Injustice: Gods Among Mortal Kombat

A new Mortal Kombat game with DC skins?! How can you say no to that?!

Well, let me start with no.  This game is not a mere reskinning of the great MK9 of 2011 by the NetherRealm Studios.  It’s actually quite the opposite; it’s a fighting game that’s remarkably different than what you’d expect from the guys who made Mortal Kombat.  And way better than MK vs DC game from years back.

Allow me to clear some of this up.  Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fighting game based loosely around the heroes and villains of the DC universe.  It’s actually really cool; especially if you’re a super hero nerd like myself – it gives me an opportunity to show everyone that Batman WOULD kick Superman’s ass.  So besides of the pure novelty of the game; is it fun?  I’d like to think so.

The campaign plays out in a very cool, dumb, fun way.  It sets up with Joker about to set off a nuke in Metropolis (Superman’s city), and crazy time travel happens.  Select members of the Justice League are transported to a different dimension where Joker did blow up Metropolis, made Supes kill Louis Lane and their baby via Joker drugs, and Superman lost his shit.  I’m talkin ‘bout Superman KILLED the Joker, and then proceeded to rule the world!  This no longer the goody-two-shoes boyscout with superpowers that we’ve gotten to know; this is a fully-fledged supervillain.  Basically the story mode is split up into twelve chapters where you play as a character throughout the entire chapter – very similar to MK9’s story mode.  The remarkable thing about the story mode is how freaking cinematic it is.  By this I mean it feels like you’re watching a movie, and when it comes to fighting you’re in control.  There’s a seamless feel to it, and they pulled it off.  It’s really fun, and they do some really crazy things with the story that I enjoyed. As someone that actively hates Superman I displayed immense joy when I finally got to whoop on villainous Supes.

I:GAU is stocked full of content; it’s pretty overwhelming.

Along with the story mode you have this thing called S.T.A.R. Labs which contains over 200 battles/missions/minigames to do.  Most of them are repetitive after you do some of them, but they’re really silly.  Each character gets ten or so missions; there are some special ones you get for pre-ordering and I’m certain they’ll release more as DLC.  Some of my favorites are Red Sun missions which are reimagining of Superman if he landed in Russia instead of America.  It’s ridiculous; especially the Grundy missions.  You have to brainwash him to be zombie of Mother Russia.  They give you just ridiculous situations and you have to play along; it’s like when you’re a kid playing with your superhero figures.  You do crazy awesome shit with them, and that’s what this game feels like – especially in this mode. 

Just like in classic Mortal Kombat there’s an arcade-lite mode called Battles.  You face off a series of random characters with Superman at the end.  When you finish off your enemies you’re treated to a cut scene with how that character’s ending should be.  Most of them are pretty zany, and are treated as if it was like that hero/villain got the best ending ever.  It’s like in Mortal Kombat, and even if they’re a bit ridiculous it’s cool to see some of the endings.  Take Harley Quinn’s for example; she takes the Joker from our dimension and they rule the world or some shit.  They decide to get married, and at the wedding the Joker throws a chunk of the cake at Harley.  Something snaps in Harley and she slits Joker’s throat with the ceremonial cake cutting knife.  Nucking futs right?

Like any good fighting game it supports multiplayer.  There’s local and online.  My biggest beef with MK9 was the lag.  It was pretty rough most of the time and the lag made online brawls inoperable. They remedied this situation in Injustice, and added a couple of cool features.  They have this King of the Hill mode that’s pretty fun.  Basically it’s a room of players that take turns taking on the “king” who was the last victor of the match.  The cool thing about this is as a watcher you get to place on bets on the peeps playing like King is going to win or rival is going to win with 40% health.  If you get your bet right you get bonus experience.  It’s also a great way to learn some tricks by watching.  Now if I had actual friends I think this would be a treat to have; it would be really cool to smack talk your friends and then reap benefits.  There’s also standard one versus one and such.  It’s pretty solid online play. 

The gameplay is actually quite different than MK, and that’s a good thing.  First off there aren’t rounds.  You have two health bars instead, and the first to lose both health bars is the loser. There are no fatalities (unfortunately).  I’m pretty sure DC didn’t want that, so whatever.  There are things like the X-ray moves from MK9; you pull it off by building up your power meter completely and pressing both triggers.  Most of these are really cool and ultra-violent.  Some of my favorites include Bane doing the break the Bat move, Flash’s running around the world uppercut, and Aquaman making you get eaten by a Great White Shark.  It’s hands down the coolest thing ever.  The best part is you can do this regardless if you’re not in water.  So do it in the WatchTower that’s in space.  Yup.  That’s a Great White eatin’ yo ass!  So I mean this game made Aquaman fucking awesome.  That’s a feat in of itself.  You can also boost your special attacks by burning a chunk of your power meter thing which is really helpful in pulling off slick ass combos.  So the fighting of itself requires you to be more tactful, and to be good you have to be decent in juggling your opponent.  A really cool addition that’s a throwback to the old Mortal Kombat games is interactive environments.  Do you remember how in MK3 you could uppercut dudes and they’d fly off into another area?  You can do that in this game, but it is so much cooler.  Most levels have 2-3 sections to it, and like I said earlier it makes you feel immersed in the game by simulating that you’re in a large area.  I mean when I think of Superman fighting baddies he typically throws them through buildings anyways.  Arkham Asylum has the coolest level transitions; most involve the inmates – Scarecrow’s is the coolest especially for fans of Arkham Asylum series.

The question that I know that you’re burning for an answer: How’s the character roster?  It’s good, but it’s really the only fault with the game in my eyes.  The cool thing about the DC universe is there’s a massive roster of characters that have been made over the years.  Some of the choices in this game make me scratch my head and ask simply why?  The chief offender is Killer Frost.  I mean who IS this?  I’ve never heard of Killer Frost.  I wikipedia’d her, and found out she’s a foe of the superhero of Firestorm who isn’t even in this game.  Yeah, so I’m thinking they really wanted some weird, wide variety.  I don’t think anyone would’ve missed KF.  Clearly Mr. Freeze would’ve been a great replacement if you want someone with ice powers. Another problem I have is some of the ladies of Injustice.  Wonder Woman and Raven are gross.  I don’t know why, but they pretty much a man with huge boobs.  It’s pretty gross.  On top of that she’s one of the blandest and lamest characters in the game.  Raven, on the other hand, plays fine and dandy but is even grosser. She suffers from man-jaw-itus and the worst sounding voice for a woman (granted it’s demonic sounding) that I’ve ever heard.  Every time I’m forced  to fight her I’m like “Ewww! Ewww!  Let’s get this over with!”  It’s a shame because she was one of the cooler Teen Titan characters.  This leads to another issue, there’s a lot of heroes that are a part of groups like Justice League, Teen Titans, or even Legion of Doom that could’ve used a couple of additions to complete.  This is a pretty minor problem, but I mean they were one away with completing the founders of Justice League (Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Batman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern).   Why couldn’t have they added Martian Manhunter?  Ugh.  I mean they have stupid Shazam instead of MM.  That’s so dumb!

Ok I need to make this clear; I’m a huge fan of Batman and his villains not so much of the rest of DC heroes except for the likes of Green Arrow.  Justice League is cool I guess, same with Teen Titans.  So I obviously think they should’ve included more Batman villains/side characters.  Now I’m not saying Robin should be in the game or anything, but I mean they could’ve added some more.  I’m probably going to sound Batman crazy considering Batman, Nightwing, Catwoman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Bane, and Solomon Grundy (I don’t know why they put this zombie in this game) are in the game.  But I mean, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Scarecrow (would be really fucking cool), and Clayface would all make really cool and unique additions to the roster.

I guess I should mention that there is an IOS app for this game that you can play on your iPhone or iPad.  It's really boring; you merely tap the screen to perform attacks and on occasion swipe.  The only thing worthwhile about that is that you can unlock costumes like Batman Beyond or the Knightfall Bane for your console. 

There are really not any huge problems with Injustice except for some characters, but I think if you’re a fan of DC characters you’ll have a lot of fun with this fighting title.  Most problems I have with buying a fighting game (specifically a new one) is that I’ll play it for a week and not really play it again unless I’m hanging out with some friends.  Injustice conquers this problem; it has a buttload of things to do, and it’ll keep you busy especially if you are a completionist.  Now go show your friends who is the best superhero!

Defiance: VOTs of fun!

Before Defiance was released, I was not quite sure how to feel about it. At first, I thought it looked dumb and would explode in a fiery crash of silly SyFy flames. The more I thought about the fun I had in Rift and the pedigree of Trion Worlds, the more hope I had. The week before release, I finally preordered and got antsy with antcipation. Now it has been out for about two weeks and I have played enough to know whether or not I like it. Let me just say... I LIKE IT!

I think it might be broken...

Defiance is a bit tricky to explain, but let me try. The game plays as a third person shooter rolled up into an MMO, with a PvP that plays much like a separate game mode. The main story is fun and moves at a solid pace. While some of the voice acting is BAD, the story as a whole never felt interrupted. I liked the feeling that I was moving through the Bay Area in order to reach what was left of San Francisco. It felt as though I was actually doing some travelling. The moment when I finally reached the Golden Gate Bridge was as exciting as I hoped and fun just to take in the virtual destruction. 

Sometimes when Nolan talked my mind instantly went to John Wayne and the first Thanksgiving.

Part of the excitement of this game is the fact that it interacts with the TV show. While, there was not much interaction between the two in the pilot, I thought the episode missions were the best part. I liked the fact that we got to see the Nolan and Irssa background story play out in the game. I hope that we see more of these missions and interactions through the rest of the season.

The PVP is quite enjoyable and feels like a totally different mode from the main game. I love the feel of it because it breaks up some of the monotony of the missions and can keep the game feeling very fresh. It comes in two styles. One is a deathmatch mode that is fun once you have some powerful weapons. I would not recommend trying PVP at first, because you will get smashed. I tried and failed miserably until I got some weapons that let me hold my own. There is also a large, Battlefield feeling mode called Shadow War. Once they have corrected some matchmaking issues, this could be a viable mode. I wish I knew more about it, but I have yet to get into a match.

Tremors: The Game

One problem that I spotted instantly was the fact that most quests revolved around pressing and holding square. I felt as though later in the game this became less of an issue because there was a lot more clear this, or hold of the enemies, but at first things were very repetitive. Most MMOs are repetitive and that is why I am not throwing a fit. I just feel like this game has a lot going for it and could be a whole lot more creative.

I have run into very few bugs and am impressed with Defiance's launch. The main bug I ran into was reeeeaaaalllyyy frustrating. I had just bought the most expensive lock box and guess what? NOTHING WAS GIVEN TO ME!! That time I spent farming key-codes was wasted. Now, I entered a ticket and I am waiting for an answer. I also noticed that the quest givers and receivers disappear at times. This is also annoying because the only way to fix it is to log off and on. The voice chat is a bit of a failure too. Surprisingly, the way to fix that once it goes out is to also log off and on. 

While small bugs and repetitive questing can get annoying, my overall feeling towards Defiance is positive. The reviews that Defiance have received seem unfair and are definitely not the thoughts of the player base (at least that I have seen).With that being said, they can really fix a few things. I hope as they open new areas, the style of the world changes and looks less repetitive. I enjoy trying and modding different weapons, cruising through the world, and helping random NPC strangers as I went I believe the PVP, story and interaction with the TV show spell out a bright future for this third person-MMO hybrid.

WiiU: The Underdog

The boys of Broskington are ready to bring y'all something big. No really, it's going to be awesome. So, in order to prepare for this awesomeness, I picked up a Wii U about three weeks ago. After some time looking at it's features and playing some games, I can honestly say that I think the system can not only survive but thrive in the next gen console war. Here is what Ninty needs to focus on going for.

1) Market how useful the 2nd screen actually is.

When Nintendo first showed the Wii U controller, they wanted us to know how innovative it was. They focused on the types of games it could be used for and less about it can actually do. I am going to explain how I use it and hopefully something relates to you, the audience. I am a gamer through and through. I want to be playing a lot more than I actually get to. Now some things cut my playtime down drastically but can not be changed (ex. work.) One thing the Wii U's controller has allowed me to work around is the issue of TV sharing. In my house it is hard to play games until late at night because I am having to share the TV in the evening. Let's face it, our girlfriends don't want to watch us continuously throw Mario off a giant mushroom. Luckily, the second screen allows the player to play and the viewer to watch so to speak. I noticed how awesome this was when I realized I had been playing Mario for an hour and no one complained I was hogging the TV. I now have more time to play and less time fighting over the remote. This feature works great in New Super Mario Brothers U and Black Ops. Both of these games are addicting time sinks and now I have even more time to sink into them. I love it!

Another unsung feature about the screen is it is the secret cure to split screens. Most games on the WiiU does not need split screen because if two people are playing, one is looking at the pad and the other is looking at the TV. It is a simple thing that is not thought about often but it makes a big difference.

2) Ease of Access and Backwards Compatibility

Nintendo makes their systems for everyone and while some see this as a bad thing, I think its great. I can now get folks that never play games with me to play. Sure, the Wii was set up for this as well, but the Wii U looks better, plays better, and is a shit-ton more fun. It is what the Wii needed to be. With games like Mario Kart and Mario Party, the couch co-op scene is alive, and sure is easier than ever to get someone to play with you.

The other part of that makes the system accessible is the fact that it has backwards compatibility. While other systems move away from it Nintendo stares it right in its old-ass face. I love the Backwards compatibility because it allows me to pick up the Wii games I missed and play them while I wait for The U's heavy hitters. An added bonus is that the Wii games look good. They did not take a hit from being on the newer system. We saw how ugly older gen games can look on the new gen systems with the 360.

3) Market and They Will Come

Nintendo of America needs to learn how to market their products. Stop trying to convince everyone that the Wii U GamePad is a gimmick and just show what you can actually use it for. If your everyday regular guy has the same problems I did, they would love the Wii U. Just show people what this thing can do and convince them that it will just make their gaming experience easier. Stop trying to be fancy pants about it and put your damn blue jeans on!

If Nintendo starts to sell their system, the 3rd party support will come back. Money drives the market. Duh. If it's profitable they will invest. Nintendo Fanboys need to stop blaming the developer and blame that joke of a marketing department in the Nintendo Headquarters. It's that simple.

Nintendo, I am talking to you. You can do this. You have the characters and titles to create a juggernaut, you just have to sell your systems. You created a system that everyone would like if you let them know that they would. Most people still think this is either a giant DS or another crappy gimmick. It's YOUR fault they are thinking this way. Put your big girl panties on and market the shit out of Wii U based on its usefulness and not your stupid controller fetish.

Love you,
BP

A Survivor is Born (And so is a New Series)

I want to preface this whole article by saying that I love adventure platforming games. They are just about my favorite genre of video games. I loved the original Tomb Raider games and Uncharted is just about my favorite game series. I feel like I should say that because I might be a little bias towards the new Tomb Raider. With that being said I will try and be honest with the parts I did not like, which are not many since Tomb Raider 2013 is..... AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The new Tomb Raider needs to be in serious contention for game of the year. Other than a few annoying glitches, there is next to nothing wrong with this game. Some people complained about issues in the plot, but I will debunk those shortly.

Lara Croft's new adventure starts out with a monsterous bang. Within five minutes she has been kidnapped and hung upside down awaiting her demise. Of course, Lara has other plans and escapes this early snafu on her way to becoming a bonified action hero. As Croft jumps and sneaks around the Island she will encounter some cranky wildlife, pissed off pirates, and other creatures you will have to play to see. At first, these enemies can take down Laura in a couple of hits but with the leveling system Crystal Dynamics put in, it does not take long for Lara to be a genuine bad ass. This leveling system is one of my favorite aspects of the game. Your character gets better as the games difficulty stays relatively the same. Sure, it might sound like it would get too easy, but what this really does is make your character feel like she is growing into a strong survivor and hero. It is fun to actually feel growth instead of just being told that it's there.

The story is good, not amazing, and it does not suffer from the plot holes that I have seen most reviewers complaining about. Most people have trouble believing that she could go from a regular female achaelogist to killing machine, but the reason for that change is all over the place. First, if you listen to some background dialogue, the captain of the ship says that he taught her how to shoot and survive. Also, the best and easiest reason for the change is just based on survival. If some Chilean soccer players can eat each other to survive, then Lara can cap a few asses. Seriously, if she already has the skill, and fears for her life, she will do what it takes to live. I have no problem with this section of the story or how it  played out.

Sexy..... and I'm not just talking about Lara.

The only real glitches I experienced all happened in one place. It was late in the game, your surrounded, and in a small room. You freak out, shoot, and the background disappears... really talk about a breathtaking moment completely fubarred/ The cherry on top is the lag I experienced shortly afterword. After dying, all was corrected but it was still a bit frustrating.

The ending (no spoilers, I'm good like that) is very similar to Uncharted 1. It ends with a boss battle that is almost completely quick time events, which I liked because it made me anxious and excited. What sold me though was literally the final image. It was iconic and if you have been a Lara fan like me since the beginning you will love it and take notice.

I wrote the first part of this review some time ago and looking back on my playthrough, I feel nothing has diminished or changed. This is still easily one of my favorite games of this generation, and a great way to bring a classic character back from the conceivable dead.

Boobs simply means it's the best!

No Not Pokemon!

Do you remember JRPG’s? They are the role-playing-games of old.  They were the majority of story driven adventures featuring an unlikely hero taking on an evil megalomaniac.  When I was younger, I couldn’t get enough of JRPGs; there was something more tactile and immersive about them compared to their more action oriented brethren.  Games like Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and Chrono Trigger are paradigms of the Japanese role playing game.  Since the launch of the Xbox 360, there has been a sharp decline in JRPG’s; I’d like to speculate that the reason behind this is that there is an ever-growing market for first person shooters and the like.  The JRPG’s younger brother, Western RPGs (Skyrim, Fallout, and the like) has all but replaced it.    I can’t remember the last JRPG on consoles that I played, and I actually wanted to complete.  I tried a few this year, Final Fantasy 13, 13-2 (DO NOT BUY), and a few others.  The problem is that they were more frustrating than fun, more simple than strategic, and more plain than intriguing.  I lost hope.  JRPGS have lost what made them memorable.  Have W-RPGS filled the void in my heart?

Lo and behold 2013 comes around; we trump the Mayan prophecy. For surviving we are bestowed upon; the treasure: Ni No Kuni the first JRPG of 2013.  Oddly enough, NNK was already released in Japan, and for whatever unlikely reason they decided to ship it over to the rest of the world. It was developed by Level-5 (known for Dark Cloud, Jeanne d’Arc, Professor Layton series, and others) and Studio Ghibili (traditionally a film studio known for their My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away).  This is a Japanese dream team; I adore SG’s films, and Level-5 is pretty solid.  I haven’t heard of many animation studios working with video game developers to make a game; it makes my balls tingle with anticipation…Could Ni No Kuni be the JRPG that was prophesized by the Mayans?  The very game that will begin to bring JRPGs back on top?

Story

Ni No Kuni revolves around a thirteen year old boy named Oliver.  Oliver lives in a small town called Motorville with his mother.  As the town name suggests, cars are a pretty big deal here.  Olly’s best friend is rather handy for his age, and makes a little dragster for them to drive.  Oliver takes it for a spin, and crashes into the river.  Oliver’s mother’s mom-senses tingle and she finds her son drowning in the river.  She saves him, but she had a weak heart; the rescue takes it out of her.  Oliver’s mother dies in the aftermath, and Oliver is incredibly heartbroken.  Amidst the immense sobbing, Oliver’s tears land on his little doll and a creature comes to life.  The candle-hanging-from-nose small yellow creature’s name is Drippy, and he informs Olly that he’s from a whole different, parallel world called Ni No Kuni. As expected, Drippy enlightens us that Ni No Kuni is in dire straits, and Olly can help. A sinister being named Shadar keeps the people brokenhearted; the world is in turmoil. We also learn that in this parallel world there is a wizard that is Olly’s mother’s parallel world copy person (It’s like there’s two of one person that inhabit each world), and that maybe she can help Olly get his mom back.  Olly sets out into this whole new world to get his mom back, stop the shady Shadar, and make people happy.

Gameplay

NNK’s gameplay is very unique. It is also very familiar. The gameplay is one of the many things that make it fun and involving.  It borrows from many different titles to create a wholly different JRPG experience.  At its core, Ni No Kuni plays like a real-time Pokémon game. You get in battles when you run into an enemy on the world map – no random battles.  In battles, it feels somewhat like the gameplay of Tales series; you are in an arena-like stage with free movement and you can attack willy-nilly.  At the beginning of a battle, you control Oliver, and then you can pick between three of your familiars (monsters) to fight with.  It is totally possible/win-able to play as your character for the battle (I did this often towards the end-game). You have a wait-gauge (think Final Fantasy’s ATB gauge) to use your attacks.  NNK borrows from Final Fantasy’s new battle system; when you use your default attack you just watch ya Pokémon familiars wail on baddies for a few seconds.  I don’t hate this, but it’s definitely different.  When you hit the attack button your lil’ dude will do a flurry of attacks leaving you a moment to plot your next move.  The cool thing about this is you can implement defend/evade while you’re attacking, so when a baddie does a super move you can avoid massive damage.  It’s strategic albeit a tad simple.  It makes you feel more involved than mindlessly tapping the X button till your familiar kills the bad guy.  Another benefit of paying attention to cues to block is that you’re granted to golden glim that allows you use to super move – which are invaluable. These super moves can turn the tides against a difficult boss. 

Back to the Pokémon comparison; you capture little monsters on your journey (no you don’t put them in balls).  Familiars come in all different shapes and sizes.  Similar to Pokémon, familiars have different elemental affinities: fire, wind, water, and so on.  Unlike Pokémon, familiars also have celestial affinities; it plays like rock, paper, and scissors; there’s sun, moon, star, and planet.  All have strengths and weaknesses to each other except planet that are just lame-ass neutral.  There are nearly 300 different familiars in NNK.  As you battle with your familiars they grow stronger (so do your characters!), and learn skills and can even evolve to stronger creatures.   The thing that is different is when you evolve a familiar the new form goes all the way back to level one, so there’s a risk/reward when considering evolving.  Every familiar has three stages of evolution, and in the third evolution it gives you the option to pick between two very different ones.  All of this allows for you to keep a varied team, and experimentation what works and stuff.

You keep your critters in a bestiary where you can feed them little treats like ice cream, meat, and even scones!  This sounds a little Tamagotchi-ish, but feeding your monsters these little treats boosts their stats – it’s actually worthwhile to feed ‘em.  You can also equip them with armor and weapons to further boost their stats.  It’s cute to see a little monster don the classic shield and sword! 

Oliver and the rest of your crew do gain levels, but unfortunately they do not evolve like their familiars.  Oliver and co learn more skills and spells to help in battle.  The characters are generally weaker than your familiars, so you don’t want to spend a lot of time playing as them amidst a battle.  This changes when you reach near the end of the game when Oliver learns a lot of incredibly powerful spells.  I didn’t really like that so much; it made me feel like all the time spent fighting as my familiars felt wasted.

In terms of quests there’s not a whole lot of revolutionary stuff going on here.  You always have a story quest to do, and you can go about that whenever you want.  In the world map you can go just about anywhere you want, and when you reach certain areas it takes you into a town or a dungeon.  A town allows you to buy new gear, items, talk to peeps, and do quest-y things.  Dungeons are very linear, but there are occasional puzzles to spice it up.  You have SO MANY SIDEQUESTS.  But it’s actually a good thing.  NNK implements a merit stamp system.  When you complete side quests you earn stamps, earning stamps fills up your stamp card, and filling up your stamp card grants you prizes! I LOVE PRIZES.  The prizes are really lame at first, but the end-game you need the prizes.  The prizes are all passive benefits for your character; you earn the ability to jump to even reduce the cost of using abilities.  Sidequests come in one of three completely different delicious flavors. 

My favorite is bounty hunts; you go and kill a big bad monster.  IT’S LIKE MONSTERHUNTER!!! TROLOLOLOL.  Uh.  Moving on…you can cure denizens of their broken heartedness.  This means you have to find what their problem is; are they lacking motivation, shamelessly eating cake endlessly, or are they just really grumpy?  You come across really happy people and ask them if you can borrow a piece of heart.  This is where the game takes a dark turn.  Our lovable, gentle Oliver pulls a Dexter; sedates his happy prey and take their heart out. TROLOLOLOLOLOL. I kid.  You actually cast a cool little spell that allows you to take some of the happy person’s overflowing and save it in a container for later!  You use the extra stuff (confidence, joy, or whatever) on the depressed person.  The last type of side quest is just fucking odd jobs.  These are like things a normal pre-teen would be out doing for weirdos in their neighborhood from getting all the different ingredients for some chef’s curry to killing monsters to make a bikini for a girl (THAT’S ACTUALLY A THING.). So they’re tedious, but worthwhile.  I think it’s totally possible to complete Ni No Kuni without doing these side quests.  But if you do ‘em you’re mo’ better.

Game feel

Ni No Kuni is the most polished semi-traditional JRPG I’ve played since the games of SNES. Everything feels good from exploring on the world map to jumping into a battle. NNK implements cel shaded graphics, and BOY do they look purdy.  When you enter the first town, Ding Dong Dell, you get all sorts of feels.  The music, the look, and the theme of the town are great. OH! And you are treated to Studio Ghibili cut scenes.  They really add to the game despite using a cartoon instead of in-game graphics.  The music is sooooo good.  It is completely orchestrated, and they have a great battle theme.  They do a great job of changing the tune when things happen adding to the experience. 

Once you’ve done a few hundred battles you get a good feel for what you have to do, and I gotta admit it’s pretty easy.  The only time when NNK is challenging is when the game expects you to be a certain level.  This means the monsters will bend you over and fuck you.  It sucks!  The end-game wanted me to be around level 70, but I was only around 50.  I didn’t want to grind.  The game for the most part doesn’t make you grind to get through the main story quests, and it was weird when it suddenly forced you to.

The story doesn’t really mature much as you continue playing the game.  If you’ve played Kingdom Hearts you’ll have an understanding as to what I’m talking about.  The game is very feel-good, and the bad guys are forced to seem sympathetic (because they are brokenhearted so hard) after you kill them and stuff.  So at the end, I felt like this game was catered for babies who are really into in-depth RPG’s. I don’t even…

I really liked what Ghibili and Level-5 created here, yet there’s nothing incredibly revolutionary here – especially for those who used to be a big fan of JRPGs.  Now if you compare this game to JRPGs of this generation this is really the crème of the crop.  Ni No Kuni has ridiculous production values, and it is really immersive.  I’d also like to think of NNK as the game that’s like what if Pokémon was a real-time game.  Ni No Kuni delivers hope for JRPG’s for the future, and Japanese developers should take note.  This is a good game.

End of the line: if you like Pokémon, JRPGs, or have a PS3 it’s a must-have; otherwise, don’t worry about it.

My Best Picture Reviews (Of What I Have Seen So Far)

DISCLAIMER: I have yet to see Les Miserables and Life of Pi therefore I will not comment on them in this article. It's not that there bad movies, in fact they may be good but one is a musical and the other is about a boy, a tiger and a boat. They were not at the top of my priority list.

Well, after sitting through just about every Best Picture Nominee 2013 has to offer, I have to tell you: This year is strong. I laughed, cried, squirmed, felt anxious and loved almost every minute I spent watching these flicks. In fact, I loved them so much I am going to mini-review and rank each one. I decided to not only numerically rank them, but also put them in three catagories: No Way Bro, I Can Respect That, and Hot Damn That Was Awesome!!! Each catagory tells how I felt about the movies in particular. Without further ado, let's get going.

No Way Bro

7. Amour: Amour is not a bad movie, it was just not my cup of tea. In a year filled with military dramas and dark comedies about crazy peeps this French flick just does not stand out. Amour is mainly about Georges, an eighty year old man who must take care of his ailing wife Anne. The movie plays out painfully slow as the couple realize the meaning of love and how it changes over time. The relationship between Georges and Anne plays out well and the depressing message in the film is both intelligent and poignant, which is why I think this movie deserves the chance to be viewed if you have some free time. However, this is not a contender like some of the others I have seen and for that there is no way this will be the Best Picture at the end of the month... Bro.

6. Lincoln: Ok so this pains me to say but Lincoln was not that bueno. I am a history buff, hell, I'm a history teacher but dang this movie was boring. When I think of Lincoln, I think of a book like "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly. Sure, he is not anyone's favorite author but his book is action packed and catches the emotion of Abe's final days. Did I like Daniel Day-Lewis's portrayal: YES! Did I like seeing the return of Tommy Lee Jones to the big screen (which if you have not seen "In the Valley of Elah" yet I highly recommend it): YES! But, on a whole was this movie entertaining and interest holding... NO! Thanks Spielberg for trying to capture a moment, but like last year's J. Edgar, you failed. Sorry.

I Can Respect That

This is the moment when opinions change drastically. Those first two movies were my least favorites in the catagory, no doubt. The rest of the movies I saw that are in this catagory are much harder to choose from. I did not mean to group the following two movies together, but it is how I felt about them and they just happen to be similar.

5. Zero Dark Thirty: First off, Jessica Chastain you are awesome. With that said, I found Zero Dark Thirty to be highly entertaining and also a little long winded. I felt that this movie told the story of the hunt for Osama well, but lacked the emotion I felt in my lifetime while this took place. When they finally got Osama, I wanted to feel pumped and excited. Instead, I felt meh. Just meh. I was disappointed with that feeling and blame that on the fact that this movie took too long to develop. at 160 minutes it was too damn long. With that being said, Chastain was the bees freaking knees, and it was nice to see Andy (or Chris Pratt) finally be the bad ass he deserves to be.. BURT MACKLIN FTW!!!

4. Argo: Now this is what I am talking about. Argo had emotion behind it, great actors, and made me just the right amount of feel-good and pissed. For those of you who let this fall between the cracks. it tells the story of a CIA operation that led to the rescue of 6 embassy workers in Iran when the embassy was taken over in 1980. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) of the CIA decided to create a fake movie staff with the help two producers (John Goodman and Alan Arkin) in order to get into Iran unnoticed. The plot is absolutely nuts and the best part is it is true. It moves a little quick but I liked that about it. I felt anxious during the last 45 minutes and rightfully so. Affleck does a great job here and really makes me feel like he is Mendez, the guy that did all the work and recieved no credit. This is the first movie on the list that I think could win best picture, it could even be the favorite after it's SAG win, but I doubt it will. Argo is a great flick but lacks the creativity and emotion that the top 3 do. Prepare for what some might consider an upset choice...

Hot Damn That Was Awesome!!!

3. Django Unchained: I freaking love Django. I was so pumped during this movie. Every time that someone deserving was killed, I was pumped. This film captures justice in a jar. Jamie Foxx once again brings it home as the protaganist, Christoph Waltz is as cool as ever, and Leonardo DiCaprio is as epic as ever. The tale of a slave turned bounty hunter killing the evil in the world is great. When he finally goes after DiCaprio in order to save his wife (Kerry Washington), it moves into the realm of amazing. Django tip-toes around a three hour runtime, but never feels like it. I never found myself to be bored because the gun fighting scenes were awesome. The script was on par with what we expect from Tarantino, but the show stealer was Samuel L. Jackson.He is superb in yet another Tarantino film and his character is absolutely cringeworthy, in the best way.

2. Silver Linings Playbook. SLP is one of my favorite movies of all time. Right now I think about it and feel anxious, but I want to laugh as well. This is the result of the amazing chemistry the actors have in this movie. Bradely Cooper as Pat is one of my favorite characters in any movie... ever. He is so damn neurotic yet heart felt, funny, and heart-breaking at the same time. Do I want him to win best actor? YES! His character just screams real world along with the rest of this movie. There is only one movie that got me more emotionally invested this year and it is the one that tops this. Before I get to that, I have to share a story about the film I am discussing. I first saw this with fellow blogger bobwinkle12, and our feeling about this film was mutual: Pure Unadulterated Happiness. We laughed so hard I could barely drive and it gave us such a rush of Euphoria. If you missed this film, unfortunately you have missed a lot. 

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild: For our blog audience this might come as a surprise, but my favorite Best Picture nominee was Beasts of the Southern Wild. Rarely, do I emotionally connect with a movie in the first ten minutes but here I did. I don't know if it is because of my surroundings, job,  or what but I felt instantly connected to this film. Beasts is a fantasy tale about a six year old girl named Hushpuppy, her abusive and unhealthy father, and her Louisiana home "the bathtub". Huhpuppy must be both a little girl, and hero to her friends and neighbors. Her adventure unfolds quickly and creates large amounts of anxiety through out. Her resilience is also a sign to anyone in a tough spot, that it can get better if you try hard an never give up.  Quvenzhane Wallis and the rest of the no-name cast are amazing and very believable. Their performances will make you both laugh and get teary eyed. To understand exactly what the cast and crew went through to film this you need to look up the whole story. You will be surprised and astonished at the work put in.

Best of Twentydoz

Best Vidya Games 2012

2012 was a pretty damn good year for video games.  Here’s a list of my personal favorite games that I played.  There’s some in the list that I haven’t gotten around to, so keep that in mind.

1. Borderlands 2  

There’s a lot I can say about this game, so I will.  I love it, and I love the experience.  The gameplay is tight, engaging, and very addicting.  The characters are what actually set this game apart from its competition, and really draw you in.  The game is even more fun to play with a group of friends, and it doesn’t take away from the experience in the slightest.  If you're looking for a game that's worth every penny this is it; you will play this longer than expected and actually enjoy it!  The best way to judge this game is that I’m still playing it.

2. Mass Effect 3

This shouldn’t come as a surprise.  Without a doubt one of the best trilogies of any gaming series ever.  This game feels like what war should feel like.  There’s a lot of anxiety, dread, and also a slimmer of hope.  The characters are really good, and I love catching up with former crewmembers in this game.  The fan-service in that regard is astoundingly great.  Looking back at my review, I was scathing of the ending.  Now, I don’t hate it; I got caught up in the moment.  It's the direction they chose to take with the ending, and you got to respect that.  The multiplayer was definitely an element I didn’t see myself liking, but I played it so freaking much.  I can’t see myself stopping either.  It’s incredible to see how much effort they’ve put into continually release more free content for the multiplayer.

3.  Far Cry 3 

The best way to describe this game is Skyrim with guns.  I really fucking love this game.  If I were to continue the comparison to the beloved Skyrim, I’d say FC3 has a more interesting story.  So BOOM.  Also, most bro hero ever? I think yes!  The story missions in this game are well designed, and INCREDIBLY fun. I think a lot of sand box games could learn from this game, like, that you don’t have to make story missions scripted, rather just simple and engaging.  I was totally captivated during the entirety of the game, and I was constantly exploring the islands looking for treasures and hunting animals.  Oh and you will have dreadful nightmares of sharks from this game.  We are treated to an extraordinary villain in this game named Vaas.  He reminds me of Joker a bit, but he’s unique in his own ways.  He’s very crazy, and he wants to kill you.  There’s a lot to be found in this game, and it’s mostly fun. 

4.  Dishonored 

I didn’t hear about this game until a friend of mine literally showed me it.  I was really impressed, bought it, and played it after I had my fill of Borderlands 2.  This game is awesome because it makes you feel so powerful for using stealth.  Dishonored plays as a stealth game in the first person; I know that doesn’t sound too appealing, but Dishonored works within its technical limitations and goes leaps and bounds beyond it.  It has its own, original, new universe, an alternate universe steam punk world with weird blood magicks (they come from harvest these other-worldly tentacle-faced whales!).  The gadgetry and magic really headline the gameplay in this game.  There’s some really cool stuff you can do, and you can even play the game without magic if you want.  My favorite is definitely blink which is teleporting (it’s the handiest), summoning rats, possession (you can possess anything from rats to people), and many more.  Everything about Dishonored story wise is very fascinating, and it becomes one of those games where you seek out extra information to learn more about the lore – talk about immersion.  I really liked the graphic style of this game; it’s very bleak yet very beautiful at the same time.  I actually liked that they made this game a mission based game rather than a sandbox game.  It makes you feel very cautious about your surroundings and explorative at the same time.  The game rewards you and punishes you in a very unique way, and I like the way the game creates chaos based on your actions.  The chaos level creeps its way into the story as well.   The gameplay is really tight, and the evolution of different powers and equipment make you feel very powerful and capable by the end of the game.  The game feel is AMAZING.  The rush of teleporting roof top to roof top, of sending a horde of rats to eat your foes, to even swashbuckling sword fights  it feels amazing.  Stealth games take note of Dishonored; they got everything right.  Ass Creed you are shamed.

5. XCOM: Enemy Unknown 

THIS GAME.  I had no interest in this game until Steam had it on sale.  I played it on Christmas Eve, and had a hard time putting it down.  This game plays a lot like Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics, or any Strategy RPG.  It feels so gooooooooood.  The basic concept is that you’re a leader of this secret group to prevent and research aliens.  They attack Earth, and you defend Earth.  There’s really not a whole lot story going on here, but that’s okay.  You have a lot of interaction with different manager characters and you grow a strong bond with your soldiers that you’ve named and customized after your favorite characters, friends, and family – Darth Vader was my one man army. XCOM treats your soldiers with the rule with if you die in battle you’re dead for good, so you grow a bond with your little soldiers.  This game will stress you out and make you feel like crap when you complete a mission at the sacrifice of one of your prized soldiers.  I had to put the game down a couple of times because I lost one of my more powerful characters, and had to start anew with a rookie soYou can intercept UFO’s with your fighter jet, which plays out like a Pokémon battle – very awesome.  There’s a ton of resource management as well.  You also have some tough decisions to make; do you protect Canada or Mexico?  Do you send laser guns to the Brits?  The game turns into a race to turn alien technology against them and save Earth.  It’s interesting because you can completely fail this game, sort of win, and win.

6.  Journey  

Journey is magic!  Don’t stop believing that.  I guess I ought to clarify; Journey is not a game about the beloved ‘80s rock band, but rather an almost spiritual journey of a robed character.  In a year where there’s been a lot of great indie games released, this is the cream of the crop.  I’m actually really impressed with Sony’s release of stream of great indie downloadable titles that are really great; Unfinished Swan, Sound Shapes, and some others.  Before I get any further, I want to give a nod to Fez because that is a really phenomenal ‘12 indie title.  At the very beginning of the game you spot a mountain far off in the distance, your goal is to reach it.  This game has a level of polish that is hard to surpass; its graphics, music, and gameplay are really top notch.  The game is pretty simple, you get from point A to point B; it can be completed in a couple of hours.  But this game is really about the experience there.  You ride on magical carpets, hide from scary ass dragon things, and avoid freezing to death in the high peaks.  There’s also this wonderfully magic element with the multiplayer; you interact with anyone who is playing on the same level as you.  Journey’s a bit different than normal cooperative play; you don’t know who they are and you can’t talk to them.  It’s so wonderful when you come across a seasoned veteran with what seems like a mile long scarf that can show you a couple of secrets and help guide you along.  Then he’s gone, and you’re freaking out at first.  Did he die?  Then you realize he decided to go on with his own journey, and you feel abandoned.  There’s something special about the multiplayer here, and it’s something we haven’t seen before.  I loved this game more than I expected.  I’ve talked to different peeps about this game, and it seems like everyone has a different take on what Journey means.  I love that about this game; it makes it special for everyone.  It’s really something when you reach the mountain. It’s the quintessential PS3 exclusive of 2012.

7. Max Payne 3 

As you read in my review, I really loved this game.  This game is a well-defined 3^rd person action game.  The controls are incredibly responsive, and the gameplay is both incredibly frustrating and rewarding.  The campaign is super solid, and it feels like an AAA gritty action film.  I really like that this game stands on its own; it doesn’t really require the player to know Max’s backstory or play his older games.  The music is so good. HEALTH outdid themselves on creating a heart pounding, gritty electronic music that certainly adds more to the game and its intense moments. The game-feel is sooooooooooo good in this game.  I think that and the story make MP3 on my top ten.  It’s responsive, and the bullet time shoot outs make you feel SO POWERFUL.  It’s like you’re a modern-day gun wielding demigod and you are slaying evil mortals.  The multiplayer is pretty solid to boot.  I’m really impressed that they devised a way to make bullet time feasible in multiplayer – it’s pretty sweet.  I think the multiplayer is kinda bad in the way that noobies can be steamrolled pretty easily, and it’s hard to get a handle on the game when everyone is better and have better gear.  Besides that this is a near perfect action game, and I’d recommend this to any fan of noir or action films.  MP3 is a tough game, but it’s rewarding and fun to keep ya around.

8. Hotline Miami 

This is such a fantastic game, and great effort for an indie developer.  I’ve spent a lot more time on this game than I ever anticipated, and I’m okay that most my time was spent on retries.  HM is not an easy game, but it has that hardcore old school feel that is not seen much these days.  I love the top-down strategic infiltration/action/slaughterhouse gameplay.  The game-feel is really good, but I have to admit sometimes it feels loose.  This is tricky to explain; it’s like you’ll intend for something to be thrown in one direction, but the reaction time from your button press to the action is delayed a little. I don’t know, maybe I got used to this later on in the game, but this is definitely my only beef with Hotline Miami.  I will say the music adds to this game; I still listen to the soundtrack!  The plot is very surreal and at times seems like it feels influenced by Clockwork Orange, and we’re treated to animal masked vigilantes.  It’s really trippy and awesome.  HM also boasts collection of unlockable animal themed masks that give you game-changing boosts and weapons; you earn them by completing certain score on levels.  There’s even a secret ending for true completionists! Anyone that’s a fan of the movie Drive will love this slick, 1980’s inspired blood-fueled massacre.

9. Spec Ops: The Line 

SOTL was hard to place on here.  I really like this game, but at the same time I loathe it.  I love it because how different it is for a military shooter.  I hate it for how bad it makes me feel; there’s moments in this game that will make you put down your controller and think about what you just did – killing doesn’t feel good.  Spec Ops does something that COD or Battlefield will likely never try to emulate, and that is give the player consequences for killing.  In SOTL, you and your two squadmates are ordered to go to Dubai during the worst series of sandstorms in the history of mankind to help the evacuation of its rich citizens and find out the fate of the 33^rd battalion of US soldiers that were originally tasked to evacuate this city.  So this game devolves into pure insanity as you continue your journey, and you’re tangled in this awful conspiracy as you discover that the 33^rd battalion is alive and roaring. I don’t want to give away too much more about the plot, yet I want you to keep in mind that this game captures the horrendous feeling of war.  Spec Ops game feel is good, I wouldn’t say it’s great.  It doesn’t play as smoothly as I’d like for a 3^rd person shooter, but I’m glad it’s not a 1^st person shooter.  It makes you feel more connected to your character and your allies.  The squad mates’ A.I. isn’t very strong, and you’ll end up doing most of the work in this game.  The guns feel heavy, and powerful.  The cover system is solid, and won’t mess up the flow of combat.  There’s a tacked-on multiplayer to this game, and it’s mediocre at best.  I wish they hadn’t added multiplayer, but I guess they were just trying to be competitive.  The graphics in this game are better than you’d expect.  I really like what they did with the sand (it’s no Journey!), but it can act/look dynamic at moments.  The sandstorm bits are harrowing and the graphics lend to this.  There are several surreal moments in this game that look stunning, and really add to the experience.  I chose Spec Ops not because it’s one of the best games of 2012, but rather it’s the game we needed.  I highly recommend this game to anyone who overlooked it. There’s an experience here that can’t be found anywhere else.

10. Walking Dead

 Like my fellow blogger, Hoeney McGraw, I loved this game.  But I have a hard time justifying it higher than ten on my list.  The reason I say this is because I feel like it’s less of a video game and more of an interactive movie.  That’s fine, but when it tries to be a video game it really struggles.  I feel like moving forward, onto season 2, this game should employ more and challenging puzzles and some actual gun/gameplay.  I think that could definitely add to the game.  Besides that little beef with this game, Walking Dead season 1, as a whole is absolutely amazing.  I actually feel like this game is better than the tv show at times, and it captures the desperation, angst, hope, fear, and hatred of the characters during a zombie apocalypse.  I would advise anyone who is fans of Walking Dead, zombies, or great narrative to give this game a try.  NOTE: Do not to play this in one sitting; it will make you depressed.

Honorable Mention:

Darksiders 2 

 I really, really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaally wanted to put this on my top ten.  I couldn't find a spot for Death on here.  I feel really strongly about this game on many different levels; the graphics, gameplay, and game-feel are incredibly well made.  It’s astonishing how poorly this game was received!  The chief problem with this game is its identity; it is a jack of all trades but master of none.  I think my only beef about this game is the story, and that’s because there isn't much of one in this gem.  You can definitely overlook this if you’re up for an adventure! R.I.P. Vigil Games.

Halo 4 

This is the Halo we were waiting for.  Well, let me clarify, this is the Halo I was waiting for.  I was a big fan of the first Halo game, and I can’t even count or begin to think how many hours I spent playing that game.  That was a game that will forever define what a great FPS should be.  I liked the second one alright; I generally liked all the additions and improvements upon the original.  Then we got Halo 3.  I hate this title so much; I feel like they changed so much of the game that I couldn’t get behind it.  It was Masterchief, but it was boring.  I dunno; I felt like they lost what was so special about the earlier titles.  I skipped this one, and briefly touched ODST and Reach.  ODST is not very good, and I can’t recommend it except for the Gears of War inspired Horde mode where you kill waves of Covenant.  Reach is aight, and I appreciate what they tried to do with it.  It didn’t feel like a worthwhile last hoorah for Bungie, and I was excited for a new developer to take the Halo mantle.  343 made the Halo HD remake.  I personally haven’t tried it, but I heard it sucked.  I was disappointed about this, and it made me wary of Halo 4.  I didn’t buy H4 until I tried it at a friend’s.  It blew me away.  The game-feel in this game is so right for an FPS.  You feel the weight of every single different gun.  You hear the different guns blazing while in combat.  You feel the swift gun-bunt when you slam it into the back of a grunt’s head.  It’s AMAZING.  Oh. Oh. OH. The graphics!  Halo 4 is the best looking game on the 360.  It blew me away.  When I popped it in for the first time I just stared at different stuff, marveling at the great detail in every little thing.  Oh my gun-jizzing-goodness.  It’s unbelievable.  I don’t understand how my 360 doesn’t explode when I press play.  Now the campaign isn’t exactly AAA, but I love the decision that we’re fighting a new species of aliens.  That was a strong decision, and let’s be honest; we’ve been waiting for new enemies and guns for ages.  Halo 4 is actually more about Cortana than Masterchief, and I’m not sure if that is a good idea.  I don’t particularly like this romance between the two of them, and it gets awkward when Cortana has a case of Tourette’s when you’re busy blowing baddies’ heads off.  There are a couple of vehicle-centric levels, and they’re good.  They do a great job of making you feel incredibly powerful.  One of the last levels has Masterchief piloting a spaceship, and plays like Star Fox.  That is pretty freaking awesome.  There’s not really a flying section like in Halo Reach (the best thing about that game, M I RITE?).  The multiplayer is super solid, and I think the change of zombies to flood was really cool.  I’m not really a multiplayer guy, but I’ve played this.  So that’s commendable in of itself.  The other mode in this game is called Spartan Ops, and it’s really bland.  I haven’t followed the story behind it, but it’s something about other Spartan warriors on a ship and they do jobs?  I dunno.  It’s really boring compared to the campaign.  This game is incredibly solid, but I couldn’t find a place on my list for it.

Paper Mario Sticker Star 

Allow me to begin with declaring my profound love for Paper Mario.  I'm a huge fan of the first entry into this unique paper Nintendo universe.  I played that game almost too many times (probably 30) when I was a kid, and I loved the gamecube sequel as well.  The Wii one doesn't count.  I think I loved them so much because it's an action-oriented turn-based RPG.  It's definitely in the vein of Super Mario RPG, and that's perfectly ok.  Now this 3DS version is very different than its predecessors in several ways.  1.  Every attack is based on stickers you collect. 2.  Resource management is key to this game. 3. There's a lot of secrets and puzzles.  I really fucking loved this game, but at the same time it drove me up the wall at how frustrating its mechanics can be.  There will be moments when you are forced to use up some super-awesome-powerful sticker on a group of baddies, then to find you're facing a boss without anything powerful to whomp on him with.  Alas, this is a small gripe.  I think this game is actually what developers should look back on how to make future RPG's.  It requires a lot more thought, and there is absolutely no level-grinding involved in this game.  It's amazing.  I highly recommend this game to anyone that owns a 3DS, and/or an affinity for sticky things.

BEST MOVIES 2012

I want to clarify, I am not the Oscars, I do not vote for the Oscars, and my list of favorite movies will definitely be the end all be all BEST movies of all time.  I also didn't see everything....Also, these are interchangeable except the top 3.

1. The Dark Knight Rises

Batman is the best.  Christopher Nolan ends the Batman trilogy triumphantly.  There's a lot of hate for this movie, and I really don't get it.  There's so much to like, and I think the problem is that we're constantly comparing Bane to Joker.  I personally feel that Bane is just as enigmatic as the Joker, but less chaotic and more sinister.  Bane, Catwoman, and John Blake were great additions to the series.  I can't even begin to describe how large my boner was when Anne Hathaway appeared on screen decked out in all leather as Catwoman. OOOOOOOOOO!  Dat ass. Anyways, I personally feel like this movie is more about what makes a hero, and what they struggle with to keep on hero-ing. For a super hero movie there's actually not a whole lot of action, but I savored the slow impending destruction of Gotham.  The last twelve minutes make my heart swell up like I'm watching a classic Disney movie.  Nolan really knows how to give closure to such a tremendous trilogy.  I LOVE IT.  (totallythebestbatmanmovie!!!!11)

2. Silver Linings Playbook

I initially went to go see this because the cast is a freaking home run (Robert Deniro, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and freaking Chris Tucker!).  I really had no idea what this movie was going to be about, and I gotta admit I was mostly surprised.  I mean, I knew it was going to be a romantic comedy of some sort, but I didn't know exactly what I was getting into.  Bradley Cooper plays as the main character, Pat, who is afflicted with bipolar disorder.  The film begins with his mother taking him out of mental health facility, and taking him back to their house.  Almost immediately we are treated to the beginning of the madness; Chris Tucker pleads with Bradley Cooper's mom to take him saying it's all good with the mental health facility.  But it wasn't.  So there's that, then we witness a lot of emotional breakdowns, and explanation to his back story.  He goes to his court-mandated therapist who plays "My Cherie Amour", and he loses his shit.  We find out that his wife cheated on him with another teacher (the both worked at a school), and on top of that it was their wedding song.  So every time he hears that song he goes berserk.  From this point on we learn that Pat has a silver lining playbook; he thinks that despite being sent to a mental hospital it will make him better for his wife Nikki.  He is obsessed with getting back together with his wife, and will do anything to do it.  Later on he goes to a dinner at his friend's house, and is introduced to JLaw's character.  She's the sister to Pat's friend's wife -woo. She recently lost her husband and her job (she was sleeping with everyone in the office!); so she is super depressed.  Pat's friends were trying to pair up this sad pair.  It doesn't really work, and Pat is off-put with the idea that JLaw would replace his Nikki.  So skipping ahead a lot, Robert Deniro aka Pat's dad, is a bookie and is on a winning streak.  Deniro wants Pat to stay around for good luck, but Pat is busy.  Pat devised a plan with JLaw to give Nikki a letter only if Pat is her dance partner for an upcoming dance competition.  Practice actually helps Pat, and he calms down tremendously.  Deniro ends up taking a bet for all his money with his friend on a football game with a sidebar on Pat's dance competition.  Without spoiling much more, this movie evolves from a romantic comedy, to a character study, family drama, sports movie, and so much more.  This movie stressed me out so much to watch just because how awful Bradley Cooper acts; he punches his dad in the face!  But, bro, this movie makes you feel so good.  All the pressure just melts away after watching the last scene, and it feels like everything is right in the world.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of romcoms, but this so much more than just that, it's a top-tier movie.

3. Wreck-it Ralph 

C'mon!  You knew this would make the list.  I love Disney.  I love video games.  This is not a half-assed movie, and it's so much fun.  Anyone who's played videogames in the past ten years will get almost all of the references and I guess the relevance(?).  Anywho, Disney created up this whole new classic arcade game called Fix It Felix.  Ralph is the bad guy that destroys a building, and Felix fixes the damage.  Ralph is tired of being a bad guy, and wants more respect.  He decides to go out into the other nearby game worlds to get a hero medal to prove that he isn't just a bad guy.  So freaking cool concept.  We don't get to travel to any recognizable video games, but we see a lot of cameos from video game stars like Zangief, Bowser, Sonic, that bar guy from that rootbeer game, Qbert, and a shit ton more.  Ralph goes to an fps world that totally reminds me of Aliens meets Halo, and we see the main baddies.  Little bug aliens, and the end up doing bad stuff.  I'm not going to talk a whole lot more about it plot wise, but this was a strong Disney movie.  I was really taken by surprise that this wasn't made by Pixar.  It's really charming, and there's a lot of detail to be found in each scene.  I was smitten by this movie.  It's such a good Disney movie, and it's great for anyone who likes video games.

4. Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino made a movie in 2012?!  Yup, and it was fucking awesome.  It was about this bounty hunter who teaches a freed slave to become a bad ass.  And I guess to save the ex-slave's wife too.  Oh and Leonardo Dicaprio is FUCKING NUTS.  I don't know how he didn't get nominated....BUTYEAH.  He's a psycotic slave owner who makes slaves fight each other and junk.  It's freaking crazy!  Ohoooooooh!  There's the best shoot outs in this movie.  The gunshots are so satisfying.  The blood. Ooooooooo.  This was my favorite action movie.  The plot's good, but not the best.  I got to admit, this is not that chatty for a Tarantino movie.....

5. Looper

Did you like Inception?  YOU'LL FUCKING LOVE THIS MOVIE.  Uh.  It's nothing like Inception, but this is the best sci-fi action awesome movie.  Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play the same character, but Bruce is the old one.  By that I mean, Bruce is sent back in time to be killed by JGL. UGH.  It's a time travelling movie, but it's really freaking cool.  I don't want to get into it too much, but the ending to this movie made my head explode.  It's so well-layered, in a good way.  Only complaint is JGL has a Bruce Willis CGI face.  This was a dumb idea.  I mean it was meant to seem that he looks more like Willis, but it looks weird because the audience already knows how JGL should look.  They should've gotten some unknown actor instead because we would be weirded out by CGI face.

6. Zero Dark Thirty

Looks like Hurt Locker all over again!  I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica Chastain (MOAR LIEK JESSICA GODDANG!) takes away best actress at the Oscars.  So I saw this purely out of everyone's hype for this movie, and I really like the movie title.  I wasn't really drawn to it, and since it was based in reality I had a hard time relating to it (that's a joke).  But this was pretty dang good.  It's kind of what I expected; a slow buildup to the discovery of Bin Laden.  But it was really worth while.  If you paid attention to major events in the past twelve years you'll have a basic understanding as to what's going on in the movie.  Now, I don't know how factual this movie actually is, but it's not too factual because I didn't fall asleep.  This is a well done movie, and I really got into it as the movie progressed.  I was hype as shit when *HISTORICAL SPOILERS* they killed Bin Laden.  I was really hoping Andy from Parks and Rec was going to get the 'shot', but that's something left for my dreams.

7. The Cabin In The Woods

I don't like scary movies.  I didn't want to see this movie.  I saw this reluctantly on DVD after it was released.  This movie is essentially an homage to what horror movies are, and poking fun of it.  It's really not a scary movie, and it's actually cool to see the monsters come on out.  This movie was a lovely surprise, and I highly recommend it to anyone.  I guess not children....

8. Avengers

I'm a nerd, so I flocked to this movie like syrup flocks to pancakes? Uh anyways, this movie is the definition of a summer movie; crazy action, funny one-liners, and lots of explosions.  I could really nitpick this movie, but I had so much fun watching this.  And it's literally the first supergroup movie ever made, so that's a big deal in of itself.  

9. Seven Psychopaths

SP is the movie that probably no one heard about unless they had their Walken-radar at the ready.  This movie is about Colin Farrell who is a big-shot writer, and is desperately trying to work on a new book.  He hangs out with Sam Rockwell who plays one of the titular seven psychopaths, and is just a lovable goof that doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.  Then there's Christopher Walken who plays Rockwell's dognapping partner.  Well, they dognapped Woody Harrelson's (he's a big, bad mob boss) cute doggie, and insanity happens.  The thing I really loved about this movie is that there's stories inside of stories when Farrell's trying to create stories for his new book.  Without spoiling anything, there's a lot of plot twists, crazy action sequences, dream sequences, and drug sequences!  I really enjoyed this movie.  I thought it was going to be a dumb movie, but it was fantastic!  Sam Rockwell acts superbly in this!

10. Prometheus

I know I probably shouldn't put this movie on my list, but I really liked it!  I'm a massive Aliens fan, and this was a really fun prequel.  Having said that, there's a shitload of flaws with this movie.  I think that's ok if you keep in mind that all the Aliens movies have really dumb people in it.  Like really dumb.  I gotta say Prometheus does have the DUMBEST characters, and it's frustrating to begin to think why they couldn't run to the left.  But there's a lot of mystery to this movie, and every time I watch this movie I get confused and excited.  Something about those feelings make me feel like a child discovering something new and exciting.  Also, this movie looks so fucking good.  The CGI makes me jizz.  I am fond of watching this movie with people who hadn't seen it because the debates afterwards are primo - kinda like Looper/Inception.  

Honorable Mention:

Frankenweenie

This is the Tim Burton/Disney movie we've been waiting for since Nightmare Before Christmas.  I would've placed this on my list, but Cabin in the Woods and Prometheus kinda are both monster movies.  I love monster movies, but I couldn't place Frankenweenie on the top ten. I enjoyed this movie mostly because it's the first Burton movie in some time that has some heart.  It's really unique; it's black and white stop-motion movie set in 50's.  It's about this boy named Victor who loves his dog Sparky.  Sparky gets hit by a car, and Victor is devastated.  He gets inspired by his loony Russian science teacher to test the bounds of science, and via Frankenstein, Victor revives Sparky.  Sparky's kinda a zombie dog now, but Victor loves him nonetheless.  There's an upcoming science fair, and competition is stiff.  Victor's classmates hear rumors about Victor's experiment, and they perform the same on their deceased and living pets.  So we're treated to a whole bunch of awesome classic monster movie references; werewolf, godzilla, gremlins, vampire, and so much more.  This movie was really clever, and had a great message.

21 Jump Street

This really ought to have been on the top ten.  This was the funniest movie of 2012.  I can pop it in and still get lots of laughs from it.  Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill have a great chemistry, and are genuinely hilarious. This is pretty much Super Bad but the kids became the goofy bad ass cops.  I think that's the best way to put it.  

Skyfall

I liked this movie.  It had the best visuals in a Bond movie yet.  I got to admit for a Bond movie, this was the least Bond movie ever made.  The last stand scene stuff comes to mind.  I digress; I had fun and Daniel Craig is a badass. Javier Bardem was equally crazy and bad ass; great Bond villain. Am I the only one super stoked they killed off M? WHOOOOOOOPS.

Music

So I actually didn't listen to much new music this year.  I don't think I could comprise a list of ten albums, so here's ten songs! yeah! YAY! *Note: I have kinda shitty taste in music*

1. Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine?

2. Two Door Cinema Club - Literally anything off Beacon

3. Tenacious D - The Roadie

4. Kendrick Lamar - Backseat Freestyle

5. Frank Ocean/Earl Sweatshirt - Super Rich Kids

6. David Byrne & St. Vincent - Who

7. Walk The Moon - Anna Sun

8. Sleigh Bells - Comeback Kid

9. TNGHT - Higher Ground

10. Wallpaper - Stupidfacedd/ Mackelmore & Ryan Lewis - Thrift Shop