Foreword
Busy busy! I contemplated not uploading anything considering I haven't really done much gaming beyond couple of hours here and there in the entire month, but I figured what the hell. Don't want to break my semi-regular update schedule. I don't think I even proof read anything so good luck it's probably a minefield out there.
Hope you guys are having a great early summer and good luck with HOG theme. :)
Ongoing Journey
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
Much maligned “here's what I'm currently playing, might review eventually or not” section returns even after swearing it off multiple times. Truth is I simply haven't finished anything to review because I'm A) busy and B) I chose some rather long games that will require ongoing effort before I can tackle them properly. Also did some formatting for this particular section seeing as it wasn't updated in a loooong time and everyone needs some lovin' here and there.
You might look at this and say “he's back at it again” and yes, it is true it hasn't been that long since my last excursion into this wondrous land of Musou games, last date being with Berserk, but I can safely say Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada is not for everyone.
Even with usual caveats out of the way this one will leave you a bit lost if you attempt to follow the story while playing and that's not because of the story itself as much due to how it throws quite a decent number of characters at you at once ala Game of Thrones style. Historical characters that get their own bio page even before you, the player, actually get to know may take some time getting used to.
Current Impressions?
Well, I'm not exactly familiar with Sanada bunch seeing as they didn't get that much of a spotlight in Samurai Warriors games proper so far, aside from Yukimura being the game's poster boy, so it really is fascinating to see their tale unfold.
Gameplay-wise we're talking regular “wreck as many enemies as you can, easy to reach 1000” Musou style carnage, but I do like how Spirit of Sanada actually adds some elements from Empires spin-off series. Not to mention even some of the new stuff like passage of time, explorable areas you can go to for resources, etc. Very nice presentation and overall package that makes me even further itnrigued by what Dynasty Warriors 9 will turn out like.
What more can you possibly say about Civilization 4, game considered by some to be the peak of the series and for many easily in Top 5 game of its type? My history with Civilization started back in the day with the second installment on PS1 of all places and since then circumstances usually conspired against me so I was always lagging behind the series.
Sure, some may raise an eyebrow when they hear about its stacks of doom, but I never saw any problems with as it just simulated armies in the best way it could.
Current Impressions?
This is straight up cheating considering I'm not playing Civilization 4 for the first time, but I'll still wax poetically about it for a while. Civ4 is kinda janky, something I'd attribute that more to how more contemporary games have streamlined the process, but the core of that specific “just one more turn” appeal is still there untouched. Primary reason for my return have been the mods, though. I never dabbled into them that much and now I'm having a blast with Caveman2Cosmos. Such scale and scope.
Ah, Witcher 3. Now we're cooking with fire. Game I bought on GOG practically at launch yet didn't have the specs to play at nowhere near acceptable performance... now that I think about it, same thing happened with Witcher 2 back in the day. Well, you can probably guess where this story goes. I got me a beefier PC, two pieces of DLC which are supposed to be outstanding and GOG upgraded my basic version to GOTY free of charge. Doesn't really affect anything, but it's appreciated.
Current Impressions?
I'm barely couple of hours in and haven't even gotten out of White Orchard yet, but goddamn is this impressive. Doubly so coming after Mass Effect: Andromeda. These characters. They're like actual living people that you give a damn about even though they're throwaway NPCs. How do you accomplish that in a game that's supposedly so huge it can take people 80+ hours to finish?
I'm afraid the dream will end after I get out of tutorial and game will go downhill, but CDPR has yet to disappoint me and I'm glad to have supported them so far. Fingers crossed.
Beyond the Rim
Mr. Chairman, my warriors, male and female, dead in honorable combat, are my equals, not my slaves — I am to be first among such equals.
I'm still in the middle of reading a book on the side, but I'll go with what I have – two TV shows. And they're actually recent for once. No need to waste any more time here so feel free to delve into reviews if you feel like. Do suggest any similar shows if they pop up.
₪ Genre: Martial Arts, Post-Apocalypse, Drama
☑ Original run: November 2015 – May 2017
⇲ Episodes: 6+10
I have to admit it's been a while since a TV show throw me a curve ball the way Into the Badlands did and you'll be glad to hear it's a welcome surprise. Prior to going into the show itself I would like to say I've seen both seasons available for now, but won't really talk much about how the story evolves because, surprise surprise, second season continues on the first and I'd be spoiling.
It's an unknown year in the unknown future after a number of wars that seem to have ravaged the world beyond repair, as intro points out to us, and over time seven leaders came out of the turmoil to form their power bases essentially becoming feudal lords in their own right. After banishing guns, presumably because they're scarce as hell they've also mustered armies of their own comprised of Clippers excelling at sword fighting at martial arts. Story follows Sunny who acts as Regent aka head of Clippers for the Badland's most powerful baron – Quinn, but there's a lot of politicking between various barons, familial power plays in regards to inheritance and unforeseen force that could be the tipping point between the barons. It all has to do with this boy M.K. Sunny finds locked in a box. Who is he and why does the Widow, rival baroness opposing Quinn more than anyone else with her oil fields and all-female army, want him so badly? Who can tell...
I think one big thing I like about Into the Badlands is the fact it's not about the post-apocalyptic setting itself. Sure, characters wonder if there's anything better beyond the Badlands but barons are quick to squash any ideas of freedom while they themselves don't know much and only trade with the River King who controls naval trade on the river. What I'm trying to say is a lot time has clearly passed between now and then, and that world has stories to tell of its own residents without constant callbacks to our reality.
It is is amusing to see how everyone's adopted martial arts and melee to such a widespread degree that almost anyone who's not a serf-like Cog that just work the fields/mines/whatever has some modicum of training. Clippers in particular train from childhood after they become students to older Clippers and they're the reason barons can exert control the way they do. Sunny himself, being the star of the show and all, really comes off as skilled and dangerous individual who stopped keeping track of his kill tattoo and wants a way out of this life following certain events. This entire warrior culture is further helped by excellent choreography that pretty much puts every other show out there to shame and most movies as well. While some actors or perhaps their character's designs don't necessarily lend themselves to believability when they pounce and strut around I did not doubt Daniel Wu performance as Sunny for a moment... and that's a good quality for your star actor to have.
Most important thing I haven't explicitly said about Into the Badlands but one you may have inferred from what I've written is the following – it's a martial arts show first and foremost. What does that mean? Well, it has outstanding choreography, you'll especially love smooth direction without cuts to compensate for obviously untrained actors, and Asian aesthetic for the lack of a better word, but that also means its priorities were there and not really in the characters department. Or much of a story, to be honest. Entire first season consisting of six episodes is more or less a primer for the setting, key players, etc with some underlying arcs developing here and there, all the while fighting with two big stories for the spotlight. Without going into detail I can say season two is both longer and more story focused, but almost comes off as a jumbled mess as two much is going at the same time. Whether this is good or bad depends entirely on your point of view, though. I appreciate more of what I liked even some big parts like the whole Azra and mysterious power angle didn't come to fruition. Yet.
Characters? They're alright, but nothing to write home about or cause you to ponder philosophically. Sunny is a stoic with a graveyard to his name while his protegee M.K. is honestly annoying for good part of the show. I think the principal villain Quinn stood out the most for me for his southern plantation owner drawl that makes his strangely likeable. I had trouble buying into Widow being this special assassin with the way she moves and fights in high heels, but her apprentice Tilda somehow came out looking better in the mess. A lot of characters memorable on their own.
So in the end I would recommend Into the Badlands, just be aware you're signing up for excellent fight scenes with ever-escalating levels of gore, but not much else if you're used to modern dramas and whatnot. Second season steps more on that story peddle, though.
₪ Genre: Fantasy, Drama
☑ Original run: April 2017 – June 2017
⇲ Episodes: 8
Fresh out of the oven it's American Gods. The TV series I mean, not the book which I read years ago and don't remember very much about. Still enough to know there are differences in the show, but I won't really focus on it seeing as season two has been approved so we'll just have to sit tight and see where it's all going.
There's a much bigger story here and one that is hinted at just a smidge more in the books if you pay attention, but series takes its time to introduce our protagonist Shadow Moon into the crazy world he's entering. Yes, you read that right. He blames it on his hippie mother. We see our protagonist stuck in prison after a failed casino robbery, which as we learn out later was supposed to be perfect, but he gets an early release... on account of his wife being in a car accident. He says goodbye to a shifty prisoner he roomed with and pretty much has no idea what to do with his life except to attend the wife's funeral. Except along the way he meets a very charming elderly gentleman who calls himself Mr. Wednesday who offers Shadow employment. Having dealt with all the baggage, and finding out wife was cheating on him, he agrees to terms of the compact and Wednesday tells him they're on their merry way to recruit people from all over the US for a gathering of sorts.
Above is really just a premise told to you in the first episode, but there's simultaneously a lot more to this and not really. Getting caught up in the affairs of gods, how they came to be and how they exist to this day and age, brawling with a leprechaun, escaping Anubis to come back to life, etc. American Gods has a lot to offer, but at its core I would say it's about two people traveling across the country; one becoming more and more immersed in this weird state of things and events that seem to happen around them while the other is obviously a smooth talking trickster of sorts with a yet hidden master plan. They meet a decent number of characters along the way, of which their opposition the so-called New Gods especially stand out and represent the modern “gods”. I especially liked how most episodes have a “god origin story” showing how they found their way over.
It is helped in such a case that we have some really good performances at hand.
Guy playing Shadow Moon, Ricky Whittle from what I remember, does a solid job playing up a silent tough guy who somehow seems to be taking all of this in stride until it gets so overwhelming it threatens to boil over and he just shuts down for a while. Good thing he paired up with Ian McShane aka man who can elevate any show he's in by merely being there, and he really is a silver-tongued snake oil salesman who can seemingly get everything done if you give him an angle. Great leads and even pretty much all side characters get their moment to shine. From archetypal Slav Chernobog and three sisters to full on American Vulcan they all get the spotlight they're due. Even Easter. And Jesus. As well as gods you may be less familiar with.
Outside of phenomenal intro theme I can't really comment much about the soundtrack because it's just there, but the visuals are outstanding. Some would say overboard a bit, but I like the trippy and almost neon aesthetic as Shadow descents into this unreal world. For a show about warring gods there are surprisingly few over special effects at work here which manages to ground the show to a degree.
That's not to say everything is perfect, though. You can tell there was a mid point in the season when they most likely got the news season two was greenlit and went a bit too heavily on things that don't have any immediate payoff for the season like Shadow's wife arc, what Bilquis is doing with her vagina nebula, etc. I certainly hope this will lead to something, even if that is deviation from existing story which I wouldn't mind, but for the moment it's lacking.
I still recommend American Gods. Just don't be squeamish about some gore and nudity, gay sex scene included. That raised a ruckus online, I'm sure.
Hi, Libera! I just spent some time reading through all your posts and I just want to tell you how much I really like the way you have everything set up. It’s really slick and designed well and fun to read.
Thanks. As always I’m amazed someone reads my walls of text, let alone that someone would go through them in succession. :D I just wish I was around more to talk with all these lovely people a bit more. You’re new to the site but holy crap, you’ve been quite prolific yourself.
I think I especially like your “Next up:” teaser in every update.
Thank you very much! I have really crappy memory, so it’s easiest for me to make a post as SOON as I’m done with a game. It’s also incentive, because it’s only when I write the post that I pick my next game for that teaser. So, a bunch of shorter posts more often instead of one big beautiful one.
That’s pretty much what I do, I just also bunch them up together for larger updates. Keeping docs on the side is helpful.
Trust me, it’ll get even much better once you are out of White Orchard. Ladies of the Wood questline is some of the best I’ve seen.
I’m interested in American Gods. I don’t know why. I will watch it one day :)
That’s what I’ve been hearing from all four corners of the world so let’s hope it delivers. :D
I’ve been watching American Gods (not caught up yet) and it’s really wacky. I had read the book a long time ago, but long enough that I don’t remember much, and I found the tv show a bit hard to follow plot wise. My other half, who hasn’t read the book at all and doesn’t know much about mythology is even more lost. That being said, it’s still interesting, but i’m not sure where this is going.
If you like dystopia, I recommend you give a try to the handmaid’s tales if you haven’t already, it’s a pretty solid show!
For sure. I think you may be reading too much into things expecting you need to know something. Show gets a lot more direct in the last few episodes so don’t worry, it’s just speaking to you with visuals more than with words so you’re meant to take it in through osmosis, I guess? I have checked out couple of episodes of THT and decided to stay out of it until they complete it… and now I see it also got renewed for another season. Might as well check it out. How does it compare to the novel if you’ve read it?
I’m currently reading The handmaid’s tales so if you want I’ll come back and update you when I’m done reading about how it compares. So far (i’m only at 14% of the book and finished the season one of the show) it’s pretty accurate for what I’ve read, with a few minor details changed (really minor). Season 1 does end in a cliffanger hence why I’ve started reading the book (or restarted. I had tried a few years ago and had difficulties getting into it, I thought it was kinda confusing. Now with having seen the show, it’s way more clear and I’m really loving the book). Will be back ;)
I’ve read the novel and from I’ve seen from, what was it, three episodes I’ve watched it stayed true for the most part. I just really wonder if they’ll end it like the book did which is kinda both extremely bleak and hopeful. Depending on whether you look at it from an individual’s or society’s level.
Do share what you thought about the book when you’re done with it, though.