Shmee.Me

January 22, 2014January 22, 2014

Hone That Killer Instinct!

This is mostly a hands on since I don’t play fighting games a lot. I mostly keep them around so that when friends come over I have something to destroy them with. Killer Instinct from Double Helix and Microsoft Games is perfect for that. It is free for the game and one character, and you can pay for whichever other characters you want. You can pay $20.00 for the base roster of characters, and then pay for new ones that come out if you want. Alternatively you can pay $40.00 and get everything as it comes out for no added charge.

This is kind of a new pricing model for fighting games, and I am a little torn since I love to have everything, but on the other hand it is letting you pay for exactly what you want. If you don’t like a character, you don’t have to have him. If you only want a couple characters then they are all you have to pay for. That being said $20.00 to $40.00 is a reasonable price range to pay for game these days.

That is enough on how much the game can cost, lets get down to how it plays. Like I said before, I am no fighting game connoisseur, but I think it is a very fun game. I like the diversity in the characters, and I like the moves. It feels very responsive. The game looks great. It is a 2D fighter rendered in full 3D, and there are tons of cool particle effects when you pull off that awesome special move. I have looked around the web, and I am apparently not the only person that feels that way.

The only downer is that at the moment it is a little sparse on gameplay modes. There is no story mode, or anything like that, but they said that they will be adding one once they have released all the characters. It isn’t a big deal for me since I use fighting games as party games, so I have no need for a story mode.

Killer Instinct is a fun game that does exactly what I need it to do, but some might find it lacking. I think the $20.00 deal is the way to go, unless you really need to have everything. At the very least it is worth downloading the free character.

January 21, 2014January 21, 2014

Get Creeped Out By The Conjuring!

I don’t watch many horror movies. I can probably count the number of them I watch every year on one hand, but The Conjuring was supposed to be one of the best horror movies from last year, so when my friend asked me to watch it with him I agreed. I am happy that I did because for the first two thirds of this film it really delivers the chills.

The story is based on the case files of the real-life self-proclaimed Demonologists Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren. Who are trying to help the Perron family deal with the haunted house they are living in. The Warren’s must race to deal with this spirit before it kills the Perrons.

There have been about eight billion haunted house movies made, and I am pretty sure that I am not exaggerating, but as a credit to the writers, the 1970’s non-funny Ghostbusters feel of this movie keeps it fresh. The fact that these were all real people does make it that much more scary as well.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play the Warrens just right. They are skeptical of people when they need to be, and they are sympathetic true believers the rest of the time. They made the Warrens feel like real people. Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor play the very frightened Mr. and Mrs. Perron to a tee. They are scared and confused just like anyone would be in this situation.

The eerie imagery this movie delivers was always putting me ill at ease, and I was constantly trying to convince the people on screen that they were doing the wrong thing, but they just didn’t want to listen. To be fair, stupid movie people never listen to me. This movie might be worth it just to see the horrifying objects that the prop crew found and came up with.

The only problem with this movie is towards the end when we get a good look at the being that has been scaring us the whole time. It is a let down because it is not half as terrifying as what has been in our heads, but still the first part of this movie is so good that it is easy to forgive a small slip up at the end.

If you are looking for something to give you chills, The Conjuring delivers. It has creepy imagery and a fresh take on a very well trod premise. I probably don’t need to see another haunted house movie for awhile, but I can only hope that when I do that they find a way to top The Conjuring.

January 20, 2014January 20, 2014

Can’t Stop The Wolverine!

The Wolverine was one of a multitude of superhero movies that came out in the summer of 2013, and for me it kind of got lost in the shuffle. But recently a friend let me borrow the extended edition Blu-Ray of the film, and considering how bad X-Men Origins Wolverine was, I am glad that he did because this film was much better.

When a man from Logan’s (Hugh Jackman) past contacts him, The Wolverine will finally be fighting for his life. He will have to come to terms with his own immortality, and see if there is still something inside him worth living for.

The story is simple. Someone wants to take the Wolverine’s extended life for their own, and he has to decide that after all these years if he truly wants to continue living or not. However, the simple setup allows the story to really dig in to who Logan is, and why he has been fighting for so long.

Fox struck gold when they cast Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. He is perfect for the part, and now that he has played the role five (sort of six) times, I cannot see anyone else take his place. If he ever decides to walk away from the character I don’t know what they will do. The rest of the cast is good in this movie as well, but this is really all about The Wolverine, so without Jackman’s perfect Logan, this movie would have not been a success.

The action scenes are also top notch, and they for once let Wolverine loose to slice and dice his way through his enemies. I guess in the standard cut some of these scenes were cut down so the film could achieve its PG-13 rating, and that is a real shame because the blood really adds to the visceral nature of Logan’s fighting style. It is a credit to director James Mangold that he was able frame all the action shots so wonderfully.

If I wasn’t excited for X-Men: Days of Future Past before, this surprisingly good movie has amped up my excitement even more. I can’t wait to see how the Wolverine’s character evolves even more when he is sent back in time to save the future. This movie shows why Wolverine has always been the core of the X-Men.

January 17, 2014January 17, 2014

Exploring The Broken Age! (Part 1)

Broken Age will always be remembered as the game that made Kickstarter a reasonable way to fund video game development. Other games had done it before, but none of them had garnered as much attention or earned so much money. Broken Age, then known as Double Fine Adventure, raised $3.45 Million dollars with over 87 Thousand backers. Now developers raising money on Kickstarter is a daily occurrence, and since then, there have been several multimillion dollar projects backed. Was all the attention and money worth the end product? Yes it was! Well at least the first half of the game that they released was.

The game follows a teenage girl named Vella as she tries to defeat a monster that is threatening her village, and a teenage boy named Shay who is trying to break from the confines of his over protective ship. They both must solve a series of puzzles and riddles to achieve their goals.

As with any point and click adventure game, it lives or dies based on the story, and I am happy to say that the writing in this game is superb. It is funny and charming, and it really makes you care about the two leads. There have been very few games that have made me love the main characters as much as Broken Age has, and it pains me that I have to wait for the next part to come out to finish their story.

The puzzles are not as random as adventure games from the 80’s and 90’s, so there isn’t any throwing cheese in a well to stop green lightning. Plus this is more a Lucas Arts style adventure, so you cannot get stuck or die. No Sierra dying the dessert here. This might make it a little too easy for hardened point and click gamers, but for someone who is just nostalgic for those days, it is perfect.

The artwork is wonderful. They tried to make the game look like a living painting, and I think for the most part they have succeeded. Everything looks wonderful. This is one of those games that show good graphics does not equal more polygons.

Considering this is the first adventure game from Tim Schafer since the release of Grim Fandango, it is a real winner. Double Fine has continued its trend of making the most charming games on the market, and I cannot wait for the second half of this game to come out. I think this game is a must play, even if point and click adventure games are not your thing; maybe especially if they are not your thing, so you can see why we remember their hay-day so fondly.

January 16, 2014January 16, 2014

Feel Safe With The Brooklyn Nine-Nine!

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a sitcom about a group of dysfunctional cops working in the 99th Precinct. It is made by Universal Television and airing on Fox. I had my doubts about this show due to the fact Andy Samberg can get annoying, but he works well in this show, and it is probably the best new sitcom on TV. The Golden Globes seemed to agree, giving this show two statues.

Samberg plays Detective Jake Peralta who is quite immature, but surprisingly effective at catching bad guys. He is always competing against the also effective Detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero). The show starts when the new captain, Ray Holt (Andre Braugher) takes over the precinct, and he tries to get everything back under control much to the chagrin of Peralta.

The reason this show works is that while Samberg is definitely the star, the rest of the characters stand on their own, and they are able to carry on a conversation that is not about Peralta. Since Samberg can be very irritating, it is nice that the show doesn’t completely lean on him, and gives us a break from his antics.

Now having good sub-characters only works if the cast is good, and the people making Brooklyn Nine-Nine really put together a great one. Andre Braugher, Terry Crews, and Joe Lo Truglio probably all could have had their own shows, so to get them to lend their talents to this show was quite an impressive piece of cast directing.

With all the cop shows on TV these days, the idea to make sitcom out of one was a brilliant idea. It plays off everything we know about police procedurals, and it gives Fox another winning comedy. If you need a laugh brought to you by a talented cast and crew, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine might just be what you are looking for. I haven’t regretted tuning in yet.