As another weekend rushes by I’m going to keep this Weekend Whammy short and sweet. Because I too am short and sweet. Well, short, anyway.
As everyone reading this knows being on the Internet means developing a tough skin, even more so if you happen to make videos or stick your opinions up for other people to read. I’ve gotten my fair share of flack and usually I take it in stride. But man, for some reason today I got punched in the gut. Someone kindly asked if my Days Gone review was, “written by an 11 year old.” Ouch. I don’t know why but that one hit me. I know I’m not great but…an 11-year-old? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will leave deep psychological scars that slowly turn a man into the Joker. Heh.
Anyway, lets get on with this Weekend Whammy. First up, I finally reviewed Days Gone. It’s a little late, but I did wind up vomiting up a shade over 3,000 words to do it, so that has to count for something.
On launch Days Gone got a fairly lukewarm reception from critics, and I’d have to say that many of the issues they raised are perfectly valid. The combat is clunky, the stealth is basic, the enemies are essentially just zombies again. It also doesn’t do anything particularly new or innovative. There’s really no single thing I can point to and say, “that, that’s what makes Days Gone good.” But the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts, and while Days Gone does have its issues it’s also shitloads of fun. I doubt you’ll regret picking up this latest in a long line of strong Sony exclusives. I, for one, have certainly loved sinking dozens of hours into Days Gone and plan on playing many, many more.
Days Gone review
I also put out a review for the fifth episode of Game of Thrones, season 8. There was a lot to say, but overall I did enjoy it, though I’ve accepted that it’s more about the ride than anything else now. It’s hard to believe that as I type this Game of Thrones is just hours away from finishing forever. I’m already going through the same hollow feeling I get whenever other long-running parts of my life come to a close. It’s like a piece of you has just vanished. It was the same when the Harry Potter movies wrapped up, and the Harry Potter books. Or when Stargate SG-1 put out its final episode.
To be honest, I always felt like the end of Game of Thrones was going to be tough. I mean, how the hell do you end eight seasons of TV show? Especially one with so many characters and plot threads. I don’t think it’s possible to craft something that would live up to what we’ve all dreamed up over the years. With that said, this season has been much weaker in terms of writing and character development, so at this point I’m mostly just hoping it isn’t a complete and total car crash.
On a Game of Thrones note, I have been eyeing up this lovely leather-cloth box-set of the existing A Song of Ice & Fire books. I’ve got the standard paperbacks, but these caught my eye. I just wonder if they’ll put out matching editions of the forthcoming books. Y’know, if Martin ever actually writes them.
Anyway, I’m also playing and planning to review Descenders, a pretty awesome indie game about mountain biking. It just left Early Access and has improved a lot since those days. Keep an eye out for that review in the future.
This week I saw John Wick: Parrabellum. I’m a big fan of the series, so I went into this one feeling excited. Once again Keenu Reeves and the entire film-making crew delivered top-notch action without using shaky cam or a million edits. It’s stylized, incredible fighting that somehow does still feel grounded in reality, largely because you can see Keenu Reeves doing it all. There’s no trickery.
However, there was one element of the film I didn’t like. The lore of the past two movies has been fascinating, but in Parrabellum I think they went a bit far. There were a few times when it all felt silly and contrived. I like that the film-makers are continuing to expand the strange lore of John Wick’s world, though.
That aside, though, it really is one hell of a film. It looks like their going to go ahead and make a fourth one, which is probably pushing things a bit far but I’ll probably still be in-line to see it at the cinema.
Getting away from the ass-kicking mayhem of John Wick there was an excellent article over at Kotaku talking about how Days Gone is a great love story. If you read my review you’ll already know that I agree wholeheartedly. Do be warned that the article contains spoilers, though.
Meanwhile, over at Eurogamer they’re talking about how Viva Pinata put a lens on late stage capitalism. Huh.
Right, I’m off to collapse in a small, snoring heap. Take care everyone.
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