Tag: video-games

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League- When Game Development Turns Out To Be A Waste of Time

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Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has been one of the year’s biggest talking points within the gaming industry. It’s been coming to be one of the biggest gaming flops of 2023 thus far, losing Warner Bros over $200 million for the first quarter of the year. Despite being in development for nearly a decade, the long-awaited installment in Rocksteady’s successful Batman: Arkham series could not have been more of a critical and financial disappointment if they tried.

For months to even years, many folks have spectacled just what the hell went wrong behind the development of this game and why it took so long to come out. This was set to be Rocksteady’s next main game after concluding the Arkhamverse in 2015 with Batman: Arkham Knight. After the success of that series, it seemed like they could have done ANYTHING and leave plenty of folks excited for what was to come next for the studio. But yet after all that time and waiting, they come up with Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, a game that basically puts all of the worst trends in recent memory in terms of gaming development and pop culture all into one, basically making it doomed from the very start.

Recently, there was an article that was published by known gaming insider, Jason Schreier, which he interviewed over 20 folks from Rocksteady that were part of the creative team of Kill The Justice League to get a sense as to what happened with the development history for this game. And let me tell you, there is some juicy, JUICY stuff in here! Not only going into great detail about everything wrong when it went to making this game but just how you can’t help but feel like Rocksteady wasted nearly a decade of time and money to a game that was basically dead on arrival.

I’m not going to go word-by-word of what was reported by Mr. Schreier but I will certainly give a cliff notes version of what was stated in that article. I will provide a link at the end of the piece of that article along with other sources that have info on what went behind the scenes for Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.

  • After Arkham Knight, Rocksteady’s co-ceos Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker set out to make an original multiplayer puzzle-solving game, codenamed Stones.
  • However, Warner Bros was eager to get a Suicide Squad game out ASAP after the 2016 movie was a big hit at the box office.
  • WB Games Montreal already had a Suicide Squad game in development for a few years but it wasn’t coming together. Warner Bros then approached Rocksteady to helm the Suicide Squad game by the end of 2016 and they agreed. This put an end to the development of Project Stones and WB Games Montreal’s involvement with this Suicide Squad project.
  • Rocksteady began development on the game in 2017 but were entering unfamiliar territory, as neither Hill or Walker had experience making online multiplayer games nor did they do much research on it or even played much online multiplayer games beforehand.
  • Nevertheless, they decided to make Suicide Squad an online multiplayer game with live-service elements added to it.
  • When the duo confirmed to the rest of the studio they would be making a live-service multiplayer Suicide Squad game, new hires of Rocksteady were SHOCKED by this, resulting in many of them leaving the project as that was NOT what they signed up for.
  • Due to Hill and Walker’s inexperience with making online multiplayer games, that led to big chunks of the scripts being scrapped and the studio struggling to convey the ideas that the co-ceos had in mind.
  • Devs would have to wait for weeks to months for Hill and Walker to review their work and provide feedback, which caused constant slow downs in production.
  • The constant delays made staff members want to abandon the project, as barely any progress was being made in development.
  • Rocksteady adopted a “Toxic Positivity” policy, where no criticism of the game was allowed, with management kept going on to it’s staff about how the game will turn out great no matter what by the final stretch, just like it did with the prior Arkham games.
  • Hill pitched an elaborate vehicle system that allowed for players to equip their vehicles with weapons and navigate the streets, similar to the Batmobile in Arkham Knight.
  • This BAFFLED the staff as the Suicide Squad members already had their own means of transversal through the skies and wondered why the players would chose to patrol through the streets of Metropolis in a large vehicle over quicker methods of transversal. This idea would later be scrapped.
  • The visions of the leaders kept shifting throughout development, most notably going from an emphasis on melee combat to focusing heavily on gunplay.
  • Changes like that left the staff confused as to why a character like Captain Boomerang would carry around a gun as his choice of weaponry instead of just…..you know….a BOOMERANG, like the name of the character states. However, Captain Boomerang with a gun would stay in the finished product.

And here is some behind-the-scenes info that came from another notable source in the gaming industry, Miller Ross. This goes into the spoilers of the main plot for the game. If by some chance, you haven’t been spoiled yet and don’t know what happens in the main plot of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, then click off this article RIGHT NOW because I’m about to dive deep into the controversial decisions in the story.

  • It was Sefton Hill, the mind behind Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy (JUST SO YOU KNOW!), that acted as the lead visionary behind the story and premise of Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.
  • The story 100% came from Hill, who took inspiration from Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, with the main campaign acting as Infinity War and the post-launch seasons would act as Endgame.
  • The plot was designed to make the audience believe that the heroes did in fact die for real and the bad guys actually won, creating a shocking twist and setting the groundwork for the post-launch seasons.
  • Developers at Rocksteady BEGGED to include hints that the Justice League were not actually dead to avoid inevitable backlash but Hill was persistent, wanting to keep it a complete surprise.
  • Future seasons is set to see new playable characters that will join the fight with the Suicide Squad to eliminated the remaining Brainiacs, including Mrs. Freeze, Deadshot’s daughter, and Deadstroke.
  • Each upcoming season will have the player resurrecting a previously fallen member of the Justice League.
  • Season 2 will resurrect The Flash, Season 3 will resurrect Green Lantern, and Season 4 will resurrect Batman (still voiced by the late great Kevin Conroy, who did record lines before his passing).
  • This will all come together with Season 5, which will see the Justice League resurrected and coming together to stop the final Brainiac.

And now in regards to the aftermath of all this and what awaits the future of Rocksteady and Warner Bros, going back to what was stated in Jason Schreier’s piece.

  • Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker left Rocksteady in 2022 to start their own gaming studio, which is now titled Hundred Star Games.
  • Their departure SHOCKED the staff at Rocksteady, giving little to no hints that they would abandon ship right before the game was scheduled to come out in 2023, which would again get delayed to 2024.
  • Hill and Walker told the staff that they wanted to make games of their own and free of the mandates and pressure from Warner Bros, giving the confirmation that they will no longer be associated with WB or their franchises.
  • Despite the financial failure of Kill The Justice League, Warner Bros do NOT plan to layoff staff members at Rocksteady and are committed to releasing the remaining seasons of the game.
  • Because Rocksteady is more understaffed compared to other gaming studios they collaborate with, WB doesn’t view layoffs for them to be necessary.
  • Rocksteady staff are now working on a director’s cut for Hogwarts Legacy, the best-selling game of last year, while some members will commit to complete the remaining seasons for Kill The Justice League.
  • The newest leaders at Rocksteady are currently planning to pitch a new single-player game to Warner Bros, hoping it will bring the studio back to its roots.

It’s also worth noting that both Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker declined to be interviewed for this story.

So……..yeah! That is QUITE a development history! When taking all of that info into account, it’s no wonder why this game was in development for so long and why it turned out so bad?! From WB handing the Suicide Squad torch to a studio that had ZERO experience with making online multiplayer games to visions constantly changing to the developers having to wait FOREVER for feedback on their work to the founders literally bailing at the last minute in order to avoid consequences, is it any wonder why the finished product turned out to be as half-assed and half-baked as it comes? There are plenty of great games out there that were able to overcome troubled development, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League was certainly NOT one of them!

To make matters worse is just imagine all that time and effort that could have went into something COMPLETELY different! Imagine if Rocksteady spend the last seven to nine years crafting a game or even multiple games that are actually worthwhile and involves them doing what they do best! Just imagine if we got that Arkham-style Superman game that everyone wanted for them! Imagine if they made a Batman Beyond game, that follows the plot threads of the Arkhamverse in a RESPECTFUL way! Imagine if we got a proper Justice League game where we had to take down the Suicide Squad members ourselves instead of the other way around! Heck, there’s some folks out there that would even take a sequel to Urban Chaos: Riot Response, the first video game they ever made and their only video game that doesn’t involve Batman in some way! Instead, we all exist in the elseworld where we just got Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League from Rocksteady! And man, does that all feel like a waste of time!

And that is the worst part of all of this is! Whenever a game has been in development for as long as it has, you have to make sure it has the proper payoff and success that you envisioned! Otherwise, you just get a sense that the entire development cycle felt like a GIANT waste of time! All that time, work, and effort put into a product that was received poorly and failed financially! It’s bad enough when that is just a couple of years but when you have put nearly a full DECADE into something and it turned out so bad, well….that’s just a full decade of your life you will NEVER get back! And I imagine that’s the exact feeling that Rocksteady is feeling right now with Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League.

It’s bad enough that development of Triple A gaming is now longer than ever in this day and age. Instead of a traditional two to three years of development, it now ranges somewhere between four to five years! That’s why you are always seeing teasers for games when they first get announced and then you literally hear NOTHING about that game until at least two or three years later on down the road! Ex.) Insomniac with Marvel’s Wolverine, Monolith with Wonder Woman, and MachineGames with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. You don’t hear much from them until much later on because they are no where close to being done! That is why it’s apparent that video games turn out as great as they should to not only justify the 70 dollar price tag but also justify the long as hell development cycle of it. When it doesn’t, you get games like Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, a game that was a waster of time to not just the players but also the developers who made it.

Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League should act as a perfect example of what NOT to do when developing Triple A games. The whole idea and premise of a game where you play as the Suicide Squad and literally kill the heroes of the Justice League was questionable at the start and it was only made worse with what Rocksteady put out after over seven years of work! WB should have NEVER given this project to a studio that was known for making single player experiences, Sefton Hill and Jamie Walker should have done more research on developing these online multiplayer live-service games and brought in staff members who had that experience and they CERTAINLY should have known better to rely on tiresome trends that was going to be dated by the time the game was released. Making games is already hard enough as it is but it’s even harder when so much time goes into making a game and it brings very little satisfaction to players and the companies themselves.

While I’m glad that Warner Bros will not layoff staff members from Rocksteady, both sides are going to have to work BIG TIME to win back the trust of gamers everywhere! A pitch of a single-player game and developing a director’s cut of Hogwarts Legacy is a good start but they have a LONG way to go before being trusted to deliver high quality games again. We can all only hope they learn their lesson with Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and never feel obligated to put this much time and effort into a project which does not suit their reputation whatsoever. If not, then I look forward to them throwing another decade of development away in favor of chasing the trends from the 2020s! Let’s all hope we don’t have this exact same talk when Insomniac releases Thunderbolts: Kill The Avengers in 2035, which will have Peter Parker being shot and killed by Screwball!**

Jason Schreier’s Full Article

Miller Ross’s Tweet About The Story Direction and Spoiler-Filled Plans For The Upcoming Seasons

Batman Arkham Videos on What Happened with Suicide Squad and What’s Next for Rocksteady?

**That’s actually gonna happen, isn’t it?!

Top 10 Favorite Games of 2023

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Well, better late than never I suppose! This list took me a long time to put together because I had to to actually play through all the games I wanted to that came out last year in order to make this list. And I also wanted to take my time with each one of these games so I can properly enjoy them without the need to rush through them in order to get the list out at a certain time. I currently don’t work for any big new sites that requires me to have a end-of-the-year list out by the end of the year so why not just take my time and make my list when I’m good and ready! In this case, I am ready now to share my picks of my top 10 favorite games of 2023.

There has been much controversial surrounding the gaming industry as of late, particularly with the amount of layoffs that are happening, developers and designers being overworked and crunched to death, and a good majority of video game making staff could be replaced with A.I.. All of those are MAJOR problems that I have brought up in the past and will continue to do so as long as it remains a problem. However, in this case, I would like to take a break from all of that and celebrate the best of what gaming had to offer in 2023.

2023 was an AWESOME year for games, the most exciting year for new games in quite some time. It was a year that had just about of everything for every kind of gamer out there. I did my best to play as many games as I could and particularly played through the games that actually peaked my interest. After all, if I’m gonna be spending 70 dollars on a game, it better be something that I know I’m going to play the HELL out of and enjoy. Thankfully, there were at least ten games that did just that for me!

A full disclaimer, there are certain highly acclaimed games that I did NOT get around to either because I didn’t have the budget for at the time they came out or they just didn’t interest me in general. These include games like Alan Wake 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, and Hogwarts Legacy. I didn’t play those games because I couldn’t make time for them and they didn’t interest me enough for me to buy them. I might get around to those in the future whenever they come out at a good discount but they will not be on my list.

And before we get to the main top 10, I do have a couple of honorable mentions:

  • Mortal Kombat X

Even though I’m FAR from the best at fighting games, I always enjoy playing them. As far as this game is concerned, it gave me all that I crave for a fighting game. The combat and fighting is fun, the new mechanics work well, and there’s plenty of variety in terms of maps and the incredible roster of characters. The only downsides are the needless microtransactions and costing a few extra pennies in order to play as certain characters such as Peacemaker. It doesn’t revolutionized the Mortal Kombat series or fighting games in any way but if you find a reasonable price, you will have a good time with this one.

  • Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake

After reviving the best SpongeBob game to date with Battle for Bikini Bottom, THQ Nordic followed that up with a highly original game of their own with The Cosmic Shake. This put an interesting multiverse spin of the underwater world of SpongeBob SquarePants, fighting your way through each wish world as SpongeBob, along with Patrick as a balloon, in order to save their friends and bikini bottom. It’s heartfelt and colorful, the combat and platforming is incredibly enjoyable, there’s plenty of well-earned fan service throughout, and this might be the most I’ve laughed at a children’s game in a long time. Perhaps if you got to play as the other characters aside from just SpongeBob, this would have made it on the list. Even so, in an era where Nickelodeon has been making plenty of questionable decisions with our favorite yellow sponge, it’s nice to see THQ Nordic show true respect to the character, perhaps the best that the sponge has been treated since the passing of Stephen Hillenberg. I hope he is still resting in peace.

  • MLB The Show 23

This was actually the game I put the most hours in throughout 2023. That is because whenever I feel lazy and want to play a game without thinking to much, I either play through my team on season mode or find someone online to play an exhibition match with. It’s just something I like to past time with until I get bored. There’s not much to say here other than it’s basically what the MLB The Show games have been since forever. If you love baseball and/or sports games, you likely loved this one too. If not, then I don’t know why you even bothered.

But yeah, those were the honorable mentions. Now onto to the main top 10!

10.) Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2

Are my nostalgic googles completely on for this one? Yes, and I have no shame in it whatsoever. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is able to fully live up to its name and proudly does justice to the numerous franchises from our childhood that is being celebrated here. It’s able to improved upon the shortcomings of it’s predecessor along with providing enough new and unique elements of it’s own to make this a genuinely great platforming fighter. The single-player experience is fun with a good amount of challenges, the fighting system is giving much more depth than before, the new slime mechanic evaluates the combat to a whole new level, the roster of characters could not be more impressive, and even the campaign, while very minimum, makes for an enjoyable nostalgic trip down memory lane. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is able to deliver exactly what it says on the package and it could not be any better for it.

9.) The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog had quite a handful of games that came out in 2023. However, between Sonic Superstars, Sonic Dream Team, and the New Horizon DLC for Sonic Frontiers, I found The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog to be the most satisfying. This game came out on April 1st last year on the PC, strictly as a April Fools Day prank. Little would I know that this would be one of my favorite games of 2023 and one of my favorite Sonic games in a while. To put it simply, it’s Sonic and his friends in a murder mystery party. I would tell you more but that would spoil all the fun to be had with this game. Just know that this is a very well done visual novel and point-and-click adventure made with a lot of love from the SEGA Social team, who clearly loves Sonic as much as the fans do. If that sounds like your jam, then please go download this game right now on your PC if you haven’t already. It’s 100% free!

8.) Super Mario RPG

The remake of the original Super Mario RPG does exactly what a video game remake is suppose to do. It’s able to take everything that worked about the original game, expand upon it’s concepts and gameplay, and updated in a way that it feels like a fresh and unique experience, almost as if you are playing it for the very first time. Thanks to keeping the great gameplay, fun story, breezy pace, and charming characters that the original had, it is able to show it’s age incredibly well, translating near perfectly to the Nintendo Switch. Some might argue it could have used a bit more new content along with it, but for newcomers, Super Mario RPG should be able to delight them the way it was able to delight fans of the original back in 1996.

7.) Final Fantasy XVI

It’s incredible how after over 16 mainline installments and a slew of remakes and spinoffs, the Final Fantasy franchise is still able to feel as fresh and different as it is. Final Fantasy 16 is able to take this long-running series to the next step, a step forward in terms of the franchise’s overall narrative and technical achievements. The combat is simplistic but it’s still fun to slash and dice your way through enemies, the graphics are at a whole new level of impressive, the RPG elements is still top-tier for it’s genre, the soundtrack is one of the best of 2023, and the story delivers some of the best emotional moments and characterization in this entire franchise. Even if the side quests left a bit to be desired, the overall main campaign could not be any stronger. Final Fantasy 16 is proof that this franchise still has yet to lose any steam and still continue to find ways of delivering quality games.

6.) Pikmin 4

I have never played a Pikmin game before this one. As a matter of fact, the only reason I bought this game at all was so I had a new game to play while I went on vacation last year. That turned out to be a very smart decision because Pikmin 4 was an absolute blast of a game that makes me want to check out the other ones. It’s just hard to NOT get sucked into this colorful world of charming creatures that will always follow your command to get the objective done. I like using my army of animal minions to counter any enemy that gets in my way, discovering any hidden treasure, and finding my way to cross certain paths. I loved all these Pikmin so much that it was hard for me to choose which one was my absolute favorite. Even if I’ve not played the other games, I can only imagine that is the charm and formula that fans have come to love about the series. Some might consider the game too easy but for a newcomer like me, Pikmin 4 was able to win me over big time, providing yet another great entry to a stack of quality games for the Switch in 2023.

5.) Star Wars: Jedi Survivor

After delivering the 2019 galactic surprise hit that was Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, Respawn was able to make lightning strike twice with their latest follow-up, Jedi Survivor. This was able to build upon it’s already impressive predecessor in just about every way it possibly could. It furthered the characters, it expanded upon the gameplay and the Star Wars universe, it moved at a faster frame rate, it took a step forward in terms of graphics and technical achievements, and it contained some of the best set pieces in any Star Wars video game to date! While it wasn’t as tight narratively as the first one and the worlds were a bit too big for some, Jedi Survivor was able to deliver more in terms of it’s gameplay, graphics, and presentation, perhaps more so than any Star Wars game up to this point. This was one of the first games I got for my PlayStation 5 and I was not disappointed in the slightest. If the third game is able to deliver just as well as the first two Jedi games from Respawn, then this series will stand strongly as one of the best Star Wars media out there, along with one of the best Star Wars crew out there with Cal, Merrin, Greez, Cere, and the LOVABLE BD-1.

4.) Super Mario Bros Wonder

Just when you think that the Mario series has run it’s course after so many different Mario games release over the past several decades, Nintendo proves yet again with Super Mario Bros. Wonder that they in fact have plenty of more tricks up there sleeves. This is yet another superb and quality Mario game, making for perhaps the plumber’s finest 2D outing since Super Mario World. It’s able to expand on it’s level design, worlds, and power ups further than any prior 2D Mario game while acting as one that can stand perfectly on it’s own two feet. The levels are fast paced and fun, all characters are a delight to play as, the music is amazing, the graphics are beautiful, the new voice cast does a find job, and the Wonder Flower power-up stands out as one of the best and most unique power-ups in any Mario game. I don’t know why it took Nintendo this long to put out a new and fresh 2D Mario game or just a new Mario game in general but it was absolutely worth the wait. Even I can’t live to see the Super Mario Odyssey 2 that I so desperately want, I can at least say I had Super Mario Bros. Wonder which will make me die not only happy but trippy!

3.) Resident Evil 4

Yes, this is another remake. No, I do not care whatsoever because it still manages to be excellent. Resident Evil 4 is able to provide an upgrade that is more than worthy of the original’s reputation, which is quite an accomplishment considering the original RE4 is considered by many to be the best out of the franchise. Capcom is able to delivery another quality RE remake and makes RE4 the best one out of the bunch so far. It’s more action-driven gameplay is able to translate very well to next gen consoles, the updated combat that allows Leon to move and fire his weapon at the same time as well as block is a genius move, Ashley is giving a lot more to do this time around and doesn’t just feel like a distraction, and it’s able to provide all the improvements and additions needed to make this remake feel like a brand new experience. Like most Resident Evil games, you do have to “get” the level design and structure in order to enjoy the full experience. If you are able to do that, then Resident Evil 4 will satisfy you in ways you wouldn’t even expect. There’s been plenty of video game remakes out there and Resident Evil 4 is easily up there as one of the very best.

2.) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Just when you thought that Nintendo couldn’t do any better this year than with Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Bros Wonder, and Pikmin 4, they were able to reach that new level of peak with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Following up with the masterpiece that was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this will able to match those incredibly high expectations and in many respects, surpassed it. It’s never been more satisfying to control as Link in this incredibly massive open world, exploring more caverns and sky islands than ever before. The fluidity of both Link’s movement and combat, along with new powerups, makes playing through all these islands an absolutely worthwhile experience. Even in the parts where you may get lost and the pace slows down, there is always something to do in both the side stories and the main campaign, with it’s incredibly strong narrative being able to stick with you the whole way through. It’s debatable as to whether or not it surpasses Breath of the Wild entirely but Tears of the Kingdom is still an excellent follow-up, showcasing the power and quality of games that the Nintendo Switch has provided over the past several years.

1.) Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

I was looking for every reason to NOT put this at #1. However, when it comes to the game that I played through the most, thought about the most, and had the most fun and excitement with, I can’t think of any other game from 2023 that fit those criterias for me than Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. This is as good as as a Spider-Man game to get and just how good a superhero game can get in general. This is Insomniac Games reaching a new level of peak, being able to achieve the kind of greatness they always tend to reach but also find new and satisfying ways to do so. The story is incredibly engaging and worth following the whole way through, the gameplay is as polished, perfect, and RIDICIOUSLY fun as ever, the combat and web swinging has never been more satisfying to use, the graphics have never been more of a treat to the eyes, the soundtrack is a new definition of peak, and the voice work is some of the best performed in any video game. Whether it’s the very best superhero game of all time is still up for debate (I still have Batman: Arkham City as my #1) but no doubt, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was able to hit all the right buttons for me and gave me everything that I crave for as a massive Spider-Man fan. It’s games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 that remind me why Spider-Man has always been my favorite superhero and one of my favorite fictional characters in general. I can’t wait for the next game, Marvel’s Wolverine, and whatever else that Insomniac has cooking for the future.

Top 12 Video Game Shows

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With the recent releases of video game shows such as Fallout and Knuckles, now is a good time to talk about what I consider to be the best video game shows ever made. Despite all the constant negative reputation surrounding films that acts as adaption of well-known gaming franchises, I think most would agree that there has been an enormous quality leap for those in recent years. Perhaps it has to do with more cast and crew involved with these projects nowadays that actually have a knowledge and respect towards the property it’s based on but, it’s definitely nice and refreshing to see better video game adaptions come out as of late, especially after several years of folks claiming that video game just can’t work in movie or show form whatsoever.

Now that some more video game shows is now out available for streaming, I’m gonna talk about 12 video game shows that I believe are legit good and are worthy of their source material. A friendly reminder that I am only referring to shows that are STRICTLY adaption of video games and not just ones that have video game elements to them. And if you are wondering about video game based movies, I already did a list of my top 15 favorite last year that I will leak a link for at the end of this piece. Right now, let’s talk about video games shows that actually got it right!

12.) Sonic Boom

Sonic the Hedgehog has had quite a bit of shows to come out throughout his history. There are those 90s kids that grew up with Sonic Satam and Sonic Underground, there’s the 2000s kids that had Sonic X, and we also now have the 2020s kids that have Sonic Prime and recently Knuckles as their generational Sonic shows. However, it might just be the 2010s kids that have been the luckiest as Sonic Boom is the one cartoon that got the most right about the Blue Blur and his friends.

Even though the games which the shows was based upon ranged from underwhelming to just plain awful, the show contains some of the best and wittiest writing the franchise has ever seen. Putting the spotlight on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, and a new character named Sticks, it was able to be the best kind of Saturday morning cartoon, using the smart humor, beautiful animation and non-stop action to show the best of are colorful cast of characters. Oh, and there’s even a sequence where Knuckles talks about the importance of gender equality, bringing out the feminist side of him! If that right there is not enough to impress you, then what is wrong with you?!

11.) The Cuphead Show

While the Cuphead games contained the Walt Disney-like animation that work for a show, I believe very little actually assumed that it would have enough substance to carry an entire show. However, this adaption helmed by Netflix was able to surprise die-hard fans and even newcomers alike.

Granted, it resembles very little of the actual story or gameplay of the games. Instead, it operates as a throwback to that traditional hand drawn animation which it’s own style is clearly based upon. It’s all about Cuphead and Mugman going on adventures together and getting themselves into trouble alogn the way. That allows for all the traditional boss fights from the games to appear along with a handful of new characters thrown into the mix. While it acts more as trying to capture the medium than the story and gameplay of the games, The Cuphead Show is still able to keep that cheerful and uplifting feel of the games.

10.) The Witcher

This might technically be cheating as The Witcher started off as a book series before being adapted into a role-playing game. However, there is no doubt that the Netflix series itself has had a big impact on the franchise and games it’s based upon so it’s worth a mention.

This is a show that is basically a tale of two halves. You got the first half which had Henry Cavil front and center leading an adaption that was able to adapt it’s medieval-like setting as best as it could with it’s tone and feel, progressively getting better as it goes along. However, after Cavill’s departure and having Liam Hemsworth to take over the world, the show hasn’t felt the same since then. Whether that’s down to the casting replacement or forgetting what made itself work, the series has not hit the same since then. Had it keep that constant momentum, this could be ranked much higher on the list. However, when The Witcher is good, it’s quite damn good and remains as engaging as it can be.

9.) Gangs of London

Far from the most famous video game out there, this British crime drama is actually an adaption of a PlayStation Portable exclusive that came out in 2006, the third installment in the Getaway series. Even if you take that out of the way, it works well as it’s own interesting crime drama.

Gangs of London follows the trouble that has emerges among the streets of the capital city of England, following the assassination of an influential mob boss. The search to uncover the mystery of this murder might be pretty bloody and violent along the way but plenty of focus is presenting shady deals, tense atmosphere, and street-level politics. If crime dramas are your jam, this will definitely suit your cravings.

8.) Carmen Sandiego

Here’s a video game adaption that has perhaps slipped under the radar to many folks out there. After all, I don’t think anyone would expect that a show adaption based off of educational series of video games could make much for it’s own show. However, this Netflix exclusives series was able to work quite well as that.

Featuring a very recognizable cast with the likes of Gina Rodriguez, Finn Wolfhard, and Dawnn Lewis, Carmen Sandiego is able to provided a nice Indiana Jones-like spin, where it’s about the protagonist searching for certain McGuffins along with learning a valuable lesson or two along the way. This might be a very kid friendly show but there is definitely something in here that adults can get into as well. There’s not many folks out there that are aware of this show’s and even games’ existence. But now that you know, check out Carmen Sandiego whenever you can and I believe you won’t regret it.

7.) Twisted Metal

With an adaption of a series of games that is as crazy and wild as it comes, you would expect a show to be able to live up to that feel with not much difficulty. And you would be right entirely!

Twisted Metal is a video game show that was able to breath new life to it’s 1995 gaming counterpart. Aided by an engaging lead with Anthony Mackie, it’s able to successfully translate the dark humor and explosive action that had become a staple of the franchise while giving itself it’s own unique personality and feel to the whole thing. If you are burned out by cheesy, over-the-top action movies, this might not be for you. For everyone else, this will you give your cheesy, over-the-top action movie fix. And it’s all the better for it!

6.) Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Yes, Cyberpunk 2077, the game which this was based on, was quite polarizing at it’s 2020 launch due to it’s infamous glitches and technical problems, only recently becoming a respected title after the majority of those problems got fixed. That doesn’t change the fact that Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was able to be a big success right out of the gate in 2022.

Whatever missed potential the original game may have had is greatly fixed here. Fully utilizing a techno megacity that is run by crime and corruption, what is able to carry the series the most is it’s unique visual style, standout action sequences, and a frenzied narrative that is easy to get hook by. Regardless how you feel about the game to this day, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is able to work for fans that stuck along with the game since launch and those that love a good sci-fi anime.

5.) Pokémon

When compared to other video game adaptions out there, this can be seen as The Simpsons or SpongeBob SquarePants of video games shows. A long running animated series, expanding upon multiple generations of fans but still has sustained enough popularity and success to warrant going on for as long as it has had.

Released just one year after it’s very first gaming installment, this animated video game adaption was able to expand upon the characters, world, and lore of Pokémon in ways that the games could never do. The colorful creatures of any kind get their time to shine, there’s more humor and comedy throw in, the battles are more of a visual treat for the eyes, and the world has never been better expanded upon than it has been here in regards to Pokémon. Despite the humongous success of the video games, I’m willing to bet Pokémon wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it was today if it weren’t for this show.

4.) Castlevania

After a handful of decades since the franchise first actual game, the animated adaption came around and was able to be the best possible version of itself. Even with it’s animation style clearly being inspired by anime, it is different just enough from traditional Japanese animes that it doesn’t quite qualify as that. None of that changes the fact that Castlevania works very well as it’s own animated series.

As it’s best, the show’s biggest strength is the ability to balance horror, mystery, and action without losing it’s cohesion. Complimented by stellar fight scenes and well-done character development throughout, it at times feels like watching cutscenes from one of the games in the BEST way possible. By being able to capture the game’s most important elements and fitting it all to a compelling narrative, Castlevania works wonders as it’s own show. It may not be quite an anime, but I bet even the folks in Japan were very happy with this series.

3.) Fallout

The recent smash hit of a video game show that just began streaming on Amazon has been one of the most delightful surprises of 2024 thus far in terms of entertainment. Fallout was able to work greatly as an adaption that honored the source material is was based on (despite some potential retcons here and there) while expanding the overall world to new audience members all around the world.

Aided by an INCREDIBLY likable and talented cast with Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Walton Goggin’s Cooper Howard, and Aaron Clifton Moten’s Maximus, this series puts the focus on a handful of scrappy survivors fighting their way through a nuclear apocalypse in different parts of a retro-futuristic America. Even with it’s rather serious stakes throughout, the show never forgets to be lighthearted and fun when the moments require it. With a perfectly balanced tone, engaging protagonists, and top notch production values, Fallout earns itself a spot as a new gold standard for video game adaptions and shows.

2.) The Last of Us

Despite it being based on a video game series, it was a no brainer that The Last of Us could perfectly work as a it’s own show. After all, the games themselves aren’t so much driven by the gameplay but by the deep narrative and resonate themes that has made fans attached to the franchise. And it’s those reasons and more why this HBO Max series is able to work as well as it did.

While it does stay as close to the source material as possible, enough changes are made that are justified and contribute greatly to what the series has always stood for. Joel and Ellie are arguably a more likable pairing here than they were in their own respective games, portrayed wonderfully by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as the series allows for their relationship to be more fleshed out along with the other characters of old and new we meet as the show goes on. If there was somehow any doubt that The Last of Us could NOT work as it’s own show, this adaption could not have prove those doubters more wrong if it tried.

1.) Arcane

I will say straight up front. I have never played a single League of Legends game nor do I recall watching a single gameplay video of any game from that franchise. None of that changes the fact that Arcane is not only the best adapted video game show of all time, it’s legit one of the best animated series that I have ever seen. That is no exaggeration in the slightest! It’s is simply THAT good!

If it’s not the wonderfully realized worldbuilding and animation that is enough to draw you in, it’s the tremendous voice cast and compelling characters that is able to back that up perfectly. Presenting the best sister conflict in recent memory, Arcane follows Vi and Jinx, once sisters, that find themselves at odds with one another with tragedy and conflict erupts in their city. There is not a single beat that misses here and completely works no matter if you played the games or you are completely blind to any LoL lore. Even if I’ve never played a game, I can just tell by how much love and care when into making this show that it does its source material great justice. If there is only one show on this list that you are able to watch, please make it Arcane! It’s simply PHENOMENAL!

And here’s my list of the top 15 video game movies!

Video Game Adaptations Are Good Now (And It’s Okay To Admit That)

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This month saw the release of the new Amazon hit series of the live action adaptation of the popular video game franchise known as Fallout. In about a week or two since it has come out on Prime, it has been quite a success for critics and fans alike! So much so that Amazon has already greenlighted a second season just one week after all eight episodes of the first season released! There might have been some trivial debate about releasing all the episodes at once or whether or not it retcon a certain Fallout game from existence but for the most part, the series has basically pleased the majority of viewers who have given it a watch thus far. And as you would expect whenever a new video game adaption turns out to be surprisingly good, you still get the typical question about whether or not this was the one that broke the so-called “video game adaptation curse”, despite them asking the exact same question about the previous video game adaptation that the media praised.

Never mind the fact that there has been numerous adaptions for video games in the form of movies and tv series that have been good to great for at least the past five years! Never mind the fact that there was a big popular and well received video game movie or show that got a rave response from everybody a year prior! Apparently, those never happened and Fallout is the one that broke the curse by being the first ever video game adaptation to not suck! I don’t buy that for a second and I don’t think even the people that have made this claim do.

The main reason I say this has to do with the success and praise that last year’s video game adaptation in Max’s The Last of Us received. And just like with Fallout, that was a video game series that led many people to say that was the first legit great video game adaptation to ever exist and the one that broke the video game adaptation curse.

Did we just forget about that all of a sudden? Did we forget that everyone and their mother put that series on a pedestal when it came out as that being the first adaptation to get it right? Or are we just going to ignore all of that entirely that just for the sake of propping up Fallout? I’m not gonna say I know the answers to these questions but I do remember everything that folks have been saying about Fallout was also said about The Last of Us. And the reason I know that was because well…..I wrote a piece about that as well.

As I discussed on that piece last year, I would strongly argue that video game adaptations have taken a HUGE step up in quality as least since 2019 with the releases of Detective Pikachu and The Angry Birds Movie 2. And there’s even an argument to be made that the year prior wasn’t so bad with the releases of Tomb Raider (2018) and Rampage. As a matter of fact, the last true bad year for video game adaptations was in 2016 and 2017 with the releases of Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed, and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. That is a good seven to eight years ago since video game adaptations truly sucked! Since the 2020s rolled around, there have been more winners than losers!

In terms of movies, we’ve had The Super Mario Bros Movie, that grossed over a billion dollars worldwide last year, the two Sonic the Hedgehog flicks, with the third coming out this December to massive mainstream hype, the Five Nights at Freddy Movie which despite it’s poor critical reviews, was a solid hit for hardcore FNAF fans, the Gran Turismo motion picture that was a surprising crowd pleaser, and Werewolves Within which most didn’t even recognize it was an adaption because of how good it was at it’s own thing!

In terms of tv shows/streaming services, we got some pure quality and well made adaptation in terms of live-action and animation such as the masterful Arcane, the anime hit Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the perfectly live-action adaptation in The Last of Us, the unexpectedly fun and amusing Twisted Metal, and now we have the latest banger in Fallout.

And that’s not even going into the other upcoming adaptions in the works that have potential to be just as good as the examples mention such as the new Minecraft movie and the new animated Tomb Raider series from Netflix. Have there been stinkers and more to come? Absolutely! But literally, no genre of any kind is perfect and will always have a dud every now and then. However, it’s incredibly safe to say that video game adaptations have gotten much better since the 2020s rolled around and have shown fans of multiple video games franchises that these can in fact work in terms of movie and television form that works greatly as it’s own thing.

Which yet again makes me wonder why we keep having this same argument over and over again. Why is it that we are still shocked whenever a video game adaptation is good despite the many other proven examples that I just mentioned? More importantly, why is it that we keep devaluing them just to praise the newest one that comes out when it’s any good? The only answer I can come up is that perhaps people are just afraid to call a video game adaptation good because of all the missteps of this subgenre in the past.

Much like how there are certain folks afraid to admit they like a new Disney movie or superhero flick or whatever motion picture made from a so-called “assembly line”, maybe folks don’t want to admit that video game adaptations are good now. They don’t want to accept that this is a medium that can in fact be successful when giving the proper care and treatment. It’s no longer the kind of movies and shows that can be a whipping boy to everything wrong in modern entertainment. Because now, video game adaptations have proven that they can be just as successful as a movie or show as they are with a game. Video game adaptations can evolve and develop into something greater that does its source material justice to not just fans of the franchise but also to newcomers as well. Because of all the examples I have given and more, video game adaptations no longer deserve the scrutiny the get just based on past mistakes. And you know what, it’s okay to admit that.

It’s okay to admit that a movie or series based off a video game can be good or even great. It’s okay to admit that the creators of these recent video game adaptations have learned from the mistakes of other failed adaptions in the past to make something worthwhile in the present. It’s okay to acknowledge the shortcoming of new adaptations without tearing down the entire subgenre itself. And most importantly, it’s okay to admit that video game adaptations can be just as good as anything else. Not just in spite of being a video game adaptation but BECAUSE it’s a video game adaptation! It’s okay to admit ALL of that because it’s true, ALL OF IT!

The Fallout series certainly deserves all the praise and success it has been given thus far. It’s well made with excellent production values, a bonkers feel that seems the most appropriate, unique world building, and great performances from the cast, especially Ella Purnell and Walton Goggins. However, there is no need to put this one on a pedestal as being the one video game adaptation that got it “right” or claim it shouldn’t be as good as it is strictly because it’s a video game adaptation. Fallout works whatever way you look at it and not for the reasons you don’t. It’s a video game adaptation that is good just like many other recent video game adaptations have been good. And as I’ve been saying throughout this entire piece, it’s okay to admit that. I sure hope I’m not the only one that feels that way!

Please don’t screw up Borderlands, Eli Roth! I don’t want to have to make another one of these posts four months from now!

Updated Thoughts on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: The Great Web

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Earlier this month, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 released it’s very first update on the game. This was an update to add features to the game that players have been asking from Insomniac since its initial release and also elements that the company perhaps couldn’t add in time to meet its deadline. These include new game plus mode, the ability to replay missions, day and night cycles, new suits to unlock, tendril color changes, photo mode action figure mode and new stickers, suit tech fusion, golden gadget styles, and ultimate levels. And if the new debug of this update that some players have discovered is any indication, there could be a change we could see actual upcoming story DLC in the near future! While there will plenty that will argue that these are all things that should have been in the game when it came out last October, at least Insomniac was able to make time to listen to the feedback and add in those elements to the game, in spite of all the recent events that has surrounded them.

I reviewed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 around the time the game came out and I gave it a very glowing review! I claimed it was a triumph and basically Insomniac’s Magnum Opus, just a perfect culmination of everything we love about the Spider-Man games and movies up to this point. My score for it was a perfect five out of five stars. It was for me the best Spider-Man game, the best Marvel game, and my #2 favorite superhero game of all time, with my #1 still being Batman: Arkham City! However, when letting my thoughts sit for a while and keeping my distance away from it since it first beating, could there be a chance that I just let the hype get to me? Does this game really hold up? Well, let’s see!

I will say right off the bat that I still love the hell out of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and still think it’s a fantastic game! The gameplay is incredibly layered and immensely fun, with the combat in particular being even more polished and improved over it’s predecessors. The overall core story is still among my favorite Spider-Man stories in recent memory, with my favorite version of Kraven the Hunter and Harry Osborn in any Spider-Man medium to date. I love exploring the bigger and more open world of NYC, aided greatly by the quicker transversal and the excellent new addition of the web wings. The side missions have more variety than the previous game that don’t feel like as much busy work as it did in the first game. The graphics are very stunning and help showcased the power of the PlayStation 5. The voice acting is top notch from top to bottom of the main cast! And not to mention, YOU GET TO PLAY AS VENOM FOR 20 MINUTES AND IT’S AWESOME!

However, when playing this game again through New Game Plus mode, I did notice a few cracks in the armor for my experience that I glossed over in my review. First off, are the missions that mostly relies on walking around with the other characters during an exposition scene or a flashback sequence. While I didn’t necessarily hate doing them, the way they are implemented in terms of gameplay makes the pacing of the game come to a screening halt. It’s odd to have a game as action-heavy and fast-paced as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and then you throw these parts of the game in and it feels like the game stops completely just for the sake of having these sequences play out. It’s honestly makes me wish that those scenes were just animated cutscenes instead of part of the gameplay. Considering how much of a fast clip Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 moves at, it can be seen as a needed break where you can put your controller down and relax for a moment before getting back into action.

Even if the MJ stealth missions are a big improvement over the first game and I even admit to being that one guy who actually likes the puzzle sections of these games (The music is just so chilling during those!), I do think it’s for the best for Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 for Insomniac to just focus on the Spider-Men (and Spider-Woman) heroes themselves for the gameplay. Just put the core focus on Peter, Miles, and (supposedly) Cindy Moon as their individual spider-people and just make those kind of scenes I just mention for strictly the cutscenes and not gameplay. There’s a reason why the Batman: Arkham series rarely had you playing as anything other than Batman and allies in their superhero forms. That’s just what people play these games for!

Another grip has to do with the final phase of the final boss fight with Venom. It’s still jarring how you go from one phase where you face Venom as Peter and then the next one where you face Venom as Miles but then don’t have a phase where you take on Venom as Peter and Miles together, similar to their opening fight against Sandman. All it amounts to is a long cutscene with occasional button mashing and QTEs thrown into the mix. Not to say the sequence itself is bad but it felt like the final fight was missing that one-two final gut punch where you truly feel like the two Spider-Men together.

There has been some speculations that Insomniac was rushed by Sony to get the game out last year when they might have want to push it back to earlier this year. There was even an interview from the game’s creative director, Bryan Intihar, where he admitted that the team of the game had very limited time on the latter half of the game and were forced to cut ideas and sequences they envisioned out of the game to make sure it was released on time for it’s October 2023. This theory was approved even further when someone recently uploaded an unreleased feature of the game on Twitter that saw the Spider-Men fighting Venom and his allies in broad daylight, something which was not in the final game but was a part of the marketing for the game.

It likely will never happening but if it’s possible, I would love if Insomniac would one day release a director’s cut version of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. A version of the game that perhaps saw all of their ideas for that last third of the game with Venom take place along with possibly other features to the game. Perhaps then this game could surpass Batman: Arkham City as being my favorite superhero game of all time instead of just a comfortable #2 place for me.

A couple of other minor grips include a parry feature that didn’t really need to exist, the new ultimate level mode that you have to grind the HELL out of to get all the unlockable spider-suits with, and the new added suits that really do nothing for me. Also, I am ENTIRELY grateful, that I get to switch suits in the final boss with Venom so I don’t have to play in that godawful hoodie with Miles. Please, Insomniac, do NOT stick to that suit in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3! If you do, I am IMMEDIATELY changing suits the first chance I get.

You might think I’ve turned on this game all of a sudden but I’m really not. I love Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to death and is the most fun I’ve have playing a video game for a long time. It’s just those cracks in the armor that I felt was worth acknowledging that I didn’t in my originally review because I might have been too blinded by the hype. This still acts as my favorite Spider-Man game to date and still possibly my favorite game of 2023, although I still have a few games left to play before making that overdue list. When you find yourself constantly thinking about the game during work and the first thing you want to do is go home as fast as you can and continue playing it, that’s the sign of a really good game.

I don’t know if the new update for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will change the opinion of those that didn’t initially care for it but I do think it will fix those grievances that some fans have with the game when it came out. Even then, this game is still a blast to play for me and I hope there is more to come with this game, especially if the potentially leaked DLC ends up still being a thing. Even so, thank you Insomniac Games for providing another great Spider-Man game. I can’t wait to see what you guys do in the future and I hope you are recovering greatly from recent hacking events.

I guess I would change my initial five out of five star rating to four and a half out of five star rating now if you were to ask me but I still love Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 all the same.

And btw, I guess I should mention the leaked trailers for that cancelled live-service game, Spider-Man: The Great Web, that got released last week. For a while, a new live-service Spider-Verse game was in the works by Insomniac. It would have seen players from all around the world getting the chance to play as their favorite Spider-Man or Spider-Woman together as they face off against Spider-Man’s greatest foes. Of course, you would have Peter and Miles in the game but also other known characters from Spidey’s rose gallery such as Spider-Man 2099, Venom, Spider-Gwen, and Silk. There had been rumors and speculations of the Spider-Verse playing a role in either it’s own game or potential DLC for Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man: The Great Web looked to confirmed those rumors and speculations as legit but it is now cancelled.

One one hand, it would be so dope to get to play as your favorite kind of spider-person with anyone else around the world in what would be the Spider-Man equivalent of Grand Theft Auto online. It would also appease those that have wanted to play as any other Spider-Man character that they likely would have never gotten the chance to do so in the main Insomniac games. Plus, getting to play as any kind of version of the most popular superhero of all time would no doubt make good money for Sony. It’s easy to see why on the surface fans would be upset this never got made but at the same time, Insomniac has more than enough reasons not to follow through.

First, with so much time and money spend on a live-service game like Spider-Man: The Great Web, that would have undoubtedly took time away from other upcoming titles such as Spider-Man 3, Wolverine, and that new Venom game (if it’s still happening after the leaks). With how much of the budget when into Spider-Man 2, I don’t think Insomniac would want to take their chance on a live-service game that would likely lose it’s appeal the first few months after its release. The Great Web might be an interesting game in concept but I doubt that would be good enough to warrant 2-4 years of focus put into it, especially in the light of recent live-service game failures in the superhero subgenre.

Speaking of which, have we all learned nothing from Marvel’s Avengers, Gotham Knights, and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, the latter of which has seen a significant drop of sales and players since it’s release? Have we all learned by now that live-service games and superheroes are just not a good mix for each other? Live-service games have become a plague within the gaming industry. If not immensely successful, it will lead to nothing but layoffs and disappointment. Sure, you can argue a reason or two for Spider-Man: The Great Web working where the other three games I mentioned fell flat but it’s not worth taking the risk in my eyes, and I think even Insomniac would agree with that.

But yeah, that’s all I got on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the recent confirmed leaks on the cancelled Spider-Man: The Great Web. I hope you enjoyed reading them and let’s all hope for nothing but the best of our favorite friendly neighborhood hero!

Ranking The ArkhamVerse

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With Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League now out, why not rank it among the other installments in the Batman: Arkham gaming series, since it has been confirmed canon to that same universe whether we all like it or not.

I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this is probably considering the best superhero gaming franchise out there with the possible exception being Insomniac’s Spider-Man series. This is a series that not just revolutionized the character of Batman to a new generation but superhero triple A games in general. And the fact that these games are still being talked about and played to this very day despite beginning 15 years ago, with the latest installment coming nine years after the previous one, just goes to show you the impact and pure staying power that these games have had.

A big disclaimer here, I’m only doing games that were released on the main consoles and are generally considered the main series installments. I was considering trying to secure a copy of Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate and Batman Arkham VR before doing this list but a.) I couldn’t find the charger for my Nintendo 3DS and b.) I couldn’t find a PlayStation VR that was super cheap. So because of that, those games will be off the list.

This will cover the four main series Batman: Arkham games along with the newest addition, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Let’s get right down to it!

5.) Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Do I have the hate boner for this game that the majority of the internet has? Not really. Does that mean this game was worth the near decade long wait from Rocksteady? Again, not really. Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League feels like a game that was basically doomed from the start. Not just because this was a game nearly a decade in the making and following Rocksteady’s previous track record with their successful Batman: Arkham games but it was basically by design made to chase the worst kind of trends in modern gaming imaginable. It certainly does it better than most (at least compared to the likes of say Marvel’s Avengers) but like most, it’s own restrictions holds it back for it’s true potential.

It may get the job done by offering a typical action and shoot-them-up game for the Overwatch and Fortnite crowd, and at least has the decency to make the majority of content free (if not free to use offline) but it really doesn’t bother to be anything much else, which goes against what Rocksteady had stood for years now. The plot feels more like a 12-year old’s “What if?” edge lord fan-fiction than it does as being a true continuation of the Arkhamverse, giving the clear indication that this is only in the Arkham name for the sake of boosting sales rather than because anyone thought this truly belong in the same canon.

Yes, the upcoming seasonal content could fix the majority of the complaints and have this game get a resurgence later on down the road (similar to EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2) but the fact we might have to wait over a year to get all of that says more about this game chasing trends for the sake of chasing trends and not much else. I don’t know whether this was Rocksteady or Warner Bro’s doing but both are capable of much more than this. Is it at least a playable game? Sure! Is it the weakest of this entire series? Without a shadow of a doubt!

4.) Batman: Arkham Origins

For years, Batman: Arkham Origins had the reputation of being the black sheep of the Arkham games. Nothing but the forgotten step child of the bunch and some even like to pretend doesn’t exist. On the surface, it’s easy to see why. This is the only one of the main four Arkham games to NOT be developed by Rocksteady, it doesn’t have the legendary Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill in their roles as Batman and Joker respectively, and was basically the one that acted the most as a “filler” game that was basically made to buy time between the releases of Arkham City and Arkham Knight. There were also multiple reports of bugs and glitches that plagued the game for most people, which I was NOT one of them. However, when looking at the game itself now time has past and updates of the game have been made, Arkham Origins is actually a really damn good game in it’s own right and is highly underrated.

The gameplay is as fluid and fun as it is in the other Arkham games, the addition of the shock gloves is a neat one, seeing Bruce Wayne in his younger, more reckless stage as Batman is engaging and perhaps the most interesting in the entire series, the voice work from Roger Craig Smith’s Batman and Troy Baker’s Joker is great, and it has hands down has the best boss fights in the entire Arkham franchise, with the Deathstroke one in particular being an all-timer. Not to mention, even Alfred gets his time to shine here, including that great scene where he tries to stop Bruce from going out as Batman, showing he truly sees Bruce as his son and not just as his butler. Sure, it does feel like a pre-heated meal compared to the three Rocksteady Batman games and it did suck to see them pull a switch-a-roo with Black Mask not being the actual villain to make room for the Joker but those flaws are no where near a deal breaker for this game.

While not the best, Arkham Origins easily remains the most underappreciated game in the Arkhamverse. To this day, I don’t understand the scorn that fans have with this game or even why both Rocksteady and WB Games Montreal feels so obligated to pretend this game never happened. I understand being critical of this game when looking at it from a business and commercial standpoint (with it being a “filler” game and all) but looking at it’s own thing and the limited amount of time that WB Games Montreal was given, Arkham Origins is a really solid game with gameplay features and story elements that are among the very best of the Arkham games. I remember playing the hell out of this game when I got in on Christmas Day back in 2013 and enjoying it all the same and still do this very day.

3.) Batman: Arkham Knight

The (original) ending of the Arkhamverse divided Batman’s fans everywhere when it arrived in 2015. While plenty found it to be a worthy send-off for this iteration of Batman, others were frustrated by it due to the new elements that the game itself included. However, as the dust settles and in the wake of lesser superhero games that are somewhat Arkham related such as Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, there seems to be more appraisal towards it. While I did feel a bit cold of this game upon my first playthrough of it, Batman: Arkham Knight has only gotten better with age and easily grows on me each time that I play it.

Yes, there’s too much of the Batmobile that gets more tedious the more the game progresses. Yes, the Arkham Knight reveal is very obvious if you know the Batman lore. Yes, the final showdown with Deadshot is underwhelming. And yes, those goddamn Riddler trophies can go to hell! However, there’s plenty of greatness to be found here! We finally have a fully realized Gotham world that’s fun to explore, the gameplay is the best and more polished than ever before, the voice work is superb, the story is the most stake-heavy with resonating themes that feel very Batman appropriate, the graphics is some of the best in any video game, and is able to find a fitting end to a character that isn’t very well known for having definite endings. Yes, the flaws are still presented and prevent it from being as good as it’s main predecessors from Rocksteady but so are the overall strengths for it.

Do I think Arkham Knight is as good as Asylum or City? Not quite but I do feel there are plenty of instances where it comes pretty darn close. So much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if one day, it would surpass at least Asylum for me. Regardless of the quality of the new Suicide Squad game, I do love how it has encourages fans to look back on this series and see the amazing accomplishments that these games have turned out to be. Showcasing how superhero and license video games don’t have to suck. When you have the right amount of right people who want to create something special, it’s then you will have a gaming series as successful as the Batman Arkham series. Had this been the last true game we got in this universe, I would have been more than okay for how satisfying of a game it truly is.

2.) Batman: Arkham Asylum

You would be hard pressed to find a superhero or even licensed game that was able to define the seventh generation of consoles than Batman: Arkham Asylum. After so many Batman games have come and gone with mixed results, this was the first one that just perfectly capture the distinct feeling of being the Caped Crusader himself. Coming off the year after the release of The Dark Knight which helped set the golden standard for superhero movies, DC and Rocksteady was able to follow the success of that greatly with Batman: Arkham Asylum, the game which helped set the golden standard for superhero licensed games. 

Batman: Arkham Asylum is ever bit as awesome as you remembered it was back in 2009. While the boss fights are still rather weak and I don’t fully buy Joker’s “let’s create an army of Banes” master plan, nearly everything else is done rather flawlessly that it’s hard to let those minor gripes bring down the entire game. The combat is absolutely fun with plenty of inventive ways to beat your opponents, the gadgets always come in handy, the detective aspects add a ton to the experience and character of Batman, the entire Arkham island itself is cool to explore, the unlockables are so eager to collect, the voice acting is incredibly stellar, and there’s never a second which you don’t feel like you are in control of The Dark Knight himself.

This is a game that has continued to stand the test time, even 14 years later. For a studio that was relatively unknown before Arkham Asylum came out, there was no better way for Rocksteady to put themselves on the map for gamers all around after crafting this absolute achievement of a video game. If you are a Batman fan and somehow still have not checked this game out, I highly recommend it. Even if you are not a Batman fan and want a really fun action packed game, then I recommend it too. Perhaps it might even turn you into a Batman fan yourself just like I imagine it did for gamers everywhere back in 2009. If 2008 showed how good superhero films can get with The Dark Knight, then 2009 showed how good superhero games can get with Batman: Arkham Asylum! Even to this day, the Caped Crusader remains the standard!

1.) Batman: Arkham City

If you want to talk about a quintessential Batman game, look no further than this masterpiece! After the critical success of Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady knew exactly the direction where to go to top themselves and it perfectly shows throughout the game. Not only does Batman: Arkham City act as a perfect sequel to Arkham Asylum but it also acts as a perfect Batman game and just a perfect superhero game in general. It takes everything you loved by Arkham Asylum, tweaks some of the things that didn’t work about it, throws in some new elements, and is able to off a much grander and wide open world where you truly feel like Batman. If that is not the signs of a great follow-up, then I don’t know what can.

The combat is improved in every way and offers more unique and inventive ways to take down criminals, seeing Batman pushed beyond his limits is always fascinating to see, Arkham City is incredibly fun to explore, Catwoman is a great new addition, the missions from both the main and side stories are all interesting, it’s paced extremely well, the story is the best in the series, the music and voice work are outstanding, and the ending with the death of the Joker will always be an all-timer. This is a game that’s so good that even the little things you can nitpick at (such as Hugo Strange being reduced to being a background villain despite teasing to be the main driving force of the game) aren’t worth mentioning because it doesn’t feel like flaws in any way but more of a tiny little blemish you find on a flawless face. Not to say this game is 100% flawless because no game is but it just feels like that whenever you are playing it.

I don’t think Rocksteady could have followed up Arkham Asylum any better than they did here. If anything, one could make the strong argument that Batman: Arkham City basically acts as to date Rocksteady’s Magnum Opus, a marvelous achievement that every cast and crew apart of this game should be extremely proud of, even 13 years later. Batman: Arkham City is not only the best game in the Arkhamverse for me but it’s one of my all-time favorite games period. I’ve played through this game so many times and I wouldn’t be surprised if I have several more playthroughs with it in the future. As much as I love Spider-Man, when it comes to pure superhero gaming entertainment, Batman: Arkham City still remains on top!

Is Physical Media Dying?

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Back in October, it was confirmed that Best Buy will no longer support physical media of any kind in 2024 and onwards. This includes physical copies for medium like movies, tv shows, video games, music, etc.. There will be no more DVDs, Blu-Rays, 4Ks, Gaming Discs, or CDS (which they already stop selling in 2018) to come from Best Buy! If Best Buy was your only store to get physical copies of the latest big blockbuster or popular soundtrack with no Walmart or Target near by, then it’s digital media or bust for you. That seems to be the way now for Best Buy and it might likely be that way for the majority of stores for the near future!

First and foremost, I have ALWAYS been a supporter of physical media and ALWAYS will. It always feels like a privilege to be able to gain your own personal copy of something have it really be yours. You don’t have to worry about losing it due to services no longer supporting it or wondering if you will have the internet to watch or listen to something of your choice. When you have your own personal copy of something, it means it is yours FOREVER! Unfortunately, as we move forwards towards the future with digital media being more prominent now than ever before, we might just lose that privilege. And that is a very, VERY scary thought!

There have been a few times in recent memory where there has been strong support for physical media. The most recent example is with Oppenheimer, the highly acclaimed film from Christopher Nolan that sold out 4K and Blu-Ray copies during the holiday season. Heck, it took me at least two weeks before I was able to pick up my own copy of it because it was being sold out everywhere. As a matter of fact, my 4K copy I brought was literally the last 4K copy they had available that day. Considering Nolan is someone that has voiced his strong support over physical media, I’m sure he’s very proud of this. However, just like with only a handful of feature films that came out this year that showed courage of the theater going experience such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, and The Super Mario Bros Movie, this is only an exception to the fact that folks don’t care about physical media as much as they used to. Because of that, Best Buy is cutting all support of physical media and there’s a good chance that other main companies such as Walmart, Target, Gamestop, and Barnes & Nobles will follow suit sooner or later.

I can’t begin to tell you how much that scares me. Digital and physical media should always be options that co-exist together, not taking away from each other forever. With the lack of physical media, that lets companies have more control over their consumers products than ever before. Just recently, Ubisoft Exec stated that gamers need to start feeling comfortable of “not owning their games”. If that’s not a sign for things to come, then I don’t know what is.

What happens when the unthinkable happens and you no longer have access to digital media or the piece of content you own doesn’t work. What happens when you no longer have access to the internet? What happens when your movie, game or music doesn’t work because reasons? Most importantly, what happens when the company decides to no longer support their content that requires live services and it’s basically gone forever? They basically just stole your money over content you bought that you no longer have any control over. That just sounds scary.

Companies are becoming greedier than ever and with the confirmation that Best Buy no longer selling physical media, I would expect them to become even greedier now that the first domino of physical media has fell with plenty of more yet to fall. This is a dark and disturbing time and it’s a time that I don’t want to live in.

I will always value and support physical media as long as I live. The physical copies of the games, movies, television shows, and music that I own will always be mine to keep. Even if or when the inevitable happens, the ones I have will always be there, no matter what anyone says. I do not look forward to the day when that is no longer the case and everything becomes digital. It’s only then will people realize the power of something simple as owning their own copy of Avengers: Endgame or The Legend of Zelda: Tear of the Kingdom or the newest hit album from Taylor Swift.

2024 Update

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Hey everybody! I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and are currently have a fabulous New Years as well! I decided to take the time to go over a couple of things and give you all a sneak preview of what to expect in 2024.

First off, I did find another job last year in September. It’s mostly a part-time job but a job all the shame. That made my time to release more content on here much more limited than before but I still believe I was able to get a decent amount of content out on a good pace. Looking into 2024, I am looking to take one step further and pursue more of a full-time job, whether that involves writing or not, so I can give myself an indication as to where my head is at in the future. I’m at the point in my life where I feel like I need to take a leap of faith and decides for myself who I truly am and what I want to be defined as for the rest of my life. I don’t know where that will lead me or even if it leads anywhere at all but I’m intrigued to find out all the same.

Secondly, as I mention in doing all my mini-reviews for Wonka, Aquaman 2, and Rebel Moon last month that I took a little break from reviewing movies from the last two months of the year. This is mostly because of the lack of ambition I had for reviewing certain movies due to the amount of toxic discourse surrounding it, most notably The Marvels, and just the mere fact that I legit forgot about the movies near moments after I saw it, most notably Wish. No joke, I wanted to give Wish some time to sit to let my thoughts sink in but almost a day later, I COMPLETELY forgot all about that movie where I couldn’t make a review even if I wanted to. I was eager to do a review of Godzilla: Minus One but by the time I saw it and got motivate to do a review, it felt like an old story where I felt like I might as well just wait until my best of the year list to talk about it. It was mostly those reasons I mention why I didn’t feel compelled to make any more movie reviews for the rest of the year.

Heading into 2024, I think I might limit the amount of reviews I do in terms of movies and video games. There will be some from time-to-time without a doubt but not as much as there was in the past two years. As I’ve mentioned in my recent piece talking about whether or not the theatrical experience is dead, going to the movies is more expensive than ever before. Because of that, I really only feel compelled to go to the theater if it involves a film I’m either VERY interested in or I truly believe I’m going to enjoy. The rest I either wait to come out on digital, streaming, or even just watch a bootleg version of it online. I will still likely do the biggest movies of the year and some smaller ones that I feel are overlooked but just don’t expect a review on the latest movie of every week. Because of my Regal theater closing and Marcus Theaters not having any subscriptions on par with Regal Unlimited, I can’t be wasting money on movies I know are going to be crap or just mid at best. I don’t have the tolerance or financial support for that.

When it comes to video games, I was actually playing to do a list of my favorite video games of 2023 because of how good of a year for gaming it is for most people out there. However, there are still a handful of games that I have that I haven’t beaten yet. This includes games like Mortal Kombat 1, Resident Evil 4, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and Final Fantasy XVI. I wanted to find a way to beat those games by the time 2023 ended but that just wasn’t possible. Too much time involving work and the holidays made that impossible for me. Plus, when I’m playing games, I want to be able to have fun during it and play at my own pace without feeling like I have to rush through them just for the sake of getting a list on time. Video games that much more time to complete and write about than movies so making a best games of year list by New Years Eve just couldn’t happen. I do plan on getting a list out sometime this year, hopefully at least by May or June, but I make no promises.

I should also mention that I’m thinking of holding off the list because of me waiting for the update on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Looking back on my review, I think I overhyped the game too much because that game has not sat as well with me as I was expecting it would. That’s not to say I turned on it completely like the majority of the internet has. It’s still a great game and one of my favorites of the year but there were flaws I refused to point out in that review, most likely because I was caught up in the hype train. I do plan on doing an update piece on the update comes along with the New Game Plus mode and other added features that is set to come with it. I then will give my scores on the game pre-update and post-update along with figuring out where that should go on my best games of year list.

One more thing when it comes to games, I have been debating whether or not I should buy and review Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League once it comes out next month. I do have an updated check coming for the blog and I plan to use that money to purchase the game and then do a review on it, as a means of paying off my Batman: Arkham marathon I did last year. But considering all the discourse and controversy that game has gotten along with it’s development history, I just don’t know if I should be wasting 70 bucks on a game that is more likely to be bad than good. I’m sure that would make for an entertaining review for you guys but unless that review gets a ton of views and increase my ad revenue big time, I don’t know if it’s gonna be worth the time, effort, or money to do so. It’s a possibility but not a guarantee just yet.

When it comes to sports and other topics, I did have a piece in the works of the massive contracts that the Dodgers are paying Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and how it has basically broken baseball forever. But again, that got lost in the shuffle due to a bunch of other things that was happening last month. Plus, I did the one with the Blues and firing Craig Berube because that was a more personal piece for me because of my connection to that team and organization. Those are getting harder to do for me because of how bad my main sports teams have gotten over the year but I’ll do my best to get a piece or two around sports every once in a while. I might do a NFL playoff predictions piece like I did last year before it starts. Be on the look out for that!

Lastly, there’s a special new marathon that I have been thinking about doing that will likely be a yearly long thing. It’s from a long running franchise that turns 25 years old this year and holds a special place in my heart! I will make an announcement of what that is tomorrow and how and when I plan to release every piece of that month by month. That should be a very exciting project, easily the biggest that I’ve worked on for this blog.

And that’s basically it. Although I am working a fully paid job once again and even have plans on other personal projects that may or may not become a big thing in the future, I still plan on providing you guys and girls plenty of content for this blog in 2024. I will try to stick to my planned schedule of at least two to three articles a week and hope I can keep that same sense of urgency throughout the majority of 2024. With the next few pieces, expect the announcement of what the next marathon on here will be along with my most anticipated movies of 2024.

Thanks to everyone who follows or even is just able to click on this blog whenever they get the chance you get! You guys and girls mean so much to me and it’s always nice to know that I have an audience out there on the internet that care about what I have to write!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and I wish you all a very safe and happy 2024!

Insomniac Games Got Hacked….And It’s Messed Up

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Last week, it was reported that Insomniac Games, the studio responsible for some of the most well- received triple AAA Sony exclusives in recent memory such as Marvel’s Spider-Man series and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, got hacked by a unknown ransomware gang called Rhysida. The hackers behind Rhysida claimed to have accessed to massive amounts of info regarding Insomniac Games’ future projects and threatened to release all of it to the public, unless a ransom of two million dollars was paid in one week. I’m willing to bet that Insomniac didn’t meet that offer because it was then reported yesterday, just mere minutes after the supposed ransom deadline expired, there were numerous of files from Insomniac Games that leaked out everywhere all over the internet.

These leaks could each of the following:

  • Massive amount of info regarding one of Insomniac Games’ upcoming installments in Marvel’s Wolverine. These include concept art, cast leaks, gameplay footage, and the entire plot of the game!

  • Insomniac’s entire slate of games they have planned and their intended release dates up until the year of 2030. These include games that were already announced to be in development such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 and Wolverine along with a couple of titles that were not confirmed yet with a clear desire to reveal them later on down the road. I won’t say though what those titles are here but the road map of their upcoming games are all out in the open.

  • Personal info regarding many of the employees that work for Insomniac. These include possible phone numbers, email accounts, home locations, and direct names of folks who work at the company. This indicates that a fair amount of doxing has taken place. Pray to god for the safety of all of those that work at Insomniac Games!

  • More than 1 TB of internal data leaked, estimating about 1.3 million files total. These involve just about everything that I have just mentioned and even more.

While I can’t give 100% confirmation just yet but this may legit be the biggest hacking scandal in regards to video games in a very long time! Not even the hacks of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto VI or the recent plot leak of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League could compare to this! At least that was just one game that didn’t include data about anyone’s email account or the company’s future plans for the next decade. This hacking scandal on the other hand is comparable to that of when Sony Pictures got hacked back in late 2014 (which also ties back to Sony given their current partnership with Insomniac Games). Just about every bit of juicy info that can make for as much clickbait-y headlines in articles as humanly possible! It’s all messed up!

You might think this article might be going over every single detail and game that got leaked but I rather not do that. Not just because if I did that, then I would literally be here all day because of how much stuff got released but out of respect to those at Insomniac Games. Not a single person working there deserve this level of hacking and doxing at any kind! This is a company that has been one of the most consistently reliable gaming studios out there at delivering huge quality games that gives players their full money’s worth! To have all this info that has been revealed of what goes on from behind the scenes is incredibly disrespectful and quite frankly, dangerous! Even if you are someone that don’t care for their games, you would be genuinely heartless to claim that anyone working at Insomniac deserves this kind of treatment!

Hacking has been more prevalent than ever before! With how so much folks spent their time on the internet nowadays to the advancement of technology to the emergence of A.I., there are now over numerous ways to hack into things, particularly in regards to big companies such as Insomniac Games. Whether it’s to force out leaks to upcoming titles to build up anticipation or just to be a dick, it’s much easier to hack than it was in the early days of the internet. Of course, this is not just for gaming as it goes for just about everything involving entertainment and politics but in recent memory, it’s mostly been the gaming industry that has been affected by this.

It just makes you wonder how Insomniac themselves will respond to this scandal! Of course, you pray for the safety and stability of everyone that works there in the hopes that this does NOT lead to any harm of any kind to come to them or their loved ones! Once that is taken into consideration and is dealt with, how will this impact the releases of their upcoming games? Will they push Wolverine back even further to change elements of the story since the entire plot as been leaked? Will they actually commit to an open-world *bleep* game now that cat is out of the bag? Will any of the other previously unconfirmed games be in the works anymore? Those are questions that everyone has got to be asking themselves right now and hopefully will be answered in the best way possible by Insomniac.

If you desire to seek out all the information that got leaked by hackers for the planned future at Insomniac Games, I’m not going to stop you. I understand being tempted to see what’s going on from behind the scenes since there are now plenty of info out there that will give you just that. Even I’m tempting to do so! But, just know when you are looking through all of those leaks is that NONE of this is what Insomniac had in mind! They clearly wanted to give out info about their upcoming entries of their gaming library whenever they felt the desire to and when they felt the most eager to give their fans a taste of what’s to come. They wanted to give out all of this info when they felt the most confident and the most good and ready to do so! This was all clearly not the moment of time that Insomniac was aiming for and that’s just messed up!

I can only hope that those from Rhysida that took place in this awful action that they are jailed and fined in the harshest way possible! I’m talking decades behind bars and fines that they won’t be properly paid off even after they die! They took private information from all those great folks at Insomniac Games and let the whole world see it! That is cruel, distasteful, and absolutely f*cked up! I wouldn’t wish that kind of action on my worst enemy! I can only hope this will not lead to any harm to any employee at Insomniac Games or potential firings of any of the staff! They all deserve better than this!

To the great folks of Insomniac Games, I’m so sorry all of you have to put up with this crap! You are perhaps my favorite gaming studio working today, delivering some of my favorite gaming experiences of the past several years! Speaking as a die hard fan, you all deserve much better than this! I can not stress that enough! Good luck getting through all of this and I eagerly await to see what you guys and girls have in store for the future!

The Game Awards Has An Identity Crisis

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Last night saw the 10th annual show of The Game Awards, hosted by Geoff Keighley. It’s a yearly award show that prides itself on delivering awards to the best that gaming has had to offer in it’s own respective year, showcasing appearances from celebrities well known in entertainment, along with giving you sneak peaks and announcements of upcoming games in development. With how MASSIVE of a year for gaming that 2023 has been, you would expect there would be a lot of winning for certain games and plenty of upset for others and you would be right.

Yesterday’s show saw Larian Studio’s Baldur’s Gate 3 with nine nominations and winning awards in six of those along with taking home the ultimate prize of game of the year. It also saw heartbreak in the likes of well-acclaimed games such as Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, with neither winning any awards despite numerous nominations. Even Pikmin 4, a great Nintendo Switch exclusive that got lost in the sea of other great Switch exclusives this year in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder (both which got one award), was able to take home more trophies than Resident Evil 4 and Spider-Man 2 combined. While I have yet to play Baldur’s Gate 3, the universal acclaim is has gotten does make it more than worthy of all that is has won.

However, something strange happened during the speech giving by the folks behind Baldur’s Gate 3. The developers of Larian Studios who came up to give their acceptance speech were told to wrap it up quickly and were only given a total of 30 seconds to make their speech. There was even looks from behind the scene of the amount of seconds that the folks were giving to make a speech before they were forced to wrap it up.

This sudden urge to wrap up the show quickly is odd considering the massive amount of time that was giving to other well-known celebrities and game developers, most notably Hideo Kojima, who given at least five to ten minutes top to speak their mind. You let those people have all the time in the world to talk about random stuff aside from the awards themselves but you rush those that actually win the awards themselves? It’s almost as if The Game Awards is looking to serve a different purpose outside of being an awards show. And if last night’s show is anything to go by, I’m willing to bet there are plenty of those that agree with me.

Despite being called The Game Awards, last night’s show felt like it was trying to be anything but a games award show. A good portion of the runtime was filled with constant ads, commercials, trailers, and appearances of celebrities & gaming developers and not on the actual awards themselves. The awards themselves played a secondary role, with most award reveals being handwaved while other reveals felt rushed just so they can get to the next trailer or gaming reveal. As a matter of fact, there was a total of 30 (!) reveals of games in development with another 32 (!) announcements involving upcoming games. That is a combined total of 62 reveals and announcements of games!

With so much crammed into one award show, that made the pacing of the whole show feeling rather bizarre and inconsistent. There were plenty of times where it would move at a super fast clip to announce a new game or award while other times it slows down just so Geoff Keighley can spend some time on camera with his buddies in the gaming industry. Imagine if the Oscars spend more time on upcoming announcements and trailers for future movies and the awards themselves felt like a footnote and that is basically what you get with The Game Awards.

To be sure, some of the announcements shown off for upcoming games were quite cool. From a new Jurassic Park game to SEGA focusing on their other IPs instead of just Sonic the Hedgehog to confirmation that a new Blade game is in the works, those are all things to get excited for. Not to mention, Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele working on a game together feels like a match made in horror heaven. The problem though is that those felt like things that should have been announced either at an E3 or at a Summer Games Fest, not at an awards show.

All of that leads to my next point, what in the world is The Game Awards trying to be? Does it want to be an awards ceremony that celebrates the achievements in the gaming industry year in or year out or does it just want to show off as much news of upcoming games as possible with as much famous people as possible? If it’s the first answer, then just stick to making it about those who worked hard on their big games and let them get the spotlight they deserve on center stage. If it’s the second answer, then just make a Winter E3 and you can reveal as much as you want while even possibly allowing for special demos for games that show up to the event. Try to do them both at the same time and last night’s show is the results that you get.

If it was up to me and I had the power to do it, I would actually try to do them both but make them two SEPERATE events. Have the game awards show come first and highlight the best that gaming had to offer in their own respective year. After that, make a Winter E3 event to give gamers a sneak preview of what’s to come for gaming the following next year. That would allow for both sides of the spectrum to shine and not have one overshadow the other. You can have your show that awards the achievements for gaming for their own respective year and then shortly after, you can have your show that will let gamers know what to expect for the next year. I’m sure plenty of things would need to be changed and reworked due to budget, restraints, layoffs, etc.. but I believe that would be the perfect way for Geoff and crew to have their cake and eat it too. And I think gamers and developers all around the world would be much appreciative of that, especially since E3 in the summer is basically as good as dead now.

While last night’s award show was far from the worst thing I’ve ever seen, I don’t think there has been one that showcases the absolute identity crisis that The Game Awards currently have. It needs to decide whether it wants to be an awards ceremony or just be a new event to show off upcoming games. You can one or the other or even both at different times but they can NOT be at the exact same time. A sneak preview or two is fine but that’s not what the majority of an awards show should consist of. It just makes things awkward, confusing, and quite frankly insulting to those that put so much work and effort over the years with games only to get less than a minute to give a speech they have been waiting such a long time to give. And that’s not even going into other factors not addressed such as the massive amount of layouts and the poor treatment that developer have b, plenty of which will no doubt play a factor once the inevitable strike in the gaming industry does appear.

Regardless, it’s time for The Game Awards to look itself in the mirror and figure out what in the world does it want to be. Make up your mind or else things will only continue to get worse and worse with each new show every year!

It’s in your hands, Geoff Keighley! May the gaming gods have mercy on your soul (Not really!)

And here’s an article that dives deeper into the rough year that developers have had in gaming and what The Game Awards failed to address: