Batman: Arkham Asylum

Welcome back for the week! Well my fine collection of readers I decided we have not covered video games in far too long. TV and Movies come a tad bit more natural for me to go on and on about. Between loading screens, cut scenes of dialogue the modern day video game can drag on, make you loss interest and give off a story line that convoluted and boring. Many franchises have suffered thanks to rewriting and tinkering. The Resident Evil games were enjoyable up to the third one. Four and on has too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the simple recipe. Thankfully that isn't always the case. British games developers Rocksteady Studios release of with a first-person shooter called Urban Chaos, a riot response squad dealing with an arsonist gang called the Burners, taking on paramedics, firefighters, civilians and the cops. This project brought them notoriety, some credibility and much needed revenue. Founded in 2004, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker, the studio was scooped up by Time Warner to bring about a new look at the Dark Knight. This is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Hiya kiddies.  Guess who's back??!!

Written by Paul Dini (Tiny Toons Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series. The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers) brings us the constant struggle between Batman and the Joker. Reprising their characters since Batman: The Animated Series is Kevin Conroy for Batman, Mark Hamill for the Joker and Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn. Our game operates as a third-person single-player action-adventure.

After the Joker attacks City Hall, Batman beats the crap out of him and drags him to Arkham Asylum, which is stocked with members of Joker's gang due to a fire at Blackgate Prison, Batman senses Joker's capture was far too easy and is not sure if there is something else going on decides to accompany Joker to lock up. Just before the ghost of Admiral Ackbar can warn anyone, the trap is sprung, Harley has taken over security and a bought guard kidnaps Commissioner Gordon. Joker points out there are bombs all over Gotham City ready to be detonated if anyone else tries to enter Gotham leaving Batman to handle this insanity all on his on.

Where does he get those wonderful toys?

With the captured Bane working alongside with doctor Penelope Young (Cree Summer of Inspector Gadget, A Different World, Tiny Toons Adventures, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Moonbeam City, Dawn of the Croods and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy) who has been working on Titan, a stronger formula of Venom to allow patients to recover quicker from strenuous therapies but unbeknownst to Young, the Joker has been secretly funding her with the idea f creating an army of super humans at his beck and call. With no sidekicks, Justice League or even help from the cops, Batman must face all his rogues gallery on his own.

A few words on gameplay. Now I was playing this on Xbox so bear with me. The game's graphics hails from NVIDIA's PhysX, a realtime physics engine allowing classic Newtonian physics.

A linear opening allows some tutorials of gadgets, fighting style and throwing weapons that can be programmed to attack from sonics and remote detonation. A Detective Vision- a visual that lets you pull up information, show objects like walls that can be destroyed, grates that can be removed, and a how many number of enemies in an area and their vitals. This mode is also used to find footprints, odors and even a puzzle solving capability. The combat designs allows Batman to anticipate criminal fighting given a control scheme to Batman's fighting style.

Aww Bats is rocking him to sleep.

Free-To-Play Reappearance

Hello and welcome back to Rotten Reelz. We had a week off due to needing to make some serious funds. My apologies but I do not get paid to write 4 to 5 times a week on here and believe me if I did I wouldn't miss a beat as writing is one of the greater gigs out there. That being said we have had zombie films, horror films and some sci-fi as of late but I am thinking it is time to hit Steam up again for some free-to-play games and find out what the big fuss is about it. As many of you know, Steam engine maintains several games ranging from multiple genres, tastes and ratings. I myself enjoy the ones I have downloaded and CANNOT WAIT for Fallout 4. That game will be my jam!

Jake's G/F is in the shower.  I'd give details but I am sworn to only watch.

I thought I would focus on different titles, genre and play and re-play-ability. From the continuation of Ghost Recon: Phantoms for hardcore FPS to trying my luck at team building, adventuring action of Neverwinter after its now 6^th expansion. Who says I don't get my geek on?

'Tis a battle greater than getting on DDO's hub.

Oh FYI to all you Phantom players, the pricing guide for updated weapons just got a whole lot more reasonable costs so enjoy that. I have been trying out Neverwinter since all of...well last night. I will get my co-star of Rotten Ramblin' On Shawn on the horn and get his take on Neverwinter vs DDO.

Who knows, maybe I will even give the massively unnecessary reboot of Marvel Heroes 2015 a gander but I am a wee bit sick of revamps, reboots and re-imagining.

One and all are welcome to join me as I burn out my retinas and blow my ear drums on some old school PC gaming goodness. Ta ta!

Ew, he is peeping in that girl's shower...lucky bastard.

PS2 Week: Silent Hill 2

Howdy boys and girls and welcome back for Day 4 of PS2 Week. Well I had lined up a Bassmasters game of fishing excitement to the likes no other fishing game could muster... but then I remembered it was a fishing game and that is dull in my book. So howsabout a horror game sequel that is sequel in name only??? Say Whaaaaaa???? But Jake that only happens in the volley of cheesy B-movie horror movies you sift through. Well you are wrong, strange person that comes into my apartment to shout at my head. Need better locks. I speak of a game giving third person view, showing us bizarre clues, keys and other such useful items in a sleepy, forgotten town. This is Silent Hill 2.

Stop following me, John Carpenter musical score!!!

The survival horror game got its sequel but in title name only as we roam about in the boots of James Sunderland as he searches endlessly for the whereabouts of his wife Mary, who died of an illness three years prior which her last known location was Silent Hill. Finding an obscure note from his wife telling him to meet her in their special place in Silent Hill. Trudging through this now insane monster ridden town, James encounters Maria, who bares an uncanny resemblance to his wife, who claims to not know his wife and has no idea how she ended up in this town.

Terrified to be alone, Maria convinces James to let her tag along with him as they search the area for clues leading them to the long since abandoned hospital where our old friend Pyramid Head chases them, kills Maria while James narrowly escapes. Making his way to the local hotel where James and Mary spent vacation time, James runs into Maria alive and whole. Is James going mad? Is he on a fool's errand? Will Silent Hill relinquish its hold on him?

My God, I really do look like Sean Bean.

A few technical differences from the original, you no longer have that herky jerky tank turret turning to face opponents. The heads up display is gone but if you pause the game it will have the map layout as you have explored it, the clues that you have gathered and the detailed notes to each clue and mystery being solved. There is at least six ways the game will end at which gives you a fair amount of elbow room and room for error and wisdom.

As far as influences you got the feel that the folks of Team Silent dabbled in a bit of Hitchcock, David Chronenberg and even a smidgen of David Lynch giving it a psychological thriller combined with terrifying imagery, eerie sounds and a musical score that always sets the scenes. With 3D environments similar to Tomb Raider, the game's graphics are sharper, the characters physical appearances are better defined and game play via controller is improved dramatically. The unveiling of each environment feels almost like Alone in the Dark back in '92 with its depths of shadow and contrast. A warped vision providing hours of entertainment but not much in the way of sound sleep.

Some sprucing up and some throw pillows... nah it'll look like crap still.

Blog#330!!! PC Games of 1997: Blade Runner

Welcome back my collective of nerd to Day 3 of PC Games of 1997.  Journey with me to Westwood Studios, creators of such games as: Battle Tech: The Crescent Hawk’s Inception, Mars Saga, Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Young Merlin and Monopoly

As these titles captured the imagination they still lacked graphics punch up or an amazing voice cast all the while still dealing with popular themes.   This time they decided to tap into one of Ridley Scott’s films but not retell the story but have the game operate as more of an additional story during same time.   So get ready to do some interrogation, calibrate the Voight-Kampff machine and get ready to make wild gestures.  This is Blade Runner.

I wish to register a complaint about your Norwegian Blue.

Clovis: “I was angry with my spoiler. I told my wrath, my wraith did end. I was angry with my foe. I told my wraith, my wrath did grow.”

Our game opens with a typical cut scene showing our would be villains tormenting a pet shop owner claiming all his animals are pure pedigrees of the highest quality and the suspects felt that butchering these creatures would teach him a good lesson in being truthful.  Enter our hero/protagonist Ray McCoy (Mark Benninghoffen of The Larry Sanders Show, Chicago Hope, Always Say Goodbey and Money Talks) Rookie Blade Runner assigned to the case due to all other Runners are tending more difficult cases.  Ray is happy to be doing something other than paperwork for a change, his Lieutenant Guzza (Jeff Garlin of Hero, Robocop 3, Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Goldbergs) a blobby and lazy man whose shirt and tie looks like a casualty in a catering food fight gives him the heads up that he is facing Nexus 6 Replicants (bioengineered droids who resemble humans) the usual watch your ass rookie speech and shoos him away.  Ray has never faced a Nexus 6 and is nervous as hell.

My God I can see gravy stains in his neck folds!

If you were hoping for some Deckard action team-up buddy cop drama…well you are out of luck kids.  Sadly our Rick Deckard is referred in passing or and there are a few gags of the same crime scenes duplicated from the film but no glorious team-up.  On the upside several members of the original cast came in to reprise their roles. 

And now a few points to be made about the game play.   This is a point and click adventure game so think the Monkey Island standings.  From solving puzzles, clues and getting people come clean with the info.  We even have a few interrogations with the Voight-Kampff device to gauge emotional reactions that Replicants cannot fully duplicate.  The gathering of evidence is using your eyes and the mouse for an interactive system known as the Knowledge Integration Assistant for easy access and allowing you to go over the Crime Scene photos to look for further clues that may have been missed or hidden away from you.

The overall look of this game fits the same crowd and dystrophic environment of Los Angeles 2019 down to the Tyrell building from the movie to the look of Chinatown and the 3D models is based in an amount of pixels with width, height and depth rather than a scanned copy of background, green or blue screen and rougher pixelation.

Alright subway rat, spread 'em!

Black & White: Good or Evil?

Now normally when I give a review about a game I am weighing the pros and cons of it but with Black & White it is damn near impossible to bad mouth it. Lionhead Studios released Black & White in 2001.  Published by Electronic Arts for both Windows and Mac, this game got instant raves allowing you to be either a savior or a devil. Due to its popularity, a expansion came out, followed by its sequel Black & White2.   The tutorial (unfortunately you cannot skip through that) starts as soon as you are brought into this world as a new deity. No sooner do you rescue a child from ravenous sharks; the villagers wish to worship and praise your name. You are then greeted by your collective conscience of evil and good or black and white if you will. Both will offer advice to situations as each new problem or crisis is put before you. Each task can be handled with benevolence or malice. The choice is yours. I feel you cannot properly understand a game until you have explored all the angles and opportunities that both good and evil provide so without further adieu here are the highlights to good.

Good: You are the toast of the town and the answer to all prayers. As a good deity you will find worshippers come quickly to prayer. As this is your flock you must watch and tend to them. Assign them work and life. Creating disciples is a snap. The options are builder, breeder, farmer, fisherman or woodsman. Your disciples will continue this line of work that you saw them fit to do until the day they die. This includes breeders, so if you do not want a population increase to epic level, be a bit choosy as to how many breeders you possess, because they are like rabbits.

Part of being a loving god is to take all the problems in your stride and assist them as best as you can. Aiding you in these endeavors will be a pet you can nurture with love and understanding. Providing compassion to this creature is not only kind but a must in the game. Teach it to respect the people and land to create a better harmony for all. With each problem correctly taken care of, a reward is assured and happier worshippers are bountiful. Bear in mind that you will not make them happy 100% of the time. You can only do the tasks, provide miracles to astound and bewilder them and in general and guard them from harm from evil deities. While some might view this as a thankless task, yours is a higher calling to the children you wish to strive in your land.

Evil: Corrupter of youth and destroyer of men, yours is a task behold to the pathetic mortals that dare ask for favors. Constantly underfoot and demanding, these mortals attempt to take up your precious time with requests of benevolence of which you have none. You strive to obtain powers and wreak havoc across the land leaving these frightened simpletons cowering in their little, hopeless lives awaiting to be the next sacrifice to your awesome might. When one of their neighbors goes to the altar for blood sacrifice, they should be down on their knees praising you for not ending them.

Fear is an excellent motivator and provides more worship in your name. Their children will learn to abide by your rules or be fed to the fiendish creature you command with a ruthless iron fist. You will revel in delight as your creature hurls lightning and fireballs from sheer boredom or just in general malice. Cackle from high above at the wanton destruction in your name. Oh it is good to be the god.

The story is in your hands. Do what you will and enjoy.