Welcome to the dark side

   

     Or perhaps the emo side would be more accurate.  But more on that in a minute.  I really wanted to love Star Wars.  I went in expecting to be blown away, and for the most part I was.  The acting and special effects were top notch.  The storyline flows pretty smoothly for the most part, and it was great to see Han Solo and Chewie back in action.  (Yes they're my two favorite characters from the original trilogy).  There were a few miss-steps, however, that seemed completely avoidable.  Kylo Ren, for example.  The actor did a great job, no complaints.  He was a little emo but I blame the director for that.  I was completely buying it until I learned he was the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.  In no reality, if those two had a kid, would he look like that.  Tall, olive skinned, and black hair?  I don't think so.  That little thing called suspension of disbelief?  Just went right out the window.  In a movie about magic, essentially.  I don't know why, but it just seemed like an really odd casting choice to me.  Shouldn't they have picked someone at least halfway believable?
     Another thing that bothered me was Han Solo's death.  This is more a personal thing, since he is one of my two favorites.  But why bring him back just to kill him?  It was traumatizing and very sad.  Then everyone was like "oooo they found Luke Skywalker."  No offense to Skywalker fans, but I could give two shits.  Give me Han Solo back!  Ok end of that rant.
     Just one more thing bothered me about the film.  (This is the last one, I promise.)  Rey defeating Kylo Ren in lightsaber combat?  Unlikely.  Sure she can use the force, but so can he and he's had a buttload of training.  It'd be like me picking up a sword and expecting to defeat a medieval knight in combat.  (Sort of.)  I'd get my butt handed to me.  And the move where she kept trying to hit Kylo in the shoulder with the tip of the saber?  What is that called again?  Perhaps the "I have no clue what I'm doing"?  Ok I'm done now.  Will I go see the next Star Wars?  Absolutely.  For the most part it was a very enjoyable film.  Let's just hope it's got a few less kinks than the Force Awakens.

Return of the King

   
     Ok bad pun I know.  PS plus members got the first episode of King's Quest free this month so I thought I'd check it out.  I played King's Quest 6 a long time ago and have fond memories of that game.  The new one is just as fun.  The artwork is gorgeous and the voice acting is top-notch, with Christopher Lloyd voicing the king.  The story is told by the king to his granddaughter, so it's kind of like a bedtime story, which is cool.  No, you're not too old for a bedtime story, get over yourself.   The puzzles so far are very, very simple to solve.  I haven't finished the first episode yet so I'm hoping they get a little harder.  The framerate does stutter a little but it's not enough to ruin the game.  If you liked the original series definitely give the new one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Assassins Creed Syndicate review in progress

     Against all better judgement I picked up a copy yesterday.  Pretty sure I've mentioned how much I used to love this series, so I thought I'd give it one more shot.  Unity was a low point in a franchise that's been sinking for awhile now.  I think they should've wrapped it up at the end of 3 when Desmond saved the world.  The historical settings are awesome but without the modern story to tie everything together it's been lacking something.  And no, there has been no modern story to speak of in any of the games after 3.  So I wasn't expecting much.  I was pleasantly surprised by Jacob and Evie.  They're a little more fleshed out than Arno and Shay were.  Arno in particular was a dink, but I digress.  I don't know if there will be more to the modern storyline since I haven't gotten that far yet.  I did get to see Shawn and Rebecca breaking into Abstergo, but that's it.  I'm really hoping the story just blows me away because let's be honest that's the main reason most people play Assassin's Creed.      Running around 1800's london is awesome; as usual it's a beautiful game.  The free running still has the same issues as the rest of the games and the combat is basically the same.  It's very easy, even by Assassin's Creed standards.  I'm hoping it gets a little more challenging later on.  The stealth is a lot of fun and adds some challenge if you want to collect on all the optional objectives.  Also who doesn't want to run around hunting down Jack the Ripper?  I don't usually buy the DLC for Assassin's Creed as they usually seem blah to me.  And really, how can they top Ezio's speech in Bonfire of the Vanities?  That was the last one I bought.  But I think I'll be picking this one up as it looks amazing.  I'll give my final thoughts when I finish the game.  In the meantime, happy assassinating to everyone!

Thoughts on horses real and imaginary

So I went horseback riding this past weekend.  Now as a gamer I have certain (unrealistic) expectations of how horseback riding should go.  When I ride a horse in a video game they respond to my every command promptly and happily.  And they can climb really steep hills.  Not quite how it plays out in real life.  It doesn't help that what I know about horses could fill a thimble.  I do know the basic commands: how to stop, turn, etc.  So I'm always baffled when the horse ignores me and does exactly what it wants.  On this trail ride I had a horse that would shake his head every time I tried to get him to do something.  His name was Shaker, appropriately.  It was funny and frustrating at the same time.  I love horses and I wish I had the time and money to actually learn to ride.  Alas I do not, so I think the next time I get an itch to go horseback riding I'll just pop in Red Dead Redemption and go riding around Mexico.  I don't have to deal with obnoxious trail guides and I get to go to Mexico in the 1800's.  Can't beat that!

Finished Witcher 3

     I finally finished the main quest for Witcher 3.  Woohoo!  I really liked the ending, it was a little sad but it was well written.  (In case you haven't figured it out there will be spoilers ahead).  I got the ending where Ciri becomes ruler of Nilfgaard and I chose Yen as Geralt's love interest, so altogether I think Geralt and Ciri both got what they deserved.  Well maybe not since Yennefer is one cold bitch but I had more respect for her than Triss so that's who he ended up with.  I really wish Vesemir hadn't died, he was one of my favorite characters.  It's kind of depressing walking around Kaer Morhen after the credits have rolled.  There's no one left at all.  I believe that CDPR said this was the last Witcher game they were making, so maybe the author will write more stories.  I doubt it but I can always hope!

     The only complaint I have with Witcher is the combat system.  Those boss battles were a pain in the butt, and not in a good way.  I don't mind hard boss fights, but I do want a responsive combat system to back me up.  I find it incredibly frustrating when I dodge and Geralt just stands there.  Or when I have to press the button twice to get him to drink a potion.  Happened more than once.  But overall I enjoyed the heck out of it and I'm looking forward to Hearts of Stone.  I am going to take a break from Witcher for a bit before I jump into the DLC.  I just got Far Cry 4 so I'll mess around with that for awhile.  Then I'll go back to cursing like a marine while trying to get Geralt to actually throw a bomb.  Just throw the bomb, damnit!!!

Need ideas/suggestions

So I need help with something. I'm trying to find a game that is for four people, and they can play the entire game together. I voted for Star Wars battlefront but none of my friends are especially fond of PVP. So that's out. Also no Destiny. We've done Destiny to death. Anyone have any suggestions? Winner gets a cookie. (A good cookie, not one of those crappy ones).

Ash Vs Evil dead

I watched the first episode tonight.  I've been a fan of Bruce Campbell since I was a kid.  I loved
Brisco County Jr, and pretty much everything he's been in.  Heck, it seems like half the TV shows I watched as a kid had him in them.  His appearances on Hercules were great.  So I had to at least give it a try.  I'll be honest, I almost turned it off a couple minutes in.  But I stuck it out and I'm glad I did.  It stays true to the feel of the original movies and it's great to watch him back in action.  By the end of the show I was loving it.  I hope it sticks around, I can't wait for episode 3.  Hail to the king, baby.