Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number

 By: Robert Murphy

Back in 2012, Hotline Miami was a no holds bar shooter where players completed various stages filled with white blazer wearing goons and enemies, spraying blood all over the place, cutting people in half and collapsing in skulls. It was a brutal series of events with a mysterious story. Now, the game returns with it’s sequel Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and looks to do much of the same things it’s predecessor did before it but on a much larger scale and with more story pact into it as well. The story jumps ahead to the 90’s but still has the same grungy styling it once had before and even flashes back to the mid-80’s era that the last game was based around. New characters, guns, drug use and even a war are all involved and I plunged right on into it.

Within the first few moments of playing Hotline 2, you’re already causing a bloody mess of things and that’s really what you want and would expect if you’ve played the first game. Levels are filled with goons and bad guys; one scene even takes place in a police station full of cops. You move around the now more massive levels taking down everything in your path, picking up enemy weapons and using them to your advantage. Stealth and tactics do come more into play now though do to the largeness of some of your new levels. Where before you could see most of your enemies and you were moving through a small room or hallway, you’re now moving through huge factories, garages and beach side piers. I found myself getting killed by an off screen enemy quite a few times because just because I couldn’t see them, they could most certainly see me and shoot my brains out.

Players will need to be craftier this time around as things like moving by windows or moving to quickly will plant you right back where you started all over again. It can be a little rage inducing but to balance things out the game features a new lock on system that allows you to track nearby enemies. It may be a little cheap but it does even the score a little bit and even if you don’t use it, you can still use the other control option to look around to nearby rooms and areas to see what lies in waiting to put a bullet in you or something just as ruthless. Some of these levels are a bit daunting though, I was playing the game for more than a few hours in one sitting and some stages were truly lengthy. Levels now encompass more than one-two levels/floors to it and have multiple areas to go through, add to the fact that levels often can take a good amount of tries to get through and you have quite a challenge on your hands so be prepared.

I also never usually take too much notice or point out a games music selection but for Hotline, it’s a must. The up-tempo beats and sounds immerse you into the action taking forth in front of you. It may sound a little dark but the game really knows how to put good tunes to your slaughtering pleasure. See, that just doesn’t sound right but the beats are a trademark for the games and they’re once again back with even more tracks to choose from as you progress through the different levels.

Where things get interesting is the story, this time around you have a number of storylines to follow and character to play as. There is a run down and renegade cop, a hardworking reporter trying to write a book on the string of murders going on through town, a soldier who takes down enemy camps of Russians, a new group of masked vigilantes who are murdering the scum of the city to justify their bloodlust and a deranged actor. You will play through stories for each of these characters, giving you less freedom to choose your character like in the previous games but also opening you up to that characters specific play styles. Players will really notice this with the new renegade group in the game, each one having their own unique skills and play style. The tiger mask character only uses his fists and cannot pick up weapons, the bear mask character dual wields SMG’s and can move his arms to spray a large area with bullets. The swan brother/sister duo is perhaps my favorite, one wielding a fast paced pistol and later picks up any gun around with ammo and the other wielding a chainsaw that deals gruesome damage.

This brings me to my biggest problem with the game and that is the flashback soldier missions. The story aspect is quite interesting but the play styles for the missions are different from the fast paced action of the normal missions you’re use to. You start each mission at base camp and pick out a weapon, from here you move through the enemy encampments and dispatch everyone in the camp like usual. This is until you realize your clip is empty and you have to scour the map to find the ammo box that only gives you a few bullets. It’s a new challenge and I get what the developers were trying but it slows the action way down and doesn’t feel as fluid. Whereas the other new idea the game takes actually spices things up a bit, our reporter character doesn’t kill people in his stages. He moves through each stage disarming enemies, if you pick up a gun it activates a sequence where he empties out the bullets and magazine so nobody can use it, not even him. It plays into the games more stealthy and tactful nature and was something that I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

The final added treats include an unlockable hard mode; this adds levels with the same sort of stage layout, more bad guys and stops the new lock on system for even more difficulty. I personally already have enough of a challenge with the normal game so I don’t know how much hard mode I will be playing. There’s also a new level generator, the layout is very simple to use and adds some fun for your friends. Creating your own gruesome level to have people fight through is always a big plus, especially with a game like Hotline.

Overall, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a top notch game. Sequels often try to do too much of their own thing or ruin what made the original so great but Hotline 2 kept many of the great shoot’em up aspects of the original with some solid new ideas. Bigger levels, a new story and specific player skills all add to what the series already has to offer and made you act tactfully while still going into levels, guns blazing or knives slicing or chainsaws revved, you get my point.  

Good:

- Same fast paced killing action that you had in the first Hotline game

- A new and interesting story to follow with multiple characters

- New specific character abilities change up the play style for levels

- Those solid and memorable tunes

Bad:

- Lengthy levels

- The soldier campaign was a step in the wrong direction

Scully Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Surviving Jack

By: Robert Murphy

We all know that many of us prefer the nurturing and sappy feelings we have for our mothers but Surviving Jack tells the story of just what happens when the mother is away and dear old dad takes the reins. Turns out quite a bit as former Law and Order: SVU star Christopher Meloni takes the role of Jack and plays the stay at home dad while his wife returns to school after 17 years of her being in charge of their two kids. Jack’s parenting skills are a little unpolished and appear to be a bit more like how a drill sergeants would raise a family. But this more or less applies to his son as the show is told from his perspective and narrative as he talks about his crazy dad’s parenting style that often was two parts inspiring and a bit insane.

Initially I had my reservations about Surviving Jack, it had a very interesting premise and I was very excited that Christopher Meloni was able to return to television once again with a bit of twist and a less serious role. To top it all off, he bats the role right out of the park with his role as the father for the show trying to beat common sense and wisdom into his children’s heads. The form of comedy that comes from him as a character is classic deadpan where no matter how ridiculous the situation Jack maintains the same emotional state without cracking a smile or blushing at the thought of what’s being said. One of the best moments had to of been during the episode “Something to Talk About” where the mother gets her tubes tied and Jack artfully demonstrates what that means by using the turkey and some green beans without missing a beat. It’s such an amazing transition from stoic Officer Stabler to the humor and wisdom that completely makes Surviving Jack the great show that it is. 

Now don't be discouraged by my last paragraph being all about Christopher Meloni because he isn't the only thing that carried the show along when you take a look at the role of our mother. Joanne (Rachael Harris) is a classic caring mother who loves her kids and is still a little worried about leaving them to go back to school and start a career. She perfectly counter balances Jack as a character and their marriage in the show is something to be admired as it's based on mutual respect for one another and it really shows how great they are for one another despite there differences. Jack though takes on the challenge left by her with a bit of a rough start as Frankie (Conner Buckley) and Rachel (Claudia Lee) prove to be more complex than he had thought but spending time with them proves to be good for all of them. Frankie sees that even though his dad may be crazy at times, he's a smart guy who knows what he's talking about and is really trying to prepare him for the world. 

The entire show is based in the 1990's, where people wore way too much hairspray and the C.H.I.A pet was the coolest thing since sliced bread. And I bring up the time frame because of how well it hits older audiences who went through this time, my mother for instance pointed out in the very first episode how her hair was like Rachel's and how she use to have a shirt that changed color when you touched it as well. But the show also grabbed my age group too even though I was still learning to walk and talk through the 90's, I still get many of the references and they were not lost on me and my friends.

For some horrible and unknown reason, Surviving Jack was only meant for a short 7 episodes and as of last Thursday the show has come to an end, it's unclear to me why the show was so short and it is really the only negative thing I have to say about it. Each episode is absolutely hilarious and Christopher Meloni's portrayal of Jack is just so spot on as he dictates his kids lives and puts them through whole new forms of punishment they couldn't imagine. The show portrays exactly what a comedy about a family is like where so many others have failed, Surviving Jack hits it right on the mark. 

Good: 

- Christopher Meloni is back on TV and makes you wonder why he didn't do something like this show sooner

- Shows just exactly what a family comedy should be

- Every episode is absolutely hilarious

Bad:

- Why? Just why is the show 7 episodes long? FOX did you do this?!?! STOP IT?! 

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10 

The Wolf of Wall Street

By: Robert Murphy 

In the world of bankers and the upper snooty branches of society, you have to have a certain swagger in order to mix in their kind of circles and The Wolf of Wall Street is all about that kind of lifestyle. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio who takes on the role of Jordan Belfort, a man who sleazed his way to fame and fortune in the 1980’s and 90’s by making his own financial firm. We see DiCaprio portray a man who sets out on a path much like something out of Scarface as he comes from nothing and makes a name for himself but it soon spirals out of control in a mix of drugs, sex and alcohol. He and his would be band of stock broking con men will live it up until the curtain draws in a truly great film that will make you trust investment guys even less.

The film starts out with Belfort starting out in humble beginnings; he had a good and honest woman who loved him, a straight laced look and a love for Wall Street like no one else. He is taken under the wing of a character played by Matthew McConaughey, a man who is at the top of the earnings board at his job at a blue chip firm and quickly he learns the ropes on his secrets to being a top investment banker. This method mainly involved, sleaziness, drugs (to center yourself) and lying through your teeth to your clients, selling them the gold at the end of the rainbow but knowing the whole time it’s an illusion. But before Belfort can put his feet in the water as a fully licensed investor the stock market crashes and he is out of the job. 

From this point, we meet the more infamous Belfort as he reinvents himself and makes his own company with friends from his old neighborhood that look like people you wouldn’t trust with 15 cents let alone thousands of your hard earned cash. His new company, Stratton Oakmont, becomes famous in the investment world and rapidly becomes successful. But this is because Belfort and his gang of miscreants lie and push worthless stock on people that they make money off of through the commissions, all the while knowing that the stocks won’t amount to anything. This is where it all starts to fall apart for Belfort, especially with his new best friend Donnie Azoff, who is played by Jonah Hill, introduces him to an addiction just as gripping as investing, drugs. Belfort and all his friends will pop Quaaludes, snort cocaine, screw prostitutes, drink themselves into a stupor and do it all again the next day. 

At its core The Wolf of Wall Street is a story all about addiction, how it gripes you and never let’s go of you because it’s the only life you know and when you see the life that Belfort had you can see the appeal. Belfort got rich through underhanded means and had a life a lot of people dream of having, with a huge amazing home, an absolutely beautiful wife, fancy cars, fine suits and a 100ft mega yacht with so much more. Belfort reveled in the life he had and even when he has the chance to let it all go and knows that he should, he just cant because he loves what he does, he loved the admiration of all the people around him and he just couldn’t stop until he was forced to. 

I will say that this movie is not something for everyone since it has a large amount of behavior that you would consider quite revolting and make you question your reasons behind sitting through the whole film. But I truly enjoyed the film from beginning to end, DiCaprio gives a phenomenal performance once again and completely immersed himself in the role as Belfort, in all the crazy things he did. The only thing I can say negatively about The Wolf of Wall Street is that it is an extremely long film running at about 3 hours long and you will need to be geared up for a long hall when you watch it. 

Good:

- Leonardo DiCaprio gives an all star performance

- Its over the top in all the right ways

- A strong performance buy every character

- Lewd and dark humor that I myself enjoyed but others may not

Bad:

- Movie is exceedingly long

Scully Rating: 9.0 out of 10