Devil Survivor 2 Review

Posted on January 18, 2014 by dreager1

First of all, I refuse to add “The Animation”. It would be like calling the Yugioh GX manga “The manga” since it’s a lot different than the anime. I don’t get the logic and I would sooner eat Spagetti with Cheese! (Actually tastes really good) That being said, I should get back on topic. With an anime that deals with Kaiju and Demons, you can bet that there is a lot to talk about. This is probably the first anime that I’ve watched that was basically an apocalyptic story about the end of the world. I can’t really think of any others like it and it’s also the first big monster show that I’ve seen. (Pokemon and Digimon don’t count because they are Magical Creatures and Digital Programs…….and because that’s a whole different genre in my humble opinion) The show was definitely a success, so let’s see why!

All right, first I should break the bad news. It’s….only 13 episodes!!!!!!! Don’t reach for the power switch yet and jump on the One Piece bandwagon folks! It may only be 13 episodes, but the series is still pretty exciting and cool. I know that it may be hard to believe, but we get a lot of battles in these 13 episodes. 13 episodes may be the ultimate slap in the face for the people who grew up only watching Naruto, One Piece, Pokemon, and Pretty Cure, but 13 episodes can still handle a lot. I’d probably faint if they announced a 13 episode series for something like Medaka Box or Gamaran, but it’s okay when you don’t need to adapt something extremely large.

That being said, the whole 13 episodes fad is tricky. Devil Survivor 2 made the most out of it since just about every cliffhanger was very epic and awesome. A 13 episode series should always feel very fast paced since they don’t have that much time. Short series have an advantage since it’s easier for people to just sit down and watch them since it won’t be a long commitment like Bleach, but it also means that we won’t get to see the characters that often. If Index or Medaka Box had just continued instead of constantly stopping for sequels, they would have adapted everything by now. We need more super long shows in the world. In the end, I think that 13 episode series as only good when you know that you can adapt everything in one shot. I don’t want to see a sequel being announced afterwards because they only adapted one arc. For that, just continue all the way through to the end.

The plot of the show is fairly simple, but also intense. See, Hibiki is a kid who has always led a fun life. His friend shows him a website where you get to watch your best friend die. The site will only send you a clip when the person is about to die so that you can have some advance warning and emotionally prepare yourself. They head into a train station and they both get a message that the other person will die. Hibiki quickly decides to run back above ground, but it’s too late and he gets hit by the train. Norman humans can’t tank such a blow and they both start to die.

Luckily, in a similar fashion as Pat’s revival thanks to Gemini Spark, they get a message asking if they want to live. It’s a tough call, but they both go for life and are revived. Unfortunately, it’s still dark in the subway station and the people around are still dead. Hibiki and his friend (Daichi) notice a classmate of theirs and she’s the only other person who lived. Her name is is Lo Nitta and the three of them decide to leave and figure out what’s happening. The only problem is that the people who died forgot to close their phones and now demons are coming out of them! Hibiki will have to unleash his true powers if he wants to stop them!

After some close calls, they find out that 7 Septentriones will attack the World. 1 Per day. It is the week of trials and tribulations for the humans. We have had it coming for millions of years and this is Polaris’s judgement. If we survive the 7 days and defeat the demons, then we can be granted one wish. It could be anything due to Polaris’s unlimited power. The problem is that the 7 demons are immeasurably powerful and just surviving the week can be difficult. Luckily, someone has mysteriously created the Dead Face program (The site that shows when your friends are about to die so that you can try and save them) and a demon program which allows you to summon demons depending on how strong of a person you are. (Inner strength, not outer strength)

That’s the plot in a nutshell, but there’s always something else right? A shady organization known as JP’s has known about this for years and they are ready. The only problem is that they don’t care about casualties and they don’t mind sacrificing a few billion people for the “greater good” The unfortunate part is that the other organization is really just a few guys with demons who can’t really fight. Both groups have their pros and cons, so Hibiki must decide who he will help. Then a bright idea comes…why should he have to join either group? You’ll want to find out what he decides! Also, the demons can be intelligent and they may not let everything go according to plan.

Hibiki is the main character of the series and he’s definitely a big change from your average hero. His design can be a little off putting at first and he looks more like a support character than a main one. His design reminds me of Lelouch. His personality is still solid, but he’s not the best lead for an anime. He has a lot of “rage” moments and they’re pretty well deserved. The only problem is the fact that he usually doesn’t seem to do anything about them and he actually makes a lot of the same mistakes as Eren Yeager. They both tend to stand back and let the “higher ups” make the decisions even when they know that the decisions aren’t very sound.

To put a perspective on this, Yamato (Who will be discussed later on) and the JP’s group decide that the best way to save the world is to murder Hibiki’s friend. (Lo) Hibiki doesn’t like this and he moves in to help, but let’s just say that he should have left sooner. Hibiki manages to pull himself together after the incident and yells at Yamato a bit, but Yamato quickly defeats him in the verbal fight and leaves…after vowing that he’ll destroy Hibiki. Hibiki doesn’t take the news too well and he’s knocked out before you know it. Not exactly the response that someone like Ichigo would have had.

Hibiki is still a good character and he can be compared to guys like Syaoran and Ichigo, but he just doesn’t manage to be as cool as them. Granted, he only gets 13 episodes to show what he’s made of, but he could have been better. I’d give him a 7/10 if I actually graded characters and he’s still someone that you can root for. He has two demons for the majority of the series. A Phoenix and a Thunder beast. They’re both pretty powerful, although I found the Phoenix to be a little more impressive. Hibiki can also fight on his own and comes equipped with the usual main character powers. Energy blasts, Super Speed, Flight, Barriers, Super Durability, etc.

Lo is one of the main characters and the train crash definitely changed her life! She is a solid character, but she can definitely be a little too nice for her own good. When the government approached her with a plan that will involve destroying her, she should not have accepted. That being said, she did it so that she could help her friends, but was it the right move? I don’t think so. It’s more of a negative for Hibiki, (Since he should have stopped it before things got dicey!) but some of the blame can be placed on her. It’s doesn’t affect her in a negative way since it shows that she’s definitely a true hero, but she just made a wrong call. She may not be as powerful as Hibiki or Yamato, but she can definitely hold her own in a fight and she’s one of the toughest characters in the series.

Daichi is Hibiki’s best friend from childhood and the two are pretty close. Daichi prefers to live life on a day to day basis and he doesn’t give much thought to the future. While Hibiki is always worrying about how he’ll protect Daichi and Lo, Daichi also wants to protect Hibiki. He desperately tries to fight the demons and help Hibiki throughout the series, but the results are usually tragic. His heart’s in the right place, but he was dealt a bad hand. His demons are far too weak to help anyone and that’s his big problem. He’s still a character that you can root for, but you’ve also got to feel bad for him at times. At least he manages to give it his all!

Yamato is the big rival/big villain of the series. He’s as ruthless as they come and no sacrifice is too great for him if it means that he can achieve his goal. His goal is incredibly ambitious and it’s something far tougher to achieve than simply ruling the world. Luckily, Polaris can grant any wish so nothing is too tough anymore. That being said, many people try to get him to warm up to people, but he doesn’t give an inch. He has been training for the demon invasion for many years and he actually does not need a phone to summon his main demon as they have been partners since he was a kid. He is the most advanced in how to use the phone demons and he can also fight on his own like Hibiki. Unlike Hibiki, he has tremendous experience in hand to hand combat and he has all of the powers that Hibiki does, but arguably he is stronger in each of them. This guy definitely can’t be considered as a hero, no matter what his end goal is. I consider him to be a villain, but one who means well and isn’t downright evil like the average villain. Yamato is the best character in the series and I can say that without question. His demon, Baal, is extremely cool and he has some other big hitters. His main monster is Cerberus and he’s as tough as he sounds.

Alcor is a mysterious figure who is around for a large portion of the series, but we don’t find out too much about him until we start to near the end of the series. He seems to know more than he lets on and his power is considerable. Without much effort, his subordinate was able to take out the entire rebellion. He is intrigued by humanity and he wishes to observe the 7 days of Tribulation. It’s similar to how Bass observed the battle with Lazerman and Shademan. Alcor is a pretty likable character and I gained a lot of respect for him during the final episodes. That being said, I was always a fan of the character. He just struck me as an interesting character. The main characters were definitely a little too mean to him at times, but they still got along in the end.

Keita is one of the demon wielders, but he doesn’t get to appear that much. He seems to have some decent acting ability and can be found on TV, but his fighting abilities are only okay. He’s very sure of himself, but this just ends up leading to crushing defeats. He was out of his league in this war and he’s not a very likable character. He’s basically a one dimensional rival and I like to think that he was about to get some character development, but it would be rather hard to prove. His monster is a humanoid who uses his weapon to smash people. It’s not a bad strategy…but not the greatest one either!

Hinako is not really Keita’s partner, but they do work together at times. Her demon, which is useful…but not extremely so. Flying is definitely great since it can compliment someone’s fighting style, but the demon can’t really fight so it’s moot. She’s a decent character, but like Keita..there’s just not much reason to root for her. She gives motivational speeches and tries to help others, but in the end…she should have just worried about her own fighting skills.

Jungo is a quiet person who doesn’t really talk that much. He has a cat demon that has some pretty powerful explosions, but it ultimately not very powerful. He’s a very skilled cook and he usually teams up with Airi on missions. He didn’t get much character, but in his case it seems to be intentional. He’s pretty dependable and fights to the end, but he’s still not a superb character. He does beat most of the other side characters.

Airi also uses a cat demon and she’s a little more head strong than the other demon wielders. She’s always ready for a fight and she’s one of the few who actually enjoys this situation. She also has an ice demon with considerable power and she’s one of the only members who can actually help out against the stronger opponents. She doesn’t actually get to meet up with the main character at all for the most part, but she gets to talk with his friends and Jungo. The four of them even got to team up at one point! (Although Daichi was a little hesitant)

Joe is easily the worst character in the series and he nearly brought the show down. He definitely brought the show into the hole known as fanservice, but he was luckily written out before that could happen. Still, he’s basically a filler character who shouldn’t be trusted and just isn’t cool. He’s also very weak and never really gets a fight for the entire series. He was likely just here so that we would have a hero to dislike and it did work. This is one guy that you’ll want to see go up against some powerful demons!

Makoto works for JP’s and she’s one of the higher ranked members. She gets her own backstory and will basically comply with whatever Yamato asks for. It’s one of those cases where she works for an evil person, but she still looks up to him and makes the bad calls. She was a nice person, but she puts the group first and ultimately that makes her no less responsible than Yamato for many of the situations. She was also the one who approached Lo with the suicide mission. In the end, that prevented her from being a likable character and she’s just another villain.

Fumi is a scientist and she starts out as an antagonistic character, but there are circumstances involved. From there, she becomes more of a main character and she always seems a little strange. That being said, she’s still the smartest character in the group when it comes to technology and she helps them out a lot with barriers. (Although, it’s ultimately futile to make barriers against universe busting demons) That being said, she’s another person who doesn’t mind sacrifices for the greater good and she continues to serve the corrupted organization known as JP’s.

The Animation for the show is quite good. It’s not overly impressive and considering that it’s 2013, it could probably be better. That being said, after a while, graphics don’t need to continue to get better and better. This show looks really good and that’s the bottom line. It may not stack up against Index or Bleach, but there are still many shows that is does defeat. Most of the series takes place in the dead of light so we get a lot of contrast between the dark setting and the bright energy blasts. The animation definitely rises to its peak during the final few episodes as the battles get more and more intense. The highlight of their animation was definitely in the effects as the blasts really stood out.

As I mentioned earlier, this is really my first horror/thriller anime. It also has some slasher elements in that you can expect most of the cast to be knocked off. Since it’s 13 episodes and the threat is real, you can imagine how fast they begin to be taken down. To put this into perspective, from the 13 main Demon Wielders (Including the main character), at least 11 of them will perish by the end. That’s a pretty big number and you can probably tell that the anime won’t be all fun and games forever. It’s surprisingly not that dark, (Animation aside) but it’s definitely not as upbeat as something like Naruto. Part of what keeps it light is the fact that there’s always hope since the survivors just need to last the 7 days. There still is a constant sense of dread since the human race is basically becoming extinct, but this happens in a good way. The heroes have to question whether it’s worth it to keep on fighting since most of the world has been incinerated anyway.

The show also manages not to fall into any holes. I can actually say that there are no real flaws to the show. Sure, some characters could be cooler and things can always be improved, but there is nothing really negative about it. There’s no fanservice (Will wonders never cease!) in the entire show and no unneeded animal violence. The creatures are mostly humanoid or look like objects and the ones that do look like animals tend to lost in unviolent ways. I got worried in one scene where one of their arms was bit, but the scene cut away and it appears that the bite was unsuccessful because he looks okay in the next scene. I was surprised that the show was so classy and it reminds me that there’s still hope for anime. After the abomination that was Space Dandy, I thought that things could be going downhill fast!

The Kaiju/Demons (In the first episode, the villain is called a Kaiju by the general public and I tend to believe those guys. Still, they are all demons, but we always did need a demon kaiju!) are pretty cool. I don’t really care for the 7 Septentriones that much because they look more like objects than creatures, but they’re still tough. One of them was said to be able to consume the universe itself! That’s a pretty solid feat and he’s nearly unstoppable. It brings up the a little plot hax for the final member of the Septentriones since he should have been even stronger and they acted like he was, but he put up less of a fight. Maybe he forgot how to use that ability since he had so many of them to choose from.

The designs for the demons can be decently good, but none of them stand out that much as being incredibly awesome. Baal was really cool and definitely my favorite from the bunch. Others that were cool were Hibiki’s two demons, all of Yamato’s, Lorelei, Lugh, and Satan. Satan is probably the most monsterish as far as the monsters go. There aren’t a whole lot of them in the series, but there are only 13 episodes after all. They definitely made for solid fight scenes!

So, we’ve got Demons, Lucifer, and Satan. You may wonder if that means that we’ve also got Angels and God, but you’d be disappointed. We have a “god” in this universe, but his name is Polaris and he doesn’t seem to be much better than the demons. After all, he created them all to destroy the humans in the first place and he just seems to be bored of Earth. He has deigned the place to be irrelevant and it cannot exist anymore. It would have been nice to see Hibiki summon a holy being to take on Satan at the end and that could be a missed opportunity. People are always hesitant to show the holy side of things in any form of media, but demons and the devil are considered as safe characters. People seem to accept that they are real without accepting the full story. Of course, with the modern world as it is right now, things definitely don’t look like they’re changing. I’m still waiting for an anime to adapt Revelations, since that would be awesome. (Of course, there would definitely be a lot of pressure to adapt it correctly. One slip up could be very fatal in such a show)

The Soundtrack for the show is pretty good and it definitely gives the anime a horror vibe. That being said, it is pretty varied and accompanies the scenes pretty well. We have some fast paced techno music that is used for the fights and there’s also a great opera music theme that plays when the demons are first summoned. The show’s ending theme is also great and it makes for some really good music during the cliffhangers. It reminds you that the world is ending and that the heroes may not be able to win this time. The opening is all right and grew on me a little, but while the music is decent, the images are really lazy. The opening just shows them all and then shows them all again. The last bit is just clips from the show run at really high speeds. That is Not how you make an opening. Still, the soundtrack is solid overall.

I just need to mention one big missed opportunity that I was a little sad about. In Hibiki and Yamato’s inevitable clash, they didn’t actually get to fight. I wanted to see them pit their super powers against each other and see who was truly stronger. We got to see them both fight against other opponents, but never against each other. When their fight finally did come, only their monsters got to fight. I felt like I got a little cheated out of my epic fight. It would have been the best fight in the show and it definitely would have felt like I was back in DBZ world. Ah well, maybe in a sequel if we get one someday….maybe.

Overall, this is a pretty great anime. It’s short, but it managed not to make a lot of common mistakes and it was a lot of fun. That’s the main reason why it got such a high score. The fight scenes may not be as good as Gurren Lagann, the soundtrack may not be as solid as Accel World, and it may not have the theater quality feeling that Sword Art Online has, but the anime just did a great job of being fun and being unique. It stayed professional to the end and there were no bad episodes in it. (The first three all had that flaw along with others) They did a good job of knowing when to end each episode and we even got a scene after the credits in one of the episodes. The end theme worked pretty well as an ending to each episode and the fights were also solid. Hibiki’s design may still be a little tough to swallow, but the actual character is still pretty good. Yamato makes for a great villain and the characters can get a little high tier. The series starts to feel like DBZ once Lugh enters and Hibiki/Yamato definitely feel like DBZ fighters. I definitely recommend this anime since it’s a horror/action epic that stays classy and gives you some characters that you can root for. You also have to think about the choices that the main character has to make and decide which would have been the right one. Now, I can finally have a horror anime to recommend when I watch a horror film that makes me groan. ~~Haunting in Connecticut~~

Overall 8/10

The Amazing Spiderman Death of the Stacys Review

Posted on January 18, 2014 by dreager1

This collection deals with one of the biggest Spiderman arcs of all time. Not only was it emotionally crushing for Peter Parker, but we also got to see him unleash his full power. There aren’t many people who can even come close to stopping him when he’s unleashed. I’m sure that you may have read some of these comics in the past, but have you ever read both deaths back to back!? Time to see how the collection handles this!

The first three comics deal with Doctor Octopus as he terrorizes the city. He was thought to have perished in a giant airplane explosion that really should have wiped him out. It’s not explained how he lived through it, but I guess we’ll assume that he jumped out of the plane and all of the cameras managed to miss him. He decides that Spiderman will have to be defeated once and for all! Of course, Captain Stacy isn’t going to let that happen if he can help it! The comics are known to be pretty tragic and things can get a little dicey. That being said, it was good to see Spiderman get some action.

The next two comics involved a Corrupt Businessman who wanted more powerful and joined the election for Senator. (Or Mayor…I forgot) He vows to destroy Spiderman and he’s very racist. He basically has all of the makings of a one shot villain and he shouldn’t be a match for Spiderman. That being said…maybe he can take down Peter Parker! Iceman also guest stars for this two parter when he’s forced to confront Spiderman after the web slinger seemingly kidnaps Gwen Stacy.

The final two comics are easily some of the most iconic Spiderman comics in history. The Green Goblin has regained his memories and he wants to make Spiderman pay by kidnapping Gwen Stacy. Spiderman must race against the clock to save her, but he doesn’t realize the true danger and he’s basically taking his time as he goes up against the villain. It doesn’t help that Spiderman is currently sick and very weakened. Can he really defeat the goblin and save Gwen Stacy?

Well, the title of the collection says it all. I can try to bluff my way through the review, but it’s easier to just say Spoilers approaching as a formality before breaking the news. Captain Stacy and Gwen Stacy both die in these comics. It’s why the title is one of those spoiler crushers that makes new readers wince. It does take away a little bit of the tension since you know that they’re going to die. It should have been “Legacy of the Stacys” since it still hints at death, but isn’t as obvious. That being said, we would not have gotten such a collection if their deaths were not so famous. We’re expected to know this already and I’m sure that well over 80% of Marvel fans are already aware of what transpired.

Spiderman is the main lead of the collection and I sincerely hope that you could have guessed that from the title. This was during his braver years and he looks pretty solid for the most part. His plan to prove that he was not Peter Parker to Gwen was Terrible, but everyone makes mistakes at some point. He looks pretty good for most of the comic, but I did not agree with his fight against Doctor Octopus. I’ll go more into it during the review, but that just didn’t make sense to me. I think it’s safe to say that Doctor Octopus was a little overpowered. I also don’t understand why Parker acts so frail and weak at school, but feels that it’s all right to show off his strength while outside. He’s still in Parker form after all. It’s nice to see him talk tough to everyone that gets in his way, but that may be counter productive. I always felt that Spiderman shouldn’t worry so much about his secret identity. How could anyone figure it out anyway!? (heh)

Captain Stacy is another one of the big characters of the collection and he’s a lot smarter than you may suspect at first glance. For one thing, he was able to figure out Parker’s true identity without too much prep time. Granted that Spiderman made it pretty easy for him at times, but it’s still a good feat since the rest of the world doesn’t really seem to have a clue. His death was tragic, but he was a very good character and also a likable one. After seeing him in the comics again, I can definitely confirm that the movie wrecked his character. He wasn’t bad in the original trilogy, but in the new film….Wow! This wasn’t the Captain Stacy that I grew up with.

Gwen Stacy meets her demise as well in this collection, but at least she takes it well. She doesn’t get to appear for very long before that, but she’s a likable character as well. The author admitted that he didn’t like her because she was too perfect, but I don’t see what’s wrong with that. I can agree that perfect characters do have the potential to be “boring”, but that’s usually not the case in my experience. She definitely seems to be a lot more agreeable than her older appearances and she also beats her newer ones. She had a good run, but all good (non fighter) characters must die at some point in the comics. It was just her time.

The Green Goblin is one of the big enemies of the Spiderman collection and he was the first villain to really trigger Spiderman’s rage mode. Spiderman uses that mode a lot more often in the future, but this was really the first major occurrence. Unlike Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin seriously has no shot against a raging Spiderman. I don’t even need to mention the fact that Spiderman’s gone up against powerhouses like the Hulk and Thor. I don’t even need you to recall the time that Spiderman punched Superman off a building. Green Goblin is completely out of his league and he probably shouldn’t have started this fight. If Spiderman had not already been sick and at minimal power, the outcome would have been very different. It’s hard to think of Green Goblin as a cool villain given the circumstances and his wonky plan. He’s definitely not likable in this version and it may make the Ultimate Spiderman TV show appearances a little harder to watch.

Doctor Octopus is a skilled villain in his own right, but he was definitely a little too hyped in these comics. I don’t see why Spiderman would have so much trouble with him. He’s just one man with a couple of extra arms! The metallic attachments that he controls mentally shouldn’t pose any problem for Spiderman and his Spider Sense. His agility should be sufficient to keep Doctor Octopus guessing and he has a lifetime of battle experience at the ready. Anyway that you look at it…Doctor Octopus should be doomed. He’s an all right villain, but his plan was very flawed on all levels. Did he really think that he could get away with hijacking a plane with so many important figures on it. After that, his goal was just to destroy Spiderman. I’ve never liked Doctor Octopus and I find him to be one of Spiderman’s worst enemies.

Iceman’s appearance was definitely unexpected, but very cool. This was back during Iceman’s prime and before he lost all of his development. He is having a good time and he knows that going after Spiderman will shatter most of his future plans. That being said, he goes after Spiderman to save Gwen Stacy because he’s a hero. Iceman is one of the few opponents who was capable of giving Spiderman a good fight, but the web slinger isn’t playing around this time. Once he gets serious, it only takes him a few seconds to take Iceman down. Not for the count, but for long enough that Spiderman was able to get away. Iceman is definitely not as powerful as Spiderman, but he’s still skilled enough to take a hit and keep on coming. This was probably the best appearance for Iceman that I’ve seen in ages.

This was the end of an era for Spiderman. With both of the Stacys dead, Spiderman now realized that with great loss came great sorrow. Aunt May was now one of the last people left to protect and Spiderman would definitely do his best to keep her safe. (The Civil War ended that) Mary Jane also started appearing more and they would ultimately become friends. This was back during Parker’s good days and before he turned into the man that he is today. This was back when he had class and honor. Definitely good (and sad) times for the hero.

The Art for the comics is as solid as always. The old Spiderman comics definitely had a high level of quality and it’s something that you don’t see quite as much in nowadays. We still have a lot of great comics, but we also do have some bad ones. The art is a lot easier to make with computers and current tech, so it’s even more inexcusable to have bad artwork. This was definitely one of Marvel’s happier times.

Overall, this is a solid Spiderman collection. It’s pretty small and it’s under 200 pages, but it does bring some of Spiderman’s biggest stories. It’s definitely a little sadder than the usual Spiderman comic, but it’s still chipper for the most part. It’s only when the deaths are present, that the tone quickly shifts. J Jonah Jameson gets a subplot and Robbie helps him to see the error of his ways. The politician nearly tricked him using his anti Spiderman antics to win him over, but trying to knock off Peter Parker was his big mistake. Robbie and Jonah definitely make for an epic pair of characters and they’re both crucial parts of the Spiderman mythology. This was during a solid part of Marvel’s career and it’s a fun collection to read. I recommend it to all Marvel fans and even to fans who already read the comics when they first came out. Those comics came out a long time ago and they deserve a re read at this point. This will help you to remember how good the writing was in those days.

Overall 7/10

The Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes Volume 4 Review

Posted on January 15, 2014 by dreager1

Avengers has had a pretty good TV history through the years. Assemble may not have been a big hit, but EMH and United They Stand were pretty good. This comic collection deals with things that happened in Avengers EMH. Interestingly enough, it is exactly how things happened in the show, so you may only want to get this one if you haven’t seen the episodes yet.

The first comic deals with Dr Doom as he attacks Avengers mansion! He also attacks the Fantastic Four and manages to kidnap Invisible Woman and Wasp. Reed Richards doesn’t approve of this and he gathers the Avengers and the Fantastic Four for their ultimate assault on Doom’s castle. Win or lose, Dr Doom will know that he’s been in a fight! There is a twist at the end and things definitely get interesting!

The next comic involves the Technovore and he attacks Tony Stark. He wants to devour the Reactor that he has near his heart, but the Avengers + War Machine are here to help. The only problem is that Aim is also around and they don’t plan on losing to the heroes. Maria Hill is also here to remind Iron Man that he should have the Avengers join SHIELD. Tony doesn’t think that this is a good idea and declines as he prepares to fight!

The third comic dealt with the Enchantress as she decided to get revenge on the Masters of Evil. Her magical abilities are very formidable and she makes short work of the first few members. Baron Zemo quickly realizes that the Avengers are his only hope and he tries to make a deal with them. They agree to help him defeat the Enchantress and also to let him go. Not a bad trade, but can they really defeat this sorceress!?

Ronan The Accuser has come to judge Earth in the following comic and his power level is pretty high. He manages to give the Avengers a pretty good fight and tells the Earth to surrender. The Avengers take the decision out of America’s hands and tell him that they do not. An epic battle begins and the humans may be more doomed than they think!

The final comic has Hank Pym as the main character and he has hired the Heroes for Hire to help him find out who stole his tech. The perpetrator is powerful and he actually manages to subdue Luke Cage and Iron Fist. It looks like Hank Pym may have to don the old suit and show the world what it means to be a true Avenger! Meanwhile, some villains like Piranha Jones may be ready to cut lose and take the heroes down!

I do have to wonder a little too the point of these comics. Since they are really just screen caps of the show, why buy them? I guess it’s good for people who refuse to watch the animated adaptions of the comics or just prefer to have it in comic format, but that’s a pretty limited audience. It also feels a little on the lazy side. Imagine if the Yugioh GX manga had just been copy and pasted images into the volumes. It just doesn’t feel right. This won’t affect the overall score, but it just doesn’t feel like they’re really being creative with this method of making the comics.

Well, the art is really good since it’s the show and everything flows together. The dialogue can feel very broken and unnatural at times, but that isn’t a huge negative. Still, it’s hard to imagine Captain America calling Black Panther…Black Panther in a normal conversation. Usually, he just says Panther or T’Challa. Of course…Captain America may not be as he seems!

Let’s just say that the stakes are high in these comics and you’re thrown right into the middle of it. The first comic should let you know that something is wrong with the Earth since the Skrulls seem to have invaded. All that I will say is that not everyone can be trusted. If you caught the earlier comics of the show, then you will know the twist. I don’t want to spoil it just in case, but it shouldn’t be a spoiler because I will assume that you didn’t skip the first three volumes to check out this one.

The characters all look pretty good in this collection. Nobody seems to be out of character, although Reed Richards should look a little more impressive. Shouldn’t he suspect the truth about the plot twist in the first issue? He should have been the first to realize this soooo…hmm. I hope that they aren’t starting to give him less respect like with what they did to Spiderman in the modern comics. That definitely wouldn’t be right!

Unfortunately, Thor has to miss out on all of the comics because he’s busy in Asgard. That’s too bad since he’s one of the main Avengers and it would have been fun to see him here. On another note, someone should realize that Cap is acting a little off. He doesn’t recognize the Thing when they meet and asks about who he is. He does the same for the villains that attack and it just makes you wonder. The Avengers must not be as quick as I thought!

Overall, this is a decent batch of comics, but I don’t see why you’d choose to read it instead of the TV show. That being said, if you didn’t know that there was a TV show and just happened to pick it up; it makes for a fun read. There are a lot of plot lines that are left open for future comics (Although it was cancelled after one more issue soo…they’ll never resolve them) and we get a pretty big cast. This is the last of the trade paperbacks for the series so I can’t say that it has much of an ending. I guess that it just feels like you’re reading a broken comic. Parts feel disjointed and I’m pretty sure that there is a major typo in the collection, but I forgot which comic has it. I recommend it to Marvel fans who haven’t seen the show, but I’d much sooner recommend that you check out the show. It’s best seen in that format and it will make a lot more sense.

Overall 7/10

Batman Rise of Sin Tzu Review

Posted on January 15, 2014 by dreager1

Batman hasn’t had the greatest track record for video games in the past so you will always be a little hesitant to make the purchase. Batman Vengeance had a great opening level, but it got a little iffy after that. Still, I can’t resist anything that says Batman and also says Gamecube on it. That’s a winning combo, despite what previous experiences may suggest. Batman Begins was pretty good after all, so this one could be the next big thing! Did this game turn out to be the next DBZ BT 3, or would it be more of a Prince Caspian? Time to find out!

Well, the plot revolves around a mysterious villain named Sin Tzu and he has released all of the villains in Arkham Asylum. He’s actually pretty legendary and even Batman respects his power and influence. If not for the escaped convicts, I’m sure that Batman would have this in the bag. Unfortunately for him…..these villains mean business. Some of the bosses include Mr Freeze and Scarecrow. Batman may be able to give them a good fight, but just in case there’s trouble, he brings in the big guns. Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl are here to help and they’re not going to stop until the villain is defeated! Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordan is acting very suspicious. Is he really who he claims to be!?

The animation for the game is pretty fun. You can definitely tell that this takes place in the DCAU and the designs are all top notch. The actual animation may not be some of Gamecube’s best, but it’s still the way to play. It has a retro N64 or PS1 feel to it since the characters are a little blocky. The energy attacks can also look pretty interesting.

The soundtrack for the game is pretty unique and I’d say that it’s pretty solid. We get some intense rock themes and even some that contain lyrics. I’m not big on the lyrical songs in this case since they weren’t really my style, but the other themes were good. This game’s soundtrack may not be as impressive as Dawn of Fate’s, but it’s still pretty good.

The gameplay is usually the deciding factor of a video game so let’s talk about it! It’s essentially the same as the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game for Gamecube. It’s a beat em up where you need to fight until the end to win! Well, not in those exact terms, but there will be a missions. In one level, you may need to rescue 9 hostages or diffuse 9 bombs. Basically, that means that you need to beat a lot of enemies which lets you advance from room to room. After you’ve beaten enough enemies, then the level will end. There is a timer for how quickly you need to make it to the next objective, but you really don’t need to worry about it. If the timer goes down to 0, it quickly goes back up so you’ll make it in time. I’m not sure if it’ll keep doing that indefinitely, but I wouldn’t stick around to find out! (Yes, that line is used a lot, but it still works!)

There are four playable characters in the game. We have Batman, who is the powerhouse of the group and his attacks deal a lot of damage. He’s pretty cool to play as since he’s the main character and he gets all of the lines. We’ve got Batgirl who may lack power, but she’s quick and shouldn’t be underestimated in a fight. Robin is the fastest character of the group and he can land a lot of hits on the enemy. Finally, we have Nightwing. He was my favorite character to play as in the game and he has a pretty sweet 6 hit combo attack.

When beating a level, you obtain points that can be used to upgrade your character or buy emblems that can unlock things in the trophy room. The points come in handy and while there are a lot of melee moves to buy, I also like the projectiles. The electric batarang comes in handy during the final boss and there’s also a grapple hook to buy. It’s pretty bad in a fight, but it does look cool to swing and hit someone with a flying kick. You’ll need to beat the game at least 5-10 more times if you want to buy everything. That’s definitely a lot of times so I wouldn’t count on unlocking everything unless you’re seriously a collector.

I give the game some props for the final boss. He was surprisingly difficult and you really need to have good reaction times to deal with him. All of the attacks in your arsenal cannot hurt him and you must rely on super moves. To get enough energy to use a super move, you must unleash some serious combos on Sin Tzu. Once you use a super attack, the meter starts going back to 0 and you have to rinse and repeat. It takes around 10-15 super attacks to finish him off, so you’ll be playing the level for a long time. Luckily, he calls out minions once in a while, which gives you time to breathe and also a chance to get some health and lives. Not a bad deal eh? The key to beating him is to use the roll-attack to get past his defenses and to make sure and dodge his 4 hit combo. For some reason, he cannot react to rolls and they will always allow you a free combo unless he is already preparing to attack.

Sin Tzu is a pretty good villain. He’s definitely powerful, which makes him a worthy opponent for Batman. He definitely likes being a general, but you have to question his motives. Aside from revenge, he doesn’t seem to have much of an ultimate plan. Taking over Gotham isn’t going to sit well with the other cities and he’d be out of office pretty quickly. It would be nice to see him in a comic or a TV show someday so that he isn’t a complete one shot character. He has potential!

Batman looked good as to be expected in this game. He definitely fears nobody and he acts like a seasoned veteran. He gets to show off his detective skills and effortlessly defeat everyone in his path. We also get some hintings at his past, but you should know about Batman’s origin by now through some other form of media. If not, it’s a pretty intriguing plot point!

The big negative that will keep this game from being one of the big winners, is the fact that the gameplay is very repetitive. It will feel like you’re playing the same level over and over again. There are only a handful of area and each area has a boss at the end. The problem is that each area has quite a few levels and it makes the game pretty time consuming. It may not be as long as Shattered Dimensions, but it will feel longer because you just don’t know when the level will end.

Most levels will involve taking out 60-80 enemies and you must keep on moving along. The scenery changes, but the missions and gameplay don’t. It’s literally the exact same thing for each level. The only thing that changes are the boss fights. Most of those just involve hitting the boss and then beating the minions that he sends out. Rinse and repeat. The boss battles were still fun, but they can also be time consuming.

Overall, Batman’s next adventure on the Gamecube may not have been that great, (Barely gets a 6) but we got to see him show us why he is…Batman! Batman looked really good and the story was definitely solid. They just needed to add some variety to the gameplay and make it a little less monotonous. The graphics were good enough and we won’t be forgetting them. I don’t recommend this game if you want something quick or something elite. This game is good for those who liked the Ninja Turtles game for gamecube or really enjoy beat em ups. I do slightly recommend this game, but there are much better choices out there for the Gamecube. If you want a true beat em up, check out Mystic Heroes!

Overall 6/10

Guardians of The Galaxy Volume 1 Cosmic Avengers Review

Posted on January 15, 2014 by dreager1

Guardians of The Galaxy has gotten pretty popular lately since the movie is coming out. Right when the movie was first being speculated and only mildly confirmed, they quickly started the comic series. It definitely had a lot of potential and Iron Man was also added for good measure. Would this be the next Xmen or Avengers? (I would mention Fantastic Four, but those guys just aren’t as popular anymore)

The plot of the comic is pretty straightforward. Starlord decides to assemble a group of heroes(?) to stop whatever his father is up too. He doesn’t know exactly what that is, but it can’t be good for the Earth. The King (AKA…His Father!) arrests them, but can you really arrest such powerful combatants for long? The Guardians must now stop a fleet of alien invaders from destroying Earth. Will they be able to succeed!?

The collection of comics is pretty short so the story isn’t that large yet. There are other plots that will occur soon like Thanos and the other Raccoons that have mysteriously appeared. Those will be dealt with in future issues, but this was more to do with seeing how the team could cope with their first big threat. They did pretty well and we’ll see what Starlord has in mind for them. There’s no big threat attacking yet so they can do whatever they want. I’m hoping that they decide to go and take the fight to the council! Unfortunately, they can’t count on the other teams since the Avengers, Xmen, and Fantastic Four basically disappeared when the aliens attacked. Communications were down and I guess that none of them noticed the alien invasion…..hmmmmm. It’s not something that you’ll want to think about for too long because it won’t really help the realism factor!

Star Lord is the main character of the comic and one could argue that he’s also the leader of the team. It would be a tough argument to pull off, but maybe you would be able too. As a kid, Star Lord is definitely not likable and while he did have his “Hero” moments, you just couldn’t root for him. He didn’t get much better when he grew up either. He had a Captain Kirk type of scene and he seems to be really similar to him in other aspects. He wants to stop his father’s big plans for conquest, but does he really have what it takes to win? It’s a good thing that he has some partners to help him!

Groot is another one of the main characters and he is known for saying “I Am Groot” more times than you may expect. It seems to be the only thing that he can say, or he could just be messing with everyone. Regardless, he’s just not really my type of character. He’s all right I suppose, but it’s just hard to root for him. Being a tree means that he’s incredibly vurlnable and that is dangerous. On a ship where aliens have laser guns, he realistically shouldn’t stand a chance at staying alive. Still, he did all right in his origin story and he Is a Hero. I’m not really a fan of him, but I’ll likely root for Groot when he’s in a fight.

Rocket Raccoon is definitely one of the best members of the group. He is the fan favorite and this time I can agree with the many that like him. Rocket Raccoon does get some pretty intense lines and he makes the most out of his laser blaster. He always likes to remind people that he “murdered em” once he’s taken them down with the laser. Usually he accompanies this with a “Blam”, “Blammy”, “Blammoo”, or something like that. He reminds Tony Stark that it isn’t the armor that makes the man and he definitely does a lot of damage to the enemies. That being said, he’s a character that the writers need to thread lightly with. He’s a character that can be wrecked very easily if the wrong writers come in. (Case in point…Ultimate Spiderman!) Still, this is one Raccoon that has definitely earned his spot on the team!

Drax The Destroyer is another one of the members and he’s easily one of the worst ones. I just miss the classic Drax from the 90’s. He had a cool design/cape and he had a variety of energy attacks to go with his incredible super strength. He was also a much more likable character. Nowadays, he’s basically a gladiator with mild super strength who uses a blade to take down his foes. He just isn’t as cool as he used to be. The old Drax didn’t need weapons and he wouldn’t be defeated so easily. They hint that there is a reason why Drax is so weak in the comics, but since they haven’t explored it yet…I can’t cut Drax any slack. Perhaps he will get better in the next few comics.

Gamora is another member of the team and she has direct ties to Thanos. Thanos trained her to be the best and now she uses her talents to defeat any villain that stands in her way. Her title is “The Deadliest Woman in the World”, but there are too many powerful ones for us to really consider that. (Ms Marvel, Rogue, etc) She is decently strong and she’s great at close combat, but she lacks the overall super abilities to be included in that category. Her strength seems to be around on par with Drax’s, but nowhere near any of the powerhouses of Marvel. That being said, she has great agility and quickness, which give her an edge over the other members of the team. She had a pretty good fight in her origin story and she took out a lot of minions. She can definitely fight well, but we can’t gauge just how strong she is until a true opponent appears. For now, she is strong enough to beat the other members of the team…and that’ll have to be enough.

Iron Man is another member of the team and he joined because…he’s Iron Man! He’s wearing a new armor in this series and I can’t say that I really like it. It’s his space armor and it looks downright evil. Now, it’s not a bad design…that being said, I prefer most of his classic ones. They just looked a lot more impressive. Speaking of impressive, Iron Man’s suit doesn’t look that strong. He’s the only one to be taken out during the first fight with the Badoon. Unfortunately, they take away his armor so we don’t get to see it in action anymore. It’s actually a decently clever way to get it out of the picture.

See, if Iron Man’s armor is at least as strong as his older ones, then he’s instantly the strongest member of the team. That could be dicey because then the villains may not really be threats and that could hurt the pacing of the series. If he can speedblitz every opponent or just finish them off with a Uni Beam, then where’s the danger? Of course, I hope that they don’t do that every time a big threat occurs, because that would get old very fast. Tony Stark himself looks all right and he talks a good game, but I expect more out of him. He’s one of the original heroes so he should take this all in stride. He also takes a shot at Captain Britain which was sad for the poor hero. He was pretty good when he teamed up with Spiderman and I think that Ironman may be underestimating him!

The art for the comics is pretty good and it shows how far we’ve come in the modern days. It’s a lot easier to write comics than it used to be, but it should still be noted when the art is really good. Ignoring the origin stories, the art is very good and can hold up to anything else that we have to offer. It’s nice and streamlined and it makes everything look nice and flashy. It’s what you would expect from one of Marvel’s big series!

The comics have a fun atmosphere and it’s mostly due to Bendis’ style of writing. For better or for worse, all of his comics will have a lighthearted feel to them. You never really feel like the heroes are in danger in these comics, but that’s not really a bad thing. Ultimately, we know that the heroes will pull through so it’s okay to skip the danger part. As long as we still get a lot of action and epicness, then it’s okay. That being said, it can still be a little tough to see them talking so bravely and posturing as if they had just won a battle when they had actually lost. They seem a little too confident in themselves considering all of the close calls that they’ve had. It would be like constantly bluffing through Poker…when you never really win!

There is a council of important cosmic people who discuss important things, which was pretty fun. Frigga looked really good and she let them know what the score was. “Attacking Earth will be seen as a declaration of war against Asgard” is a pretty nice way to tell everyone that it is under their protection. Of course, the Badoon (Well, the other half of the Badoon) ignore this. I hope that Asgard retaliates and Thor will be more than happy to avenge Earth. The other cosmic beings all have their own veiled threats and plans around so we’ll see what they do as well. Of course, Infinity will probably sidetrack those plans for a while.

Overall, this was a fun start to the Guardians of the Galaxy series. I’m not sure if I like the fact that they are called Future Avengers since they are in the present and they should not be associated with The Avengers. Still, the team has always been intriguing and they were pretty solid in Avengers EMH. It’ll be fun to see where the series goes from here and hopefully Drax and Gamora get to look a little more impressive in the next issues. Gamora did pretty well in a fight, but it was mostly with skill as opposed to overall ability. I also wouldn’t mind if someone kicked Starlord off the team, we don’t need two humans in this group do we? I recommend this to comic fans and to people who like to read an adventure featuring action, aliens, and space!

Overall 7/10

Spiderman and the Avengers Review

Posted on January 14, 2014 by dreager1

This is a part of the Marvel Adventures/Marvel Universe lineup, but since the Marvel Adventures part was not on the cover, I decided not to put it in the title. Marvel Adventures is a way to see your favorite Marvel characters in a setting that is suitable for all ages. That’s all well and good, (Except that comics are supposed to be for everyone already) but they usually don’t seem to put that much effort into these. You’d be surprised at the “artwork” that goes into these comics. Still, for the most part, the Marvel Adventures are usually fun. Since Spiderman and the Avengers will be present…it should be exciting!

The first (out of 4) comics involves the Lizard. This is actually the first time that Spiderman runs into him in the series, or at least the first time that he finds out his true identity. Dr Connor’s family tells Spiderman not to hurt him and Spiderman looks for an antidote. We also have the Parker subplot where everyone mocks him and he looks really bad the whole time. It wasn’t a bad comic, but after reading about Spiderman back in his prime, you can tell that things have changed. Spiderman is a lot worse in this comic and I’ll go more into that later on. It’s a decent story and it’s fun. The art can use some help, but it could definitely be much worse!

The next comic involves The Avengers! Loki decides that the humans should pay and he frees the U Foes and The Wrecker. The Juggarnaut is also by his side, so Loki has definitely amassed a solid lineup of villains. With these villains at his side, Loki decides to attack the Avengers! The Avengers are pretty shocked about the school in the air that is about to crash and they get horrified when they realize that dozens of kids may have died. The villains quickly assure them that they made sure that the school was empty and then proceed to attack.

The Avengers are definitely holding their own, which is good. Ironman initially has some trouble with two of his opponents because they can turn into air and energy. Wolverine tangles with the Juggernaut….which is certainly interesting in itself! Spiderman doesn’t do too well and he’s quickly knocked around by the laser U Foe and one hit is enough to take him out of the fight. He’s not unconscious, but we don’t get to see him again until the end. Not the best appearance for our friendly neighborhood Spiderman! The ending is definitely a little cheesy, but at least Captain America can get to talk tough for a while.

The third comic deals with…The Lizard……again! Basically, he was feeling a little tired and he bangs into his cures/lizard drinks. See, since Dr. Connors is a very smart man, he keeps vials of green liquid in a cabinet. Half of them are cures that he needs to keep taking so that he stays human..and the other half are Lizard injections that turn him into the Lizard. Since they look identical, he grabs the wrong one and turns into the Lizard. It’s time for Spiderman to get involved and stop him once and for all!

Well, the comic plays out almost exactly the same as the first. I don’t know why they’d want to put both of these comics in the same collection, but it’s been done. No use dwelling on the repetition I suppose. Peter Parker looks a little bit better except for the parts where he fails at gym class. He does get to go to a debating club and things get interesting!

The final comic deals with the Avengers as they are getting slaughtered by living trees! It’s definitely intriguing since they are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and all! Spiderman is quickly knocked for a loop because his spider sense doesn’t seem to work in the modern comics. Two ravens from Asgard appear and the Avengers quickly follow them into Asgard. It would appear that Malekith has slain all of the Asgardians and now rules in their place. Spiderman and Storm are going to have to save the day in this battle!

There is a twist and I can safely say that Malekith didn’t destroy them all. Aside from having us all roll our eyes at the thought of Malekith defeating Thor, Odin, Lady Sif, and Volstagg The Great, it would have been a terrible twist. The real one isn’t much better, but I suppose that it will have to do. Due to the unique twist, Storm and Spiderman are the most useful fighters in the comic. The Frost Giants do wipe the floor with the heroes for a while at first, but then they launch their counter strike!

One of the major complaints with this comic would be Spiderman’s portrayal. In the first comic, he gathers his nerve and asks one of his classmates out to a dance. So far so good right? The problem is that while talking with her, he had gotten nervous and said that he was in college. (An awful attempt to impress her, which failed utterly) So, realizing that he has been lying to her, she just left and Parker had to go to the dance alone…again. He basically asked for it that time. I also can’t sympathize with the fact that he wasn’t going to go and save people in Florida when the Lizard attacked. He only did once he didn’t have anyone for the dance. (So, maybe he just skipped it) So much for Spiderman being a hero!

Another problem is the fact that his Spider Sense seems broken. It will warn him about danger, but only once in a while. It’s like the Spider Sense only works when it feels like it. That’s definitely not very convenient for Spiderman. Another scene that was sad for him was when he tried to make a joke and told everyone that maybe Thor got lost in a cave. (During the final comic when the Asgardians were all gone) Everyone basically glared at him in unison and said that “Thor does Not get lost” Spiderman winced and realized that it was not the best joke to use. Cmon, Spiderman’s got more common sense than that right? Adding in the fact that Spiderman gets thrown around by D rank villains and trees that are alive and…he just doesn’t look good in this comic.

Spiderman appeared the most, but I may as well address some of the other characters. The Lizard was a decent villain and he was definitely tough. It was mostly at the expense of Spiderman’s spider sense, but a win by any other name is still a win right? Spiderman had to utilize a “tactical retreat” after being hit only once! The Avengers looked pretty good and there wasn’t really anything wrong with them. They didn’t seem to take Spiderman seriously, but I guess that I probably wouldn’t either at this point. Loki wasn’t that great, but villains usually aren’t in this series.

The art isn’t that good either. It’s not quite as bad as some of the other Marvel Adventures, but it could still use some work. It’s not up to par with any of the big Marvel/DC series that have been coming out and that’s a little sad. Can’t we get some of the All stars to help out with this series once in a while? It deserves respect! It deserved honor! It deserves…..something better than this! I’d give the art a B I suppose. The collection is pretty short since there are only 4 comics, so you’ll be forgetting the art soon anyway.

Overall, this is a decently fun comic collection. It’s essentially what you would expect from Marvel Adventures and it doesn’t pull any punches. That being said, it’s much better than the Infinity Gauntlet collection that I read a while back. That one just went a little too far with the jokes and comedy. This one actually didn’t have any big moments of comedy and was just the usual humor that you would find in any comic. They actually didn’t overly kidify it and that’s a good thing. It’s still family friendly, but without making sure to show you this over and over again. It makes for a good read and all Marvel fans should enjoy it if you like some lighthearted action. I officially recommend this product for comic readers!

Overall 7/10

Star Wars Darth Vader and Son Review

Posted on January 14, 2014 by dreager1

Well, this is basically how it sounds. You can call it a picture book or a mini comic (Which made it tough to decide where to place this in the categories, but I opted for picture book) What if Luke had gone with Darth Vader and Vader raised him up to be a good Sith? It’s very short and you will finish it in a few minutes at most. As such, the review will also be very short and could be one of my shortest reviews of all time!

I already mentioned the “plot” and that’s all that there is too it. If you like kids and emotional stories that are full of comedy and hidden references to the films, then you should enjoy it. It’s definitely all right, but it’s just not my thing I suppose. The art isn’t bad, but it’s just soooooo short. Also, you won’t want to take it seriously because Darth Vader will naturally be out of character.

Overall, some may enjoy this book. If you like “cuteness” and seeing things happen, then you may enjoy it. Just don’t walk in expecting a plot or something like that. It was all right, but not something that I would re read even with the short length. The score may seem very low, but that is because it does lack plot, fights, characters, etc. For what it is, it gives its all……it’s just not my type of book. If you like Yotsubato or home videos or little kids, then you’ll like the comic. If you want to see a lot of action and explosions, go check out that new DBZ film.

Overall 3/10

Essential Marvel Team Up Volume 4 Review

Posted on January 14, 2014 by dreager1

Marvel Team Up was always a really good idea. Everyone always loves to see Marvel heroes team up and this way they wouldn’t have to constantly appear in each other’s series. The point of a guest star is the fact that they are a Guest. This time, the heroes can keep on teaming up and it’s okay that it happens every issue. There are so many great team ups that could happen so the series always has potential. Time to look into the collection and see how much fun it was!

For this collection, I’m just going to go comic by comic and give the summary, goods, bads, etc. Usually, I just do a broader version of that at the very end, but since each team up is a stand alone, (Except for multiparters) I’ll just break them all into groups. Not sure if I just explained that correctly, but read on and you’ll get the jist of it.

The first comic that we’ll talk about is the big annual. Spiderman must team up with The Incredible Hulk to save the world from World War Three! Peter Parker is attacked by the Soviet Heroes when he’s outside with a friend. They somehow manage to defeat him and hopefully this will teach Spiderman to fight at his full power next time. I don’t believe that these guys could really beat Spiderman. Even if he was in his Parker form, his spider sense should make mince meat out of those guys. Crimson Dynamo and Darkstar can be challenging opponents for mere mortals, but not somebody of Spiderman’s league. The Hulk is dragged into this as well, which may prove to be a mistake on the Soviet’s part.

Well, this was a fun team up. Crimson Dynamo isn’t a very likable character and he did aim to destroy the heroes. This is why he can’t be known as a hero. Darkstar and Vanguard are all right at best, but they were suckered way too easily. Hulk doesn’t look good during his first fight and that can be a little disappointing since Vanguard should have quickly been defeated by such a powerful opponent. Spiderman’s still a superb character in this comic, but the amount of plot hax against him can be a little hard to believe at times. I mean really? This isn’t the last time either!

The other big annual comic in this collection deals with Luke Cage and Iron Fist as they are hired to guard something of immense importance. Things are going well…until The Hulk arrives and steals it. A lady had told him to get it for her from the crooks and the Hulk is a hero so he decides to help. Luke Cage and Iron Fist find out that the Hulk is being manipulated and head out with the Machine Man to go stop him, recover the object, and also bring the trickster to jail. A lot of jobs to do, but these are The Heroes For Hire!

The Hulk was a decent character once again, except for the fact that he was tricked. It is a little sad to see him being deceived all of the time. He’s The Hulk after all! Luke Cage and Iron Fist were pretty fun and this is definitely during their better years. I do prefer Iron Fist because he seems like the better fighter and he takes things a lot more seriously than Luke. Seeing Iron Fist go up against the Hulk was definitely fun. The Machine Man was a nice addition to the cast and his plot was very interesting. I’d love to check out his comics someday. It had a bit of a Clark Kent feel to it and the supporting characters seemed to be pretty fun. Definitely another solid comic in the collection! (It should also be noted that Spiderman makes a brief cameo and nearly steals the show, but he realizes that the danger is over and leaves. Things would have been very different if he had come to help!)

One of the other team ups involve Ms Marvel, Spiderman, and Dr Strange as they must work together to stop the Silver Dagger. It’s a good thing that Spiderman was in the neighborhood and Ms Marvel gets involved when she runs into Wong. The heroes unite and prepare to take on their strongest foe yet!

Well, the Silver Dagger is definitely a fun villain and his abilities are definitely fearsome. he was easily able to match Ms Marvel’s strength and he had enough agility to fight against Spiderman as well. He is still a magical user as well, so he is a match for a weakened Dr Strange. The team up was pretty fun because it was mostly a lot of nonstop action and Spiderman looked pretty good. We didn’t have your usual plot hax in this comic and that’s a good thing. If I wanted to be picky about it, I’m sure that I could find some, but there are no big ones. It all flows naturally as you’re reading the fight scenes.

The next team up was with Wonderman! The Griffon has returned and he wants revenge on the Avengers! He heads to the mansion, but Wonderman is the only one there and he quickly challenges the beast. He’s easily overwhelmed and Spiderman says that he’ll go after the Griffon while Wonderman waits for backup. Wonderman makes the tough call and goes after Spiderman!

The Griffon is definitely a tough fighter and this issue proved it. Wonderman’s best blows don’t really seem to faze him and Spiderman can’t really slow him down either. He continues to get stronger and stronger as they fight. He would be a nice match for the Avengers, but since Spiderman is already here to help, Wonderman doesn’t really need to feel too afraid. This was another fun comic to read!

In the next team up, Doctor Strange returns and he is losing his soul! Doctor Strange is now a werewolf and Spiderman is forced to step in when he attacks his apprentice. Spiderman overpowers him pretty easily, but Dr Strange makes his escape. Satana appears and announced that she has the power to save him if he hasn’t destroyed anyone yet. If he has destroyed someone, then she will destroy him! The story has a tragic ending and one of the heroes will die! (Until he/she is revived in a future comic!)

Well, Doctor Strange doesn’t look so good since his magical blocks should be able to stop something like this from happening. Unfortunately, that was not the case and he lets the animal inside of him do whatever it wants. Spiderman quickly puts a stop to that and proceeds to beat him up when he needs too. This definitely shows why Spiderman shouldn’t be underestimated and it was one of his better comics. Satana was a pretty cool character as well and she definitely has some powerful abilities. It’s too bad that she doesn’t appear that much in the comics.

Next up was a long comic arc involving the Black Widow. Spiderman saves her from some crooks and realizes that she has lost their memory. For some reason, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to destroy her so now Spiderman must find out what is happening. Shang Chi, Boomerang, and Silver Samurai are also involved, so the battle will be a very tough one. Has SHIELD (Yeah, I’m going to stop with the periods) been compromised?

Well, it certainly seems that way since Nick Fury actually attempts to destroy Black Widow! Unfortunately, there is a scene with major plot hax towards the beginning. After Nick Fury “destroys” Black Widow, Spiderman vows vengeance and quickly lunges at Nick Fury….only to be shot and knocked out. Spiderman was in complete rage mode so he should have easily defeated Fury. That was definitely the worst part of the comic and the biggest moment of plot hax that I’ve seen in Marvel in a long time. I just don’t know what to say…it was disappointing. Spiderman looked good for the rest of the comic as he dealt with Silver Samurai. He did have one moment where he didn’t look good and had a little romance with Black Widow that was very forced and unnecessary, but he seemed to have gotten over it by the end. Black Widow was all right, but she was at her best when she regained her memories. Her civilian persona just wasn’t that good and her fighting skills weren’t quite as lethal.

Shang Chi was actually a pretty good fighter and he reminded me of Iron Fist. He took on Boomerang and it was a pretty close battle. I’m not sure about Shang Chi having the upper hand in that fight, but he is an experienced warrior so we can’t count him out. Boomerang was cool and the Silver Samurai was also impressive. His teleporting skills mixed with his sword skills make him a very lethal opponent. Black Widow’s big fight against Viper was also good and Viper is definitely very good at hand to hand combat. She’d have to be to keep up with the Black Widow! It was a decently solid collection of comics and it had a lot of action! They just should have edited out that Spiderman scene and also made the comic more accurate.

We also had a comic where Spiderman teamed up with the Guardians of the Galaxy! Remember, this isn’t the (cool) current group of members. This is back where they had a character who looked like Wolfsbane, a Crystal man, Starhawk, and some other guys. The group couldn’t be taken seriously back in the day because Starhawk was the only member who could actually fight. Needless to say, they don’t look so good in this comic. Their mission is to destroy some evidence that is on file in a building, but they don’t move quickly enough and a kid snaps a photo of them. Now they must crush the photo and make him forget that they were ever there.

That’s a pretty rookie mistake to make right? Well, luckily Spiderman’s in town and he saves the kid. The kid isn’t too grateful and Spiderman does end up destroying the kid’s camera and saving the Guardians. It’s too bad since I think he could have done it in a nicer way, but it happens. I’m still satisfied with Spiderman’s portrayal because he knocked out Starhawk in a single hit. That’s definitely how you do it if you want an accurate comic. The Guardians are all right, but I just don’t really like the members. Starhawk is the most amusing and it’s because he’s always talking in a way that upsets the others. (On purpose) It was a fun comic, but there weren’t really any stakes and felt like a filler comic.

Spiderman also teamed up with the Beast and they had to work together if they had any hope of defeating the Modular Man and Killer Shrike. Well, Spiderman could probably beat both of them, but he doesn’t want to be a showoff…right? The Beast and Spiderman make a bet since Spiderman has to leave at one point and Beast bets that Spiderman won’t be able to find him. Spidey does with ease of course (and a Spider tracer) and they fight the villains. It wasn’t a very eventful comic and the enemies were pretty weak, but it was all right. The important part is the fact that Spiderman looked pretty good and Killer Shrike was just no match for someone of his talents!

Spiderman also got to team up with the Invisible Woman, but it wasn’t one of the better ones. Some crooks managed to kidnap Franklin Richards so now they are forcing Invisible Woman to rob banks if she wants to see him. With her abilities, it should be a simple matter for Invisible Woman to save the day. Unfortunately, it appears that she doesn’t have much appearance with this sort of trouble. Luckily, Spiderman is on hand to help save the day!

The comic must take place during some of her earlier days because her abilities are not really at their peak yet. She has to exert great effort to keep her barrier up and there are a few times where she nearly fails. If Spiderman had not called the cops, things could have gotten ugly. Unfortunately, Spiderman’s portrayal isn’t that good. Not only does he have to call the cops for help, but he also trembles with fear after driving a car for a while. We get that he doesn’t have a license, but driving is a piece of cake with his spider sense! Invisible Woman also could have looked better and just defeated the crooks without all of that effort. This definitely wasn’t one of the better comics in the collection.

The Ghost Rider team up (With Spiderman again!) was not the best comic as well. The big reason involves the fact that Ghost Rider is quickly mind controlled. I don’t believe that a being such as he could be controlled so easily and he just doesn’t look impressive. It’s nice to see Spiderman take him on with such ease, but that just shouldn’t have been what happened. Moondark is the mastermind behind this and he runs a circus that is actually evil! Peter Parker heads there with a friend, but he’s thrown out by some “tough” guys. As Spiderman, Parker decides to go back and save the day!

This is one of those comics that does have a decent amount of plot hax at the ready. Peter Parker says that he reacted with his full strength when the men grabbed him, but they didn’t even feel it as they threw him away. I can accept that they had enhanced strength, but that is just a little too high tier. Spiderman is definitely not a pushover. Beyond that, his portrayal was good, but he looked way too weak. Ghost Rider also looked bad since his mental abilities are definitely beyond that.

The Hawkeye team up was a little worse than you may have guessed. Spiderman is having a jolly time until he notices that Hawkeye seems completely terrified and faints at the sight of Spiderman. Hawkeye explains that there is a villain known as Mr Fear and he can make you deathly afraid. They split up and decide to look for Mr Fear, but Spiderman bumps into him first. This could get ugly!

Well, I’m also calling some serious plot hax on this one. Mr Fear makes you feel true fear through gas and needles like the Scarecrow. It’s the type of power that I could never take seriously and I don’t think that it would work on Spiderman. Spiderman is far too powerful and resilient for that. Hawkeye should also be able to resist its effects. Since that is the point of the whole comic, I just couldn’t take it seriously and everyone looked pretty bad. That’s definitely how you don’t make a team up!

Nightcrawler is having fun with his friend when he notices Arcade’s plane. He quickly finds out that an assassin is planning on terminating Spiderman while at the circus so he decides to impersonate the Web Crawler. It’s easy enough to pull off since he doesn’t even need to switch costumes. With the circus lights and everyone’s failing eyesight, they quickly think that he’s Spiderman. The Assassin pulls the trigger, but the real Spiderman saves Nightcrawler. Can they find and stop Cutthroat before he hurts someone!?

Well, it was nice to see Spiderman take the whole thing in stride. He was just having fun at the circus, but when he noticed Nightcrawler and the gunshot, he quickly sped into action. This is definitely the Spiderman that you want to see! They had a little too much trouble trying to take out Cutthroat, but we all knew that Spiderman had the situation under control. Nightcrawler is still not my favorite character, but he can be cool when he wants to be. This was one of the better comics despite the weak villain.

The Black Panther has an embassy in America and he is a powerful political figure. This is why everyone is alarmed when he kidnaps someone and the government quickly gets involved. Spiderman also attacks the Black Panther and the Panther is forced to admit that Spiderman is stronger and faster than him. They realize that someone was actually impersonating Black Panther and that’s when Hellrazor walks in.

Spiderman looks very good in this comic and not only does he easily overpower Black Panther and Hellrazor, but he also shows why he’s just a good character. When the politician is kidnapped, Spiderman quickly goes over to stop Panther and show that he’s a true hero. Black Panther is still a good hero and I like him when he’s written correctly. Hellrazor is a pretty good villain and he’s also really good at hand to hand combat. He was dealing with two powerful heroes after all. This was one of the better comics in the collection and the fight scenes were very good!

Spiderman also got to team up with The Werewolf. It doesn’t count as a big team up since they’re both part of the Spiderman EU, but it’s still cool I suppose. Tatterdemalion strikes during a big party and thanks to the smoke/darkness, Peter Parker quickly changes into Spiderman and The Werewolf transforms. Will they be able to stop such a tough fellow?

Tatterdemalion is apparently tougher than he looks because it’s hard for either of the heroes to get a grip on him. That being said, I don’t think that Spiderman should really have any trouble with him. The Werewolf has always come across as a pretty weak character and this comic definitely didn’t help to change things for me. He looked pretty bad right up until the very end. This comic actually leads into the next one, which is always cool to see.

Spiderman noticed that a woman had been following him and he chases her to her secret base. Her name is Dansen Macabre and she quickly hypnotizes Spiderman with her dancing and sends him off to kidnap the Shroud. Spiderman listens and being the ultimately powerful being that he is, defeats the Shroud with absolutely no effort. Luckily, the Shroud is smarter than we think and that was actually a decoy. After helping Spiderman break free from the spell, they must join forces to defeat Dansen!

Spiderman definitely isn’t the type to get hypnotized, but I did like how they portrayed his power and skill. He was definitely in a different league from the other fighters and he proved this as he essentially wiped the floor with them. The Shroud is a cool character, but he could have explained his objective to Spiderman a little better. I’m assuming that he is trying to control the mobs to make the world a safer place or something, but Spiderman assumes the worst and tries to stop him. The Shroud escapes, but Spiderman gave it his all and heads home. It was a pretty fun comic and we got a lot of action in this one. It was one of the best comics in the collection!

The Mocking Bird is reported to actually be a traitor to SHIELD and it seems like she is planning on assassinating Nick Fury! Spiderman certainly isn’t going to let that happen so it’s up to him to bring her down for the count! (Since he let her escape at first when he thought that she was a hero) It’s definitely going to be one of his toughest fights yet, but is SHIELD telling him the full story?

The comic has a pretty tragic ending for one of the characters and Nick Fury doesn’t look too good. The problem is that SHIELD will always have traitors and there will always be leaks. It’s impossible not to have such things happen when you have such a large organization. Spiderman looks all right, but he nearly dies from a car crash and that just doesn’t seem like it was accurate. Such a fall wouldn’t defeat The Spiderman! Also, there aren’t really any super villains, so it’s just about corruption and guys with guns. Another decent comic, but nothing that will really get your heart racing!

Finally, we have a team up without Spiderman! Spider Woman and the Hulk are the ones teaming up, although they don’t really get to team up. Spider Woman is in town to arrest a fugitive and the Hulk is kidnapped by an old man. Spider Woman infiltrates the lair and wakes up Bruce Banner who gets pretty upset. Can the Hulk really defeat the villains?

There isn’t really a sense of danger in the comic since the Hulk is around, but that’s all right I suppose. It was ingenious of the villains to use a pleasure ray to make the Hulk turn back into Bruce Banner, but also a little disappointing for Hulk fans. The Hulk still managed to easily destroy the robots and basically save the day when he woke up. Spider Woman looked decently good, but the villains were a little too numerous in this comic so it’s good that the Hulk was around. It was a decent comic, but I have to say that I missed Spiderman. The portrayals for Spider Woman and the Hulk were sound, but the villains were pretty boring. It was a decent comic.

Spiderman gets another team up with the Black Widow, but this time there is no amnesia to take away her fighting skills. They beat up on some random crooks for a while, but then the Owl appears. It gets pretty dicey since this guy has taken on Daredevil in the past! (In the Essential that I reviewed not too long ago) Can they really defeat an old man who can’t really fight!?

The Owl definitely has his tricks, but he’s seriously no match against these two fighters. Once again, that means that there isn’t really a threat. Still, it’s always good to see these heroes beat up on the expendables and there isn’t really much chance for plot hax. The Owl gets a cheap shot on Spiderman, which definitely counts, but it’s pretty minor. Another decent comic for the collection.

Spiderman’s team up with Howard The Duck is easily one of the greatest team ups in the collection! There is a new villain on the block named Status Quo and he uses Howard’s cab to get all the way to Manhattan. From there, he convinces everyone that fads are evil, so they attack joggers and other innocent people. While Spiderman deals with them, Howard goes off to battle Status Quo in an ultimate showdown!

This comic was pretty awesome and it’s totally how such a team up would go. I didn’t really like Spiderman’s attitude since he was downright rude to Howard the whole time, but I’ll just assume that it was an off day for him. He just didn’t seem like he was in the mood to save the day at the time. Howard gave a pretty deep speech and showed Status Quo that he may not be in the right. Status Quo had some pretty big revelations and it was definitely interesting. New York’s Finest also looked pretty good and it was just a very solid comic all around!

The Art is consistently good for just about all of the comics. I seem to recall at least one comic that I thought looked a little strange, but I can’t remember which team up it was. That being said, the rest still look really good and the art is not a problem in this collection. This is basically the prime of Marvel’s character designs, so everyone can look really cool.

Pretty much all of the team ups involve Spiderman and that is definitely a good thing. It’s nice to see him portrayed back in the good ole days and he is definitely a good hero. With his Spider Sense at the ready, there aren’t many opponents who could really hope to defeat him. There were some moments that were not great for him, but the majority of the comics did their best to portray him accurately.That’s what counts in the end!

Overall, Marvel has done it again! This is another really fun Essential and it’s the best one that I’ve read in a while. We got to see many different heroes in the collection and they were mostly all likable. The art is solid and there aren’t really any big negatives in the comics. We have some plot hax, (Fury shooting Spiderman) but that is just something that will come with just about anything that you witness, Whether it be comics, movies, or games. I highly recommend this collection and all Marvel fans should get a kick out of it. There aren’t really any bad comics in the collection and that’s pretty rare for any team up of the week series. Usually there is at least one bad team up, but I couldn’t really see any. Add Spiderman to anything and it can become cool!

Overall 8/10

The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring Review

Posted on January 13, 2014 by dreager1

I suppose that it was only a matter of time until I finally checked out one of the biggest films of all time. While this may not be as big as Star Wars or Godzilla, many would say that it could match up with Terminator and The Mummy. Just about everyone as seen this film and just about everyone seems to like it a lot. It’s one of those films that you really can’t get away with disliking…unless you’re everyone’s boldest reviewer…DReager1!.

Of course, it doesn’t get much worse than disliking something just to dislike it. Disliking something because it’s immensely popular is also pretty sad. That being said, the film had a lot of potential in it, but it just ended up dropping the ball on all accounts. I think a remake with today’s effects and camera angles could have been a lot better. Well, let’s see how the film turned out!

The plot involves a powerful villain by the name of Sauron who is quickly defeated when someone deals a glancing blow to his hand and gets rid of his ring. His material form is destroyed and the world is saved. Unfortunately, the humans lack strength of character like Bilbo and they make sure that the ring survives to see another day! In the current days, Bilbo gives Frodo the ring and dooms him to a life of fear since everyone wants the ring. Frodo quickly heads out with a band of adventurers to destroy the ring and save the ~~city~~ world in the process.

Sounds cool in theory right? Well, the first problem is the fact that the movie is just too long. It’s nearly 3 hours and that’s usually not a bad thing, but it is in this case. The movie feels really dragged out and they could have taken out a full hour or two and saved us with the pacing. Other movies can handle the stress of being long like Man of Steel or the first 180 Yugioh GX episodes, but others just don’t need the length. I was supremely drowsy by the end of the film and I probably couldn’t have run a marathon by that point.

One thing that is a big negative for the film is the “graphics” or special effects in the film. This came out after the year 2000, but I’ve seen better effects in the old Godzilla films or Star Wars. Even the Star Trek TV show looked a lot better. The problem is that the film takes place in an area that feels ancient and it helps the movie to feel ancient. The main characters walk barefoot as if this is a medieval film and it certainly didn’t help matters. I’ve never been a fan of films that felt old and it’s why I always love future movies since they attempt to be the complete opposite of these.

The soundtrack is really good so I’ll give the film props on that. The opera themes can be pretty intense and you just can’t forget the themes. Well, you may forget the specifics, but the actual opera part is pretty cool. I hope that the future films can keep the music score cool since it was one of the few big positives for the film. It’s definitely an above average film score.

I can’t really say that the characters are a positive. Frodo is pretty weak and unlikable. Bilbo is an awful character who has one of the weakest minds that you’ll run into. The rest of Frodo’s friends are also decently weak minded and even Gandalf could barely control himself. It really makes you wince since these guys are definitely no Tai or Takuya. The Ring may have some control over the mind, but any decent warrior should be able to block its effects. Then again, these guys may not be true warriors.

I know that Gandalf is a fan favorite character, but I definitely can’t get around to liking him. He got completely clobbered by Saruman and he could only hope to create a tie against Balrog. Balrog was a likable character, so there’s always that. He was a monster that you could root for and he never goes down without a fight. Taking down Gandalf was definitely cool and I hope that he gets to appear again someday.

Unfortunately, this film also uses a lot of plot hax to aid it. This is pretty unavoidable when you have humans fighting supernatural beings so it’s to be expected, but it’s something that the writers should have thought of. I don’t really think that Strider can take on 5-6 Wraiths. I mean, we can always count on the possibility that they’re truly that weak, but then why are they so feared. If Gandalf is half as tough as he acts, then one magic spell should finish them off. They are not yet dead or alive, so they don’t even have much in the way of speed.

The fight scenes also aren’t that fun because they’re some of the most down to earth ones that you will find. It’s very gritty and like what you will see in generic war films or in Narnia. Swords clash and that’s about it. They will destroy the villains and the villains will destroy the heroes. There just isn’t any time for flashy maneuvers or dramatic battles. The fight scenes were just pretty bad and not really my style. Still, having fight scenes like this is better than not having any at all…although that is definitely debatable.

The film does have a cliff hanger to lead into the next film and I’m hoping that it improves upon this one. That being said, I can’t say that my hopes are really high since the new Hobbit films have some of the worst effects that I’ve seen in ages and they’re extremely new. Still, the next film may have more fights or something and that could help. Sauron’s also going to need a pretty big comeback if he is to be taken seriously in the future films as well. Having an ordinary human defeat him is the ultimate way to ruin a villain’s reputation.

The Lord of the Rings may be another true classic to bite the dust, but it isn’t the first time that it has happened. The Pirates of the Caribbean, Titanic, James Bond, Some of the Star Trek films, and many others have not been that good as well. Live Action films typically do not hold up well, so the older that they are, the more chance that they will not succeed.

Overall, Lord of the Rings is definitely not as good as the hype would have you believe, but it’s almost all right. It had potential to be fun, but everything was just against it. The pieces were assembled correctly, but you can only get so far without good effects, characters, or fight scenes. It’s still a step up from the Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond films, but that’s not saying much I’m afraid. I don’t really recommend the film unless you’re already a fan. If you want a real adventure, then go watch the cutscenes for the Legend of Zelda CDI games on Youtube.

Overall 3/10

The Terminator Dawn of Fate Review

Posted on January 13, 2014 by dreager1

Terminator is a pretty solid movie franchise and it should be noted that the Terminators are still some of the greatest film antagonists out there. That being said, could the video game really match up to the films? In theory, it should be easy to make an incredibly awesome game based off of the films, but not everything is as good as it should be. I guess you’re about to find out!

The game’s plot is pretty simple. The resistance has been fighting the Terminators for a very long time and both sides are weakened. The planet is running out of resources which has heavily affected both sides. We decide that it’s time to finish things once and for all and quickly head to the main base to finish things. Unfortunately, the master A.I. has the same thought and begins his final plan. Things quickly heat up as we’re met with drama, betrayal, and epicness!

Now, there are only 10 levels in the game which can be a cause for panic. That’s not usually a very filling amount of time and you may figure that the game won’t last for long right? Well, the levels are decently long and while they’re not as long as Shattered Dimensions or something like that, they’re all right. It is still a negative since the game can definitely be beaten quickly. Luckily, the rest of the game is still good enough to warrant a purchase. 10 levels is the bare minimum of what I would consider legitimate and not an unfinished game, but it is still cutting the whole thing a little too close for comfort.

There are only two big negatives that I would really care to mention and they are pretty unique. One is the fact that the camera can be supremely annoying. It will shift at the worst times and sometimes moving from one door to another can be pretty time consuming. There’s just no stopping the camera and it seems to have a mind of its own! It doesn’t go around switching the opponent that you’re locked on too by itself like Armored Core 2, but it definitely moves around way too much. That can definitely get a little tedious during big boss fights where a slip up can mean instant death via infinite (and unavoidable) grenade attacks.

The other negative would be the poor lighting. If you play the game with a high setting for brightness, then you’ll be okay. Otherwise, it can get really hard to tell what is happening and you could get lost since the map is not helpful at all. This isn’t the first game to suffer from lighting problems and Indiana Jones is the main one that comes to mind. I’ve only come across this on the PS2, but I personally just blame it on the games. The PS2 is too awesome to be at fault.

The actual gameplay is still really great and it should be the main selling point for you. It’s basically a 3D Shooting game that plays our like Freedom Fighter, but with much cooler opponents. You’ll quickly get spoiled on the rockets, but the laser blasters are fun as well. After the last few games that I’ve played, it was fun to have such intense action. This is definitely my kind of gameplay and it essentially guaranteed that the game would at least get a 7/10 rating. This gameplay is not found in a whole lot of games and I’m always happy to run into one of them. The boss fight in level 7 was extremely intense and did a good job of making you feel the danger and suspense.

The Soundtrack is easily 5 stars and it was a lot better than I ever could have imagined. Nearly every theme used is fast paced rock music and it really puts you into the game. I doubt that I would have enjoyed the game quite so much if the soundtrack was not present. I dare say that it’s one of the best soundtracks for an American game. I definitely won’t be forgetting the themes anytime soon!

You play as different characters as you go through the levels. We’ve got the main character who is equipped with a good ole gun and some other standard weapons. We’ve got the Captain, who comes with all of that plus a rocket launcher. Finally, we’ve also got the lady who is likely the sub commander and she has the same weapons as the main character. For the final level, you get a cool ray weapon which does massive damage to the enemies. It’s pretty fun, but you won’t have much of a chance to really use it. I would go more into the characters and say how cool they are like with most reviews, but this just isn’t one of those. It’s like the Prince Caspian game. If a game is totally based off of a movie then it may not need character bios, but there can be exceptions. On the other hand, if a game is as short as this one and the characters don’t really get much character….then I won’t really talk about it either. The only names that you’ll walk away remembering are Reese and John Connor. Needless to say, they were decent characters at best.

I nearly forgot to mention that there is also a level up system. You can upgrade health, ammo, etc. Upon beating the game, I’m not even close to upgrading everything. It would probably take quite a few playthroughs for that so I have to wonder what the actual point of it is. I just don’t think that it was really balanced enough. Sometimes, you can go a whole level without getting any upgrade points. Perhaps you get more if you play on the higher difficulty levels, which would make sense. Still, it was an interesting thing to add and I definitely went for upping my health. That never hurts after all!

Overall, this was a great game! It may look like a cash in at first and maybe it could be called that. Still, once you start playing it, you will realize how much fun it can be. It just doesn’t get much better than this and it has only helped me to become an even bigger Terminator fan. The ending is pretty great (Although, not fighting in the past as the final boss was a missed opportunity) and while you will be expecting it, it doesn’t take away from the coolness factor. I know that there is another Terminator game for the PS3 and I plan on getting it soon, but it’s going to be tough to match up against this one. This is definitely one of my shortest reviews in a while, but there’s really not much more to say about this game. I highly recommend it and you should enjoy the game as long as you like shooters. There isn’t really any replay value though and if you don’t like shooters, then you don’t really have a reason to play this one. Still, how can you go wrong with such a low price? (Got it from Best Buy for 5!)

Overall 7/10

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