Game Review: Braid (PC)

Braid is an indie game that was released back in 2009. Over the years, it has received much fanfare and has always been a game that I have wanted to try out. Although it is not a long game (it took me around 4 hours to complete), Braid was definitely worth the time invested in it.

The story follows a man as he makes his way through various worlds with the goal of saving his princess. His goal in each world is to collect pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. There are a total of five jigsaw puzzles, and thus five different worlds, to complete before he can find the princess. Throughout the game, the story is revealed through storybooks as you effectively play a silent protagonist who can do some quite cool things with the game mechanics.

The game mechanics involve the ability to turn time forwards or backwards. In later levels, these abilities are expanded with specific areas and items that are not affected by your time-manipulation and a portable slow ring that slows everything around it. Every puzzle in Braid offers a fresh environment and challenge so that things never become stale. The puzzles themselves are a good example of thinking as well as reflexes as you use your few actions (jump, change time) to try to get to areas that at first look inaccessible. Each different game world is built around a different game mechanic.

The game looks great. Although it is only a 2D game, each of the characters and animations are well done and look vibrant and alive. The games music and sound effects add to the experience. There is nothing that really makes each level look unique and the few enemies repeat themselves. However, due to the designer offering a fresh puzzle with every level and avoiding any levels as padding, and how well the graphics are done, the game never felt stale.

Due to the freshness of each level and the challenge of the levels, I can see why Braid received so much fanfare. The story is well presented and has a good ending. The game mechanics are well incorporated into the levels meaning you can do some interesting things in the game. Overall, Braid is allot of fun.

4.5 Time-Displaced Waffles out of 5.

Movie Review: White House Down (2013)

White House Down is a very solid yet rather forgettable action film. It stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx as the main hero characters. White House Down reminded me of the early Die Hard movies or films such as Never Back Down in that the main hero isn’t some sort of quasi-super-soldier or a hero above reproach or error.

The story of White House Down follows a group of terrorists who take over the White House for various reasons. Unfortunately for them, their plot coincides with the day Channing Tatum, playing an army veteran, happened to be attending an interview for the secret service. His daughter also accompanied him and they are taking a tour of the White House when the terrorists execute their plot.

Jamie Foxx plays the president of the United States and it isn’t long before him and Channing Tatum are teamed up and taking on the terrorists. The confrontations with the terrorists are always tense encounters because neither Channing Tatum nor Jamie Foxx are treated as super-soldiers. Even a single terrorist poses a significant challenge for the duo to take out and they are often out-armed, and as I mentioned, they are not above making mistakes and errors in their dealings with the protagonists (including one instance of a grenade being kicked back at them).

The chemistry between the duo of Jamie and Channing is very important to a movie like this. I found that the light-hearted banter and running gags between the duo enhanced the film. Both characters acted like believable characters and the injection of some comedy with the banter kept the movie from becoming too dark and serious (and subsequently dull). Plus, they also made this hilarious song (which also stars Miley): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPOUgobWTT0.

Some of the supporting characters, and allot of the movie, does suffer from being slightly forgettable. Although it has a smart plot (with some good twists) and good performances, it never really elevated itself above being just a good action movie. The villains were largely generic (although this is explained by the story) but they did nothing to distinguish themselves. That is not to say it is a bad movie. Sometimes a good action movie that doesn’t go too deep is all you need.

4 Channings all over my 5 Tatum Waffles.

Book Review: Limitless

Limitless is a book by Alan Glynn written in 2001 (called The Dark Fields on its first print through). It was turned into a major motion picture starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro a few years ago. The set-up of Limitless is that there is a drug that the main character, Eddie Spinola, acquires that is effectively a steroid for the brain muscles. As Eddie becomes a genius at pretty much anything he puts his mind to, he also starts to encounter problems. As always, minor spoilers follow.

Eddie uses his enhanced mental capacity in order to make money and become a mover and shaker in the world. However, most of the problems he encounters while taking the drug seem reminiscent of plot devices. Although in the story there is a good reason that Eddie does not know the drugs side effects (he more or less accidently stumbles on a stash of the drug), some of his characterisation seem to be there just to advance the plot. For example, his reckless impatience when on the drug leading him to get involved with a dangerous loan shark seems to be forgotten about once this plot device is set-up. The convenient plot devices don’t overshadow the story being good or the good character writing of both Eddie and the supporting characters.

The supporting characters were also the victims of inconsistent characterisation in some places. Normally written as very fleshed-out characters, some of their decisions leave allot to be desired. For example, some of the most powerful men in finance do not bother to do background checks on the new, middle-age prodigy rising up through their ranks before letting them in on some of their biggest deals? However, for the most part, the writing style is well suited to the book and it never felt like it dragged.

Alan Glynn’s style of writing really fitted well with the character that he was trying to portray with Eddie Spinola. Although he is very sparse in his descriptive writing, I really got the feel of a character which alternated between being in over his head and a character which was well in control of the situation. The illusion of him being in control is well and truly shattered by the end of the book. The conclusion is very different from what was in the movie. In the context of the story, I think the books ending was a much better fit to the overall theme of the story.

Although Limitless is a very good book, there were some inconsistencies in the characterisation of the main characters and a sometimes heavy reliance on convenient plot devices in order to advance the story. The writing style and overall story, however, were good enough to keep the book entertaining to the end and I felt the ending fit the theme of the book better than the movie’s more optimistic ending.

4 out of 5 genius-pill waffles

Movie Review - R.I.P.D

R.I.P.D. is exactly what it looks like. A fully predictable yet freakishly bonkers movie that seems born of some kind of brainstorming L.S.D. session that then got distracted by the power of CGI pixels rather than story. The movie opens with a cop Nick Walker (Reynolds), having an argument with his partner, Bobby Hayes (Bacon), over whether or not to turn in gold they found at a recent drug bust. Walker is immediately  killed by Hayes during a shootout.

Nick is recruited by the RIDP. On arrival he is greeted by the  Proctor, played by Mary Louise Parker, who is easily the best part of the movie. She plays the part completely straight yet brings this scary yet perky character to life with loads of offbeat lines.

The R.I.P.D. specializes in catching 'deados',  which are renegade spirits who roam the Earth and have an extreme aversion to Indian food. Nick is now demoted back to rookie status as he is  the department's newest arrival. and in typical M.I.B style he is partnered with legendary gunslinger and R.I.P.D. veteran sour puss Roy Pulsifer (Jeff Bridges ).  

I actually enjoyed the first half of the movie due to the chemistry between sad cupcake Reynolds and cartoon cowboy Bridges. It is just a shame that they never build that relationship up. You're introduced to some fun concepts like how the characters look different in the living world so as not to cause suspicion.  The concepts for the deados are pretty cool but, in comparison, it is disappointing that the afterlife police officers are a tad dull. It  just looks like someone installed bright white lights to symbolize that this is meant to be the good side. Mix that together with some truly over the top action scenes and the first half is solid fun.

After that the movie flatlines. All that energy just runs out as the story becomes boring and predictable. You’re left watching  action scenes that don't really serve a purpose, unless that purpose was to show of the power of pixelated mayhem. That would have been cool if I where  living in 2001 again.  R.I.P.D has the same problem Star Wars Episode 1 suffered from. It has overuse of computers to create characters and worlds that look like a unicorn threw up pixelated rainbows everywhere. I wish they had spent more of the budget on creating a visual unique world. All you're left with is Bridges and Reynolds  fighting a bunch lifeless CGI deados.

At the end of the day R.I.P.D relied too heavily on pretty shiny things to tell a story. The acting wasn't Oscar worthy but they did a very good job in their respective roles, it wasn't the funniest thing I've ever seen but I did laugh on the odd occasion. I am sure if this was made in the 80’s it would have been a fun romp through the afterlife, but there are far too many movies around today that look better and tell a better story.

2 and half pixelated sad Ryan Reynolds waffles out of 5

Clothing Review: My New Pax Beanie

So I have returned from the first international PAX in Melbourne Australia in possession of a new beanie. I outlayed $25 for this beanie, so I guess the question is whether it is worth it.

First things first, this beanie is very warm. I had it on while watching Pacific Rim again yesterday and it felt like an electric blanket was giving my head a nice, warm hug. It is also nice and easy to get on and take off, so from a pure utilitarian point of view this beanie gets perfect marks. It does everything you would expect from a beanie.



So onto the decorations on the beanie. The beanie is reversible with a light blue, smiley side and a darker, angry side (refer to photographs within this article). On the angry side, there are also two wings with plastic infill to keep them straight with a good definition. When the wings are folded on the inside, they are not uncomfortable at all. I really like the colours here and both sides maintain a very fun, cartoony feel. The darker side has the wings and a bigger mouth while the lighter side is a bit more restrained, so I think both sides balance eachother quite well.  Both sides also have ears.



One downside of this beanie is a lack of aerodynamics. With the dark side out, I tried flapping the wings multiple times by nodding my head vigorously. Despite all this, I didn’t take off and fly. Therefore, the wings are only there for decoration… Unless someone else with more skill points in head nodding managed to take off.

Overall, I really like this beanie. I really like the look of both sides and it is the warmest beanie I now own. I would have preffered if it was a bit cheaper than $25, but for a very popular event clothing piece I do not regret buying this. It is currently my first choice of headwear for any gaming or geek event I will attend in the future.

Signing off,

The Wafflepunchers.

Comic Review: Kingdom Come (Complete Series) in Episodic Format

Kingdom Come has a reputation as a modern comic book masterpiece. With this in mind, I have decided to read through the complete series. What follows is a brief breakdown of each of the comics that compose the series as I decide whether the reputation is deserved or if it is overhyped among comic aficionados. I have written this as I have read each chapter, so later events have not coloured my interpretation of earlier events. As always, spoilers will follow.

Chapter 0: Introduction and Foreword by Eliot S. Margin

 I thought the art was really strong here. I liked the look of the aging icons all standing together. I am also now expecting Captain Marvel to fight Superman which could be epic if handled well. Also, the foreword really sets the tone, with lines like:

“It is about the time in the lives of Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Batman and the others, when they learn that they are not gods. And it is about the time in their lives when finally they learn that despite their limitations they must be potent and responsible anyway. Now is the time in the human race when all of us need to learn these same things.”

So far so good. I am really looking forward to this.

Chapter 1: Strange Visitor

This chapter started a bit wordy, but then it eased up as I got into it. I really liked the art style here of the kind-of pastel painted / realistic tint to the characters. This chapter followed The Spectre, a sort-of avenging angel in DC, as he effectively chooses a moral compass to try and prevent Armageddon. It also sets up the premise of the story of the super-hero icons abandoning the world and the new breed of “heroes”. These “heroes” are not acting like heroes without the guidance of what the old heroes represent. I felt the pacing of this story was good for an initial chapter and look forward to seeing what they do with it.

Chapter 2: Truth and Justice

Once again, I really liked the art style in this book. As part of this story, The Spectre provides allot of narrative exposition. However, I found that this worked due to how it was set-up with him effectively trying to judge the world. This issue directly deals with the themes of superheroes as gods walking amongst us. It is also shows the struggle of Superman as he tries to reclaim his place in the world and be a hero while all the new “heroes” are shown acting no better than the villains. There is also the backstory of why Superman left the world (after a new hero, Magog, killed the Joker. This followed the Joker’s latest rampage which killed Lois and 91 other people. Despite this, Superman still tried to bring him in for justice). As more old heroes and villains are introduced (Luthor, Batman, Green Arrow) and their motivations (as well as existing characters motivations, such as Wonder Woman) are set-out and expanded upon, I am quite intrigued with how this is heading.

This chapter, however, was very narration heavy. I am hoping they slowly move to a more show-don’t-tell policy with the comic as the various characters are set-up and the plot continues. This chapter also had a couple of cuts between scenes that confused me a couple of times. But overall, another solid issue that has me looking forward to the next chapter.

 

Chapter 3: Up In The Sky

This is another solid chapter that once again advanced the story and raised the stakes. In this chapter, we see Batman’s and Lex Luthor’s plans advance. The growing rift within the new Justice League is also explored, particularly between Wonder Woman and Superman. This chapter also explores the thoughts of Superman and him wondering whether he is doing the right thing. I also thought it improved on the show-don’t-tell as this chapter felt less narrative heavy while still fitting in plenty of story and character development. Once again the writing and art style really suited the tone of the comic, and I am once again looking forward to the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Never-Ending Battle

The concluding chapter of Kingdom Come. The Spectre finally asks the human he recruited as his moral compass on whose side he should act, with both sides having grave consequences. We also see the fight between Captain Marvel and Superman as well as the Justice League fighting with superheroes who refused to comply with Superman and his value for life. Humanity also shows that they are willing to take radical measures to stamp out the superhero threat once and for all rather than be willing to lie down and let others decide their fate.

Although I really liked the art previously, I felt that allot of the splash pages and fight scenes were very confusing. This art style definitely stumbled when it came time to showing action. This was offset by the comic having a well-written payoff and a satisfying conclusion. My only criticism is that, despite being a central part of the conclusion to Kingdom Come, Captain Marvel feels more like a plot device than a proper character, but this is only because all the other characters are written so strongly. In a weaker comic, I would have thought he was very well written.

Chapter 5: One Year Later

This short comic just sees the reunion of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman following the end of Chapter 4. It was a good for what it was and didn’t take itself too seriously. I also felt it got the dynamics of a relationship between Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman right, as it has done with the rest of the comic.

Conclusion:

Overall, I found Kingdom Come to be very enjoyable. I enjoyed reading about the exploration of what Superman and the other superheros mean to the rest of the world by the ideals they stand for, not just their brute force. The plot was well driven and the characters were well written. Kingdom Come relied on the characters to drive the plot as opposed to having the plot drive the characters to acting out of character. Although it was a bit narration and exposition heavy towards the beginning, I thought the writers found a good balance towards the final chapters once the world was established. The art style fitted in well with the tone of the comic. I would recommend Kingdom Come to everyone and his dog because it rightly deserves it’s place up there with the classics.

6/5 honey-coated, beautifully cooked waffles. That is not a typo.

Fire Emblem: Awakening revolves around two things: Complex tactical combat and sweet, sweet romance. It’s a turn-based tactical role-playing game like Final Fantasy Tactics, but with a twist: As your combatants fight alongside one another, they can fall in love. If you keep them paired up, they’ll boost one another’s stats, have conversations (called Support here) and they can even get married and have kids in a weird Back to the Future kind of way.

One of the biggest downside of the game is the story. I still have no idea what the story in Fire Emblem: Awakening revolves around at all. After the first pretty 3D intro I just would skip any story element, and then proceed to just create my own disjointed Game of Thrones like story instead with hookers, blackjack and a journey to get rum and raisin ice cream. So it might have been more a Harold and Kumar meets Game of Thrones like story. Every Once in awhile I did return to the games actually story, only to skip immediately to continue with my own. 

The Support conversations are pretty fun and give a bit of insight into characters. Each one is charming in their own special way although sometimes they border on the cliché. In reality it is just the Fire Emblem hook-up mechanic. After being paired up to a certain character long enough the 2 character decided its time to get married. Then some way in the middle of the game this romance of characters pays off.As the game introduce time travel to the story, you can get special future children. So after spend about 2/3 of the game leveling normal characters you are given new ones with similar stats but at a significantly lower level (which means better everything pretty much as they level up to an equivalent level), so you are forced to level your old characters  a bit or find almost immediately worthless in the coming chapters. I’m looking forward to doing another play through to get to see all the combinations of children that your bunch of romantic time warriors can produce. 

The combat revolves around a pretty a simple system. The usual strategy game rock beats scissors beats paper beats rock kind-of system. Once you really get down to grinding, it's a perfect balance of time consuming and rewarding. I've restarted a fair bit because of permadeath. It's fun, but it's frustrating fun not happy go lucky fun.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is an immaculately designed, rewarding, and difficult strategy game. With all the love and marriage, it offers something fresh and it is one of the best strategy games on any system, and certainly one of the best games on the 3DS.

3.5/5  Future Waffle Children.