Winter City #3 -Review

Winter City
Patrick Purcell: Producer, Letterer, Co-Writer
Carl Purcell: Co-Writer
Pablo Verdugo Munoz: Pencils & Inks, Covers
David Aravena Riquelme: Colourist Rating: 8/10


Volume 3 opens with a news report to recap the events of the last two issues, namely, the murders of Alan McLean, and Franklin Skyles. Having this recap on the news is a familiar touch; often utilized in other Noir stories and it serves its purpose well, both reminding readers of the previous events without having to break the flow of the story, and re-establishing the setting and tone of the rest of the issue.

RAGE Review

Am I the only one who is reminded of the end titles of the Fallout games?

Rating: 6/10
Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release date (Aus): 6/10/2011
Version Played: PS3
In the future, there is only war… Well that, and a fair bit of racing. See Rage is another of those game set in the post-apocalyptic future (no points for originality here) and like all such games features mutants, bandits, and a technologically advanced (and invariably evil) faction which they must come up against. The story is simple, and seems like it was quickly jotted down on the back of a napkin; you play as a nameless, near faceless white guy who’s woken up in the future after an asteroid has hit the earth. This faceless white guy wakes up as the sole survivor of an ARK, a large container designed to preserve humanities best and brightest. Unfortunately the thing was clearly made with no OH&S compliance because all the other passengers are deader than dead.

Pictured: A large container. Not pictured: The ARK.

Dragon Ball Multiverse Chapter 6

Daddy’s little monster!

Rating: 7/10 



The fight between Cell and Dabura continues from where it left off,with Cell having the slight advantage. Cell takes the lead by blasting a hole through Dabura using Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon (Ok ok, Makankosappo!!!) while Universe 13′s Kakarott and Raditz comment on the ‘absurdity”of the situation in their ironic meat-headed glory.

Prototype Review

How does he scratch his nose with an arm like that?

Rating: 6/10
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PC, XBOX 360, PS3. PS3 ver. played.
Release date (AU): 10/6/2009

Released in 2009 two weeks after Sucker Punch’s InFamous, the two games were naturally compared to each other; both open world games featuring super-powered nigh unstoppable protagonists, and a dash of Parkour. I will not be comparing the two games; both are quite different from each other and stand alone well enough. 

New Metal Gear, huh?

Probably gonna be 50% gameplay, 50% cutscene, 100% awesome.

Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: XBOX 360, PS3
Release Date: TBA

So after languishing at home I learned that a new Metal Gear game is coming out, and it doesn't involve giant robots and Ninja, but stealth. Players once again fill the shoes of Big Boss (Still under the slightly embarrassing moniker of Naked Snake), once again on a solo mission, weapons and equipment presumably OCP*, ready to take out another terrorist threat - apparently this time the group XOF which appears to be a dark mirror of the FOX unit of MGS3, rescue some old friends, and presumably watch lots of cutscenes and hear David Hayter saying "Huh?" a lot.

Prometheus Review

Talk about being big headed...

Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender
Release: May/June 2012
Rating: 8/10

Born from the ashes of the Alien franchise, a Ressurection, if you will, Prometheus holds some obvious strands of Alien DNA, but stands tall on its own as well. As Ridley Scott's first Sci-Fi film since Bladerunner, anticipations were high, and I must say the film did not disappoint. While it isn't groundbreaking in any particular way, the combination of the special effects, performances, the musical score, and the dialogue, all combined to make a very entertaining film.

The story itself begins on earth, with a humanoid alien destroying his own body to seed life on our planet. As his body degenerates, it spreads down a waterfall, the camera following as the screen fades to black, and the title, Prometheus, is constructed on screen the same as Alien's was 33 years ago.

DmC/Devil May Cry news

New Dante, New attitude.

DmC/Devil May Cry
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: January 2013

Devil May Cry, one of the coolest series ever. I was introduced to the series through the internet, having read about it when I was younger while looking up information regarding Dante's Divine Comedy (Yes, I like reading old poetical stuff sometimes) & I was so impressed by what I read that I decided to get Devil May Cry 3. I've also played four, but unfortunately haven't played the first two yet.

Metro Last Light

Metro Last Light
Publisher: THQ
Developer: 4A Games
Release Date: TBA 2013
The sequel to THQ’s sleeper hit, Metro 2033, Last Light continues from the ‘bad’ ending of the previous game. While the story of 2033 was based on the book written by Dmitry Glukhovsky (Say that in your best Russian accent), Last Light is an original story, and while outlined by Glukhovsky, his input is much less than it was for the last game. Metro 2033 was a first person shooter which focused more on survival then killing, with the environment, and the very air your character breathed being as hostile as your enemies. The game does support higher levels of stealth than Metro 2033 did, with players having the ability to douse flames and more emphasis on atmosphere, with Artyom having to wipe blood and rain off of his gas mask. That said, it seems to have a greater emphasis on action, which is probably a very good thing considering how cool some of the weapons from the last game were. Speaking of which Metro Last Light introduces some new additions to Artyom’s arsenal, such as a shotgun-pistol, and a hand held minigun.

Dragon Ball Multiverse Chapter 5

Proof why Future Trunks is one of the manliest characters in this fic. Unfortunately the translation’s not as spot on as it could be…

Rating: 8/10

Immediately we see the savage Saiyans and Nail’s Namek’s leave the tournament, fully aware that they’re overwhelmingly outclassed in this crazy competition.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Review

Only on PS3, The way it should be.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Consoles: Playstation 3
Aus Release: 15/10/2009
Rating: 9/10


Let me just flat out say it; Uncharted 2 is a true sequel to Uncharted, better than it in every way, and one of the best games I've ever played. The game begins In Media Res* with Nathan Drake climbing out of a rapidly falling train. Why the train is falling, or more importantly, how Drake got shot, we don’t know. But it doesn't matter; the opening adds weight and tension to the story; rarely in a game do we see our infallible hero so hurt, or feel his struggles so tangibly. As the level wears on and Drake wears out, he faints and the story skips back to it’s chronological beginnings, setting the tone for what’s to come.

The story of the game revolves around finding a lost treasure of Marco Polo. Drake’s adventures begin in Istanbul (not Constantinople) where he and his two friends, Harry Flynn and Chloe Frazer, have planned to break into a museum, and steal a Mongolian oil lamp which may lead to the location of Polo’s lost treasures. As a departure from the last game, the first level features the characters performing non-lethal take downs and using tranquillizer guns against the museum guards. I say departure because the first Uncharted featured no section where the player could attack enemies non-lethally, or even avoid combat altogether.

Dragon Ball Multiverse Chapter 4

You see a lot of people in the forums arguing about the rules in DBM, even though Gogeta Jr and Salagir handily put them on display. 

Rating: 8/10


This issue begins in the fight between Recoome and Nail. The art of this issue seems better than the last few, with dynamic lines and a good usage of the glow of their aura and ki to emphasise the movement and power present in the fight between these two warriors. It serves them well, as the fight is well constructed and it’s definitely got the most detail out of any of this issues fights. After the fight between Nail and Recoome, there’s a match between Cooler of universe 8 against Trunks of universe 12. Aside from handily showcasing Trunks’s power, the fight serves to reveal that the audience members are all protected by a force field.

Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Rating: 3/10

Conan the Barbarian is based on the works of Robert E.Howard, a man who wanted a pulpy story set apart from the usual locales, so he created a series of works set in a ‘land before time’ so to speak, after the fall of Atlantis but before any history as we know it. The story was originally adapted into the classic film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger which, is either so bad it’s good, or so cool it’s awesome, depending on who you ask. I, myself, have never seen the ‘original’ Conan, but I did have the misfortune of watching this film last night.

Batman: Arkham City Review

Batman: Arkham City
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Aus Release Date: 19/10/2011
Rating: 9/10

They make an awfully cute couple.

From the get-go, Batman: Arkham City is easily one of the coolest games I've ever played, and a great sequel to an already legendary game. The story of Arkham City opens with the kidnapping of Bruce Wayne by the forces of Hugo Strange. Bruce finds himself held hostage by Strange, who warns Bruce not to interfere in his plans or he will reveal his secret identity to the world at large. Of course, Bruce breaks free, and delivers some nasty beat-downs, before regaining his equipment and emerging in Arkham City as Batman.The story itself is masterfully crafted; written by the creative combination of Paul Crocker, Sefton Hill, and Paul Dini, the writer of Arkham Asylum and the creative mind behind the 1990’s animated series, Arkham City provides a solid explanation as to why the game is set in an enclosed city, and gives us an engrossing, multithreaded storyline; which invites us to ask questions such as whether hardened criminals are worthy of basic human rights, and overall de-constructing the image of the invincible (goddamned) Batman we've come to embrace.

Resistance Series

Resistance Series Developers: Insomniac (R#1, 2 & 3), SCE Bend Studio (Retribution) and Nihilistic Software (Burning Skies)
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Creator: Insomniac Games
Original Platform: PS3

Who ya gonna call?

Envisioned by the people at Insomniac, yes, the ones who made Spyro the Dragon,and Ratchet & Clank. Resistance is a truly a phenomenal series. The fact that it’s set in the 1950′s, and involves fighting grotesque and hostile aliens is a breath of fresh air, compared to the commie/nazi/terrorist shooters which were (and still are) in vogue. Offering few features which were truly revolutionary, as a whole, the series has distilled many of the finest features of the FPS genre to create some truly memorable and entertaining games. Not to mention, the series has a well crafted story, who’s lore is present in small ways and large throughout the game.

Predator Review

Rating: 9/10

“ I liked the idea of starting out with an action-adventure, but then coming in with some horror and science fiction.”
-Apparently what Arnie said, according to Wikipedia, and as good a summation of the film as any.

So Today I turned on the TV and saw an old classic. Predator. A film made during the 80′s, a simpler time where people listened to a never ending stream of one hit wonders, a time of cocaine and cop shows, a time where large muscle bound men ran around killing everything using oversized weapons and impossible looking techniques (such as firing an M60, from the hip, and quite accurately at that), Predator was no exception to the rule (of cool) that prevailed through many of the action movies made during this glitzy pink neon lit period of memorable haircuts and awesome music.

Dragon Ball multiverse chapter 3 – Review

Uub and Buu? But what are Vegetto and Bra doing here?

Rating: 7/10

To recap, chapter 2 ended with the meet and greet between the characters of universes 18 & 13, during which much hilarity ensued. The funniest moment, in my opinion, was when Gohan and Goten of universe 18, revealed to Kakarot of universe 13, that they were his sons.

As chapter 3 opens, all the (EDIT, Namekian) characters of universe 10, except for Nail, have quit the tournament; having realised how vastly outclassed they are by their potential competitors and, especially in the case of the Saiyans, out of shame.

InFamous –Good or Evil?–

“Being a hero is optional” 

Ah, InFamous. One of those rare games that I had to replay as soon as I’d finished it. You see, InFamous, like many games, has a karma system, wherein the player’s actions determine the ending of the game depending on if they were “good” or “bad”. Many games with a karma system also alter the gameplay in slight or varied ways, as well as the player character’s appearence. In this regard, InFamous excelled; having many karmic oppertunities, and the overall gameplay changing as attack properties would alter depending on the morality, or immorality, of the player’s actions. The story of the game is located in ‘Empire City’, a fictionalized version of New York. As the game begins the screen prompts the player to press start and, well, this happens.

No wonder they call it ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ 

 

Winter City #2 – Review

“High level graphic violence”. That really doesn't do it justice folks! 

Winter City

Patrick Purcell: Producer, Letterer, Co-Writer
Carl Purcell: Co-Writer
Pablo Verdugo Munoz: Pencils & Inks, Covers
David Aravena Riquelme: Colourist
Rating: 8/10

Volume 2 opens much more fiercely than volume 1, with Sam Shephard (or Death as I’ll refer to his adult incarnation) overlooking the city, in a very cool establishing shot (which reminded me of Max Payne for some reason). After disposing of some chatty mooks, Death walks into a hotel (sounds like the start of a bad joke, I know), and reaffirms his badass credentials by brutally killing a bunch of gangsters on his way to his target, Franklin Skyles.

Winter City #1 – Review

Winter City

Patrick Purcell: Producer, Letterer, Co-Writer
Carl Purcell: Co-Writer
Pablo Verdugo Munoz: Pencils & Inks, Covers
David Aravena Riquelme: Colourist Rating: 8/10


Written by Patrick and Carl Purcell, Winter City is an addictive read. The story starts off on a dark (non stormy) night. We’re treated to the obligatory news report which sets the tone of the story, and tells us that this place isn't a good one to live in. After being treated to the sight of the titular fat man, and his barking dog, the action comes quickly in the form of a hooded badass with glowing green eyes and one hell of a blade popping out from his sleeve.

Dante's Inferno Review

GO TO HELL! No seriously, that’s the game’s tagline. 

Dante’s Inferno
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform: PS3
Rating: 7/10


Dante’s Inferno is based off of the 14th century epic poem, Inferno, written by a man named Dante Alighieri. Known for its vivid and brutal imagery, its influence on popular culture (whenever people think of hell, they’re really thinking of Inferno) and the fact that the poem was chock-a-block full of Dante’s enemies (who will be insulted, for ever and ever), Inferno inspired many popular works, not the least, this game.