Ride to Hell: Retribution Review

 More like Sons of Inadequacy

TITLE: Ride to Hell Retribution

PLATFORM: PS3, XBOX 360, PC

DEVELOPER: Eutechnyx

PUBLISHER: Deep Silver

GENRE: Action Adventure Sleaze fest

RATING: M

 

                The biker culture shares many memorable characters from entertainment media like Johnny Strabler, Wyatt aka the Easy Rider, Jax Teller, and my personal favorite Billy Bad just to name a few. On June 27th 2013 however, a new prospecting "hero" was released onto the unsuspecting public destined to become infamous for years to come for both bikers and gamers alike. That character in question is Jake Conway, a rough and rugged son of a thought-to-be-dead outlaw legend who returns home from the service only to witness his world get torn apart by the rival gang called the Devil's Hand. Resulting in typical bikesploitation fashion, he saddles up on his faithful hog, vows revenge  and won't stop until the injustice done onto him and his family is righted. "Ride to Hell: Retribution", promised to bring a fun 1960s biker bash with brutal fights and intense motorcycle based combat but don't bother listening to GameStop's intentionally misleading rating average of 8.5 because it's not even close.

The Crew Becomes the World's First CAR.P.G.

 

               For the most part racing fans and petrol heads had two types of games to play at their disposal. On one side, games like Forza focused on tweaking a vehicles' functional attributes in highly detailed simulated environments  while titles like Need For Speed were more about showing off ones ride while avoiding the law in an more arcade fashion. Both genres have attempted to bring these two different groups together but have yet to fully accomplish that goal. At E3 last week a new challenger competing to become the new driving heavyweight appeared and will be brought to us by the same company that brought many other racing franchises like..... Assassins Creed and Splinter Cell? Ok Ubisoft is not known for bringing epic triple-A driving titles to consumers as of yet. "Driver San Francisco" (their highest rated driving game to date) was fun but certainly didn't set the gaming community on fire. But what started out looking like another commercial for Michelin tires quickly became an amazing trailer that likely had EA and Turn 10 Studios feeling bits of jealousy. That newcomer responsible is "The Crew" and it hopes to be one of the first great releases for the next gen systems along with PC and is due out in early 2014.

Mad Max Gets a New Game for Next Gen Consoles

2014 is quickly shaping up to be a great year for fans of the Mad Max series. With the new movie Fury Road already in post production, it was announced Monday at E3 that a new videogame adaptation featuring the infamous anti-hero is also in the works. The last time any console saw Max was in 1990 on the NES, but Avalanche Studios -the same team responsible for the "Just Cause" games- has teamed up with Warner Brothers to bring the road warrior back in an all new interactive adventure that will be coming to PC as well as current gen and next gen consoles.

State of Decay Review

 

Title: State of Decay
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Undead Labs
Genre: Sandbox, Survival,
Rating: M

 

     There's no denying that the current gaming scene is oversaturated with zombie titles. If fighting the undead is what the premise of your game is about, you really have to go the extra mile in order to make your title stand out among the others. "State of Decay", is from what I can tell is the first release from the new creative minds of Undead Studios -a company name that I'm sure will not feel the least bit out of place if they go into making more, family friendly IPs. Suffering multiple delays, SOD is now finally available on Xbox Live and at the time of the writing of this review, is the second fastest selling arcade title to date falling only short of Minecraft. Needless to say that alone is a remarkable feat for a debuting indie company, but is this hot release living up to the hype, or like any zombie apocalypse, is it plagued with problems?

The Last Stand Review

Mindless Mayhem Brought to You by General Motors

 

 

 

 

TITLE: The Last Stand

DIRECTOR: Kim Jee-Woon

STARS: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Forest Whitaker,

               Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare

PUBLISHER: Lionsgate

RATING: R

GENRE: Action

 

 

     Back in the day Action packed films centering around hi-octane fueled car chases were common place in Hollywood but over the years have become increasingly scarce on the silver screen. The same can also be said for blockbusters featuring everyone's favorite Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leading role. Both have their reasons for these turning of events however because on one side, practical stunts got replaced by the cheaper oversaturation of CGI while the famous actor took up a career in politics. Fast forward to 2013 it would seem times are changing once again now that Arnold is out of office and wasting no time going back to his acting roots.  He's not alone either as the famed terminator will be competing against another fierce mechanized icon that holds a fan base equally as large to see who comes out on top. Will this be a glorious comeback for the aging former politician or will he linger in the shadows of Chevy's newer sleeker model.

Fast and the Furious Video Review (1955)

Starting off for the New Year -- better late than never -- I take a look at the original Fast and the Furious film from 1955 to celebrate the upcoming release of Fast 6. I'm still new to making these videos so feel free to comment on anything you believe could be improved.

Tomb Raider Review

Title: Tomb Raider
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
System: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Genre: Action Adventure, 3^rd person thriller
Rating: M

 

Like any worthy hidden treasure you’d have to be under a very big rock not to know about the new reboot of one of gamings' most iconic characters. Between the controversy involving a probable rape scenario that was later debunked to the countless ads and showcasings, “Tomb Raider” is a triple-A title has had gamers of all sorts eagerly awaiting its release.  Promising a fresh new look, an engrossing origin story, and a much darker tone, did Crystal Dynamics create a glorious interactive gem or will this be another artifact cursed by the same problems that historically stuck with the franchise.

Amber Alert Review

 

 

TITLE: Amber Alert

DIRECTOR:  Kerry Bellessa

STARS: Summer Bellessa, Chris Hill, Caleb Thompson

PUBLISHER: Wrekin Hill Entertainment

RATING: R

GENRE: Thriller, Found Footage

 

 

We’ve all witnessed those warning signs on the highway warning fellow motorists to be on the lookout for a suspicious vehicle that’s on the run. It’s just a sad reminder of the many bad things that do happen in society but at the same time serves as a beacon of hope that someone’s turmoil has the possibility of ending on a happy note. Most of us admit however, that when we see these amber alerts we just shrug it off and go on with our lives because lets face it; what are the odds that anyone would stumble across that vehicle in question. “Amber Alert” is an independent found footage thriller that documents the events of three average people who are thrown into this very scenario and shows how one’s actions could mean the life or death of an innocent victim. Does this film bring an awe inspiring story home or is a perversion of the subject that should’ve remained missing? 

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Review

Title: Sly Cooper Thieves in Time.

Developer: Sanzaru Games

System: Playstation 3

Genre: Platformer

Rating: E

 

It’s been over seven years since the gaming world last saw Sly and his pals in an all new adventure but fans can now rejoice as their favorite ring tailed caper has finally arrived on the PS3. With a new developer backing them now that Sucker Punch has moved on to other projects, Sanzaru games have some pretty big shoes to fill. And while a relatively new company, they already have a less than favorable history in dealing with beloved Sony characters; I’m looking at you Secret Agent Clank. My suspicions were once again even more enforced when word spread that the game would be forty dollars on the day of release. When a gap between sequels is this long and the price is that low, one should always proceed with caution. It certainly looked like gamble but were odds in my favor or was this a crap shoot where fans should cut their losses?

Ratchet and Clank Full Frontal Assault Review

 Title: Ratchet and Clank
           Full Frontal Assault          
Platform: Playstation 3
Developer: Insomniac Games
Genre: Tower Defense
Rating: E

 

When Insomniac suddenly announced the release of an all new Ratchet and Clank game, two emotions overtook me. First like any fan I was excited and then I unexpectedly began to feel really old because FFA was in fact a celebration title dedicated to the tenth anniversary of everyone’s favorite lombax and his mechanic sidekick. The price was also a pleasant reveal being only twenty dollars. That’s a bargain no matter how you look at it now in days right? Insomniac has really catered to their fans by releasing the HD collection of the first three PS2 titles and FFA was to be the icing on the cake. However, one can’t help but wonder if that cheap price tag is a representation in terms of quality. Did Insomniac go for a quick cash grab or is this another adventure fans will cherish for years to come? Well it turns out it’s kind of a mixed bag.

DMC Devil May Cry Review

 

Title: DMC Devil May Cry
Platform: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Ninja Theory
Publisher: Capcom
Genre: Action Hack & Slash
Rating: M

 

 OMFG what happened to Dante’s hair? As much as it shames me, I must admit that I was one of 'those guys' completely turned off by Capcom’s rebooted franchise the moment the first images were released. I was convinced that Ninja Theory was trying to cash in on the Twilight craze and that one of my favorite characters was going to be ruined.  This punkish emo kid wasn’t the Dante I knew. Hell he didn’t even sport the red jacket-Blasphemy I shouted.  I didn’t even bother to try the free demo on sheer principle. Well now that the game is now out, I decided to stop being a whiney fan boy and give it a shot. Were my prejudices justified or did I walk away satisfied feeling juvenile thanks to my previous attitude towards it?

Death Race 3 Inferno Review

TITLE: Death Race Inferno

DIRECTOR: Roel Reiné

STAR: Luke Goss, Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames

PUBLISHER: Universal

RATING: R, Unrated

GENRE: Action

I’ll get my biases out in the open right away. I loved the 2008 release of Death Race that was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. It was a movie specifically made for my tastes. It had guns, cars, plenty of action, and a hero I could actually root for. The fact that it reminded me of Twisted Metal; a game I hold close to my childhood instantly sealed the deal when the original trailer came out and luckily the film did not disappoint. Then the 2010 prequel came out falling a bit behind in terms of story quality. Now in 2013 the third installment has been released to continue the adventures of the original Frankenstein and his crew as they struggle to survive in the world’s most popular blood sport. But will this be a high octane thrill ride like the first film, or end up as a watered down mess leaving its audience stranded and wanting more?