Hello All- Slight Update

I've been away for quite some time. I can't say I've reached every needed resolution just yet, but on a positive note, I have completed a few projects. My new novel, "Lovely Prisoner," is finally completed and revised. It may undergo a new revision in time, but it is essentially done. Also, I have had my final album, "Native Son," reviewed by Ark of Music. I had been tempted at times to discuss current events and sports in recent times, but overall have been very busy. I even completed Assassins Creed Liberation, as well as a few other games, that I have yet to review. I have been thinking about tackling finishing my autobiography over time, as I think it would be a good thing. I'm not sure about how to do it, as exorbitant typing is not fun, nor converting written text into type. I have thought of doing the autobiography as a audio/music album. We'll see. I urge you to check out my music on Spotify and Itunes, and tell other people about it.

  This is the link for the album review
https://thearkofmusic.com/jokatech-native-son/

And this is the link for the novel. I ended up making it an illustrated novel using pieces from the "Into Me" art series I did, which I felt fit very well.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/http://www.lulu.com/shop/jason-addae/lovely-prisoner/paperback/product-24320285.html

Let Me Count The Ways- StarLink- Game Review

  I've seen countless articles, reviews, and comments on Starlink over the past year, and every one of them does nothing but talk about the failure that the game was. All you see, is mention of the flaw of the customization system, and peripheral utilization by the company. It is labeled nothing more than a failed gimmick. This inanity could not be more ridiculous, and poorly representing of the actual game. This is a true analysis of what is going to be a hidden gem in years to come. Starlink- Battle for Atlus, is a space adventure and action game for the Nintendo Switch, created by Ubisoft and released in October of 2018.

  I must start off by saying in admission, I am a huge fan of this genre. However, this does not bias me, as there is so much you have to get right in order for space exploration games to fly. The game does not take place in the Starfox story line as many idiots have you believe. It is not a spin off Starfox game. The Starfox characters and universe, align with, and are contained within this bigger mythos and universe. Atlus is an enormous encompassing universe in itself. You play as a team of space explorers working under St. Grand- an exceedingly brilliant scientist, who's protege and first selected crew member Mason Rana , created Starlink technology, allowing rapid transport throughout the galaxy. He chose, and trained the team, before being kidnapped to be used as a means of accessing the Warden race of space creatures, who have technology that the villainous Legion race desire.

  That is where it can be a bit confusing at first. You see, St. Grand, has a buddy who is of the Warden race, named Judge, that he discovered and brings along to travel with him. He is then joined by the crew that he puts together. The Wardens were once a volatile and enigmatic race themselves, but Judge knows little to nothing of his past, and is peaceful. Many of the prospector races you encounter in your travels are also curious about Judge, but the Legion are the most villainous. They are headed by Grax, who deploys several Primes, Extractors, and Dreadnoughts throughout the galaxy that overtake and dominate planets systematically. Your team is equipped with ships that can equip multiple elemental weapons and shields that allow you to combat these forces, as well as travel seamlessly on the surface of planets, and into the vast space around them. Where the criticism has legs, is the fact that there was supposed to be the intention of using peripherals, in the form of model ships and weapon accessories, that you scan into the game, like Amiibos, which allow you to acquire the item. This required the purchase of these rare models in stores. It was a stupid idea, that locks up a lot of extra features and content, but does not affect the base resources of the game.


   Your ship, as well as enemies, can equip Vortex, Fire, Gravity, Freeze, and Stasis damage effects. You have to balance the elemental triangle to utilize what the enemy is weak against. You are also equipped with a deflector shield that you may ignore early on, but trust me, you do well to learn to use it to reflect blasts periodically while fighting and dodging, or you will be decimated in the later parts of the game. While in your ship you will engage or cut your flight engines to enter and exit the atmosphere. You can also enter hyperspace and travel great distances in space rapidly, which is needed for how enormous it is. And every single square inch of the terrain in this game is alive. Nothing is empty. There are bunkers, and asteroids scattered throughout space with vital items and resources, as well as bounty pirates and outlaws that hide in traps to ambush you. Outlaws comprise the second group of villains you face, until you find a way to become allies with them. They inhabit almost every planet at some point, and also have a homeworld you can find and enter to barter and compete at some point.

   Each planet has a host of creatures and plants that you can harvest and research. That is a job in itself, as it takes time and work. I love that aspect. You can also find native planet dwellers, researchers, and prospectors that will join you and allow you to take over facilities when you work together. You can also build facilities from the ground up on building sites, with your money and resources. The ultimate goal is to build towers that will allow you to transport to the stronghold of the villainous Grax and his Legion army. This requires securing several worlds.

  The fight is very difficult and time consuming. After destroying extractors on the planet, you weaken the Prime that deploys them. When he is destroyed, the planet is liberated. A dreadnought is a large mothership that occupies that sector of the galaxy, dropping primes on planets. When enough primes are beaten, you can take it on, as a weakened form, and hopefully defeat it to stop the cycle of primes being deployed. When you liberate a planet, you do well to build military armories as well as research centers to defend future threats. There is nothing like coming back to a world you fought hard to free, to find it completely overrun with legion again, and oppressed and dangerous. Also, it is a good idea, I found, to discover and reestablish towns and sites on the planets, as then locals and researchers will join the cause and help defend.

  This game looked amazing, and had such variety in settings. I was often mesmerized by the variety of creatures and plants and ores around the planet. I went from sunny and lush green planets to ones with various ice structures. And planets, unlike in other games, had various ecosystems. You had marshlands, forests, and mountainous areas etc. on each planet, so the variety did not require you to hop from one world to another all the time. There were also many abandoned Warden relics that required puzzle solving to unlock secrets and equipment. The game has a modification system allowing you to buff each weapon with different boosters, as well as buff your ships defense and characters abilities. Each character has unique powers and abilities that they use in conjunction with the ship they pilot, even though you don't technically see them ever exit the ship. These mods are rewarded in missions, in bunkers, and forged at various locations, or purchased. As you play with each weapon individually, you can work towards mastering its proficiency, and increasing the level of your pilot's powers.

   If I have to launch any criticisms, they would be at the somewhat stagnant soundtrack, and the idiotic reliance on accessories. There are many blanked out items and weapons in the sub menu, that I wanted to use, but will never be able to thanks to the idea these idiots had, of selling them in physical stores. Other than that, the game was a success. While I did have rage points, where the difficulty, and quickness with how I died annoyed me, I can't find any aspect of the design to call flawed.

   It was an enormous game that refined what was attempted with the game, "No Man's Sky" on the PS4. It has drive, and a purpose, even in an infinitely huge universe. You always know there are mountains of secrets you haven't found, yet you don't feel overwhelmed by that. The last bosses of the game, including Grax and the Dreadnoughts and Legion forces he has surrounding his base, were tough as nails. They were the kind of fights you don't want to have again. I like that kind of difficulty, even if at the time, I felt like raging. It must have taken about 50-60 hours for the campaign, but honestly, this can easily be a 200 hour game. Much like Mass Effect Andromeda, once you complete the game, you get closure, but also continued missions and aspirations that encourage you to further explore the galaxy and conquer the new threats. All in all, this was close to perfection. Oh how I love thee. Let me count the ways. 9.5/10

You Are the Light!!- Zelda Breath of the Wild- Review

 Finally, a review I've been holding back for some time now. Zelda Breath of the Wild, a 2017 release from Nintendo for the Switch, was quite the interesting experience. I write this knowing that there are countless other reviews, and specifically because of that. Here we go.

  I'll start this off by saying that aesthetically, this game shows how massive of a team was behind production. The textures, and cross between cell-shaded, and true 3D graphics is amazingly executed. The draw distance and environments are high level. You start the game being woken from cryo sleep as Link, who is the known hero of Hyrule. Zelda- the princess of the land, and also master sorceress is battling Ganon, who is powerful and evil creature that has plagued Hyrule and the world for ages. She speaks to you telepathically from the castle where she is fighting to keep him at bay. You awaken in underwear and are guided to a sheikah slate on a platform which will be your guiding device. It allows you to interact with the ancient relics around the world that uncover maps, dungeons, and abilities for Link. There are conveniently 2 chests outside of this dark room with a shirt and pants with shoes. I would like to know where Link shops that gives kicks bundled with  pants.

  Anyway, you set out on a journey in an enormous world. You meet an old man who happens to be the king of Hyrule in disguise. Why an old man would have his daughter trapped in a castle fighting the ultimate boss, and choose to lead you on before setting you off on your journey to help, is beyond me. Link has lost his memory, and there were 4 guardians of ancient beasts who he discovers and receives help from along the way. He also gains abilities through the slate he possesses, and through the shrines he visits with monks within who grant him abilities. He has the standard Zelda equipment, with swords, bows, and shields, only more variety. His bombs are an ability he learns from the shrines, which he can spawn infinitely at will. They come in handy as the only offensive weapon he has that doesn't ever go away. He can also wield large swords two-handed, and spears, as well as wands. All weapons in this game, including shields, break, and that is the crux of my issues with this game, which I will expound upon.

   The soundtrack is amazing, I must say. Not only do classic Zelda tunes make cameos, but original tunes up the standard for sure. I was never not pleases with the sound in the game, except for while cooking. When cooking one of the many enhancement recipes that you learn by trial and error, it makes a metal clanging sound that completely takes me out of immersion. I know it's a minor thing, but I want to hear savory sounds when cooking, like in any other RPG, like Star Ocean, or Monster Hunter. In this game, the cooking system consists of utilizing herbs, meats from slain animals, seasonings. vegetables, fruits, and monster parts you gather throughout the world. Everything can be cooked, but not everything goes together. Sometimes, you get a description prior to cooking an ingredient that will let you know the stat that it enhances, like endurance or strength. Much of the time, you are guessing, and trying to remember recipes. In the game, every shrine you complete, yields you a spirit orb. When 4 are collected, they can be redeemed at the shrine in Kakariko village, for 1 health heart, or an additional quarter of stamina bar. The health bonus is a joke, because giving me 1 heart in this game is like loaning me 1 dollar. Hits from the weakest fools do near full life damage. It really would have been nice to have 2 rows of health standard towards the end like in previous Zelda games.

   The world is not just drawn. It is a literal enormous world, that is seamless and completely open and connected. When you see it, your first thought will be to expect a wall, but every single land and forest out in the distance, can be traveled to in real time as you see it. There is also very good variety, from cold regions, to deserts, to rain forests, to open fields, to mountains, to volcanic regions. They are all unique and vivid. Many praised the game upon release at changing the structure and meta of Zelda for being so interactive, and that is true and also false. The world full of people I was told to expect is partially a freaking joke. Much like Zelda games of old, there are a handful of people in general. Yes, there are towns, and a good number of NPC's, but there is a wide open, convoluted, and barren world in between. I was very often lost, with no clue or direction to where I needed to go. I must say, the night and day cycle was done very well, and something I wish games did more. I really liked how it seemed to almost change seasons at times. Towards the end of the game, it started to rain every night, which got annoying. I feel like the game reads the weather where you are, because the days got really long, just like where I am now, and it rained often here too.

   The flow of the game was stupid in my opinion. There was some beautiful lore and story to be had, but from the outset of the game, the final mission is open to you. It is up to you to fill the measly 40 hours or so yourself, as you gain gear and experience, while preparing for the final boss. Having faced him, I can say that the prep you do in completing the dungeons and divine beast quests, actually makes the fight with Calamity Ganon- the ultimate boss of all Zelda games, too daggon easy! It isn't like other games like Monster Hunter or Final Fantasy Crisis Core, where the side missions that sit alongside the plot are meaningful and feel like part of the campaign. It felt like I was looking for missions after a while, to justify playing the game. And that became a chore after a while when  I found that there were only 3 or 4 villages at my disposal in the entire huge world, and there was nothing left to do in them. I started hunting for shrines, and looking for lost towns to find purpose in the game. And I began to think to myself how stupid it is to be playing an RPG where I'm reaching for content. I'm not saying there is absolutely no content there. But in a world than enormous, it feels very out of place to run out of side quests and errands, minus the DLC, and be struggling to find something else to do, to avoid just going in to fight Ganon. You can fight him before clearing the missions to weaken him, and he wouldn't be that difficult, as well as the game being stupidly short at that point. That's an issue for a game that massive.

  And while I'm sure there were a few places I didn't visit completely, I certainly made an effort, and found some lost cities as well. One was a coastal town ravaged by monsters, which I saved, and made a bustling town again. I found many of the shrines, although not all. Towards the end, I became disgusted with the baby errands that people would give you. I wanted a solid and juicy quest line to be had alongside the story, and there just wasn't one there at all. Just small, idiotic side missions to waste time and resources. One girl, I found by a river, on my way to look for Keese bats to build some armor. She wanted me to jump in a river and follow her bottle with lettter in it, to the first person it reached. I started the mission, and then just rolled my eyes and stopped. That's a summary of how the missions felt. And the next issue is why it was all the more annoying.


  As I mentioned, all things beside armor break in this game. Also, another thing worth noting, is that all resources needed for building armor and equipment are limited. So when you build a sword with hard fought resources, after 10 swings, it breaks, and you have to find somewhere else where those resources are found. I've played games with equipment wear systems. I've never played one this stupid. Weapons and shield break ridiculously quick. After blocking 5 or so strong blows, your shield is gone. After swinging the sword, or club, or whatever, depending on the object you strike, 20 or so strikes and it's gone. And Link can't shoot the hands. When he is out of weapons and shields, he can not block or attack. And Nintendo was too stupid to put a base construction system in the game, which allowed you to construct equipment from resources that refresh, like trees and rocks. Nope. And no stores sell weapons or shields at a base level. The one place that does, is Akkala Research Center, which is in a perilous region, and has equipment that is very taxing to produce and afford. Those resources needed for that equipment are even more rare and limited. Luckily, the Ancient weapons and shields you build there last a bit longer.

  Because of this setup, I was hesitant to explore, knowing that my hard fought inventory was being put at risk whenever I decided to venture out. It sucks not to have an equipment set, in an RPG, that I can call my own unique set that I keep. When I got to the end of the game, rather than complete a few extra quests, I took the healing items and equipment that I spent hours building, and went to face Ganon. The game has a lot of risk and very little reward. Enemies, or dungeons that you fight to the brink to conquer, losing all of your items and weapons, will often yield items that don't even begin to match the trouble it cost you. The abilities you gain from the guardians were priceless. One gives you the ability to launch high into the air to glide great distances, and one heals you to full health upon defeat 1 time before recharging. In the beginning of the game, you get a cloth that you can use to glide anywhere when leaping from a great height. It is the primary means of travel in such a big landscape. It is dependent on your stamina, which I increased quite a bit. Most people I see play the game didn't do that, but I appreciated being able to glide for extremely long distances across the map.

  All in all, the story, and visuals were beautiful. I enjoyed the cinematic end scene during and after the last battle. It was far too easy, and hate the fact that to avoid that, the game would have to have been cut to ridiculously short length. I would have appreciated the ability to craft items and equipment I wanted, once I learned the components, like in other game. This way, even if it broke, I could always fashion a new set. That was a huge blunder on Nintendo's part. Idiots for that. The game isn't full enough, and while I really wanted to love it, it just didn't offer enough content. It was a beautiful world to explore for fun, but I wish there were more directed and meaningful things to do. All in all, I had to finish it, and it did have a lasting appeal in its own way. Great presentation yes! Not the GOAT that fools are calling it!! I Knight Thee-  7.5/10

Metal Rating- Horizon Zero Dawn- Review

I'll just say, this review is another reason why I write reviews. To some, this is a time consumer and meaningless. But to those who aren't so shackled to the Jokatech hate train to see anything in front of them, I'm sure you must know when a good project is released, and done well. This is my breakdown of Horizon: Zero Dawn for the PS4. It took me quite a while to finish this game, as I was taking my time, and had many obligations, contrary to what some think.

  This is one of the titan IP's for the console, released in 2017 (ancient by today's standards), by Sony. It was developed by Guerilla Games. It stars a young female protagonist, as many IP's today do. Her name is Aloy, and she is an outcast of the Nora people who is raised by an outcast named Rost. He found her as a child and took her in. Much of her past is either unknown or fabricated in the outset. The beauty of it all, is how intricate and meaningful it all gets as you learn more. You start playing with the character as a small child, who is exploring an abandoned cave, where you find a small but important piece of bluetooth-like technology, called a Focus. As time goes by, little does she know that the Focus was a means of tracking her. She undergoes a proving trail approved by the Nora to earn the right to be a hunter for them, which would alienate Rost if she wins. After successfully completing it along with other youths, the entire camp is immediately attacked, and Rost killed, while Aloy manages to barely escape with her life. The Oseram, Carja, and Shadow Carja, are clans that have been at war for ages, and Aloy learns that the shadow carja are seeking her out for some reason. When she finds out that it has to do with her resemblance to the scientist who protected mankind years ago, she begins to look for answers. The planet is filled with hostile machine monsters that have driven mankind into submission. The Shadow Carja are awakening a device that will unearth the worst of them and bring about a second destruction. Aloys is on a quest to stop this, as well as find the truth.

   To start, the game is a gorgeous looking game, where they utilize the night-day cycle very well, as I wish Mass Effect would have. It's one enormous world, with bodies of water and various climates, as it's a version of Earth. Aloy will even react to sudden or persistent climate effects such as the cold or rain. As a child, Rost taught her how to hunt machines and to forage for supplies and materials. I had wondered how the foraging system would work, as it was just randomly scattered singular samples of various materials like ridgewood, and medical plants. When you take down machines, you can salvage materials from them, including metal scraps, which are the currency of the game. There are still regular animals and wildlife in the game as well, including birds, foxes, boars etc. These animals are usually hiding on the fringes of main paths and avoiding both you and machine monsters. Aloy is equipped with a spear as her base weapon, which she can perform melee attacks with, and various bows and crossbows, which she can affix different kinds of ammunition to, depending on the weapons specs and the supplies she salvages. She can have bows that do tear damage, fire damage, ice damage, electrical damage, or corruption damage. Corruption is a state that is overcoming many of the machines in the world due to the influence of the ultimate machine adversary known as Hades. It is a rouge machine, that existed at the beginning of the conflict, and is seeking to repeat the destructive process that occurred centuries earlier.

   One thing that stood out to me immediately in the game, is the fact that there are no inns or areas to rest. While you can find sanctuary in towns and some few isolated areas, the world is pretty much covered completely with machine monsters, who all turn hostile when they hear, see or sense you. The game has many bonfires to save at. In fact, there are probably too many. Every few steps you take, you uncover another one. At first, in the game you acquire what are called Fast travel packs, which can be purchased from merchants in various cities. Once you collect the proper rare materials, you can construct a Golden Fast Travel Pack, which allows unlimited instant transmission to any previously visited bonfire. Because there are so many bonfires in the world, it makes travel a bit too quick in later portions of the game. And you are not always safe at these bonfires. Many of them are in the open, off of trails, where various kinds of dangerous machines roam freely. And, as I mentioned, you only heal with manual intake of medicines or herbs that you concoct on your own. This was not very good in my opinion, as it takes a lot of time, searching and salvaging to fill your pouch with medicinal plants. Each time you heal, Aloy consumes as many plants as it takes to top off her health. There is no in between. This usually depletes an enormous amount of the plants you harvested. The alternative are potions that you can store after mixing with specific ingredients. It is not easy to come by the ingredients, so it is extremely helplful when you win skirmishes with shadow carja camps or troops, as they tend to carry them, and have them stored in chests on their settlements.

  The backstory was phenomenal, and what really sold me on the adventure. You meet Silens, who is among those tracking you through the focus tool that you wear, that you found as a child. He has an unnatural thirst for knowledge that led him to assist the villain of the game, which he claims he isn't proud of. You work to mutually uncover answers, and you find out about Aloy's ancestor, who once stopped the threat. Hearing the dialogue in the recordings that you find strewn about the world, really gave meaning to the relationships that formed and fell before your civilization came to life. You even hear how the Carja became involved from different perspectives. There were many moral decisions and choices that the scientist in the past had to make as humanity faced extinction. By the end of the quest, Aloy goes from an uninformed warrior outcast, to sounding like a nuclear physicist graduate, with her understanding of the science behind the weaponry and technology used to reprogram and counter attack the machines in the past.

   The difficulty was awesome, but ridiculous at time, with enemies that were boss level being thrown at you in bulk on often occasion. There were times, I had to lower it from hard to normal, sad to say, such as when you had to head back to the Nora village later in the game after the unleash of an attack, and several Deathbringer machines are casually thrown at you. Or, there was a time I faced a rockbreacker machine that took forever to take down. Enemies like the Thunderjaw and the Stormbird, while having elemental weaknesses, were still insanely accurate, almost to a psychic level, and durable, exhausting all of your resources to get past. It felt, and was often unfair, but the challenge was exhilarating in its own way. There were just some boss fights that were off the chain, and bulks of enemies that were inopportune. For instance, there was a mission where I had just escaped from one of the science research facilities that was operated by Aloy's ancestor, who's name is Elizibet Sobeck. I believe it was a facility where they housed the clones, which is an intricate part of the story. Aloy emerges hanging on for dear life. Outside the facility, was a Stormbird sweeping the area. There was no way past him, and no way to outrun him without a fight. These enemies do insane damage, and will exhaust either all of your resources, which I didn't have and/or your life. He did so several time- thank goodness for autosave. Eventually, I had to find a way to sneak past him, as defeat didn't exist in his world.

  There was also a side mission where I took on a Rockbreaker for some miners, thinking it would be a breeze. He did life bars in damage with each hit, and had beyond deadly accuracy. I died on that fight a good amount of times. Even on another occasion, where I took over a facility that the Shadow Carja were trying to excavate, after the dungeon was complete, there was an army of them waiting for me outside. It was one of those moment where you watch your cinematic death with a smirk, while saying, "This is a part of the plot right? This has to be a joke, or tense scene or segue right?" And then after watching the loading screen, you realize you are actually supposed to win that fight. The game needs some kind of auto-heal mechanic to get a fresh start at points.

  The game was a good length. It lasted me about 50 hours minus any DLC content. Being in such an archaic setting, it didn't really provide much in the way of entertainment activites, like other RPG's. That's why I've always had a love for futuristic dystopian setting. I'm going to cut this review here and say that it was an enjoyable experience with very tough enemies, that I would play again. I had a very elaborate review written up, but my computer just scrapped the last hour of writing, and I'm not going to write that all again. I rate this highly as a  metal of a game. 9/10

The Knight is Young- Dark Souls Remastered- Review

  So this marks my completion of the famed difficult juggernaut of a game- Dark Souls Remastered. The game was originally released on the Playstation 3 in September of 2011. It was developed by FromSoftware. This is a company famous for making very gritty and tough games such as their famous Armore Core series. I heard about the game when it came out all those years ago, but although I was becoming a fan of the genre, I didn't like the cover art that much and was a bit put off by the dark nature. I really fell in love with dungeon brawlers when I played Genji on the same system. After looking it over and researching it for quite a while, and completing Nioh in the process, I began to consider Dark Souls, as it has its own separate lore, and does make some effort to distinguish itself from the usual tasteless blood, gore, and deemo games, which I despise. It really focuses on being as hard as possible, and I will discuss the different types of hard.

  What I've come to find in difficulty in video games, is that very few games have the ability to nail it just right. Monster Hunter might have come the closest of all games I know, besides a couple of obscure titles like The Red Star. I have always appreciated hard games, because to me, that's what video games were created for in truth. They were meant to push us physically and mentally to new levels. But you have some games, that are near insurmountable in challenge, where you wonder at times, if you will every overcome the difficulty, and then you have games that you know you can overcome, but wonder how you will weather the brutal challenge that requires patience. I liken to the power lifter versus the fitness expert. One man attempts to take on bench pressing 500 pounds for the first time, and sweats under the challenge, while another man takes on benching 200 pounds for 50 reps. These are different avenues, but both equally challenging. While Monster Hunter is the big weight game, where skill is all that can save you, Dark Souls is the rep challenge, where you are capable of becoming very powerful, but can always fall into cycles of dying for unknown reasons.

  Dark Souls was the game that brought about Nioh and other titles. It is the basic dungeon brawler, that relies on equipment sets and weapon upgrades, as well as learning the patterns of enemies and layout of dungeons. No one nails challenges that push your skill level like Capcom. What I've come to find of FromSoftware, is that their games are more arduous than insurmountable. Even Armored Core, was extremely hard, until you found the right mech design and specs. In Dark Souls, unlike Monster Hunter, you do not rely so much on attributes and breaking down large bosses with skill. While that element does exist, the game is more reliant on leveling up and becoming stronger in various ways.

   You are and undead warrior who starts out being released from a cell as you are tasked with travelling to the world of the great lords and saving the world. You gather intel and weapons along the way, such as spears, swords, great swords, axes, bows and short swords. In the character menu, there is a huge board of attributes to upgrade. Each time you level up, you can only upgrade one, making leveling up very daunting and critical. You can enhance strength, endurance, stamina, dexterity, faith, intelligence, and resistance. Each attribute effects different weapons and armors. The game has different types of magical attack attributes. There is fire, lightning, and poison. You can raise resistance to help slow and neutralize the effects of such attacks. Your dexterity will help your damage proficiency with some weapons like katanas, swords and spears. Your strength will help you wear heavy armor when the prerequisites are met, and will increase attack power with some large weapons like great swords. Endurance will increase you ability to carry a larger load in general and will make you able to even wield certain weapons or wear certain armors in the first place. Based on a percentage, your movement speed and stamina consumption are effected by the ration of capacity to carried weight. By increasing either your stamina or health, you can build the meter to sustain more damage and launch more attacks.

  In the game, there are a few randomly placed black smiths who you meet that can upgrade your equipment and sell you components to do so. This is crucial to making your armor and weapons good enough to fight the enemies. I found that the game does a horrible job of explaining things. There is very little in the way of cutscenes and direction. I found that I had to refer to walkthroughs and videos, made by people who put the time in, dissecting and looking through books etc. to learn the lore and how to find things. To me, that is ridiculous. There were a lot of things I would have had a hard time finding out I had to do. One example is that in the end of the game, some areas like Anor Londo, which are labeled as optional, had many items and areas that I could not have beaten the game without finding and exploring.  When I heard how big the world was, I was skeptical, but let me tell you, it is absolutely enormous. And it is connected as they say, but in a very convoluted way. I was so pleased when I achieved the teleporting ability near the end.

   The bosses in this game were pretty good. What will hang you up, is adjusting to the new enemies in the area. They will be so strong, that you will be surviving the area for quite a while as you level up. It really is a good feeling to get so strong over time, that you can comfortably travel an area that you used to sweat walking through. In fact, now playing new game plus, I kind of smile, as I am obliterating enemies that used to give me fits. The game is specifically designed to turn up the intensity, and in my opinion, begin to break game mechanics to take you out, when you have a lot on the line. In this game, you acquire your currency from souls you pick up from downed foes. Like other games in the genre, if you die, you can make it back to where you died and collect the loot you dropped. However, if you get killed before that happens, all souls are lost. After a while you learn to spend your souls on leveling up you character and equipment as often as you can. Because some areas are so huge like the Catacombs  and Anor Londo, you are constantly searching for bonfires to sleep at and save. These are the areas where you level up, change equipment and save. The game has a spell system, where you can build up slot capacity and equip spells from various schools such as Pyromancy. In your loadout, you can equip as many spells as you can contain. You can have 2 weapons for each hand that you  cycle through, and several items, such as estus flasks, throwing knives, dung piles etc. Estus is the healing item of the game, as you find bonfires, you  replenish them and increase capacity by kindling the bonfire further.

   I think the most memorable boss fight in the game was the fight against the two lovers Ornstein and Smough. Ornstein was a lighting sword wielding knight, who moved very fast, and Smough was a giant hammer wielding beast who covered insane range. You had to fight them at the same time, and after beating one, fight the other after they powered up with their lover's remains. It was one of those fights that taught me how to tackle bosses in general. Many of the boss fights can seem very unfair, until you find a trick of sorts that stifles their offense. The enemies in Dark Souls all have the ability to modify their attacks to throw off your defense. You can block most attacks, and parry some melee attacks, but the timing has to be perfect. I mastered it of course, but when fighting later enemies, almost all of them have unblockables. It's so weird to play games where every single enemy has a move list.

   I would be remissed to fail to mention the aesthetics. The graphics and lighting are superb. The scope of the draw distance, textures and level design really give it a grand scale look. This serves to show off the ability of the Switch console, as it seems unreal to play such a game on a handheld. You visit many different locations from old temples to forests, to mountains and catacombs. However, I feel there could have been a bit more sunlight in the game. And the camera angles were at times, atrocious. There are times when I walked to my death due to a sudden flip of the camera on a very narrow ledge. Once again, like Genji, this game likes to interweave intricate platforming into a game where the mechanics don't suit it at all. And when it comes to save points, many times you are stuck in a long chasm between them. I also feel the game could have done a much better job explaining what needs to be done. For a game that can and will kill you in an instant when entering a new area, it would be nice to know where I need to be generally before I run out of healing items.

   
  I spent so much time trying to find my way in the huge world, that I became insanely powerful. I got a great sword that I used that was insanely strong. I  used it, and pretty much began to become a boss myself. In the end, the last boss, Gwyn, who was the creator of all the turmoil that had happened, was an interesting, but not very crazy fight. He used a long flame sword, and the thing that threw me off, was that he was in such a small area. I was anticipating a long dungeon, with many hidden save points and mini bosses, but after fighting 7 knights in a wooded area, I found him in a tower. He rushed me, but was easy to time and hit. What made him dangerous, was the fact that he could vary his combos and rest very quickly, so if you got caught in his reset, you could end up trading with him and taking death damage. Unlike Monster Hunter, there is no chance to whittle away at the enemy. You usually die in 2 consecutive hits. Your healing items will quickly disappear. The key is to beat the boss as quickly as possible.

   I appreciate the design, and I think I will enjoy the new game plus even more. While difficult, it was more of a strenuous ordeal than one that required insane skill. I'll keep playing it for a bit, but I must say, I wish it had more cinematics and explained lore. Still, it was amazing, and addictive for the last couple of months. So I give it  a knightly 8.8/10

Clarification on Jason K. Addae

 Today my dad told me that the topics I discuss here on my blog and on my podcast, are over the top. In all honesty, I really didn't know he tuned in. Not that I'm being covert, but actually, at this point, I thought the viewership was narrowed down to a specific niche. However, nonetheless, I have to write this to clarify myself, I believe once again.

  To start with, he told me this while admitting he didn't actually listen to or read any of the posts. The thing about me, is that I stated very often on my Magnum Opus project, that I speak in depth about whatever topic I discuss, and I don't speak colloquially often. For the average person to process what I discuss, they have to discard the way they interpret most of their peers. Even when it may seem I am taking sides in a matter or becoming "involved" as some people interpret it, that is not the case. If you listen carefully to may analysis on any topic, be it entertainment or touching on political happenings, I am not speaking in a mundane sense. I'm am correlating it to a bigger point. If I have any opinions, usually it is on a mindstate, and never a social position involving politics.


  Please do not interpret my work or discussions as vulgar or profane, as they are nothing of the sort. Listen or read carefully, and keep in mind that often, what I say has several, or a single, much deeper inference than it would seem if looked at from a colloquial standpoint. It's not to insult the average joe, but I'm not him. And I understand that in recent history, society as a larger and larger whole, tend to not have patience, and consider everything in its simplest state and as generalized as possible. I however, have not changed. I don't think that way, nor do those I roll with. If you look into my work, you have to be prepared to think deep, or you will just confuse yourself. I know predominantly, many of my relatives frequent these pages and exploits, and often draw negative conclusions, because they base how they interpret it on their image of me as a relative and/or child. My family is not a super intimate one. While loving, we don't get to know each other's insides. However, with my transparency, the opportunity is always here for those willing to think.

Price of Admission- Super Smash Brothers Ultimate- Review

  I must say, there is something special about getting value out of a purchase. I've been adamantly critical of online gaming and the moves that this current generation have been making in the entertainment industry, and I still am. However, it's amazing when what makes gaming or any entertainment great, shines through all of the crap, on that rare occasion.

  I preordered Super Smash Brothers Ultimated early in 2018, and decided midway through, to switch to a digital copy, which I did, and received on launch date. I was, and still am, disgusted with the offline single player modes. There is absolutely no excuse for the lack of content. And the problem is that developers don't feel pushed to add modes, because the majority of the idiots playing the game, feel that it's "loaded" with single player content, simply because they feel single player content and the fact that they can play matches in versus or online, are the same thing. Meanwhile, games that held down the genre in Smash's absence, like  Brawlout, for the same platform, continue to expand their single player content, first adding party modes and arcade mode expansions, and now recently adding trial modes as well as stages and characters.

  However, with all of that said, I have to praise the design of the combat system in Ultimate, as well as the AI design. Going back, and playing Smash 4, one to the things that stands out, is the improved challenge from the computer matches. This could have been better taken advantage of, with a challenge and trial mode, to help you  work out the deeper mechanics of the game. I feel that even with tough matches against the CPU, you still need to have a mode that puts you against a gauntlet of unique challenges and fights, to help build situational skills. SFV did this, and Brawlout has done this as well. It is very essential.

  When it comes to aesthetics, Smash Ultimate shines. The game has not only deep mechanics, but gorgeous visuals, and textures, graphics and lighting that pops to the highest power. It also has an enormous roster of over 70 characters from the entire series, and over 100 stages. In all honesty, when ever you play a fighter after this game, you will have a hard time looking at rosters and stages the same. No game comes even close. Unfortunately, many of the levels are player killers, and ruin competition by randomly locking in on, and killing a player for several stocks during battle at times. And there is nothing you can do about it- from the stomping boots of WarioWare's stage, to the falling blocks of the Wii Pet stage, to the  horror book kills in the Spooky stage, they all feel stupid and cheap. In fact, with so many stages, so few of them feel meant for honest battle. The game does boast an insanely good soundtrack, also huge. You collect over 800 songs, some remixes, but nonetheless, amazing content.

  The game has a super simple Classic mode that everyone seems to dote over, which makes no sense to me at all. It is ridiculously short, and has curtailed difficulty with the stupid way it is set up. Basically, you start with the ability to slide a difficulty scale up or down to decide where to start. You are limited to starting with no more than a 5 out of 10 difficulty. This is similar to Smash 4, except for the fact that in Smash 4, the limit was not 5, but rather the complete 9.9 or so, and the mode lasted way longer, allowing you to sustain play at that level. In Ultimate, there are only about 6 classic fights. There is an extremely stupid mid-level, where you collect coins in a times run. It lasts 30 seconds, and is the exact same level for everyone, each time through. The mode sucks, and I'm sick of idiot arguing contrary to that with me. Then you have the adventure mode, which has received constant criticism. It also lacks real enjoyable replayability, being long, but repetitive.

  The money modes that usually help to salvage the game, have been removed, as apparently, the developers wanted to "take the game more seriously." That is also a joke I will get into shortly. All-star mode as well as multi-man melee, have been crammed into one mode. The trimmings for All-star have been completely removed, and there is no middle hub world in the mode. It is now an endless mode, that has some minor fun factor, but no fulfillment whatsoever. Cruel Melee is also back, and is probably the better of the multi-man modes.

 I really like the changes to the mechanics, and I find myself often going into training to try things, with no clear way of doing so. Training mode is also stupidly designed. Not only can you not record actions for the CPU, but the set actions they can perform are for no known reason, extremely limited. The only specials you can set them to perform, are their neutral special or forward smash attack. Whoever thought that up should be euthanized.  Yet, no one complains about this stuff. There is even a glitch, where the game itself won't load if you have your Wi-Fi still on, but aren't around a connection. This leads me off to another tangent:

  For some reason, this generation has become gridlocked. I took my phone out in the doctor's office the other day, while waiting for my appointment, and went to play some chess. I have chess, as well as Need For Speed on my phone and one or 2 other games. It just so happened that in the office, not for the first time, there was no wi-fi to be had. Would you know, the chess app would not load. I went to play Carmen Sandiego. No go- requires wi-fi and access to the net. I went to play Need For Speed- same thing. I went through every game on my phone and came to the realization that, today, you have to have internet access to use applications, even offline. And I'm surrounded by slow-boiling frogs, who don't even see this as an issue at all. It is more than an issue, because this generation has become overly social-reliant. People can't take a breath without the acknowledgment of the next person.

  The game's online mode has also rightly received criticism. However, I will say, that oddly enough, this is also where the game was saved to an extent. The fighting system, as I mentioned, is one of the things done very well in this game, and this shines in the overall online matches. However, the input lag in general, as well as character disparities, almost destroy this. As I said before, they wanted to be serious this time around. The problem is that they undermine this with the imbalance of characters. I use Little Mac, who is a short ranged boxer, with horrible recovery when off the stage. He has decent power and speed, but is a sitting due at range, and when launched. In the same friggin game, you have characters like Isabelle and Jigglypuff. Isabelle is a range spamming character who has excellent recovery. Jigglypuff is not a range character, but has very good speed, improved weight, and extremely high power and recovery. My secondary is Ganon, and there have been countless matches, when, as Ganon, who's signature is his power, I will go blow for blow and lose to a Jigglypuff. This is added to the fact that when you do launch characters like her, Snake, and Princess Peach, even right up to the blast zones at the corners of the screen, they have the ability to fly all the way back, fighting the whole way, with ease, when characters like Ganon and Mac have to hope they aren't launched too far and that they aren't aggressively pursued. This leads to incredibly imbalanced and control smashing matches, where you are derped out by a character whore who spams the simple crap they know to get a win. No skill needed. How serious does that look?

  What changed this overall negative experience, was one night. It sounds very impulsive and simple, but it really was one night, where the mechanics got a chance to shine. Similar to Street Fighter 5, where the Survival mode frustrated me and then gained my respect when I saw what it accomplished, this game did that with online Co-op. I was playing solo online attempting to achieve Elite Smash rank, which I was just shy of, and kind of gave up on at this point. On that night I speak of, I could have done it, if it weren't for sheer fatigue. I'll explain the story:

  I played solo the whole time, going through matches, winning the majority, and losing monster points for every loss, in a points system that makes no sense. I was frustrated and  had raged many times at this point, going through a couple of controllers on the way. Then I looked online to see what method all of these people were using to rank up. You see, the thing that really stings a competitive player, is not only to lose to inferior competition for extremely stupid reasons including lag, and character imbalance; but to have swag with a character, and see players that have none, outrank you with that same character. I have one of the best Little Macs online, skill-wise, because I've used him since he came out in Smash 4, and actually developed him. And when it comes to Ganon, I have yet to see players outside of pro-level, that demonstrate the level of swag I do with the character. Yet, I was seeing Ganons online that were close to elite, with absolutely no footsies and skill at all, and I wondered how they got there. Then I read that Co-op with Team Battle was the method to use to be successful. So I decided to try it. It wasn't as simple as that though.

  You are matched up with random players that are usually around your rank. And you have teams that can be difficult to deal with. I was using Ganon, as I decided to rank him up. The matchmaking system picks according to your presets, and if it can't fulfill that, it will default to a close, but random setup. At times, you may be put in a free for all with 3 or 4 players, instead of team battle. I played for a bit, with some success, but inconsistently. Then, I came across an Inkling player. Now, to be fair, Inkling is a high tier character. But she has weaknesses galore, just like Ganon, and can't derp people out at range. She does have good recovery. I teamed up with this dude who played her, and let me just preface with saying, this dude is now my ace boon koon.

  There is something that is special about friendship in general. When you meet a stranger, you never know what will come of it in advance, but you never need to be told who your best friends are. There are intangibles that make it clear. It can be summed up in one word- Synergy. When you and someone else compliment each other in a way that not only covers your flaws, but augments your strengths, it's a magic that you just can't manufacture. It happens or it doesn't. And it doesn't happen often. There was something about that Inkling player- shout-out to HyperLink. When we teamed up, it wasn't long before it was clear that our team was just different. As the level of competition rose, and we continued to dominate, I knew we had that synergy. We faced some extremely difficult teams, and after the first few wins, we both knew the other wasn't leaving. We just kept locking in our position for the next match, over and over and over again. And each team can do the same thing. We ran into some tough Luigi, Megaman, and Dark Pit teams, that would not leave the room. They insisted on playing not just the set, but endless matches, until they were satisfied. And each and every match, we found a way to win, and dominate teams like that, even at the high level. And along the way, we both got visibly better and more refined. There were matches that he came through and elevated to ultra-instinct level to pull out the win in 2 on 1 situations against tough opponents, and then there were matches when I did the same, which at first surprised me. It was refreshing to be playing so well and clearly, with a helper there to focus my attacks. And we had to win. Some of these teams would not go away until they were convinced we were better, or even simply, that we could deal with the difficult matchup. Some of them, I considered point bombers, who were willing to lose, as long as they knew they had difficult characters or teams to deal with and were a constant threat to run away with a win and major points. The fact that we weathered all of that was truly special.


   It was so memorable, and we both had the same rank and points and escalated up to the higher ranks together. It was about 130AM before I started to fatigue, and even then, we kept winning. What we had was clearly a dynasty. Over the course of those 4 or 5 hours, we literally lost only about 2 or 3 matches. At the end, the matches started dying out, and eventually the room became more empty. One of the last matches was a free for all, where for the first time the whole night, we were broken up. There was an unwritten and unsaid rule that we were to jump the fool in the middle. It was only a 3 player match that time. We dispatched of him, and then we fought each other. I think I won that match, and then we left the room. I went to sleep not long after, and I truly had a different outlook for the game at that point. The fact that teamwork was able to get us over the games flaws, was truly special. It made the game stand out to me more and it made the combat system seem more balanced. It really brought out the best in my abilities.

  I didn't really intend to review this game at first. In fact, I haven't been thinking about reviews. I have a bunch on my mind, and my computer is gone. I now used different equipment other than a full blown PC, so uploads are still a challenge. However, in light of it all, the game deserves my feedback, and as much as it disgusted me in the outset, I have an appreciation for the framework. This game has a bunch of still untapped potential, and hopefully Nintendo will see that at some point. But for now, I've hung it up, and I must say, I'm more satisfied than I thought I would be. I must give it a solid 8/10.

New Art Piece

This is a new piece entitled, " DaBlues."

The Definition of Plain- "Castle of Heart" Review

  I was very skeptical about writing this review, especially with projects and obligations on my plate at this time, including my novel, which is finally picking up speed. The reason mainly, is because, this was a piece of work that was so unremarkable and short at a glance. Yet, I can't say it isn't something I'll remember fondly. This is the game, "Castle of Heart," for the Nintendo Switch, produced by the company 7 Levels. The game was released on March 23, 2018, yet you have reviews on the game from March 22nd. This is the age of an impatient speedrun society. It received pretty bad reviews generally, but I didn't look at any when I decided to buy it. I was just intrigued by the advertisement as a throwback, oldschool difficult side-scrolling platformer.


   The game didn't disappoint completely, but it didn't completely deliver either. I started playing the game quite a while ago, in summer of 2018. I took a couple of breaks, and usually worked on 1 or 2 levels at a time. In this game, you play as a knight who has been cursed and turned to stone. The sorcerer who destroyed the kingdom and inflicted the curse on him, has kidnapped his love- the princess. It was her tears that kept him from meeting his demise in the first place. On his quest, he follows the trail of the fleeing sorcerer, and meets foes, who are either controlled by the sorcerer, or at times cohorts of his. The story is simple, but it is never told forcefully enough in my opinion, and so it remains very forgettable throughout. The game is split into 4 chapters, each containing about 7 levels. Usually, the last level will have a major boss to fight.

  The game was boasted as having super difficult platforming and enemies. However, I didn't notice anything remotely special about this, save for a few platforming sequences, and some of the enemies in the last few levels. In fact, the end of the game really crept up on me. Out of nowhere, I was confronted by the last boss, who I must say, did engage in some decent dialogue before squaring off with me. Even that fight wasn't as memorable as it should  have been. None of the boss fights lasted long, and there were a few long levels, but usually they were just rushes of difficult enemy packs and short platforming sequences. Occasionally, you had to jump on moving wagons, and platform along a ride down a perilous cliff. A few of these were somewhat breathtaking and cool, with a feeling of accomplishment when making it through, but there just wasn't enough by far. I did like how there were well placed and hidden secrets in the levels with useful items like bombs and special weapons like a Frost mace, which you could use against some difficult enemies.

  I will say that the game did deliver more often when it came to combating enemies. I wasn't a huge fan of the sluggish combat system, but the difficulty in some of the later levels was high at some times, and slightly rage inducing. In the game, you have a regular attack button, and the left bumper button is an attack modifier that allows a slow, but powerful attack, mainly good for breaking secret walls. The right bumper button throws the selected projectile in your inventory, or the X button will fire shots from a bow which is auto-aimed. Your character, in his stone state, is slowly dying without gathering energy from foes, and loses life constantly. You must defeat enemies to stay alive, reminiscent of Shinobi on Playstation, or Otogi on Xbox. There are healing items scattered throughout the worlds that you will constantly be looking for. If you lose too much health one of your arms will fall off, and you will no longer be able to wield 2 weapons. The left trigger blocks, and has a bunch of recovery frames to it. The right trigger does a roll, with is extremely slow to execute. You have no invincibility frames in any action, on top of the slow speed, so a simple action like rolling out of danger can result in a huge amount of lost health. Luckily, there are checkpoints at various places in each level, which restore your health, when you first reach them, and become respawn points.

  I really want to find something great to say about this one. Even the graphics, while good, lacked variety to the point where they were stale and annoying to look at after a while. The level design was almost lazy. There wasn't any memorable music I can recall. The song at the title screen, along with the opening monologue was decent at best. I did enjoy how the storytelling followed up from that and concluded very poetically at the end of the game. It was short, but sweet. There was one page of credits. Then, just like that, it was all over.

  The thing is that the game wasn't even memorably difficult. I would have given points for that. This game was even more underwhelming that Vulgar the Viking, which also boasted retro-difficulty. None of the bosses were milestones to defeat at all. The last boss took me about 2 tries, and lasted about 30 seconds. That was as long as those fights got. A few areas in the last couple of levels had so many difficult enemies with so little resources, that I had to bolt through them to the next checkpoint. That's about as climatic as it got. In the game, later on, you have to have a second weapon with some power, or you simply won't be able to defeat the hordes of enemies. Each of them has extremely high defense and attack, even taking a bit of damage to kill with strong dual swords. This was more broken than legitimately difficult. It also happened very seldom.

 All in all, I expected more, and I'm reviewing this as a completionist. I don't only want to review stellar titles that I play, but I have to acknowledge games that I invested time in, that were not so great, just to be honest. I can't recommend this game beyond a mindless splurge. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket and want a game to move your thumbs or test your buttons, pick it up. It won't be one that beckons a replay. It wasn't memorable, and it's hard to even keep it occupying space on my memory card. A very flat game, with nothing whatsoever that stood out about it. 5.5/10

National Poetry Month- "It's My Turn"

Today, February the 8th, marks the annual commemoration of "Day of the Free." Don't recall what that is? Check out my song, February on the record, "Coming of Age." In honor of that, as well as Black History Month, and National Poetry Month, here is a poem from your Ferbruarian Poet, "It's My Turn." This is the working title of a musical project I am working on right now, and it is also included in the novel that is being written now by myself titled, "The Man."  :



It’s a new cycle, a new age- a transition.
For this, our breath was held,
Which I will not be by these chains.
Space is my captain.
I explode with creativity after so much silence.
The things that make me great,
Are the things that make me savage.
I’ll be honest with you…
I can’t say how I feel.
What’s unfolding is still raw,
And much too big for the stage now,
Or planned venues that might play out.
Here we are, at an empass,
But you won’t be present.
Your mind is frayed, cracking the fabrics of your own reality,
Because you never believed we would be here.
With tradition, I always shrunk back,
Wasting and abusing mercy.
But not this time.
The moment doesn’t have an emotion.
It never really does, but especially now and here.
Conclusions are a culmination of all that has been for long enough.
Phases and movements, like in a song,
Are the special things giving conclusions meaning and life
All over again.

Jokatech Podcast: Episode 27- Legend Killer (Adesanya vs. Silva) (Jokatech vs. Malignaggi)

This is the latest podcast episode where I discuss the politics that I believe is ruining sports, the matchup of Anderson Silva vs. Israel Adesanya, and how I will debate Paulie Malignaggi over his errors in analysis any day.

The Punch- Fitness Boxing - Game Review

This past Thursday marked the end of my month long training program with the new title, "Fitness Boxing," for the Nintendo Switch. I've also kicked off a new diet with my regimen. The fact that you can take this with you anywhere is amazing, and the system really benefits from having this title. It was launched on the Eshop, published by Nintendo at the beginning of January. I preordered it after seeing how impressive the content looked in the preview videos.

  In fitness boxing, you  are trained and guided by an avatar of your choosing, that you can unlock and style with custom gear. It is mostly girl characters, which, when I think about it, probably means that the title was aimed moreso at female gamers. There are 2 male trainers as well, and they do a good job of motivating you during each exercise. It feels good to slowly reach milestones in the game and overcome harder workouts. You burn a lot of calories along the way.

  This game does make me wish that the Switch had the ability to utilize the camera as an additional input source with gaming, to have a more accurate mapping of your movements, and allow more intricacy. I'm not sure if that is a possibility, but if so, I would love to see that done one day, as well as on the PS4. I utilized a few training apparatuses that made a difference as well- a weighted vest, and a boxing resistance belt. I recommend both. All in all, the experiment was a success, and I had a great time. I highly rate this game, with my only gripe being that the music selection felt a bit stale due to the songs not being that fleshed out, and the choice of songs being a bit suspect. Due to that, they fail to aid in motivation. There are slight discrepancies in registration of movements that happens rarely, but it could just be due to fatigue affecting the player. Excellent game!  9/10

Unsung- Mowgli- Movie Review

  Rohan Chand is the name I start this with. The lead role and titular character of a Netflix original film, that as I will review here, was far more than expected. The main star was actually born in NYC and played little league baseball before catching the eye of casting directors. And sadly, you have to scroll almost to the bottom of the casting list to even see his name. This is more of the overt racism that still exists in the entertainment field. The movie is listed as starring Christian Bale, who I do love immensely as an actor, but there is no mention of the star's name, and as you will see, that is a true shame.

  When I first saw the TV commercials, as a huge fan of the original Jungle Book movie, I somewhat dismissed this movie half-way. What I mean by that, is that it looked to be a continuation of events from the last real action movie, which intrigued me, and then with the presence of the original movie's villain- Shere Khan, I began to find that it was more of a retelling of events, which I was turned off to at this point. In all honesty, the last live action film from a few years ago gained my respect, and there were a few nuances that I had wished were more accentuated in the film, like the focus on real life issues with poachers and deforestation. There was a slight curiosity as to whether or not this film would explore that. Eventually, I decided to look into it since it cost me nothing. In fact, I really do like how Netflix is aggressively competing with movie theaters for blockbuster titles. It feels good to have high level production films available that you can look forward to seeing, that are available at your convenience at home or out and about.

  What I noticed right away, was that the film was not as short as I expected being around 2 hours. Also, I noticed a different type of animation being used from the last film. I didn't know what to make of it at first, since the textures looked extremely lifelike, however the animations at first seemed stiffer. You are introduced at the start of the film to a much more dangerous and grisly looking version of Baloo the Bear. I was a bit put off by this, as he did not appear cuddly at all. In fact, he looked like he was a threat to maul Mowgli to death viciously in the outset. Bagera also looked quite fearsome. I usually appreciate more life-like models in films like this, but they looked more like horror costumes at first. As the film progressed, I started to appreciate the direction that they took with the animations. You are eventually introduced to the villainous tiger- Shere Khan and the monkey kingdom ruled by King Louis. This film was not as musical as the traditional Jungle Book movies, but it didn't really aim to be. It was a completely different angle.

   There is much more of the back story of Mowgli and the events that transpired in the jungle prior, expounded upon. I really appreciated that. After the first half of the movie, I started to feel that it was dying off energy-wise, and then something amazing happened. The storytelling and acting suddenly hit a spike. The last half of the movie feels like they took and energy shot. Rohan's acting is nothing short of magnificent. He truly deserves praise for his work. And the storytelling by Kaa, the snake is also very well done, which I had wanted more of in the last film. Mowgli is eventually taken into captivity by a hunter/poacher, who obsesses with killing animals. He is hired by the human village to take down the tiger, but he enjoys killing other animals as well, including the childhood friend of Mowgli.

  The emotion in the film, and the realism of the gap between Mowgli and the jungle, and humanity, was so palpable and believable, it gave me goosebumps. He truly conveys the spirit of a boy raised believing, no, Knowing that he is a wolf. The jungle is truly his home, and the pain he feels in being taken away is very real. He is urged to stay among man and adapt in order to survive, by Bagera, in what was one of the best speeches and scenes of the movie. You learn more about the back story of the supporting cast of characters as well. Eventually, Mowgli has to return to the jungle to fight for, as save it from the threat of man, not just the tiger, in what I really thought was a noteworthy and interesting twist.

  Every tear and angry emotional outburst in this film from the star, felt extremely real. It never once felt like acting. To do something like that, is truly worthy of praise. The film in total, was very well cast, and Mowgli is worthy of the role. He has a truly authentic and yet very distinguished look that keeps your attention. His acting, as well as the costume design and cinematography are so well done, that every moment, particularly after the first half of the film, is captivating. And as I mentioned, the animation makes more and more sense. Shere Khan has a damaged right front paw in this movie, that seems weird, but more of the back story of his encounters with man are explained. And in this movie, he isn't the only danger. The danger of the competitive pack of wolves that Mowgli grows up with, is also conveyed, as Shere Khan is manipulative and uses it to his advantage at times. Akeela is the patriarch of the pack of wolves in the original story, and he is an aged wolf who leads the pack. In this film, you get to see the law of the pack which says that if the leader misses a hunt, he can be challenged by the pack for leadership, or something of that nature. The battle that occurs is quite real and jarring.
 

  The film is not gory, but they make no qualms about full take downs, and convey the real sense of the laws of the jungle. It commands your respect in every way. This was a necessary telling of the story, and I highly recommend it. It is also the display of a truly unsung young actor's talents. If it only got rolling quicker. I give this a solid 9.4/10