Video Game Review - Life Is Strange: Episodes 1-3

Teen Life Gets Crazy in Life is Strange Episodes 1-3

A Game Review by Glitchiee:

WARNING! WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!  EVASIVE ACTIONS NECESSARY IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME.  OTHERWISE, FULL STEAM AHEAD, CAPTAIN.

Ah, teenagedom, when emotion rages like the ocean, pimples are an often occurrence and drama oozes from the pores.  What could be better than that?  Well in Life is Strange, a good amount can be better.  Unfortunately, like everything else in life—even cookies—you have to take the good with the bad.  Life is Strange is an episodic storytelling experience focusing on human interaction with a twist.

"I just wi...I just wish I got that retweet today, ya know?"

"I know exactly how you feel.  Yesterday, I lost my chapstick.  Life is hard."

"Yeah..."

STORY AND THOUGHTS:

Episode 1, titled Chrysalis, opens with the players meeting Max Caulfield, a photography student at the prestigious, seniors only Blackwell Academy in her hometown of Arcadia Bay.  Waking up in class from a vivid dream, she goes to the bathroom and clears her mind.  While there—after attempting to stop a girl from being shot—she discovers she has the ability to rewind time.  Cool huh?  Imagine saying the wrong thing to someone and having the ability to go back in time to be able to say the right thing.  For a good portion of this episode that is exactly what Max does.  She rewinds time to say just the right thing or to do the correct action.  And not only does she save the girl in the bathroom, but it turns out that that girl is her childhood best friend, Chloe.

But this is not the only time that there are strange coincidences abound.  Earlier in the episode you'll see Kate Marsh being bullied by the school security officer, who also happens to be Chloe's stepfather, David.  The girl in the missing posters?  Yup, Chloe's best friend, Rachael Amber, who disappeared after meeting someone who “changed her life”, as she put it.  The boy who shot Chloe?  Nathan Prescott, the rich kid who gets away with pretty much everything and seems to have a hand in all the shady events taking place.

And at the end of the episode, Max is once again whisked into a dream, though now she realizes it is actually a vision.  There's a massive tornado that is destroying the town, but the event has yet to take place.  So how do all of these things tie together?  Why does Max have these abilities?  And where is Rachael Amber?  Chrysalis sets up a lot of questions that need to be answered, building the tension and drawing you into wanting to complete the story and invest in the rest of the episodes.

"Ever wonder what life would be like as a porcupine?"

"Every day, Max...every day."

Episode 2, Out of Time, begins right where Chrysalis left off: Chloe wants Max to prove her powers; Kate Marsh is a mess as she's bullied by other students; and Rachel Amber is still missing.  Opening with Chloe excited about Max's abilities, she asks Max to prove her abilities multiple times, and becomes officially psyched to be the sidekick of a superhero.  Max, as usual, is much more reserved and contemplative on what it all means to have the power to rewind time in the first place.

And then Kate Marsh turns to Max for help with her situation.  As a straight edged, devoutly religious girl who preaches abstinence, Kate has been caught on camera making out with multiple boys at a party.  Unsure of what to do, but fairly certain she was drugged by the prick, Nathan Prescott, Kate's life quickly descends into one of ridicule, depression, and anxiety.  Who wouldn't be stressed after dealing with all that?  So the episode's main focus is on Chloe and Kate, even going so far as forcing the player to decide between the two.

And after dealing with Kate, Max once again saves Chloe's life by freeing her leg from railroad tracks with a train booming down on them.  This time, however, the player starts to realize that there is a limit to Max's abilities.  She becomes physically drained, even blacking out to her vision world at times.  And at one point in the episode she begins to bleed from the nose, struggling to even walk as her powers fail her.

Then things turn much darker as the situation becomes urgent.  Acts that were assumed to have occurred are now spelled out for you here.  With more important decisions to be made, the tone is serious to a fault.  There is very little in the way of a comedic break which can wear you down.  Even where Max is just hanging out, things take a turn for the worse rather quickly.  This may seem unrealistic, but terrible real life events do tend to happen in strings, often beating a person down.  And the conclusion of the episode further pushes the dark tone, ending on a depressing note depending on how you play things out.

"Whoa, Bro, please don't shoot me in the Emo."

Episode 3, Chaos Theory, begins with Max sneaking out of the dorm to meet Chloe.  Deciding to become detectives after the events of the day, they break into the principal's office looking for incriminating evidence, or anything really, as to what happened to Kate and Rachel.  And mysteries abound after what they find.  Things are even further complicated when Max starts snooping around people's garages and RV's, uncovering rather startling information.

This episode is a lot more upbeat.  Allowing the story to take breaks to swim in a pool and have a nice breakfast.  The change of pace is greatly appreciated after the events of the second episode.  And the ending of Chaos Theory is mind blowing as Max's powers are kicked up a notch, giving her the ability to change events far in the past.  This is a much happier ending than the previous episodes.  So Max not only rescues someone, but doesn't even visit her vision world once.

"This'll be a great photo for the grandkids to see some day!"

"I know, right?  Snap another just in case" 

GAMEPLAY AND GRAPHICS:

Now that the episodes have been discussed individually, let's take the time to talk about the game in general.  What does Life is Strange do that makes it worthy of your money?  First off, the art style is quite lovely.  Cell shading and realism combine to make an artsy representation of the real world.  And controlling the character from the third person point of view makes the controls much easier to master.

When it comes to character development, DONTNOD has done an astounding job of not only making unique characters, but realistic characters.  The angst, cattiness, better-than-you attitudes, and suffering are all palpable.  In a story driven game, well written characters are essential and Life is Strange knocks it out of the park.  Conversations are even believable—though the subject matter may seem trivial to some players—and the life of a teenager is represented magnificently.

The main game mechanic, which also makes Life is Strange entirely unique, is the ability to rewind time.  This gives you the opportunity to rewind a previous choice you have made and try out a different one.  You can do this multiple times until you achieve your desired result, rewinding anything like having a better conversation or intervening in a scene or just taking a picture.  This can directly impact the story as well.  So depending on the choices you make throughout, the game will change the future events, conversations, and even character interactions within the story.  This gives the game a lot of replay ability since you can go through and make different choices each time, ending up with different story paths.  One of the disadvantages of this is that sometimes rewinding to pick a different option in a conversation doesn't affect the outcome as much as you would hope.

The only real downside to the game is the massive lack of humor to break up the angst, depression and serious events taking place.  While Life is Strange strives for realism...it is still a game.  And it never really gives players a break to collect themselves; instead, it continuously ups the seriousness.  The only comedic relief comes in the form of Warren who makes very few appearances.  And since he seems to be a potential love interest—he is definitely swooning over Max—hopefully he will start popping up more in the last two episodes.

"Damn.  What did I come out here looking for again?  Was it eggs?  Or batteries?  Or beer bottles?"

CONCLUSION:

With the surprise ending to episode 3, Chaos Theory, the direction of the game has now changed.  There are still many questions that need to be answered, like the biggest one of them all, "How does everything connect?"  And with only two episodes left, a ton of ground still needs to be covered in order for players to feel satisfied.  But if you like story based games steeped in drama and mystery, then Life is Strange is definitely for you.  If you're looking for more comedy in your life, then you might want to sit this one out.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (minus a 1 ½ stars for too much sadness)

Reviewer: Glitchiee – Twitter / Twitch

Editor: Hank – Twitter / Twitch

Video Game Review - Wolfenstein: The Old Blood

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood—the standalone prequel to 2014's Wolfenstein: The New Order—brings back all the thrills of an arcade-style first-person shooter, while nonchalantly brushing a plot aside.

STORY:

B. J. Blazkowicz and his buddy Richard Wesley (Agent One) are on a mission to sneak into Castle Wolfenstein and steal a top secret folder from the castle's commander, Helga Von Schabbs.  What seems like an easy mission that could have been completed in less than an hour, turns into a hell-raising tour of the Nazi compound and their very twisted experiments.  Exploding baddies, duel wielding, mechanical dogs, shirtless heroes, and one ridiculously goofy ending ensues.

"I tell you what, after a long drive like that...I hope this Castle has good food. What do you want? I'm

thinking a Double Whopper with cheese, extra ketchup, extra mayo." 

THOUGHTS:

There's nothing like grabbing the controls of a slick first-person shooter and just unleashing thousands of rounds of ammunition on everything that moves on the screen.  Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is developed by MachineGames and their perfect delivery of shooting mechanics is what puts this game above other shooters.  Well…that and the price tag.  For a mere twenty bucks, The Old Blood could be bought and downloaded and enjoyed for over seven hours of story.  Now that may not seem like much, but the game does come with side challenges which bring back arcade points and allow a tiny chunk of replay ability.  And if you put this game up against others like The Order: 1886, you'll feel a humongous difference in terms of fun, humor, gameplay, and of course…the price tag.  So if you enjoy fun first-person shooters that could care less about story and don't mind killing a plethora of Nazis, then there's no reason to sit on the fence with this purchase.

GAMEPLAY:

What's there to say: being able to dish out hundreds of rounds of bullets in seconds, effectively turning any enemy head into a smashed pumpkin, never gets old.  And the ability to do so without having a bad camera angle or crappy character animations is like icing on a chocolate pixelated cake.  As soon as you strap yourself into the boots of shirtless B. J. and begin your journey through crazy Nazi infested territories, you'll instantly feel at home with the controls.  Grenades are where they should be, looking down the barrel is as easy as breathing, and pulling the trigger to mow down countless foes couldn't feel any more pleasant.  But what if you also want a little stealth in your life?  What if it’s been a while since you snuck around a pixelated world and silently took down unsuspecting enemies?  Well…that's here too.  It's not as effective as some games like Dishonored or say Splinter Cell, but with a little bit of patience and some luck, it can certainly be pulled off.  Is that what Wolfenstein is all about?  Nope.  It's about going in guns blazing and turning your enemies into Swiss cheese.  But the option to take each area as you see fit is a nice addition and shows that the developer put care into their game.

"Who in their right mind would leave a perfectly good helmet sitting atop old files?  Well...there's

only one thing to do: wear it." 

THAT'S GREAT…BUT WHAT ABOUT THE STORY?

Sadly, if you're looking for something that weaves a tale of romance, or intrigue, or revenge, then you've really come to the wrong place.  You did see some gameplay before purchasing, right?  Or maybe you watched the trailer?  Because if you have, then you'd know this game is about killing anything that moves and not engrossing you in a tale that spans centuries.  Now, that's not to say that there isn't some type of plot going on.  B. J. has a mission to snag a folder so the Nazis don't win the war.  And with the type of game this is…that's enough to get the bullets flying.  But on top of this, if you love to read, there are numerous letters, notes, and scribbles left throughout the environment for those looking for a little more help in what's going on.  Will you probably read the first one and then quickly click and un-click the rest?  More than likely, but hey…you're here to kill things, not to read a new best-seller. 

As you progress through the eight chapters of the game, you'll notice after about half way through that the story takes a turn for the weird.  Without ruining too much, let's just say The Old Blood goes from a World War Two shooter to horror.  Is this explained through the story as to why?  Not really.  Does it matter?  Somewhat.  You might have liked the game to stay where it was and just progress to a climax without a silly plot twist, but it happens, and there's nothing you can do about it.  You have to keep on pushing forward until you get to the endgame.  And what an ending it is.  Equal parts ridiculous, frustrating, and random is the only way to describe the last chapter of the game.  And without a health bar on the last enemy or any idea what you have to do without dying numerous times, you may not feel any enthusiasm when it finally goes down.  And this tragically, does hurt the fun buildup of gameplay it took to get there.

"Listen, I don't care how much you say it...There's no way Batman could beat Superman in a fight.

Just think about--Hold that thought. We're here.  After you kill thousands of Nazis and get that

folder, we're continuing this conversation." 

GRAPHICS, MULTIPLAYER, AND REPLAY VALUE:

For a standalone prequel (basically DLC) The Old Blood is remarkably a huge download.  Weighing in close to a hefty 40 gigs, this game in terms of graphics and voice-over is unbelievable.  Sure, some character models that aren't enemies or have nothing to do with plot could use a little polish, but the environments, the main NPC's, the crazy weapons, and voice acting is above and beyond what a twenty dollar prequel should be.  And you'll realize that in the first few minutes of cinematic and gameplay.

The only thing this game lacks is multiplayer.  But this basically is a small DLC that goes along with the main game, so expecting this addition is a tad ridiculous.  But just imagine The Old Blood's shooting mechanics in death match or team death match.  Even capture the flag would be awesome.  Duel wielding assault rifles and drilling your friends head full of bullets would be a heck of a night.  It's a shame this title missed out on so much fun.  And speaking of extra fun, replay value all depends on how much you love arcade shooters.  Do you like ripping through the same areas over and over again in the fastest time, trying to get the highest score possible so you can brag to your friends?  Well then there will be a ton of replay value for you.  If you finished the story and decided that it's time to move on, then you won't be dipping into The Old Blood ever again. 

"B. J. wake up buddy.  It's time to go home.  Your mother is here to pick you up." 

CONCLUSION:

If you happen to be sitting on a twenty in your online gaming account and are looking for a shooter that will inject you with thrills, laughs, and plenty of expired bullet shells, then Wolfenstein: The Old Blood will easily deliver on all those levels and more.  If you're the type of gamer that needs a tad bit of story with their gameplay and would much rather run around and discover a world, then your hard earned money should be spent somewhere else.  With Wolfenstein: The Old Blood’s beautiful graphics, perfect controls, a hilarious main character, over-the-top enemies, massive guns, and numerous Easter eggs hidden throughout…this game tickles that first-person itch you've been craving.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (minus a ½ star for no story and 1 star for horrific ending)

Reviewed by: Hank – Twitter / Twitch

DVD Movie Review - Hot Tub Time Machine 2

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 brings a slew of disgusting jokes, teeth-clenching scenes, and ridiculousness throughout.  But in doing so, leaves any bit of heart or story hitchhiking on the side of the road.

STORY:

Lou (Rob Corddry) and Nick (Craig Robinson) are living the life of luxury after the events that took place in the first movie.  They have altered the future in ways to make them both super rich, while Lou's son, Jacob (Clark Duke), tries to be the intelligent voice of reason and fails repeatedly.  In the midst of a giant party thrown by arrogant Lou, a tragedy occurs, leaving only one option for the power trio: they must reenter the hot tub time machine and see if they can alter the past to save a life.  Unnecessary nudity, jumbled timelines, man-skirts, dick picking, drug trips, inflated testicles, product placement, and degrading one-liners ensue.

"Are you saying there's no Cusack in this film?  America's teen sweetheart in the 80's?  A star of such 

films as Better Off Dead and Sixteen Candles?"

"Yep."

"Oh my God no.  Is the movie gonna suck?"

"Probably." 

THOUGHTS:

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is the kind of movie that seems to have purposely forgotten the actual plot and just decided to throw a bunch of four minute comedy skits together to fill up the time requirements for a full length feature film.  Seeing the first movie is a requirement to understand exactly what is going on in the second, but it'll also show you where and how this movie has fallen short.  The exclusion of John Cusack as Adam (who is spoken about throughout this movie and who is replaced by Adam Scott portraying his son) is where this film's plot hurts the most.  The first movie, even though it was a ridiculous premise, still had a tad bit of heart sprinkled throughout because of the plot involving John Cusack.  This movie's premise has to deal with Lou, the giant A-hole of the group, and his problems.  And from a viewer's perspective there's really no reason to like Lou.  He's just a humongous dick.  A dick that seems to want to ruin his life no matter the consequences.  And having a movie with a main character that's hard to relate to or is barely likable, leaves viewers nothing to care about in the end.  So what you end up watching is a series of dirty jokes and over-the-top scenes that have no real relevance to each other, except that they include all the same actors. 

"So what do you guys think?  Should we get up and like pursue the plot or something?"

"Nah.  Give it a few more minutes."

Now, where the plot and story collapse is where some of the jokes and raunchy scenes excel.  If you like the idea of just sitting on the sofa and not having worry about paying attention or even listening to dialogue half the time, then this is the perfect movie for you.  You could literally hit play and then get up and pay bills, restring your guitar, or even reorganize your coin collection, and then finally come back to the movie and know exactly what is going on.  Why?  Because with the exception of a few minutes in the beginning and the very, very end, there's no real reason to listen to the rest of the film, except for the dirty jokes which occasionally will make you laugh.  So as long as you know why the trio has gone back into the machine, then you can go about your daily life without any worry of missing anything important.  If there's anything to be said about the writing in this film it is this: the writers manage to avoid plot for over 80 minutes of the 93 minute running time.  And that's the real achievement taking place.  So if you love the idea of listening to raunchy jokes and one-liners without purpose, then feel free to order this movie without worry.

"No I'm serious...all these cameras and stuff are like here to record all the stupid 

crap we're like saying and doing."

"Incredible."

THE ACTING:

This is a "B" comedy at best and the acting reflects that.  With Rob Corddry taking point in the film, you'll have to absolutely love the type of character he plays in all his movies.  He's a dick to his family, to his friends, and even to strangers he's never met.  So if that type of humor makes you laugh then you'll love him in this.  Corddry has been playing a version of Lou for a long time now and pulls the acting off with magnificent ease.  Craig Robinson also plays Craig Robinson.  If you've seen him in any other comedy, then you know what to expect here.  He's laid back and full of funny, dry one-liners.  In fact, he probably has the funniest facial expressions and scenes throughout the movie.  Clark Duke steps up his intelligent, voice-of-reason humor as Jacob.  Again, his character has also been seen in previous films, but here he gets a tad more screen time than usual.  Adam Scott portraying Adam Junior—John Cusack's son from the first film—is the only person that seems out of his element.  Typically his characters are sarcastic with a hint of intelligence.  Here he plays a naive douche-bag that's never had any fun in his life.  And if there's anyone in the film that could be considered annoying and stiff, sadly, it's Adam Scott.  His character doesn't fit the casting choice and Scott's acting seems like he doesn't really want to be there.  Popping in for a few minutes is also Gillian Jacobs miscast as the annoying Jill, Adam Junior's fiancée.  And last but not least is Chevy Chase, who shows up for a forgettable second as the hot tub repairman, so try not to blink.

"Tell me something: Are your pants to short?  Or are your shorts too long?  Cause I am very confused."

CONCLUSION:

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is exactly what you'd expect out of a sequel that lost its star.  The plot is nonsense.  The acting is on par with the writing.  And the jokes are sometimes too raunchy or disturbing for a laugh.  If you're looking for an hour and a half of background noise right now and you have something against the radio, then feel free to rent this film.  For everyone else, wait until Hot Tub Time Machine 2 graces cable so you can schedule in time to pay some bills and reorganize your stamp collection.  That way during the film’s running time, you'll feel like you've at least accomplished something.

2 out of 5 Stars (add a star for attempting a sequel without Cusack & another star for a few funny jokes)

Reviewed by: Hank – Twitter / Twitch

Video Game Review - Mortal Kombat X

The king of fighters has returned with more content, more blood, and more new characters than ever before.  Fatality!

STORY:

Who are you kidding?  Did you really buy this game for the story?  You did?  Oh.  Okay then.  Well...years after Shao Kahn was defeated, Shinnok, an enemy to earth realm that sports a fantastic clamshell headdress, decides he wants to take over.  A strike team is assembled—consisting of Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi—to take down Shinnok and his all-powerful amulet.  In the process, veterans of Mortal Kombat come to their aid, while others try to help destroy earth realm.  Bloody cut scenes, mediocre voice-over, and some of the most brutal fighting ensue. 

Even though most gamers will not be picking up Mortal Kombat X for the story, it is a nice addition to the game that consists of about four hours of entertainment.  The funny thing is most of the cut scenes—which do require you to pay attention due to QTE's throughout—are longer than most of the fights that occur.  And even though you might be confused about amulets and who is good and who is bad, there are still hours of entertainment to be had in the story…and you haven't even gotten to the meat of the video game yet. 

THOUGHTS:

Every 80's born baby remembers Mortal Kombat in their childhood.  Running to the arcade, slapping a quarter on the machine to signify you have the winner, and then losing horribly.  It was a part of life.  Mortal Kombat has been around for a long time, and as they say, has gotten better with age.  The tenth version of the series doesn't only bring 24 fighters into various rings, but also introduces eight new playable characters...and that doesn't even include the DLC that's coming down the line.  So not only will you be able to strap on blue and pound enemies with an ice hammer as Sub Zero, but you'll also be able to wreak havoc from your ass as the insect Queen, D'Vorah, one of the new playable characters. 

"Alright, listen up!  Some idiot with a clam on his head is attempting to take over Earth.  So pack 

your best rocket launcher and let's take this f*cking mollusk down."   

GAMPLAY:

If you've been using a controller up to this point in your gaming career and have barely touched the D-pad, well…all that's about to change.  If you want to become excellent at pulling off the more brutal moves in Mortal Kombat X, then you better learn to call that area of the controller home.  The one thing Mortal Kombat has always been known for is the unstoppable, fantastic, over-the-top ridiculous attacks.  And this game is no different.  Between breaking bones, busting faces, shooting rockets, cracking skulls, crushing noses, nut shots, and throwing sand in your opponent’s eyes, there seems to be an endless sea of possibilities while entering the ring.  Sure, just like any other fighting game you'll become excellent with one fighter and probably spam the hell out of that one move, but who's to say that isn't how you're supposed to play?  No one.  So shut it.  And last but not least, each character comes with three distinctly different fighting styles to choose from before each battle, allowing your favorite character to have another level of uniqueness, depending on your style of combat.

When you first load up the game, you'll probably go right into a fight and realize that the old kicks and punches are easily accessible by pressing just one button on the controller.  It's when you want to really tune up your opponent that you'll hit start to pause the game, allowing you to go directly to the move list and begin to learn the brutal attacks needed to win fights.  Most are three-button combinations with some being a little longer.  But the real fun during a fight comes in the form of X-rays.  X-rays can be used once your energy meter (a meter that increases as you do more damage to your opponent) is full and they are super easy to pull off…as long as your opponent doesn't block.  And if you like Mortal Kombat for the fatalities, then you'll love it for the X-Rays, which at times, can be just as brutal and hilarious to watch.  Between breaking necks and punching opponents in the balls, there are also various attacks that devour your enemy via bugs, destroy jaws, break noses, and stab people in the skull with very sharp objects.  And you can't help but laugh during an X-ray even if you're the one taking the beating.  That's just good game design right there.

On top of this, the environment also plays a role in combat.  Not only can you jump off of tree stumps or broken down cars to gain a quick advantage, but you can also pick up a lamp and smash it across a foe's face, kick a bowl of hot coals in their eyes, swing from tree branches, beat someone with an iron hammer, or even crush an enemy's face with a villager.  These tiny details tell you that the developer of Mortal Kombat X, NetherRealm Studios, took care in creating this game.  And each time you see these environmental attacks you can't help but smile, and that's the true heart of Mortal Kombat X.  No matter if you're getting your ass whooped or doing the whooping yourself, you'll still be laughing like a hyena at each and every brutal attack.

Mortal Kombat: when literally being chopped in half means nothing and the character will 

be walking around again in no time.

GRAPHICS:

Let's face it: this is the best looking Mortal Kombat yet.  The environments are heavily detailed, the character animation is fantastic, and the cut scenes could be made into an animated feature.  There's just nothing else to say.  The one thing you might notice is the difference in detail of some characters as opposed to others.  When you pull up Sub Zero or say, Scorpion, their outfits, skin, and even facial hair looks astounding.  Then you might choose Johnny Cage or Sonya Blade and the detail on their clothes or faces looks a little less loved compared to some of the other characters.  Does this hurt the game or gameplay in anyway?  Nope.  It's just something that seemed odd with all the love the developer already put into the rest game.

FATALITIES & ADDED FEATURES:

Fatalities are the one thing everyone who watches or plays a Mortal Kombat game wants to see.  Sure it may be a little more degrading to your opponent to simply walk over and slap your enemy when the screen flashes "Finish Him" causing them to wobble like a drunk and fall over.  But you'll still want the satisfaction of a Fatality every once in a while.  And boy does Mortal Kombat X deliver.  If you thought the X-rays were brutal and hilarious, the Fatalities cross those lines and up the bloody eye-candy by one hundred percent.  From ripping bodies apart at the spine or slicing faces off from the front, to even grinding characters up into purée, this game has it all and you get to unlock more as you go along. 

Along with Fatalities, extra outfits, pretty graphics, and hysterical attacks, there's also the Krypt.  This is a bonus area of the game where you embody a first person view and walk through cemeteries, underground spider lairs, and other various locations in search of unlockables.  All the koins you earn fighting, progressing through the story, and taking place in online battles, can then be used in the Krypt.  Your character walks around in a grid like fashion mimicking old RPG's from the 90's and spends koins to unlock random stuff throughout the game.  Unlockable treasure can include new outfits, brutalities, fatalities, concept art, game music, etc.  It's not the greatest RPG experience you will ever have, but it simply adds another layer to an already very rich fighting game.

ONLINE:

So you think you're good enough to drop the padded gloves and take on real people in Mortal Kombat X?  Or maybe you just want to be able to pound a friend into the ground and tease them about it for the next hour.  Whatever your temptation is to jump into the online ring, you won't be disappointed.  From 1 vs. 1, to King of the Hill, to ranked matches...everything you want out of an online fighter is easily in your grasp.  Wait times are very short and bringing in all your friends for a simple tournament couldn't get any easier.  Online combat for the most part is smooth, but if one fighter doesn't have the fastest Internet you will experience some lag during fights.  But this has nothing to do with the game itself, and everything to do with individual Internet providers.  So be rest assured, if your friends have a fast Internet just like you, it'll be like kicking each other's ass in the same living room…which is also available if you have two controllers and a friend actually willing to leave their own house and venture into yours.

Extra Strength Excedrin: perfect for even the toughest of headaches.  

CONCLUSION:

Mortal Kombat X is currently the king of all fighting games available right now.  The game may have a slightly confusing story and some dropped detail on a few characters, but what it brings to the genre in terms of graphics, gameplay, collectibles, unlockables, uniqueness, hilarity, and just good old-fashioned fun, far exceeds any flaws the game may have.  So if you've had the itch to venture back into earth realm and beat the snot out of baddies and friends alike, then don't think twice about picking up Mortal Kombat X.  This game is everything you ever wanted out of a fighter and then some.  Here's hoping the DLC adds even more variety to an already awesome game.

4.5 out of 5 Stars (minus a ½ star for clunky story and uneven character detail)

Reviewed by: Hank – Twitter / Twitch

Bloodborne - The Perfect Mix of Pixelated Addiction

With the lukewarm reception of The Order: 1886, Playstation needed another game to bring it back from the slight exclusive hole it found itself in.  So what type of game could possibly make you stay up late at night, until your eyeballs are coating in red and your lips are chapped from dehydration?  What kind of game will make you rip your hair out from aggravation because of an unbelievable tough boss, but then make you feel unstoppable once you've taken it down?  What type of game will make you want to find every secret, take on every enemy, and use every available weapon at your disposal?  Well…a game that feeds an addiction.  That's what.  And currently, on the PS4, there's no game that does it better than Bloodborne.

Bloodborne is a lovely mix of stress, grinding, and elation.  But why?  How can a game that has such a high level of difficulty be so soothing at the same time?  How can a game that makes you want to throw your PS4 out the window be so addicting?  What's the secret?  Well the answer isn't in one grand idea.  It comes down to plenty of factors.  But one thing is for sure.  Once you start playing Bloodborne, you won't stop until every boss is killed, every enemy is found, and every weapon in the game has lain upon your back.  It's just that simple.

"Hey doll, here's a quarter.  Give me a call when you get a little older, huh?" 

STRESS AND ELATION:

Walking down any new corridors or open areas of Bloodborne with a decent amount of blood echoes makes you involuntarily hold your breath until the next lantern (save point) can be found.  You have no idea what lurks around the corner.  Everything could be moving along smoothly and then you come upon an enemy you haven't faced before and stop.  The beast looks weak enough.  You size up the weapon on your back and take in the foe.  "I can do this," you think, "This thing will be a pushover."  And then before you can blink the beast is eating your face and the dreaded "you died" appear on the screen causing you to bang your head against the wall.  What the hell happened?  Suddenly your gaming abilities begin to haunt your dreams and you feel inadequate in the gamer community.  You, my joystick fondling friend...are stressed.  It happens to the best of us.  But don't lose hope.  Your precious blood echoes that you just lost…are simply another challenge away. 

Bloodborne gives you the remarkable ability to go back to that very same enemy you just lost hours of time on and get it all back.  A do over.  A second chance.  This is what keeps you pushing forward through the game.  If the game didn't have this ability, you'd pack it up right there and say, "screw it, I'm done."  And that'd be that.  But the feeling of being able to get all your hard work back keeps you gaming.  So you end up grabbing that controller with a fierceness and determination to kick that new enemy's ass.  You run through the entire level just to get to it, draw your favorite trick weapon and school the crap out of that beast.  Boom sauce.  Blood echoes retrieved.  This, my friends, is the feeling of elation.  And being able to gain all those lost blood echoes back makes Bloodborne so very, very addicting. 

"Ya know, you almost snuck up on me.  It was probably your massive size or that ridiculously 

loud bell hanging around your neck that gave you away." 

NEW ENEMIES:

People that haven't played the game will ask questions like, "But what's the story?" or "Why are you still running around killing things?"  And the answers are simple: Who cares and because it feels so good and it's so much damn fun.  If Bloodborne simply threw the same enemies at you the entire game *cough* The Order *cough* you'd be bored out of your mind.  But as you progress through the game, there's always something new lurking around the corner and it usually isn't something you want to fight without a strategy.  But the sheer variety of baddies you encounter—even in the very first area—will keep you pushing forward to find what else the game has to offer.  And with every new enemy come more of those precious blood echoes (used to level up).  So why not push forward another half hour just to see what lies ahead.  Will it be a disgusting giant pig?  Or how about a steaming pile of snakes?  A wraith?  A reaper?  A werewolf?  Or maybe a crazy, gun toting old man in a wheelchair?  Whatever it is…the game will keep you itching for more.  For more new enemies and for more precious blood echoes, feeding that blood thirsty addiction.

THE TRICK WEAPONS:

Ever wanted to swing a dainty sword at an enemy and once they're stunned, stuff that dainty sword in a humongous block of stone and then pound the crap out of them?  Of course you do.  Another reason Bloodborne sucks you in is the trick weapons in the game.  A trick weapon is a weapon that can be used multiple ways.  Like the above, there are plenty of other weapons to be found and rewarded to the player for either leveling up their character or taking down a certain boss.  So what better way to keep a gamer coming back for more poundings than to offer a sweet prize for their success?  And once you get a taste of whacking anything with your weapons—even smashing crates and vases—you'll never want to stop swinging.  Or collecting all the awesomely massive weapons the game has to offer.

"Listen, the Doo Wop sounds great guys, but don't you think a little "Light my Fire" by the 

Doors is more appropriate?"

THE LEVELING SYSTEM:

This is the final piece to the addiction puzzle.  So there you are standing half way between a lantern and a boss.  You have almost enough blood echoes to increase your level.  What do you do?  Do you push forward to the end and risk your current progress or cut down a few more enemies and then backtrack it all the way to the lantern?  This is the heart of strategic play in Bloodborne.  This is a question every hunter will ask themselves at some point in the game and probably more and more as you progress through each area.  This is a perfect balance between feeling adrenaline and going for it, or playing it safe and strengthening your character.  And why would people decide to go for it, instead?  Because all the enemies you just struck down will respawn once you come back to the area.  So what does this do?  This respawning mechanic keeps you farming areas for more blood vials and blood echoes just to keep your character growing strong.  You'll return time and time again to the same locales just to level up your character.  You want to be able to swing harder don't you?  Yep.  You want to be able to swing more often, right?  Yep.  So you'll spend more and more time pushing your way through areas and before you know it, you've spent half of your glorious sleep killing beasts in Bloodborne.  Feeding the addiction of wanting more.  You want to kill that next boss as quickly as possible, right?  Well then you better raise your level a couple more times…or maybe even more.  And you'll definitely feel like a badass when you're running through an area and crushing foes with just one or two swings of your holy sword.  This is the true genius of Bloodborne: Allowing the gamer to feel the raw power of working toward strengthening their character.  This is what makes you come back time and time again for more blood.  This is what makes Bloodborne such an addicting game.

"I don't understand these new headstones at all.  I gave it a dollar.  Now spit out my goddamn 

Mountain Dew."

CONCLUSION:

You may have more addictions than the above or you may have less, but one thing is for sure, once you begin to play Bloodborne it will suck you in one way or another.  It'll make you yearn for that next level or for that next notch on your belt for taking down a boss.  It'll make you want to smash every creature's face in with a hammer or a scabbard or a massive axe.  Bloodborne may not have the greatest story ever told in gaming, or a map, or even give you any direction whatsoever while playing, but no matter what, you'll continue to come back for more because it’s the perfect mix of pixelated addiction.  Just remember to eat and drink and relieve yourself from time to time…because there's no reviving at a lantern in this life.

Article by: Hank – Twitter / Twitch