Bleach 649: The Theatre Suicide Scene 3

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/649

Kyoraku's bankai seems to have dealt a deadly blow to Borro, but he then falls into the arms of his zanpakuto, calling her "Ohana," who comforts him in her own way, as Borro's body floats in the water. However; the fight isn't over so soon, as Kyoraku is struck by another of Borro's attacks. He then seems to replace his missing head with some new form, and then declares that no soul reaper's bankai is capable of killing him. Can Kyoraku turn this around, or is he about to meet his end at the hands of "God's Messenger?"

Bleach 640: Baby, Hold Your Hand 3

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/640

Just as Pernida is devoured by Kurotsuchi's new modified bankai, he shoots his way out with a bow, reminding the mad scientist that he is in fact a Quincy, and can use a bow to kill his enemies. He then proceeds to create bows at the ends of each of his fingers, and begins firing on Kurotsuchi, who notes the arrows are actually attached to more nerves, making the arrows deadly if they hit. After severing a pierced arm, and soon realizes that the nerves on the ground can redirect the arrows, too late to evade the arrow coming at him from behind. However, Nemu blocks the attack by sacrificing her own arm, which she quickly severs to avoid being killed. Kurotsuchi then saves her from falling on the nerves and scolds her for her reckless action, using her full name, and telling her to never die unless he orders her to.

The Expendables 3

By: Robert Murphy

For a long time I would laugh and gruff at the idea behind The Expendables movies for the sheer fact that it is hard to combine so many big names on one picture but after the first movie I was pleasantly surprised and once again was proven wrong about big names in Hollywood not being able to share screen time. The latest addition to this film trilogy, The Expendables 3, seeks to add even more names to it's already full roster and returns for another go for the old dog  group of mercenaries. At this point though, Sylvester Stallone should change the title because we seem to see more people joining in on the film rather than being killed off.

Fresh out of prison, literally and fictionally, we see Doc (Wesley Snipes) come to rejoin Barney (Stallone) and his new team as they break him out of a prison transport after a 8 year lock up in God only knows where. But this isn't the only familiar face that comes out of the wood work oddly enough as the team gets a chance to meet another member of Barney's old team alongside Doc as a routine supply raid turns south. Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) plays our resident bad guy who was allegedly killed by Barney a long time ago when he found out that Stonebanks was turning into the very people that they often were sent to kill. Needless to say this reunion is not only shocking but also devastating as Stonebanks proceeds to make things personal and unloads a rifle round into Caesar's (Terry Crews) behind to make Barney go on the war path. This though is just the tip of the iceberg now that Stonebanks is back, he has been making a lot of noise and frankly pissing off some important people, this include the United States government and cue Bruce Willis...oh wait, no that's not Bruce that's Max Drummer (Mel Gibson), our new CIA spook who wants to see Stonebanks six feet under, for good this time. This is something Barney is more than happy to accommodate, he would have done it even if he wasn't asked too but with Caesar in the hospital it leads Barney to set out and make a new team for a most likely suicide mission against Stonebanks. 

Stonebanks or rather Gibson was someone that I absolutely loved in the film, he may have had some stumbles over the years and taken some professional hits but God did he acts his heart out in this role. Gibson was meant to play a villain in my mind as he plays the cross and demented Stonebanks beautifully, you could just tell that he wanted to prove a little something since his name hasn't been on a major title in a long time and I'm grateful for the performance.  You could also probably tell by this point in The Expendables franchise that things are far less stern and serious than they were in the first movie, it seems that with every new addition things became lighter and more fun with all our big name actors making one liners from past movies and generally just being more humor based with action taking more of a backseat. This really shows in The Expendables 3 with the jokes about Wesley's previous jail time, they jokingly talk about it being for tax evasion or later when we once again see Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) make a "Get to the chopper" reference. Mel Gibson's new and welcomed addition to the cast in replacement of Bruce Willis also allows for some humor which was nice because I never cared for the stern and effortless antics of Willis in The Expendables. 

My faults for the movie honestly came from the addition of Barney's new team that he forms after firing his old one. This team actually was meant to take the word "expendable" literally and were never expected to survive the assault against Stonebanks and neither was Barney. This group included two MMA fighters, Mars (Victor Ortiz) and Luna (Ronda Rousey) which works out fine, then there is our resident Twilight pretty boy Smilee (Kellan Lutz) which I guess is okay and then a lacrosse player....Krug (Ivan Kostadinov). This team was honestly idiotic in retrospect because it was just pointless to even have them in the film to begin with especially when we knew they wouldn't be left to die or be killed and Barney's old team were going to come back in the end to save the day. The script for the movie just was not harsh enough to let the group die in the end and Barney and the whole team would inevitable all team up in the end to save the day, so really you could have gone to the restroom for the entire part where the "new" team was established and wouldn't care. The one thing that the younger faces did do for The Expendables 3 was add some more snickering and jokes about just how old fashioned Stallone and the others are. For instance at one point the new group complete dismisses the "wild west" style plan that Barney comes up with and replaces it with a better/more technology driven plan filled with gadgets and devices rather than blowing in the doors and shooting wildly. 

When you get right down to it I think that what I said before rings true, things are getting to be less and less serious when it comes to The Expendables movies and you have to judge it less as an action movie and more of a comedy with a lot of action in it. Stallone has been realizing more and more that it's better to make jokes about the age factor that many of the cast suffer from as well as throwing in one liners and references to their combined careers. Because when you get down to it, Mel Gibson raises a good point in the film that I think rings true and that's "How hard is it to kill 10 men?!" and you know what it really shouldn't be that hard. It's simply crazy near the end where there are tanks, soliders and helicopters all trying to kill Barney's team and none of them even get remotely hurt, so you just can't take this seriously. I myself though enjoy laughing along especially in this installment for The Expendables but this should probably be the last call for the franchise or at least I hope. 

Good:

- The action is still here and was extremely awesome

- The wit and humor strewn throughout the film was top notch

- Gibson's Stonebanks was a stellar villain and a role I think Gibson was meant to play

Bad:

- The new/younger team were just plan pointless having around

- It may be curtain call time for The Expendables movies but they went out on a good one here

Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10 

Bleach 592: Marching out the ZOMBIES 3

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/592/2488/1?t=2&f=0&e=0

Toshiro stand before Kurotsuchi, not as a friend, but as an enemy.  Toshiro attacks Ikkaku and deals him a heavy blow (whether he died or not is still conveniently up the air).  Giselle reveals that by turning the living with blood, they become able to retain the skills they possessed before turning, and require less conscious effort to manipulate.  As a side note, if you haven't noticed, I've been trying to avoid the use of pronouns when it comes to Giselle, since that whole "he/she" thing has rather made me want to avoid pronouns entirely.  Back to the point, the revived arrancar attack, but quickly realize they aren't up to the task of taking on an enemy as strong as Toshiro.  Kurotsuchi decides to step up personally, but can he handle it, and can he somehow manage to save Toshiro from his twisted fate?  

Truth is, this chapter was a lot of downtime.  Other than the arrancar getting tossed aside and the partial explanation of Giselle's power, nothing really happened of note.  One thing that bugged me was that "Zombieguya's" attacks look and apparently are more powerful than they ever were now that he's a zombie.  Toshiro was struggling before just to be able to manage an ice wall to stop Bazz-B's attacks, but now just a flick of his wrist and seemingly half the city is covered in ice.  This type of inconsistency, just to make the situation seem more helpless, can be a pet-peeve of mine.  However, that doesn't make the action itself bad, and it does set up for an epic battle between "Zombieguya" and Kurotsuchi, and it's very possible that through this fight, Kurotsuchi will gather more data on Giselle's power, giving him a bigger edge later on.

The Witcher 3 - Pre-E3 Trailer

Zach Goodier

Here's the early trailer for Witcher 3. I enjoyed 2, but thought it felt a little on the short side, and it never opened up as much as I had hoped.  Hopefully, this next installment is everything I'm hoping for, and then some.  Getting Charles Dance to voice the king is also interesting, bringing some quality talent into the fold on this latest installment.

Dead Space 3

Zach Goodier

Isaac Clarke is back, and there’s more necromorphs to be dismembered.  This time around, you’re heading to the Marker homeworld, in a quest to finish off the menace once and for all.  However, the Unitologists are hot on your heels, and they want to make sure that “convergence” takes place, which means killing you and allowing the Markers to spread their signal throughout the universe.  However, Isaac in not alone, he has help from the last battalion of EarthGov at his back, but the odds are still stacked against him.  Can you end the menace once and for all? Or is the universe doomed to suffer the extinction of all life?

You've seen monsters like this before, but when they've had 200 years to make themselves at home, it somehow feels even scarier than ever, since you truly feel like you're on their turf this time around.

Story:

For starters, you begin the game 200 years before the current point in the story, playing as a soldier on Tau Volantis serving with a Sovereign Colonies unit exploring the icy world.  They are already in the midst of a Necromorph infestation when you start, and your job is to recover a “codex” needed to somehow end the Necromorph infestation on the colony.  Without getting into spoilers too much, that story serves as a prologue, which then leads into Isaac, who is struggling with living his life after surviving 2 encounters with Necromorphs and all of the marker knowledge swimming in his head. You’ll start out on New Horizons colony, where you quickly have to run off to Tau Volantis on the, being pursued by Unitologist terrorists who have overthrown EarthGov and taken control of the markers, and have begun using them to spread Necromorphs throughout the settled worlds of humanity. 

Danik is a guy I had mixed feelings towards. On one hand, I understood that since humanity has eaten and built its way into the corner Al Gore has been warning us about, he is trying to find a solution.  On the other hand.... HE KEEPS TRYING TO KILL ISAAC... Not cool, bro.

Gameplay:

You really have already played this game, just like in 2, but that’s not a bad thing.  One of the differences, however, is that you now have to fight against humans, as well as Necros.  Unitologist militants provide an interesting element to combat, and they definitely add a new challenge to an already challenging scenario. 

You'll spend a good chunk of the early game navigating a derelict fleet, before heading down to the planet... None of the locals are friendly, though.

Another big change is the ability to build custom weapons and modifications to create a potentially massive arsenal, although the ability to only carry 2 at a time is a little bit of a disappointment.  Ammo is now generalized, with one type going to every weapon.  This means you no longer have to juggle 4 types of ammunition trying to keep yourself stocked for whatever lies behind the next blood-covered door. 

Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior, Lord Cthulhu?

The scares are more of the same, but once again, that’s not a bad thing.  There are new Necros, and some of the classics return.  The scenery changes frequently, as your arrival on Tau Volantis starts with a struggle to find a new ship among the remnants of the Sovereign Colonies fleet, which has been derelict for the past 200 years.  Scary right from the start, right? I mean, of course they must be empty, right? 

While I wasn't able to delve into co-op very much, it does provide a thrilling way to game with your friends, and makes the darkness feel a little less perilous when you have backup.

There is one major element of the Dead Space series that has turned me off a bit, and this game only accentuated it even more for me.  For example, at one point in the game, you have to find a shuttle in order to get down to the planet.  Now, after heading across the ship to find the shuttle in the rear hangar, you find the shuttle, only to find that it needs parts before it can be ready to launch.  So, you fight around the hangar, fighting Necros and gathering the parts before you can assemble what you need.  You do that, then you find out the shuttle is out of fuel, so then you have to go to the rear section and go through the refueling process.  THEN, after that, you find out the hangar door is jammed and you have to head to the upper section above the hangar and un-jam the gears before you can finally get out, and mind you this is all after traversing across the entire ship to get there.  There are a few sections like this in the game, and it can really mess with the momentum of the story, and really make it feel like sometimes the developers just wanted to drag this game out as long as possible with as little effort as possible.

Weapon crafting allows you to combo things like shotguns with a ripper attachment, or however you wanna set it up.  By the end of the game, Necros didn't even scare me anymore because I was a tearing through them so fast I honestly think they were more scared of me.

Characters:

This is mostly a big weak point for the game, since you don’t spend a great deal of time interacting on any serious level with other characters.  There are a few moments, and there are a few twists along the way, but for the most part it’s like a horror movie in terms of supporting characters.  Isaac is still just… there, killing monsters and fighting Unitologists.  It really doesn’t change much from there.  But to be fair, the stupidity of the characters at some key moments does irritate me.  Without spoiling it, the only reason there was a last level was because of some random inability of Isaac and his buddy Carver could have easily put down the Unitologist leader, Danik, before he did something that really put the screws to Isaac, Carver, and Ellie.  All of this was clearly to set up for a massive boss fight, but it just felt so forced it kind of ruined the entire final act of the story for me.

HEY!!! Stay out of that cookie jar.

Overall:

This game is good, but not quite up to great for me.  The only reason is that a lot of the story elements, as well as the mission layout, just felt like they were trying to make less seem like more.  However, the gameplay is very good, with the ability to build weapons and a streamlined ammo system to save on some inventory space, it’s all very functional and fun, but there are a lot of times where you need to stop and think about what you’re doing, and why.  That’s what really held this game back.  And I really wasn’t at all surprised by any of the twists, because it was all so obvious I face-palmed when Isaac was surprised.  This game is worth playing, just not worth getting invested in the story for. 

Like any horror flick, you know that half of these people are disposable right from the get-go.

So much of this world could have been compelling, but I feel like the Dead Space universe just isn’t utilized as much as it could be for story, character, and lore.  The lore that exists is good, but I felt like a few interesting concepts like the depletion of resources, and the loss of necessary materials for mankind, weren’t explored as much as they could have been, especially since they fuel the Unitologist cause.  It all just feels like a wasted opportunity for the story and universe, but that doesn’t mean this game has nothing to offer.  The action, thrills, and scares are all as good as the franchise gets, I just sometimes found myself frustrated with the objectives, story, and irritating characters that let things go to hell, just so you can fight the big boss at the end.

Good:

-Awesome action and scares

-Monster design is awesome

-Weapon creation/upgrades make the arsenal fully customizable

-CO-OP!!!

Bad:

-Objectives, particularly sub-objectives, can feel like a real pain, and an attempt by the studio to make one or two areas take up over a half hour of your time running silly fetch quests while necros come after you.

-Characters  allow some very preventable events to occur, leading the obligatory boss battle that just left me shaking my head.

Scully Rating: 8 out of 10

Battlefield 4

By: Robert Murphy

Now I know some of you may be mad when I say this but I didn’t begin my journey into the Battlefield genre with, Battlefield 1942, which was a defining game for the franchise but I started out with Battlefield: Bad Company and I have been hooked ever since. This love continued into the ridiculous world of Bad Company 2 and the incredibly realistic feel of Battlefield 3 and now we have finally gotten our hands on the latest foray into the franchise Battlefield 4. Once again we are shown a world that we only here about on the news, with such realistic action, sounds and devastation, all right in front of you on the screen and you control the action.

Digging right into the campaign, we see something that honestly I wasn’t expecting and that was something lack luster that hits every branch on the cliché tree with a running through back allies and sewers, a jail break mission with a creepy mole like man, backstabs and betrayals, I mean this was not what I was expecting. Granted not a lot of people go into Battlefield for the campaign but still at least Battlefield 3 gave us a solid story and a few good hours of gameplay, along with some standalone two player co-op missions for you and your friends. For the most part the campaign tried to mix and match old glories by adding some humor with massive explosions and gun fights all over the place and me being left with the question, was there a story in there somewhere? The new gameplay allowed for you to preform squad commands for your team that pin pointed enemies and would tell your buddies who to attack but I never ended up using this feature since I had already killed them all by the time I remembered the feature in the first place. So I guess all I can say is, I know where the work went into this game and that was the multiplayer.

Much too my joy, I found a massive amount of action and life in the multiplayer for Battlefield 4 and this is honestly where you’ll want to hang your hats. All the classic game modes are back, Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Domination and more, there is no shortage of ways to enjoy online play but that also becomes clear with the astounding maps we have to choose from. Maps are now bigger and better than ever with the capability to be completely obliterated with the new ability to totally destroy a map like a hotel completely crumbling and crashing to the ground, changing the environment and your gameplay. This crazy and awe inspiring moment will leave you pause as you contemplate just exactly what the hell is going on around you but at the same time you still need to keep moving on with the game. Another aspect that affects the gameplay momentum is the environment itself as some levels come with horrible weather conditions that inhibit your movements so if you’re unfortunate to get caught in the down coming storm you can meet with a bullet to the chest.

Also we see a new element come to Battlefield 4’s multiplayer and that is the Commander Mode, this allows for one player opting out of being on the ground and taking the lead role in coordinating attacks that your teammates carry out. The feature can be used in Conquest, Obliteration and Rush game modes and adds a whole new element to the way the battle unfolds. Commanders can give orders for reinforcements to under fire units or send in UAV’s to let your allies know what an enemy controlled post will have in store for them. Teammates who then capture a specified area will earn points for the commander which can be used on things like cruise missiles to be used on the opposing team. This adds more enjoyment for the more strategy based gamers who want to plan out attacks and give troops commands, making it more than a first person shooter.

We also see the return of many amazing features from past games that make a return this time around, not only in multiplayer but in single player as well. Weapons are once again scarily realistic, not only in looks but in sound as well, weapons are all around breathtaking once again as they were in Battlefield 3 and are a welcomed return. Especially with the attention to detail in every action you go through with your hardware, guns will kick, reload times are not like magic and happen as fast as a normal man could reload a gun and bullets drop from your gun and you can even hear them hit the ground, especially if you’re sniping. Another big ticket item to make its way back in Battlefield 4 are the vehicles, now more than ever they play a big role in game types and add even more realism to the game as you can cause large devastation in a tank but it can lumber around and is vulnerable to attacks if not positioned correctly. From buggies to boats, jets and helicopters, there is no shortage of ways to get around a map with you and your teammates.

Now while Battlefield 4 seemed to have fallen in the way of its campaign, it is back and better than ever with its multiplayer element. The game brings back a realistic feel that players have come to love since Battlefield 3 and with a definite touch up to all aspect since the last time we sat down and enjoyed the gameplay. Maps are larger, well thought out and extremely enjoyable to play on especially with the vehicles that we have to choose from in game modes like conquest. And with the new Commander mode, more heavily strategy based gamers can delve into the game in a whole new way, sending in forces, UAV’s, missile strikes and more.

Good:

-Return of an amazing and realistic first person shooter

-Incredibly designed new maps

-Commander mode is fun and addicting

-A strong return of multiplayer gaming

Bad:

-Lack luster campaign

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10 

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Killing Monsters Cinematic Trailer

Have a trailer for the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.  If you enjoyed all of the games, or none, I would recommend picking the other ones up if you're into the RPG scene, or just like some fantasy with a solid story, choice-making, and some good old fashioned sword play mixed with the possibility of sexy times when you get back to town.  These games provide a good RPG experience, and they let you dive in as deep as you want without feeling it adheres to the traditional "act like a saint or everybody hates you" dynamic that most RPG's use.  It truly sets you free to enjoy yourself, and play how you truly feel you have to.  So I'm hoping this game will provide more of the same, while building on the story I've enjoyed so far.  So enjoy the trailer, and tune in for more news as it comes out.

In the News: Dead Rising 3 gameplay

Zach here, and I'm bringing a Dead Rising 3 preview at ya.  This game is going to be on the Xbox One exclusively, which makes me wonder whether or not I'll be playing it right away.  However, the gameplay looks great, and the open world setting should make surviving the zombie horde that much more exciting as you navigate the treacherous hordes in your path.  I enjoy the feel that this zombie game is "right."  It doesn't try to make the zombies mutated, special, or otherwise deviate from the old school zombie look and feel.  The ability to improvise weapons also makes this game look extremely deep and engaging, as you try to maximize your resources in order to survive.

Assassin’s Creed 3: Tyranny of King Washington – The Redemption

By: Robert Murphy

It has finally come to pass; the conclusion to the “Tyranny of King Washington,” “The Redemption” is our final chapter to this three part DLC and this alternate universe we’ve experienced where some of the revolutions greatest heroes have become America’s biggest threat, leaving Connor to put an end to the madness. We finally dig into a heavier dose of action this time around and it all leads up to the confrontation that we’ve all been waiting for between Connor and King Washington and anything that just so happens to stand between you and him along the way. So without further introduction, let’s dig into the fast paced conclusion to the “Tyranny of King Washington” and tearing down his empire of built on blood and suffering.

 I think King Washington is overcompensating a bit

The story comes to us with an enjoyable addition by the way of the sea, yes once again we are back at the helm of the Aquila right at the beginning of “The Redemptions” story and it feels good to be back out on the high seas battling with your crew. Sea warfare was a fantastic part of “Assassin’s Creed 3’s” gameplay and continues to be as you blast your way through the ships outside of New York’s docks that Connor must penetrate to gain access to the city. Last time around in “The Betrayal,” we left the woods of Connors people and entered the hustle and bustle of Boston, which was pretty much the same as it was in “Assassin’s Creed 3” if not exactly the same. In “The Redemption” however Connor heads to New York City which is drastically different from the last time we laid eyes on it, thanks to King Washington and his personal changes, trying to make New York City a sort of capital to his empire and its definitely something to be seen. The city which was once compact with rows of homes and shops is now cleared out and stands testament to Washington’s giant stone pyramid covered with workers toiling away at its walls. These people become the key to your success in this DLC, all the down trotted people of New York City are starving, hurting and angry at the oppression that they are facing and with Connor aiding them this aggression soon turns to action. The missions Connor takes on this time now revolve around this, changing things up from past DLC missions where you go and fetch something for a character and instead lead you to doing tasks like protecting a food chart from being taken by Blue Coats so that it can feed the starving people of New York.

 The Aquila is back!

Speaking of Blue Coats, boy are these guys everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE! It’s not surprising that the nerve center of King Washington’s empire would be heavily guarded but hot damn these guys make it hard to get around and enjoy this crazy new city’s surroundings. This massive amount of enemies can be a problem but thanks to the new power this time around, you will be able to make quick work of a crowd of those blue bastards. This time around Connor is endowed with the power of the bear which is a large physical stomp that comes in handy when you’re in a jam and surrounded by enemies and is crazy fun to use as it throws your enemies outwards with rag doll enjoyment following along with it. Sadly the power of the bear comes with a price as it zaps a good chunk of your health, so while it is enjoyable to use, it is used more or less used as a last resort in a losing fight against your enemies and makes the original problem of too many enemies still a problem but an easier to deal with problem. But if this still bums you out, you still have all the previous abilities that you’ve gained in “The Tyranny of King Washington” including the power of the eagle, so you can soar over all of the Blue Coats you want.

The power of the bear in action

Now with all this wrapped up we come to center of our story, a moment we all knew was coming as we come face to face with Washington and his tyrannical madness, brought on by the Apple of Eden but also we begin to see the effects and the costs of Connors animal gifts. Yes, Connor has a lot on going on inside of him as the powers that he controls take their toll on him and make it harder to reach your goal of putting an end to Washington’s corruption. This however isn’t very well explained and is rather quickly dismissed as you finally come to the final confrontation with King Washington, which was itself a disappointment. After you climb to the peak of Washington’s monument to over compensation, you’re placed into a sad boss fight, that ends quickly and leaves players with a philosophical and supposedly deep ending which is the exact opposite of what you wanted and for that matter deserved but what are you going to do, it is what it is.

 It all led to this

As a whole, “The Tyranny of King Washington” came to players with a lot of unique and exciting ideas from the alternate universe to the unique premise of having some of our nation’s greatest icons turn out to be the most vile enemies in United States history. “The Redemption” however proves to be somewhat of a lack luster finale to the story, regaining control of the Aquila was amazing, the power of the bear is crazy fun to use but it all came down to the climax of the battle between Connor and Washington, which was far from what it should have been.

Good:

-Being back aboard the Aquila feels great

-Power of the bear is a lot of fun to use as enemies soar through the air in true rag doll fashion

-Stunning visuals and a great new city to explore, if you can

Bad:

-Enemies….enemies everywhere!

-Disappointing ending

Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

By: Robert Murphy

Well it’s an 80’s film come to life folks in “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon,” a game that was once thought to be a clever April Fool’s joke was quickly revealed to be in fact a game that brings you back to a game somewhat like “Far Cry 3.” This neon lit world is straight out of a bad movie that you’d think couldn’t possibly be real but brings with it the terrible puns and outrageous action that made you somehow love the horrible effects of the era it’s from. Now we won’t be seeing much of the same old same old from “Far Cry 3” formula, even though it has the name on the cover the game it takes a step away from the somewhat realistic realm of “Far Cry” and ramps it up with sex montages, in your face action and is pretty much everything we wanted from “Duke Nukem Forever” but didn’t get.

Meet Rex Power Colt

This time around we aren’t put in control of a novice at the whole violence game or a reincarnation of our former protagonist Jason Brody, no this time we are put in control of cyborg commando Rex Power Colt, who is the epitome of the ultimate 80’s badass movie character/action hero. Rex is basically a walking cheat code; he doesn’t get tired from running for extended periods of time, doesn’t die from falling of ledges and has the strength to rip the heart out of your rotting corpse. All the while he shoots of cheesy one liners and spurts out general profanity that use to be socially acceptable for a movie and even have a PG-13 rating at the same time, which would be shot down in an instant in today’s world, but I doubt anyone would want to see this movie anyways. As you progress through the story- and yes there is a story here- you are greeted with more and more cheesiness as each mission objective that references classic movies like “Die Hard.” However, as it does with these old one liners and jokes, it does get old and not as fresh as Rex re-use catch phrases and jokes over and over, but hey they all can’t be winners.

 Gatling laser machine gun, I’ll take it!

Our super powered cyborg also comes packed with a new arsenal of weapons as well as new sets of skills to help him take down his enemies. Rex comes pretty well stocked right from the beginning as you run around feeling untouchable, it makes progressing through your skill trees feel a little redundant but ultimately is still enjoyable to unlock new moves that take down the soldiers you’re up against. Even more pleasure comes from the guns you are sporting along the way, running the gambit from things like a quad barreled shotgun, laser machine guns, cyber katana and yes even the classic bow makes a super powered comeback to the game. These come definitely come in handy as well when you take a look at the creatures the games named for, blood dragons roam the island glowing in the dark and shooting lazers from their eyes, these giant reptiles prove to be quite a challenge early on so thank God for all the weapons and tools you’re sporting.

 Sweet Jesus, run!!!

So what else is there to say, oh right umm this game is hilarious, between the action, the eye rolling humor and the out of this world cyborg hero you’ve got control of, there is a lot to be enjoyed from what “Blood Dragon” has to offer. While you may get a little tired of the one liners and over drawn cut scenes in the game, you can quickly take a side step over it while you’re blowing up bad guys with outrageous explosions and weaponry. My inner child screamed out while playing this game and truly ad me laughing the whole time I was playing and while it doesn’t have some of the same aspects of “Far Cry 3,” it was just as much fun to play.

Good:

-Hilarious humor and quotes that made me flash back to some of my favorite films

-Fantastic gunplay/upgrading abilities for your weapons

-Blood Dragons are completely ridiculous but the whole game is so let’s role with it

Bad:

-Upgrading can feel a little pointless since you start out so powerful already

-Not as much freedom to move around as “Far Cry 3”

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Assassin’s Creed 3: Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal

By: Robert Murphy

Time once again everyone to take a look into the what-if world where the father of our country, George Washington is an evil dictator obsessed with power in the second episode of the “Assassin’s Creed 3’s”  DLC, “Tyranny of King Washington: The Betrayal”. Unlike the first episode of the DLC, “The Betrayal” takes players out of the frontier and puts them back into the hustle and bustle of early colonial life in Boston, not necessarily by your choice but that’s a minor bump in the road.

So close and yet so far, Connor and Washington face to face

Back in Boston and under lock and key we are introduce to the main man himself, George Washington and his partners Ben Franklin and Putnam who are on their way to solidifying control over America and taking it all for themselves. Players will see this new Washington in great form as the man who helped to found our nation shows of his skills but this time for his own personal gain in true evil genius fashion. And as Washington continues to ravage the land and showing true cruelty, Connor is left to suffer more heartache through the “The Betrayals” story and is introduced to new characters in the story along the way. Players will definitely start to see the story move in a faster pace this time around as well, missions and story are more to the point and you won’t spend your time wondering around doing meaningless missions and sitting through lengthy dialogue.

Your Eagle power in action

Connor also gains a new ability with this new DLC and oh boy is it a lot of fun to use, this new power allows Connor to take on the form of an eagle and fly around towns and buildings as well as working as a form of fast travel to use to get from city to city. Unlike your handy invisibility cloak that you gained in the first DLC, the eagle form takes up much less health and comes quite handy when taking on missions and generally one upping every enemy you face. Speaking of which your invisibility power makes for an excellent combination with your new found flying ability as there are many different ways in which you can combine the two making for some amazing assassinations and doing a pretty good job of making you feel like a badass. And how could you not when you are walking around in your Native American headdress and war paint, you feel ready to take on anything that gets thrown at you. However this does come off as a little weird as you are strutting around town with an animal pelt over your head, it makes you wonder why the hell Washington and his men can’t find and stop you I mean you’re kind of a sore thumb.

 Looks like Benjamin Franklin’s pissed that nobody invited him to the party

In conclusion, “The Betrayal” definitely helps players feel more grounded and interested in the story as the first episode had you on loose footing with its large amounts of dialogue and slow pacing that went along with it. However there is more work to be done on the story because it is far from perfect, players still find themselves on a few boring side missions but they now feel less monotonous. The characters that we are used to being great and inspiring men have been designed in a way that there complete change of personalities feels believable and it’s almost sad to see these once great men go so wrong. The story ends on a great cliff hanger although I won’t spoil anything I will just say that we are hopefully in for an amazing final episode to “The Tyranny of King Washington”

Good:

-New Eagle power is amazing and fun to use in combination with your previous abilities

-Pacing is much faster and more conclusive

-Washington and his men are well done in regards to their fall into terrene

Bad:

-Still some monotonous missions

-Walking around town in your headdress, while awesome, makes you question why the people aren’t freaking out around you

-Stories still not on completely solid ground but has definitely improved since the first DLC

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10