helps break up the short gameplay

Bad:

- You will feel rushed while playing through most of the game

- Visuals and graphics are very unimpressive

- Lack a lot of content, you will unlock everything in an hour of playing

Scully Rating: 4.0 out of 10 

Fallout New Vegas Ep. 2 - Grenades Go Boom

Hey everyone, Murphy here and Dibble and I have a new video for you all to enjoy and watch our epic journey through the Nevada wasteland in Fallout: New Vegas. You quickly learn that our skills haven't improved too much since the first video and we run into some unfriendly criminals this time around that need a good talking to. That is what I'd hoped would happen but Dibble had other plans for us, why I let him take the controls I will never know. Hope you enjoy our exploits once more and we'll continue to work on new videos and review for you all to enjoy.

Towa no Quon

By: Robert Murphy

Do you ever wish that you could unlock a power hidden within side of you, with all your might you wish you could have the power to change things and make a difference? Well that is exactly what the people known as Attractors wished for and they found an ability within themselves that they could use to change things, once they learned to control it that is. Some of these people have incredibly dangerous powers and strengths and due to this a secret organization has begun to seek them out and eliminate them. Custos is the name of this shady group and they have vast resources to aid them in their efforts to kill every last Attractor, including enhanced cyborgs known as WTOC. A particular Attractor won't allow this to go on, his name is Quon and although he doesn't look it he is a very old and is determined to protect every last Attractor to repent for his past.   

The story centers mainly around Quon, a man a who will do anything for his fellow Attractors often pushing himself too far in the effort to save people from Custos as he's the only one able to fight with his powers. The other issue being that many of the Attractors that you will see throughout the show are young kids who have unlocked their abilities due to some sort of trauma. As I said these kids want to have the power to stand up against people or do something to stop bad people in their lives and it awakens their abilities but it is very dangerous when it first happens and until they learn to control their powers they can cause a lot of damage. This is where Quon and his friends come into help keep all of the Attractors safe from harm hidden in their theme park sanctuary. The whole thing gives off a very X:Men type feel to it where Quon like Professor X keeps all of the mutant children under their care safe from harm. It isn't a blatant rip off of the story though and is very much an idea that fans of the series know works. 

Right from the first scene in the show you see just what Towa no Quon is all about, it is great to watch a scene unfold for how well it is put together and just how unreal the action scenes can be. Quon's transformation from boy to beast is something that unlocks his hidden strengths and abilities, his tremendous strength, speed and fighting skills make even the cyborgs at Custos think about their chances and that a 5 on 1 fight. All action scenes are fluid and sleek and great to watch, my only issue is I wish that there were more fighting Attractors in the show. Each of the main Attractors though that Quon works with do have their own ability that helps out in a pinch but it's mainly backup for Quon when he needs it. The powers though of Attractors are all unique, some have telepathy, some can talk to animals, some can hack computers with handy little prob creatures, it's all appealing to see when they come out. The fact that they mainly serve to help out when needed does make them all very forgettable characters though and it weakens the plot a little bit. 

What you have with a show like Towa no Quon is a very serviceable action series with so many good action scenes to see along with a compelling story to keep you going. It does have an obvious formula to it with the good guy Quon trying to make up for his past and a bad guy who reeks of cliche villain right from the start. But this is overlooked by all that is offered by the show as each episode had me more enthralled than the last. I wish there was more appealing characters other than Quon too, when you get down to it he really is one of the main and worthwhile character that you spend your time watching while the rest stand by when called. All in all though I was pleased with what I recieved from Towa no Quon since it was a show I'd never heard of before and chose to give it a shot on a whim and was rewarded in the end. 

Good:

- Amazing action scenes throughout the show

- Very appealing story that continued to get better as the show went on 

- Attractors all had unique and cool abilities to witness

Bad:

- I wish that the other characters were more appealing and became stronger but they didn't

- Quon becomes the main show runner and you need a little bit more to carry a show

Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10  

Tammy

By: Robert Murphy 

Do you ever have one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right? From the minute you wake up you were destined to have a crap storm of a bad day and that's what we open on in Tammy as Melissa McCarthy's foul mouthed, brash and over inflated brand of character returns for another go. Tammy is about to blindsided with a series of bad luck events that included losing her job, hitting a deer and being cheated on by her long time husband to name a few. This leads her to storm off out of town to get away from all the bad that has happened and the only way she can do that is with her grandmother, Pearl (Susan Sarandon) by her side and her chunk of cash she has in her pocket. The two set off together on an adventure to get out and live free before one of their times is up and the other wants to do what we all want to do at times and that's scream "SCREW YOU" to the world and have a good time. 

We have seen this sort of ill mannered character from Melissa McCarthy before as she has become a master of the role in other films the past few years in Identity Thief and The Heat. This isn't to say this a bad thing because it frankly works and McCarthy is sometimes such a hard read as an actress that it can feel different each time even though you know the film was made for her brand of character. As her character and Pearl set off on their journey together, you can't help but notice and undeniable spark between the two and how their on screen chemistry works quite well. Sarandon's character Pearl is an alcoholic/diabetic ball of delight who is incredibly charming even under the grey wig and make up that try and make her older. Add in a little Tammy mix to that with her spunky and loud attitude and you do find a recipe for success but it works for only a quick one liner or two and a few outrageous events. While Sarandon "co-stars" as the films sidekick, she doesn't gain all the main drive as McCarthy does and when the film lulls and falters, you are left staring at the screen with her being the only one on it. 

Hidden in the midst of McCarthy lime light though, there are a surprising number of other compelling actors and actresses who sneak some screen time out of Tammy. Pearl happens to meet a love interest at one of the road trip stops along the way, gentleman rancher Randy (Gary Cole) created some more appeal to keep watching. The twos hook up also makes way for the stale romance of Tammy and Randy's son Bobby (Mark Duplass) as the two flirt at various points throughout the film. I didn't mind that Bobby would show up at various random times through the film and in fact I loved him as a character but he was vastly underwritten and was part of many of the films lulling moments with Tammy. Other crazy events transpire that lead to Pearl needing to call up an old time friend for help, a no nonsense Leanor (Kathy Bates.) Pearl and Tammy seek refuge with her and her lesbian partner Susan (Sandra Oh) which later leads to an all out 4th of July raging party with some jet-ski burning and alcoholic rants for some added tension. 

Tammy as a character is the perfect way to describe Tammy the film, a mess of ideas and one trick stunts to try and distract you from the fact that you just watch something with no plot to it. Pearl and Tammy do have an initial plan in mind at the beginning of the film but it gets lost in a clump of ideas and stories that were included in the story along the way. McCarthy is still pretty funny and I'm not saying you won't laugh at what you see but her one trick pony act may be coming to end as there won't be too many more ways you can sell this angle for too long. Sarandon, Bates, Duplass and other side characters are a delight though and I deeply enjoyed their stories, I just wish that there was more of their story to go around when the end credits roled.

Good:

- McCarthy still is funny and still proves she can use her brand of character once more

- Sarandon provides some much needed help for the films low moments

- A great cast of side characters

Bad:

- Very erratic story telling

- Tries to fluff up the lack of story with a series of one liners and stunts

- I don't think McCarthy should have outshined everyone, I believe she needs to stick to the role of side kick with her brand of character 

Scully Rating: 5.0 out of 10 

Bleach 590: March Out the ZOMBIES

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/590/2469/1

Kurotsuchi has arrived on the battlefield, and his bright armor has both friend and foe blinded.  However, Giselle quickly calls for her zombie army to fight on her behalf.  Can the Soul Society resist a zombie army mainly composed of its' own soldiers?  And what plan does Kurotsuchi have against this threat?  

Kurotsuchi's appearance in battle is definitely overdue, and he wastes no time getting down to business.  However, the problem of Giselle's zombies is placing an entire army between Kurotsuchi and Giselle.  Still, Kurotsuchi's not unprepared, as he calls forward a secret weapon to counter the zombie horde, one of his own diabolical creations.  How did he come by these secret weapons?  Well, we'll have to wait until next week to find out.

Naruto 686: People who left and people who leave something

By: Robert Murphy

Link to the manga here

Hey everyone, it's that time of the week once again for another exciting chapter of Naruto. This week's chapter comes with a sigh of relief after Obito and Sakura were successful in their attempts to find Sasuke in the alternate dimension Kaguya sent him to, although just barely. Now a glimmer of hope returns once again to the fight against this God among shinobi with Sasuke and Naruto being able to combine their powers from the Sage and seal Kaguya away once more but will she allow it. Black Zetsu and Kaguya will now hold nothing back with these two combined in strength against her and we've witnessed her terrifying amount of power up till this point. Naruto and Sasuke still may need some more help before this battle is done and you won't want to miss a second of it in this latest chapter, so come check it out and I'll see you all next time. 

Razer Kraken

Sean Dibble

So earlier I talked about the Razer Naga, well this is another peripheral by Razer and this product is a headset.

Earpieces- The earpieces of the Kraken are very comfortable and give you the ability to play games for a good amount of time, with very little discomfort. The sound quality is great, maybe a tad bit heavy on the bass, but I personally enjoy a heavier bass sound. Also, built into the headphones are separate drivers per ear to give you that immerse sound quality any gamer is looking for.

Cords- The cords of the Kraken are somewhat of a problem. First, the headset has the ability to just be used for mp3's by plugging into a Ipod or any type of player. With that said, it is packaged in with a splitter to be plugged into any PC system with obviously a stereo jack/ microphone jack. Now normally, I would like this, but with the splitter cord being just over 1 meter long it's far too long and your constantly running over it with your chair.

Microphone- This is the worst part of the Kraken, and sadly one of the most important parts to a good gaming headset. The mic just sucks to put it bluntly; it's flimsy, seems to be made as an afterthought, and so quiet that even with all the settings maxed out no one could hear me when I screamed into it. The one thing I liked about it was if I wanted the mic away from my face its retractable and goes right into the earpieces, but that is a very VERY small plus.

Look- The Kraken looks amazing coming in two colors: Black with green lettering or Green with black lettering. The earpieces have a nice over the ear look and the mic, though flimsy, has a nice look to it instead of the ball mic its a futuristic look to it. And lastly when you're ready to stop gaming or pack up to go to a friend's house the headset folds up for easy storage.

Good:

-Nice look.

-Great sound.

-Folds up for easy storage.

Bad:

-Microphone....how a great company fell so hard with the most important part puzzles me.

-Cord is too long.

Scully Rating: 7 out of 10 

Razer Naga Gaming Mouse

Sean Dibble

So, you're an MMO player and looking for a great gaming peripheral for your PC? well, look no further; Razer has the mouse for you. The Naga is perfect for MMO players with twelve programmable buttons on the left hand side of the mouse a scroll wheel that just simply glides. Also, with the scroll wheel you can move it side to side to go back or forward on a page, or program it to open up your inventory and maps. On the right hand side (if you are right handed), you have a gradual decline to the side and a ring finger rest. This is a simple thing, but a nice addition I am not sure about you, but I get cramps in my ring and pinky finger on my mouse hand all the time, and this helps. Another thing with this mouse is you can go to the Razer website and download synapse for free, and it will continually update the mouse drivers and allow you to program the mouse in that and save it to the cloud. Now to the looks, the mouse simply looks beautiful black with a green back-light to all the buttons and wheel. The logo for Razer also makes an appearance when you glide your hand over the mouse the logo lights up green and makes you go, "that's awesome." All in all, Razer Naga is a grand mouse that will work great for any right handed MMO player. Sadly, not knowing any left-handed gamers, I didn't have access to have them test it. Lefties, tred lightly, this may not be the mouse for you.

Good:

-12+ programmable buttons

-Gliding Scroll Wheel

-Nicely lit buttons

Bad:

-May not be for left handed gamers

Scully Rating: 9 out of 10

Divinity: Dragon Commander

Zach Goodier

Alright, so try this one on for size: you are a dragon knight, born of the union of human and dragon (no idea where you’d even start with that conception, but OK).  You are the unlikely, illegitimate heir to an empire that has been torn asunder by your brothers and sisters.  The only way to restore peace to the kingdom is to defeat them in battle.  However, you must also contend with the task of ruling the regions you already control, and the need to make decisions can sway the allegiances of the races that follow you, and can have a major impact on how well your campaign goes.

Your generals always keep things lively on the ship, and provide characters that you will both love and hate.

Story:

There really isn’t a whole heap to say beyond what I’ve mentioned already, but the details are important.  As the commander, you must embark on a conquest of the world, to end the constant wars between your siblings.  You will have a cabinet comprised of all the races, including Elves, Undead, Imps, Dwarves, and Lizards.  They all have particular goals/biases that impact their policies, and which way they’ll expect you to lean on decisions.  Decisions can range from allowing industrial development to gay marriage, and while all of us have our own opinions, adhering to them doesn’t always pay off when your own followers stop supporting you.

You'd think a dragon with a jet-pack would be redundant, but it works out very well in gameplay.

Characters:

The commander’s advisors are all interesting characters that embody different philosophies and beliefs, ranging from religious conservative to industrial entrepreneur.  However, the standouts of often your generals, who add to the political discussions with their own views, and simultaneously add a great deal of personality to the game as a whole.  Interacting with them can draw out a full range of emotions, with their various (and sometimes difficult) personalities.  They also have personal stories, which make your more invested in them. 

You'll spend a lot of time using the map to build forces, and plan your moves each turn.

You can also marry in the game.  Although the motivation is political, you can choose between any of the races (Except human, that’s too boring) and take a wife.  Like the political and military staff, each potential wife has a unique personality, which helps hook the player and really add some life to these characters.  The very question of the morality of arranging a marriage does come up in the game, but you still have to make a choice.  Each wife has her own storylines that keep the player engaged and interested in what their wives are doing.

Each advisor will bring a lady from their race to present for marriage, you will pick one and she will join the story, each providing their own unique storyline that you will be tied up with, giving this game some replay value.

Gameplay:

One thing I haven’t really discussed is the actual battles.  One of the reasons is that you spend a lot of time on the Raven, your personal airship that runs on magic of some sort, and allows you to research upgrades for your units, and your own dragon powers.  From the bridge, when you aren’t interacting with your staff/wife, you run the campaign and move your armies.  When opposing forces meet, you get to choose whether you command the battle yourself, pay one of your generals to fight it on auto, or let the army fight it on auto.  Be careful, now, you can only personally fight one battle per turn, so if you plan on attacking on multiple fronts, be ready to either pay a general’s wage or have enough units to fight it on their own, you can’t be everywhere, which does limit your ability to push forward.

There is a generally typical dynamic where one unit beats another, but obviously there is value in just massive a lot of pawns and just overrunning a position.

Battles become real-time, with the player overlooking the map and controlling units, trying to build recruitment centers to gain support from the local populace.  For spending reinforcement points, you can morph into your dragon form, and while the controls are difficult, and army management takes some getting used to in this form, you can truly devastate your enemies by raining fire down on them from above.  However, the dragon form does limit your ability to manage your forces, and prevents you from summoning new troops, so you generally want to wait until you have your forces built up before transforming to lead the charge.

Each wife will undergo changes based on how you influence them during the story.  The Elf princess here is just one example.

Conclusions:

This game is really fun.  It blends a lot of concepts from other games into a new, fresh package.  However, the lack of polish, and the relatively short feeling to the story do hold it back.  And the gameplay can feel rather clunky and difficult until you figure out most of it, but even then, it never feels very fluid.  I would love to see more games like this, that let the general actually take direct action on the battlefield, making it not just an indirect fight through units alone.  The upgrades and interesting characters definitely give this game a lot of value, but I wasn’t in a rush to go back.  Overall, a solid attempt, and plenty of RPG elements and interesting characters, but the gameplay is rather lackluster and unrefined.  The biggest disappoint for me, however, is that more wasn't done with the characters, in particular your generals and advisers.  Their stories are interesting, but if you separate each one individually, they don't amount to very much on their own.

Good:

-Interesting blend of Action RPG with Strategy and empire building.

-Interesting, original characters.

-Choices that capture the difficulty of leading, and impart the wisdom that you can never make everyone happy.

Bad:

-Clunky, ineffective controls that are often limited while in dragon form.

-Rather short, and underplays some of its' greatest assets, such as the character development and side-stories. 

Scully Rating: 8 out of 10

Bleach 589: "The Shooting Star Project" [The Old and New Trust]

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/589/2452/1

Ichigo and his friends prepare to go to the Soul King's Palace to finish what they started, but in the meantime, Urahara works to set up his special canon to send them there, but needs enough energy to send them.  Meanwhile, Ikkaku and Yumichika fight Giselle and her zombie version of Bambietta.  As they soon realize, since Bambietta is already dead, whatever damage they do to her body won't be enough to put her down for good.  Will they be able to defeat this mysterious zombie master?  Only the next chapters will tell.

It's starting to feel like things are moving along at a faster pace now, with Ichigo getting his bearings before he sets out to face what might be his last battle.  But, we still see plenty of action going on as Ichigo's friends struggle to mop-up the forces Juha Bach left behind when he invaded the Palace.  I'm still waiting to see how some of the other characters will appear, and how their appearance will impact the battle.  It could be the eventual appearance of the Fullbring and other Arancar that upsets Juha Bach's plans and tips the scales against him, but it is likely Ichigo that must face him in order to defeat him outright.  Only time will tell, and we will likely still have a lot of that left before we get any answers.  Until next week, we can all just keep guessing.

Naruto 685: All you have...!!

By: Robert Murphy

Link to the manga here

Looks as though we have a treat for the manga this week boys and girls as the latest chapter of Naruto has come early to us this week. The chapter is entitled "All you have...!!" and puts as right at the point where Naruto, Sakura and Obito's plan has turned into success. Obito realized that Kaguya is using a form of dimension jumping like his kamui ability in his sharingan and was able to jump into the intersection point of all Kaguya's dimensions. Things get a little tricky here though as Sakura must lend Obito her chakra and together they must search the various dimensions to try and find Sasuke before it's too late. Naruto is doing a good job of fooling Kaguya and holding his own against her for now but how long can he do it before her overwhelming power catches him off guard. You will all have to read this week's chapter and find out just what is going to happen, enjoy the early chapter, Murphy out.