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musicollage · 4 years ago

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Atlas Sound. Logos, 2009. Kranky (USA) / 4AD (UK). ( Lyrics & Music – Bradford Cox ) ~ [ Album Review | 1) Pitchfork + 2) Pop Matters + 3) Drowned In Sound + 4) NME + 5) Prefix Magazine ]

1) As we've gotten to know Bradford Cox over the last couple of years through shows, interviews, and blog posts, one of the Deerhunter frontman's most appealing qualities is his deep and nuanced appreciation of the music of others. Some musicians listen to records to see how they work, check out the competition, or trawl for ideas; by all available evidence, Cox feels records, deeply. If he was born without musical gifts and couldn't sing or play an instrument, one can imagine him working at a record store, amassing an enviable collection while driving people on a message board crazy with the sureness of his detailed opinions. Whatever you think of his exploits as an indie rock media figure, Cox's music fandom is easy to identify with and also offers a portal into his own work.

Atlas Sound, Cox's solo alias, in one sense serves as a sort of laboratory for figuring out what makes some his favorite music tick, away from the expectations of his main band. Two collaborations on Logos, the second Atlas Sound full-length, are excellent examples of how music listening can be absorbed into original work. First is "Walkabout", a track Cox wrote and recorded with Noah Lennox from Animal Collective, whom Cox got to know during a European tour. Though Cox's music shades dark and Lennox's is often flecked with uncertainty and doubt, "Walkabout" is the sunniest pop tune of either of their careers. Coasting on a buoyant, twinkling keyboard sample, it is a starkly catchy and irresistible, a clattery post-millennial Archies tune that straddles perfectly the border between simple and simplistic. Interestingly, it also sounds very much like a Panda Bear tune.

Then there is Lætitia Sadier of Stereolab, who wrote the lyrics and sings lead on Logos' "Quick Canal". The song opens with some gorgeously textured organ chords and soon a steady-state beat and drums rise up in the mix, setting the kind of relaxed-but-propulsive neo-krautrock scene that Stereolab perfected very early on. Here Cox gets to play the part of the late Mary Hansen, adding "la-di-da" trills behind Sadier as she intones phrases in her unfailingly lovely, for-the-ages voice. He even throws in a "Jenny Ondioline"-style rupture about halfway through, sending the track into a breathtaking shoegaze section for its final four minutes, wherein it floats magisterially on a pillow of shifting guitar feedback. "Quick Canal" is almost nine minutes long and it doesn't waste a second.

On these tracks, the confidence Cox shows in melting his aesthetic into the soundworld of other musicians is striking-- both are unqualified successes, very different from each other but among the best things Cox has ever done. But they also sound a lot like the music his collaborators are known for. Cox's sympathetic support and sense of how to construct songs with others suggests a desire to expand the parameters of what Atlas Sound can be. And given his willingness to let others take the microphone on an Atlas Sound project on these cuts, I can't help but go back to Cox's words on Logos before the album was released, which suggested that this was to be less introverted and that was "not about me."

And then I remember that the cover of the album consists of a photo of Cox with his shirt off and the lyrics in the first two songs start with the word "I", which suggests that we probably shouldn't take these statements very seriously. While the songs may or may not be "about" Cox in the strictest sense, the overall vibe is at least as introverted as 2008's Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, and every note bears the same signature. With its strummed guitars, hushed double-tracked vocals, and tunes more reliant on ambiance and feel than melody or rhythm, Logos feels every bit as diaristic and personal, but with Cox, that's a plus. At this point, we're not looking to this guy for commentary on the outside world; we want to hear him wrestle with private demons in the sanctuary of his bedroom, bathing every sound in reverb to give the illusion of space and as a sonic balm against loneliness and figuring out how to make music as affecting as the stuff he loves to listen to.

So tracks like "The Light That Failed", "An Orchid", and "My Halo" (the latter two, though different in tone, are further entries in Cox's growing line of melancholy waltz-time shuffles) function primarily as the kind of eerie, blown-out mood music he has become very good at. They are amorphous sketches that still manage to convey feeling, capturing the sort of sad, exhausted, and fragile emotional state that is Cox's area of expertise. "Shelia", a taut pop song with a great chorus hook, is a change-up, though the repeating refrain "No one wants to die alone" fits with the rest of the record's themes. And "Washington School", with its dissonant chime of metallic percussion that sound like gamelan or evilly out-of-tune steel drums, contains the record's most interesting production, with thick drones reminiscent of Tim Hecker and menacing rhythm track.

So some things are different, some are the same, but all of it works well together. It's true that every time Cox ventures out of his comfort zone on Logos, you wish that he'd go even further and embrace extremes-- of tunefulness, tradition, noise-- that don't necessarily come to him naturally. He may yet take a big leap with Atlas Sound, but here the steps away, though rewarding, are tentative. For the rest of the record, Logos feels familiar and assuring, another affecting dispatch from a corner of indie music that is increasingly starting to seem like one Cox pretty much owns.

2) Take a quick gander at Deerhunter's discography and you'll notice a clear stylistic trajectory. From the confrontational noise of "Turn It Up Faggot" to the ambient preoccupations of Cryptograms to the straight-up indie-pop of Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., it's plain to see that as the band has evolved over time, its songwriting has increasingly tended toward the more accessible end of the spectrum. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Bradford Cox's other songwriting vehicle, Atlas Sound, is following a similar arc. On Logos, his second album under the Atlas Sound moniker, Cox provides us with 11 songs that are far less insular, though no less dreamy, than those he has penned in the past. While his fractured compositions still evoke the myth of the bedroom pop auteur, the songs on Logos sound considerably more refined than the lo-fi sketches being churned out by many of his peers. This, as it turns out, is a very good thing.

To wit: "Walkabout", the track that had the blogosphere buzzing with anticipation for the better part of the summer. Built around a squelchy organ sample lifted from the Dovers "What Am I Going to Do", the song simultaneously recalls both the acid-tinged psychedelia of Black Moth Super Rainbow and the technicolor pop of Brian Wilson. Of course, it's impossible to mention "Walkabout" without acknowledging its co-creator, Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear. In many ways, "Walkabout" bears Lennox's fingerprints more than it does Cox's, with Lennox's wistful vocal harmonies echoing throughout the track's four-minute runtime. It's easy to see why Cox chose to leak "Walkabout" well in advance of the release of Logos; bright, bubbly and infinitely catchy, the song perfectly captures the mood of a fleeting summer afternoon and stands as one of the year's best singles.

"Walkabout" is obviously a standout, though it's also an outlier when approached within the context of Logos. While some may feel as if they've been misled, the good news is that the rest of the album is no less rewarding, if not quite as instantly gratifying. Take, for example, the opening suite that leads up to "Walkabout". Pitting disjointed acoustic guitar strums and distant, reverb-soaked vocals against a backdrop of aqueous noise, "The Light That Failed" succeeds at drawing the listener in while still keeping her at arm's length. "An Orchid", meanwhile, presents the listener with a dreamy ballad that feels like an indistinct outline for a Deerhunter song. Cox's vocals and the song's guitar hook are buried just deep enough in the mix to force the listener to dig a little. When "Walkabout" finally hits, it feels like a reward well earned.

Luckily, "Walkabout" isn't the only nugget of pure pop bliss to be found on Logos. "Shelia", a disarmingly straightforward slice of jangly college-rock, proves hard to shake, with its Pixies-esque melody and sun-bleached three-part harmonies. Lyrically, the song serves as a world-weary rejoinder to the sweetly nostalgic refrain of "Walkabout" ("What did you want to be / When you grew up"), with Cox explaining, "No one wants / To die alone", before promising the song's titular subject, "We'll die alone / Together." It sure goes down easy, though.

Cox has publicly acknowledged that Stereolab were his favorite band in high school, so it should come as no surprise that given the opportunity to collaborate with Lætitia Sadier, he puts his best foot forward. On "Quick Canal", he lovingly builds up and tears down a cathedral of sound for Sadier to inhabit, layering a deep bass groove, tambourine hits and a wall of gently panning organs atop a steady, shuffling beat. Midway through, the song falls apart, briefly taking a detour into glitchy noise before giving way to a squall of fuzzed-out guitars. Try as Cox might to obfuscate the vocals, however, Sadier's voice proves indefatigable. To her credit, she sounds right at home here, bouncing her voice off of the song's jagged edges to produce a track that's equal parts haunting and triumphant.

With regard to electronic composition, on Logos Cox sounds more confident than ever before. Samples and electronic instrumentation form the underpinnings of many of the album's songs, though not to conspicuous effect. Penultimate track "Washington School" illustrates this point better than perhaps any other on the album. Opening with a loop built from fragments of a minor key piano line, the song soon piles on a pounding, bass-heavy beat, chimes and a playful synth line, blossoming into a full-on folktronica number that recalls Four Tet circa Rounds. Somewhere in the distance, Cox's disembodied voice rings out: "Shine a light / On me."

If Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel was the product of Cox's willful isolation, then Logos is the sound of the auteur stepping outside of his bedroom to engage the world outside. Though it cedes little of the hazy delivery that made Let the Blind… so compelling, Logos brims with a wide-eyed energy all its own, conveying a palpable sense of optimism that's all too rare in Cox's oeuvre. This isn't too surprising when one considers the circumstances; the path that led Cox to the album's creation -- globetrotting tours with his idols, collaborations with some of the most distinctive voices in indie rock -- is the stuff of dreams for hermetic music nerds. Perhaps that's why Logos sounds as vibrant as it does: it's the result of Bradford Cox living out his dreams rather than just dreaming them.

3) One of many unsatisfactory things about end-of-decade retrospectives is that musicians are rarely so accommodating as to plot their careers in nice, convenient ten year cycles. Nonetheless, that’s how posterity tends to remember them, regardless of finer details. Thus the Kinks are Sixties artists, the Clash a Seventies act, Talk Talk an Eighties band, Nirvana from the Nineties, and you’d comfortably stick a punt on The Strokes and Sufjan Stevens ending up defined by this decade we’re exiting.

But what of Bradford Cox? Even if you were aware of Deerhunter's raucous 2005 debut ”Turn It Up Faggot” at the time, you're a wizard or a liar if you foresaw how their frontman was going to fill the years 2007 to 2009. That is to say: three Deerhunter albums (‘tis a fool indeed who views Weird Era Cont. as anything other than a record in its own right), two EPs, and a solo project as Atlas Sound that’s yielded God-know-how-many free downloads, as well as last year's Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, and now – an epic 22 months later - Logos. That all of this bar the odd freebie has been good to exemplary is simply astonishing, and points to an artist whose profligacy and cult popularity has him nicely set up to be a defining artist of the next decade.

And yet... anomalous as ”Turn It Up Faggot” may seem, such scabrous origins are indicative of a palette that has been cooling and quietening ever since Cox first intersected with the limelight. The soundbite-friendly ‘ambient punk’ aesthetic never really lasted beyond Cryptograms, with Microcastle canning the abrasiveness in favour of reasonably straightforward shoegaze set off with dreamlike Fifties flourishes. Having arrived at something like a commercial sound, another artist might have stopped there; however, Cox has ploughed right on through, this year’s Rainwater Cassette Exchange far and away Deerhunter’s most introverted work, a retreat into quiescent childhood reverie.

Logos has much more in common with Rainwater... than Let the Blind..., for the most part ditching the dissonant electronics in favour of delayed acoustic guitars and old-time pop structures. On the face of it, it sets out Atlas Sound’s stall as simply being whatever Cox may do sans Deerhunter. Yet in a way the 'ambient solo project' tag still kind of makes sense. Strictly speaking ambient music is defined not by instrumentation, but by its evasion of the consciousness. Whole swathes of Logos are blurred and indistinct - technically melodic, hooky songs treated and delivered in such a way that they all but self-negate, leaving nothing but fleeting impressions: the winsome viola that arrives in ‘Attic Lights’, just as Cox mutters ”maximum pain, maximum effect”; the gay singer’s unsettling yearning for traditional marriage on ‘Sheila’ ("we’ll die alone, together"); the barely discernible mantra ”all is love” that briefly ghosts through ‘Washington School’.

This might sound like a way of romanticising an unmemorable album, but that's far from the case. These songs are bunched together into two dreamy, fog-like passages that serve as a backdrop for a handful of the most tangible tunes Cox has ever written, soaring atmospherically above the misty dreampop. Opener ‘The Light That Failed’ roots itself in the consciousness through eerily torpid glitching, Cox’s disconcerting use of something approaching a falsetto, and the doomy langour of its titular lyric. It sets up an album that frequently drifts into disquieting areas, yet never quite follows through on this early moment of dread. Indeed, delightful Panda Bear hook up ‘Walkabout’ serves as definitive proof that the light hasn't failed at all. While much of Cox’s early pop obsession speaks of a desire to creep out of the now entirely, ‘Walkabout’ is far more tangible and good natured, thanks largely to Panda Bear’s high, comforting tones and the appropriation of the hook from actual vintage Sixties pop gem ‘What Am I Going To Do?’ by The Dovers. Ironically for a song built around a 40-year-old tune, nothing, else on Logos has ‘Walkabout’s immediacy, though the excellent title track comes close, a rattling Strokes-alike number slightly removed from the world by Cox’s arsenal of floaty FX.

As we’ve known ever since last year’s leak of the Logos demos, the centrepiece is the eight and a half minute, wholly electronic ‘Quick Canal’. Though tamed a little from the leaked 13 minute instrumental, this more mannered, Laetitia Sadier-sung incarnation is a better fit here, and still towers above the skyline. The Stereolab singer adds an inescapably Enya-ish quality to the gentle early stages, but by the time the song’s swooshing, snowy motorik has kicked into full gear she fits in immaculately, an aloof Old World passenger on a song charged with haughty European electronica. It perhaps doesn’t sound so jaw-dropping as it did in isolation, but a lot of that can be attributed to an intentional effect of the surroundings. Those short, subliminal songs serving to filter away reality and focus, like half remembered dreams that leaves the senses baffled and feverish.

Logos is a gorgeous, hallucinatory and somewhat sickly outing. While there's every chance he'll wrong foot us, and soon, this record is entirely in keeping with the increasingly self-erasing route Bradford Cox has taken as a musician; it's hard to stifle a shudder at that blanked out cover image. Maybe Cox will go on to be a star next decade - he's a gregarious, prolific man liked by critics. But listen to his music, and that doesn't feel quite right. Maybe he'll become an icon. Or maybe he’ll finally make his escape from our timestream entirely, leaving us to wonder if he was ever there at all.

4) Much like Starbucks, Bradford Cox has become a ubiquitous presence. What with his work with art-rock outfit Deerhunter, his involvement in Karen O’s official soundtrack for Where The Wild Things Are, and now this, his second solo offering under the Atlas Sound banner, you’d be forgiven for thinking that such familiarity will start to breed contempt. But you’d be way off the mark.

There are two things you should know about this unlikely lo-fi hero of gangly deportment (he has Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that stretches his limbs and strains his heart) and a girlish speaking voice (the affliction for this is yet uncertain). Firstly, it is impossible to dislike him (just see Wayne Coyne’s spoof argument with him on YouTube, branding Cox a “dick”). Secondly, his creative output has proved him to be one of – if not the – most forward-thinking and inspiring musicians of our generation.

So, as Cox takes time out from Deerhunter, along comes ‘Logos’. Less of an experimental minefield than its predecessor, ‘Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel’, it sees Cox weave in and out of dream-like sequences, such as the sombre ‘The Light That Failed’ and ‘Quick Canal’, the latter featuring the sweetly masculine vocal of [a]Stereolab[/a]’s Laetitia Sadier; while ‘An Orchid’ pitches in as the aural equivalent of a David Lynch storyboard, guided along with looped noises and whimsical vocals.

It’d be easy to overlook Cox’s lyrics when the soundscapes are this rich and ornate, but there’s a delicate exploration of the most human of sensibilities and yearnings on ‘Logos’. He opens up the emotional vaults on ‘Sheila’, pining softly that “no-one wants to die alone… we’ll die alone together”. Likewise with ‘My Halo’, where Cox reveals “My halo burned a hole in the sky/My halo burned a hole in the ground… so I wait for polarity to change”. There’s much warmth and playfulness to be found here too, the unfeigned honesty and childlish desires expressed on ‘Walkabout’ – featuring the falsetto of [a]Animal Collective[/a]’s Noah Lennox – with its lyric “What did you want to see?/What did you want to be when you grew up?” being a case in point.

Cox may have tagged Atlas Sound as just another side-project, but ‘Logos’ is a clear indication that his solo creative output is just as richly rewarding as what came before.

5) For a project originally started as a way for Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox to give a voice to his despairing isolation (he records completely alone) as a teenager, Atlas Sound is starting to sound like an arena-filling, widescreen pop project. Logos, Cox’s second proper solo album, takes the dense, gray worlds of Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See, But Cannot Feel and puts them through a rainbow, delivering a splendid album.

If there’s one word to describe Logos, it’s “watery.” And in that regard, Logos shares a lot in common with Merriweather Post Pavilion (and Deerhunter’s Rainwater Cassette Exchange from earlier this year). Both albums trade in dreamy avant-pop landscapes buoyed by soggy atmospherics. “Criminals” sways like a shipping vessel in choppy seas, while the album’s great closing third (“My Halo” through the title track) sounds like it was transmitted from that underwater base in the third season of Lost. Cox is still reliant on the general ambiance that envelops his solo work, but here he’s willing to let his vocals float above the mix. And while musically this is brighter, he’s still all Debbie Downer. Old standby lyrical tropes of growing old (on “Sheila” Cox sings “we will grow old” like he’s reassuring someone else), loneliness (“Attic Lights”) and lost hope (“The Light that Failed”) show up repeatedly, and he still sounds like he’s on his deathbed when he sings.

But for an album created largely by one guy alone in his room, the guest performances shine the most on Logos. Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier wrote the lyrics for “Quick Canal,” a sprawling, shoegazey track that never loses its motorik motion, peaking repeatedly in its eight minutes. The bubbly “Walkabout,” the high-profile track with Animal Collective’s Panda Bear lives up to all the hypertext spilled about it this summer, delivering the best of both Panda Bear’s effervescent youthful innocence and Cox’s wistful yearning.

Logos, while just the second solo album from the frontman for a band of marginal fame, represents the latest and greatest chapter in Cox’s ride to indie stardom. He rose to prominence mid-decade as a confrontational trickster riding blog-hype (circa Cryptograms), continuing with a solo album to build his brand (Let the Blind), an indie-rock masterwork (Microcastle) and a solo album of nearly as high repute (Logos). As for what’s next, Cox has remained mum (though Deerhunter might be taking a hiatus), but with Logos, he ensures we’ll all be waiting.

#rock music #art rock #atlas sound #bradford cox #kranky #4ad #2009 #2000s #2000s rock #pitchfork #pop matters #drowned in sound #nme #prefix magazine #review

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bahamutgames · 4 years ago

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Nier Automata: [A]fterthoughts

Game: Nier Automata: Become As Gods Edition (June 26, 2018)

Console: Xbox One (Via Xbox Game Pass)

Alright so I’m trying something a little different this time with my opinions on a game. Usually I will share this on Twitter in a thread. However, I feel like I’m having more and more to say on games I play lately. And Twitter threads just don’t feel right for sharing massive amounts of text. So I thought I’d give this a shot now. However, this isn’t meant to be a review or an indication of whether or not YOU should try the game. This is just me pouring my heart out about what I’ve played and giving my honest opinions about what I just experienced. This is just for anyone interested, and I highly recommend you try out this game and any other game I choose to talk about in the future, to get your own opinions on how you feel for it.

As such, this isn’t a very well written piece either. It’s mostly just me throwing up thoughts into a post. But, if that’s your thing or you’re just curious about what I have to say, you can read my huge info dump on my feelings about Nier Automata in the readmore!

Spoiler Warning for some parts of the game, including the finale and ending.

Opening

About 2 days ago, I sat down and beat Nier Automata for the first time. And after sitting on it for a bit, I’m ready to talk about my time with it. I wasn’t originally planning on doing a big thing for playing this game (I was saving it for a different game.) But plans got sidetracked, and by that I mean Microsoft had a sale on 3 months of Game Pass for $1. And I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try it out. I was really excited to see they had the game on the service, as I’ve been wanting to play it since it came out. So naturally, I jumped at the chance.

Stuff I liked

Honestly, I really liked this game. I thought was cool and loved a lot of the topics it covered, as they’re things I really enjoy seeing games tackle. Evolution of life, the existence of religion and our relationships with god and death, strange surreal things, androids and robots becoming more than just androids and robots. The story has so many aspects I really loved seeing. A highlight for me was seeing the robots start to become sentient and deal with grief, family bonds, how they should live outside of what they were programmed to do. It was endlessly fascinating to me.

Game also had tons of fantastic characters. I think my favorites may have been 6O and Pascal, if I’m being honest with myself. But also also really liked all 3 of the main playable Androids, and I found myself falling totally in love with the pods too. There’s tons of other great and interesting characters you don’t even get to play as or see that much, it has a fantastic cast I really loved. Particularly, I thought the designs of the androids were really interesting. Dressed in all black with white hair is a cool aesthetic. My favorite design may have been 2B’s, obviously I thought she was really hot. But I think her outfit is actually very cool and classy in a way that understands how to make a character hot without just being in your face about it? If that makes sense. I also really loved A2′s look, being able to see her joints is a really cool underused aspect for an android design. I wasn’t super into the robots themselves at first, but I found myself really loving how they looked by the end of it. Their weird and minimalist designs really leant themselves to the sad and peculiar story they had to tell.

Nier has a fantastic gameplay style too. I was shocked to learn that it was a Bullet Hell! Bullet Hells and Shmups are my “secret favorite” genre, that I really love but rarely actually tap into. I thought the game had really fun use of Bullet Hell gameplay, with fun Shmup sections and fun action RPG sections. I was particularly impressed with how much fun the crossover of the two genres would be. Fighting back against a bullet hell in this type of gameplay style was incredibly fun and endearing. And I think it handles these two completely different genres really well in a pretty cool way. I also loved being able to get multiple weapons for the androids and pods, though I did mostly stick with the same the whole way through. Just the standard weapons and the beast slayer. Plus the laser for my pod. Hey, if it works, why fix it, right? I also really liked the chip system. I had a ton of fun figuring out which chips suited my style the most, and I liked feeling powerful because of them.

Outside of all that, the game looks and sounds AMAZING. The aesthetics particularly really got to me. I’m a huge fan of cities and buildings reclaimed by nature, and I’m a huge fan of sci-fi aesthetics mixed with modern and medieval aesthetics. And the game has both of these used in really great ways. Mix in some of the weird and creepy visuals thrown in throughout some of the game’s darker and sadder scenes? And it’s beautiful. I thought the music was really good too. I wasn’t crazy about it while playing it. But listening to it in the background while writing this makes me realize how good of an OST it is. I really love Pascal’s village theme, Treasured Times, and the credits music.

I also really adored a lot of the interested 4th wall breaks and ways they play with game mechanics and tie them into the functionality of the androids. A scene that really comes to mind is that the settings are actually your android settings. And having to go through them for the story mode, then getting to see it again as 9S. I also thought parts where your vision gets glitched out was very interesting, and things like that were really charming to me.

One of my favorite parts of the game, was absolutely the finale. Huge spoilers for this part obviously. I was teetering between not really liking the game anymore, and loving the game by the end. So the finale was really going to make or break it for me. But ultimately, I think the finale was AWESOME. Having to play as the pods fighting the credits to get a better ending was really cool and genuinely exciting to me. I had a total blast blazing through one final, tough bullet hell finale. Also, seeing all the cool little messages players left was so nice and genuinely heartwarming. I got messages from the USA, Mexico, even one from North Korea! It was so cool! And such a good idea. And getting help from everyone at the end was so awesome. Ultimately, I chose to give up my save data because the ending scene was actually pretty tough for me and I’m not that bad at bullet hells. So I figured it’d be selfish not to lend someone a hand out there in the world. (plus... to be fair, when my game pass expires, I won’t be playing this game much more lol.)

Stuff I didn’t like

With all that praise though, I don’t necessarily think the game was perfect either though. There was a lot of stuff that really rubbed me the wrong way. The gameplay had a lot of stuff that just didn’t feel right and was oddly frustrating. A big one for me was the lock on just being completely useless for some parts of the game, jumping around the enemies far off when there was something right in front of me ready to get hit. It made killing some enemies genuinely more challenging than needed. A huge issue I had with the gameplay was actually that there aren’t enough Shmup sections in the flight units. Most of them take place in hacking sections, which, in my opinion. Aren’t that fun, or at least considerably less fun than the way superior flight unit sections. And that’s the type of gameplay the ending uses. Which is a shame.

And there are some parts I sang praises about but I still have issues with. Like, I enjoy the game messing with the way you play because you’re controlling androids. But when you have to walk somewhere and the game disables your movement, or you have to kill something and the game disables your combat. It’s mostly just annoying. I really love the concept, and I think it’s not THAT bad. But it’s still annoying enough that I thought to mention it. And while I didn’t run into this issue, the really cute and touching aspects of the finale. Are you just completely locked out of them if you can’t pay for online? That really sucks and kind of kills the vibe of that ending. Same with having to delete your save data to help others. It’s cute! But why is it there? It all just feels so antagonizing for no reason.

I also had a big issue with Story B. You play through nearly the entirety of Story A again as 9S. Normally, I love stuff like this. Sonic games come to mind right away for games I enjoy that do this. But for Story B, it is the exact same game and story with minimal changes through it. Sure the opening and towards the ending, it’s different. But mostly, it’s identical. And then there’s just small snippets of way more interesting stuff with the way robots became sentient lightly peppered in to break up the monotony of doing the same thing twice. This second playthrough should’ve focuses HEAVILY on the robots. Even if it’s from 9S’ perspective, more should’ve been changed to show the robots. The part with the singing robot was BRUTAL, and I LOVED it. But you get very few new scenes like that. Perhaps Story B should’ve followed Pascal or a random enemy robot instead of 9S. Considering you also play as 9S for a lot of Story C. Imagine how gut wrenching it would be if Story B followed a random enemy robot evolving and learning about life and free will, only to get killed at the end by 9S or A2 or something. Idunno.

There’s also some gripes with the story. A big one is the fact that, and this is a HUGE spoiler. But 2B doesn’t feel like the main character. It feels like the main character is 9S, who I like, but isn’t as cool as 2B by a long shot. You barely play as 2B or even A2. SO MUCH of the game feels like it’s all about 9S and I gotta be honest, I’m not that interested in 9S. I like him, but maybe we could learn some more about the robots and their interesting problems instead of just seeing more about how 9S is so smart and awesome and genius so he has to be killed a bunch. Speaking of which, I don’t think I care for that aspect of 2B either? She has to kill 9S over and over because he keeps learning the truth about Yorha. In the end, even 2B is just a part of 9S’ story. Maybe that’s just me though. I feel like that whole concept could’ve been removed, and you could’ve had 2B and 9S having to deal with learning about the truth together. idk.

Overall, my biggest complaint is just that the game spends a little too much time on 9S and not enough time on all the interesting aspects it skims over. Again, the robots, I talked about this at length but I really would’ve loved to learn more about them. How about the existential reality that androids and robots have been fighting a meaningless war for dead masters for centuries? WHAT THE HELL WAS EMIL? There’s so much cool stuff in the world of Nier Automata that feels like it’s all skimmed over in favor of stuff that just didn’t really need to be there? I think a lot of these are relegated to sidequests, but they should’ve been a part of the main story. Maybe it’s just me.

Final Thoughts

Well, even after all those complaints and nitpicks. I have to say, I liked Nier Automata. I think it’s a cool game that explores things I thought most people weren’t interested in exploring. Both in its world and its gameplay. Especially not from a big triple A title. Some of these are things I’d like to explore in my own games so it’s nice to see a game with an interest in the same weird topics as me. I’m certainly interested in this series. I only own Drakengaurd, but I’d like to give it and Nier a shot sometime in the future if I can.

I like the hopeful nature of the ending and I liked the emotions I felt through the whole playthrough. Even when the game was scary and sad, I still had a good time with it, and I hope somewhere out there in the multiverse, the characters are living a much better life in peace.

Thank you so much for reading, or just skimming through. Or just scrolling to the end! I appreciate it a lot! This is my first time really writing up my feelings about a game in a huge more organized way like this, and I hope you enjoy it. I’m certainly going to try and do more stuff like this in the future, maybe I’ll still make some of them twitter threads if I’m lazy or don’t have much to say lol. But, regardless, thanks for your time! I hope you have a fantastic evening! Play a video game that makes you feel something :)

#2021 #Thoughts

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maximura · 4 years ago

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MVNALYSIS: GOD’S MENU by STRAY KIDS

Hello friends, seeing as 2020 is going down in flames anyways, there seems like no better time than to start my MV Analysis series, MVNALYSIS. Storytelling and cinematography are both important but the technical aspect is definitely more interesting to me. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’d know how often I yell about a good lighting scheme so this is just an extension of that.

There have been some great MVs this year but the one that really lit my fuse and prompted me to do this is God’s Menu by Stray Kids. If you haven’t seen it yet, go watch it first then come back. This is very long so if you’re not really interested in the technical aspects of music videos then I would definitely recommend scrolling past.

1) The Cyberpunk-Anime Intro tracking shot. That flourescent-neon title card reminds me of cyberpunk aesthetic, especially if you’ve seen the trailer for Cyberpunk 2077. I really love title cards because they remind me of old movies and cartoons. To throw it up so nonchanlantly immediately sets the vibe and subconsciously triggers your mind to think about when you last saw something like that, be it a video game or anime or a movie. They use it a lot more often than other groups and I never noticed until I went back to watch a few of their videos for this post.

The Intro to God’s Menu is both a sonic and visual assault. It’s so fcking good that I am almost sad I will never get to watch it again for the first time.

That tracking shot for Changbin is just beautiful perfection because it has three levels of depth and a very controlled use of blocking. The deepest level is the chaos in the background, the main level is Changbin and the most superficial level is the one closest to the camera, with the marching band player. Interestingly, the movement and speed of each level progresses in descending order: the background is crazy busy, Changbin is moving through at a controlled pace and the marching band player is almost still, like a sign post to reiterate the depth of field.

There are a few really famous and amazing tracking shots, so I’m just going to link them here if you are interested in camera work: Atonement (legendary tbh), 1917 (deserved the cinematography Oscar), Ava Adore (you can see the track they used for the whole video) and the Baby Driver introduction has one of the best tracking shots but I won’t link to it out of respect for people who might be triggered.

Sometimes you watch something and you don’t know why it’s so cool. Well, this is why it’s so cool. This is why some MVs are so interesting to re-watch and why others have no re-watch value at all.

2) Transitions and editing. Oh boy. The fcking transitions. Sometimes people think of them like a cheap trick in the vein of a horror movie jump scare but when you see a good transition, 'cheap’ should be the last word you think of. All the transitions are worth mentioning: Changbin seemingly changing the frame with his hand, Han’s mid-choreo transition and Hyunjin’s forced perspective to mimic the spotlight. I suppose they are are little flashy and tricked-out but it doesn’t change how cool they look. The video editer deserves all the credit for this one.

It’s seems obvious but I can’t ignore the stop-motion DuDuDuDu editing either. It does exactly what the music does in that moment: it’s jarring and abrupt and literally like shots fired and bleeding red. Sometimes literal interpretations are cringey and don’t work but sometimes they work so well you wish everyone was on this level.

A more subtle transition is one that I don’t see a lot of people talking about but it’s when the music shifts from the heavy rap to the smoother vocals. The first time it happens we went from the dark enclosed confines of Han’s kitchen rap to vast open air of the cars racing. The smooth flow of the vocals is echoed in the smooth silent roll of the car tires and then the smooth choreo from Bangchan with that bright God ray lens flare. It’s just like a smooth smooth smooth flow of water after total chaos and that’s exactly what the music is trying to do: the rap is a spicy meal, the vocals are a glass of cool water. Seriously, this MV is so well thought out and well planned. It’s like the director actually listened to the track. What a crazy notion, heh.

3) Robot Camera. If you’re not sure which part I mean, it’s basically during Han’s rap, Felix’s 5 Star Michelin part and the subtle camera tilt for the group choreo. You can see it in action in their ‘Making Of’ video. You’ve probably seen this used before, most notably on Jungkook for DNA but I think it was made really popular in music MVs when Kendrick Lamar did it for Humble. Everyone is using it now but I still love it. No human can film with that precision and it’s seriously cool use of tech. I like that they didn’t overuse it though because it would’ve felt too repetitive. Restraint? In Kpop? Hell really has frozen over today.

4) The colour and lighting. It’s generally really well lit and coloured but the most remarkable thing to point out here is that God’s Menu has only four sets. It feels like it has some meat and depth to it because they used those four sets to their full capacities. In contrast, I think I counted 9 sets for GOT7′s ‘Not By The Moon’ and let’s be honest, they were all kind of wasted.

The scrapyard set is used four times with four different lighting schemes and you barely notice how repetitive it is because they all look so different. The garage scene is my favourite example of good depth of field because they’re in a tiny confined area for choreo but it doesn’t actually feel tiny or confined because of the huge open grandstand in the background.

Also. It’s rad how the video goes from day to night. I didn’t even notice until the third or fourth re-watch.

5) Kendrick Lamar. I just wanted to spend a little time on this point because I hear and see his influence on God’s Menu. Obviously, Kendrick doesn’t have a patent or copyright on use of RoboCams but the main backing track is very Humble-esque and the DuDuDu reminds me of old KL. It’s a little grating tbh but the producer at least showed some restraint with it. Any more of the DDD part and it would’ve been too obnoxious to listen to.

6) Styling. I really love these black outfits because they look like a cross between a karate uniform/dobok and black chef aprons. I wasn’t really sure why they went with the racetrack imagery but there is something about this entire MV that reminds me of anime/manga...and then I remembered that Initial D existed. If you’ve never heard of Initial D until now? You’re welcome.

Oh and Hyunjin’s hair. Damm.

7) Bias: Okay, I’m Australian and I used to live in Sydney so part of me has always been invested in Chris and Felix. But. I have to be straight with you all, that tag-team of Changbin and Han is insane. Insane, I tell you! I wish I could hear that rap intro again for the very first time. It’s like when I heard Mingi’s rap in Wonderland for the first time. Some things are just inexplicable.

8) Conclusion: This is one of the best MVs JYPE has ever made and it’s not even story driven. The modern tech and insane editing is truly next level and I hope people appreciate the work that went into it instead of just seeing it as another flashy kpop video with no substance just because it’s not “deep and meaningful”.

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armageddon-generation · 6 years ago

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Making an arc out of series 11 (and other fixes)

I DON’T MEAN TO HATE - I genuinely really liked this TARDIS team, Jodie has completely won me over and the episodes not written by Chibnall were great - but this series does have several frustrating Issues.

One recurring problem I see people having is that the finale didn't feel climactic because there was little build up.

A few ways to fix this :

The Woman Who Fell to Earth

Just improve Tim Shaw - alter his design so he’s not just a black robot-man - take the tooth idea and do something like the Sycorax?

Change the ball of electricity into an actual creature - then establish Tim Shaw’s abusive relationship with it, taking out his viciousness on this helpless slave, because he’s a coward

This mster/beasty relationship would give Tim more character and make him easier to hate

It also establishes the running theme of the Stenza altering/controlling other creatures - it gives them a distinctive ‘gimmick’ like Dalek extermination and Cyberman conversion, which we can expand on in The Ghost Monument, The Tsuranga Conundrum and The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

The Ghost Monument

Establish the threat of the Stenza - ravaged worlds better (show us the flesh eating water instead of telling us about it and have more time with the Remnants instead of those boring robots)

Do this by giving Desolation (which is out of orbit) short, irregular days (5 hours, 3 hours) so the threat of the Remnants is always there - build tension and character at day (the “Mum told me to jump” speech) and have scary chase sequences during the two night sections

The Stenza using Desolation to create weapons of mass destruction reminds the Doctor of the Time Lords' tactics in the Time War, (that's why she's so interested in the planet) and establish that Yaz wants to know what happened to the Doctor's people/family

One of the racers should've had their planet stolen, not just enslaved, to establish the mystery of the planets Tim Shaw is stealing

Show their desperation by having the racers actually compete and fight with each other, with Team TARDIS stuck in the middle. Both characters believe they deserve the prize because they've suffered and lost more.

Yaz separates them, directly paralleling her intro scene in episode 1 - from parking disputes to this.

GIVE 13 HER BIG MOMENT because I waited until literally the last line of the series to understand where she's coming from. 13 is the joyous explorer, she doesn't have time for wallowing in angst, there's too much universe out there to see.

Something like: "It's not about what you've lost, that doesn't make you better than him! All that matters now is what's ahead. What are you going to do if you win, where will it take you? Have you even thought about it? Because maybe, just maybe, if you stopped pitying yourself you could make something good from this. Yes, you're family is gone and I'm sorry. But just because they're dead doesn't mean your life should stop too. Move forward."

This helps Chibnall's 'Fresh Start' mandate because it establishes 13 as completely different from RTD and Moffat's Doctors (especially 10 and 12) who felt a sense of superiority because of their past pain. It also ties into Ryan and Graham letting go of Grace.

The TARDIS went to Desolation in the first place because it wanted to help the planet (remember she has personality) - 13 realises this once they reunite.

We've previously established the TARDIS can change the weather, and it's had thousands of years on Desolation to prepare calculations etc, so have a sequence at the end where they show off to the new conpanions and terraform the planet, reversing the Stenza's damage

Post - credits scene / stinger - while the companions explore the TARDIS, show 13 viewing the footage the TARDIS collected over thousands of years of the Stenza violating the planet - she doesn't look happy, but then Yaz calls her for a tour and she puts on the bright smile again.

Yaz

I think Team TARDIS in series 11 was meant to be split between the familial relationship between Ryan and Graham, with the standard swept-off-her-feet almost-romance between the Doctor and Yaz in the background. They didn't focus on Thasmin much because I think Chibnall assumed 'oh, we've seen this before'

SHOW THE GROWTH OF YAZ AND THE DOCTOR'S RELATIONSHIP. IT SHOULDN'T BE ROMANTIC (YET) BUT JUSTIFY THEIR DEVOTION TO EACH OTHER

Because Yaz is a police officer have her 'investigate' the Doctor's past - especially her family, as that's an important part of her character and theme in the series as a whole. Since Chibnall loves Classic they could mention Susan

This makes 13 telling Yaz about her Granny in It Takes You Away an important milestone in their relationship

Yaz to Ryan about the Doctor's family:

Thirteen's character

People complaining Jodie isn't unique enough kind of have a point, but the seeds are there:

I like the idea of 13 being easily distracted and careless ("I'm almost going to miss you." / "Hi Yaz, forgot you were there."). Her being slow to trust contrasts nicely with Jodie's infectious enthusiasm. Have Yaz's role be keeping 13 focused, grounded and on-track when she needs to be.

Also! I've seen the idea thrown around 13 is only acting all bright and chipper. It'd be really interesting if she prioritises Team TARDIS' emotional wellbeing over her own

This way we have parallel arcs - Yaz gets the Doctor to open up as Ryan gets closer to Graham

13 and her Sonic

13 is meant to be a tinkerer, but we don’t see much evidence of this outside building the Sonic

So she wears a tool belt

The belt is TARDIS-like (bigger on the inside) and 13 pulls things out of it like Mary Poppins’ carpet bag

13 pulls bits of scrap out of the belt and cobbles things together when she’s excited / nervous / talking (pipe cleaner helicopters! Catapults! Wind-up mice!)

This distinguishes her from 11, who also did a lot of hand-flapping and is already superficially similar personality-wise

More floofy/fly-away haired 13! It makes her seem more energetic, constantly in motion, which really suits her.

The popular headcanon is that the Sonic works randomly (one episode it can do things, the next it can’t) because over the years the Doctor has added so many features they’ve overloaded it. So now she’s got a new Sonic, 13 is constantly fiddling with it/adding new features

Address the NuWho Doctors’ over-reliance on the Sonic - 13 keeps expecting the Sonic to do things but because it’s new hardware, it can’t, and she has to solve problems on her own

A running gag where 13 goes ‘watch this, gang’ and the Sonic does something completely opposite what she wanted and now they have to improvise

In the finale the Sonic finally works properly and 13 uses it to beat Tim Shaw

Occasionally (in an episode opening) 13 makes weird machines without knowing what the fuck they do:

13: [holding up a small device] Does this look familiar? Do you know what it is? Neither do I. I made it last night in my sleep. Apparently I used Gindrogac. Highly unstable.

Yaz: Doctor…

13 : I put at button on it. Yes. I want to press it, but I’m not sure what will happen if I do.

Ryan: [runs for cover]

13 and Graham

In Series 11, 13 always seemed annoyed by Graham (“Don’t kill the vibe”) and never seemed to grow past it.

Suggest 13 is living vicariously by helping Graham reconnect with Ryan – the Doctor first started travelling in the TARDIS to connect with their grandchild, so this is 13 coming full-circle

13 notices how good and Granddad Graham is trying to be for Ryan, and as he grows braver she comes to really respect him.

Graham becomes her confidant – he’s the only one 13 shows her age to, and she helps Graham begin again: They talk about how the Doctor has had to reinvent and regenerate themselves again and again because the universe needs them – much as Ryan needs Graham. 13 has lots of experience moving past loss, and they support each other through the pressure of being responsible (for Ryan and Yaz respectively)

Ryan

Have the Doctor and Ryan's relationship develop - in The Woman Who Fell to Earth they suggested 13 would take a nurturing parental role for him ("That's the kind of thing Grace would've said") but it's not really built on. All the pieces are there (him being immature and using weapons in the beginning)

Ryan and 13 have a sibling-like relationship - she teaches him about life and the universe - have 13′s use of slang (skillz with a z) come from Ryan having fun teaching slang to a socially inept alien

also maybe a reccuring joke about Ryan going for a fist-bump and 13 patting his fist, that pays off by the finale

Does anyone remember Ryan and Yaz went to Primary school together? Capitalise on that. When Ryan talks about how his Dad left him in Tsuranga and It Takes You Away, make it explicit that she understands because she saw Ryan go through it as a kid, and remembers what it did to him emotionally

A common complaint about Ryan is that he rarely actually does anything - he just stands there and says "they're gone!" or "it's a spaceship!". So have this be part of his character. In the early episodes have Yaz be the most active companion (allowing her to develop!), with Ryan (nervous about his dyspraxia) in the background, and have him become more and more active and competent as the series goes on.

Episode Order

For this to work I suggest shuffling the episodes - 1, 2, 8, 4, 6, 5, 7, 3, 9, 10

10 60-minute episodes to fit the new stuff in and give the large cast more room. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (60 minutes) was Chibnall's best script.

This way series 11 gets the same screen time as the 12 episode Capaldi series

Instead of 2 trailers for the next episode (one pre and one post credits) insert a post-credits stinger hinting at arcy things

The Witchfinders (We’re Going on a Witch-Hunt)

Swap Rosa and The Witchfinders around. We can get the 'female discrimination' thing out of the way faster (it felt weird they didn't explicitly address it until episode 8). Yaz and 13 can bond over their shared oppression (this is the first time the Doctor realises what history is like for her female companions - for the first time, they are of equal status and must work as a team).

Also have Yaz, the POLICE OFFICER, be personally offended by the miscarriage of Justice in the Witch Trials, and defend the victims - relate it to her experience on the job (maybe touch on domestic abuse?) instead of the cliche bullying story

The villains being escaped convicts from a prison also links to Yaz's character and job - contrast her applying police protocol to the Morax (she never had a case this big at home!) with 13's "fuck it, time to wave the glowy science stick' attitude - Yaz forces 13 to be disciplined, 13 forces Yaz to think outside the box and bend the rules

Arachnids in the UK (Spiders in Sheffield)

Still episode 4 - this needs a complete rewrite IMO, but for starters make the Trump parallel less explicit and cringey

Address Yaz has left her job as a police officer behind - she goes into work (with 13 as her ‘consultant’) and learns about people disappearing - we meet the spider expert at the Police Station, (because Yaz’s neighbour being the only victim AND working in that spider lab was too big a coincidence)

The expert is being ignored because the disappearances are higher priority, so low-ranking Yaz gets stuck with her

The spiders have spread all over Sheffield, not just the one flat and all around Yaz’s building

Have Ryan, Yaz and the Doctor go to meet Yaz’s mum at the hotel while Graham is mourning Grace in their nearby flat

When the spreading spiders reach Yaz’s family, Graham goes to help them, showing how brave 13 has helped him become.

We now have two tension-filled scenarios:

A home invasion subplot where Graham helps Yaz’s family keep the spiders out of their flat. Use this to flesh out and make her sister and Dad likeable - Graham comforts them when they’re scared, calling back to Grace's last line "promise you won't be scared without me" - 13 has helped him!

13 and Co being chased around the hotel (PROPERLY chased - the spiders use webs to cut off corridors and herd them around like rats in a maze)

YAZ GETS TAKEN BY THE SPIDERS - this is the moment 13 realises how attached she is to her new friends. She and Mrs Kahn work together to go and save Yaz from the Spiders’ nest (eliminating that annoying Jackie Tyler “you’re endangering my kid” trope) while Ryan uses his music to draw the spiders away

13 gets to see Mrs Kahn’s maternal affection and we see her desire for family. Ryan’s music draws the Spiders back and saves Graham and Yaz’s family

When Ryan and Graham reunite it’s very emotional - Ryan saved Graham’s life - ‘looking out for each other’

Finally have the Doctor save the Spiders by using the TARDIS as an Ark, instead of leaving them to die - call back to Planet of the Spiders and drop them off there

Since she's at home, once they’ve saved everyone have Yaz do girly things with the Doctor (because they haven't been able to rest since episode 1) - maybe nail painting? Only 13 starts using the varnish as finger paint. Also! I like the idea of them choosing 13's earring together bc 13 has no clue about jewelry

Demons of the Punjab

This should be episode 5, because it's connected to 4 by Yaz's family and together they provide a nice rounding-off of the half of the series more focused on her

The Thijarians have had their planet stolen, not just destroyed (it would still kill everyone)

That way when we see the hologram of what happened to their planet we establish the threat of what will happen to the Earth if Tim Shaw wins in the finale

(the powder they have can still be the stuff left over afterwards)

Also it's weird that Yaz goes to see her Grandmother, who she discovers remarried, and Ryan doesn't react at all.

Ryan has nothing to do in this episode, and because we're putting Punjab earlier in the series, Grace's loss is fresher. Give him a moral dilemma: He wants to go back and see her when she was young (and with her first husband - implicitly rejecting Graham) like Yaz is seeing her Gran

After seeing what happens to Yaz's family, and seeing Graham's caring reaction to Prem, he follows 13's advice and gives up on seeing Grace again - he's content with Graham

He bonds with Yaz over the episode and warns her not to take family for granted. At the end Yaz takes him to meet her Gran in the present day ("I was lucky enough to know yours")

The Tsuranga Conundrum (The Good Doctors)

Have the medical ship be a war ambulance helping victims of the Stenza's conquest

The general on board has fought the Stenza

Cut her brother and the 2nd nurse, they're unnecessary - have the ship be understaffed because of the strain the Stenza are putting on the medical service, give the engineering role to 13

The asteroid field they have to fly through (which we should ACTUALLY SEE) is not just an asteroid field but the wreckage left behind by another missing planet.

Replace the P'ting. It may be cute but the vast majority of people thought it was ridiculous. Instead have it be a Stenza weapon left over as the ship is flying through an old battleground - it can still be small and destroy the ship from the inside out, but its design can be more threatening and it can be more sympathetic (it was experimented on/created to kill, it isn't evil)

13 tries to pilot the ship first but can't because she's wounded. She has to rely on Team TARDIS and delegate the usual ‘Doctor’ roles. She faces off against the tactical P’ting, trying to fix the ship as fast as it disassembles it, while Yaz runs around trying to catch the thing, and Ryan and Graham take care of the passengers

The sonic STAYS BROKEN so 13 has to do this all by hand

Once 13 is told the Stenza are still out there hurting people, introduce a subplot over the next 3 episodes before the finale where she's sneaking off at night to go and help fight them (without the others knowing, because they're too emotionally biased)

The next episodes (Kerblam!, Rosa) gradually shift the focus onto Ryan's growth as he becomes more active

It Takes You Away

Add 13 and Graham - now close friends - talking about grandkids, and put more emphasis on 13′s reaction to the abandoned girl

This sets up the Solitract turning into Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter, instead of the frog at the end

You don’t require previous NuWho knowledge to know about Susan - she has barely been mentioned.

Have her be played by the actress from An Adventure in Space and Time, like David Bradley as the First Doctor

This way we directly address the theme of grandchildren and family

The Solitract is a link to 13's childhood and family. It's also another omnipotent consciousness she can relate to (think 9 and Bad Wolf - "That's what I feel, all the time!"). Finding that and immediately letting it go must be traumatising

Have a quick scene of Yaz catching 13 crying, but she quickly covers up because Graham just saw Grace and he's distraught

Finale (Battle Phantoms)

When they arrive on the battlefield 13 accidentally reveals she's been helping fight the Stenza offscreen (which is how she knows about this battle - one of the ones she was too late for)

This lie infuriates Graham - she's been blocking his revenge for ages

BIG EMOTIONAL MOMENT

13: Maybe I am a liar, and I promised I wouldn't be, but that's because I know what it's like, Graham. To want to hurt the people who hurt you. How that anger burns like fire, like a supernova. And it took me so long to get over it, so long to move on. Whole lifetimes wasted hurting and hating. I didn't want that to happen to you. No one deserves to be broken twice.

This gives Graham a legitimate reason to go against 13 without announcing his intention to kill Tim Shaw like an idiot. It also plays up 13's hypocrisy, which was touched on in the original script

What was the point of 9 distress calls if they're all in the same place?? Use this pportunity to split team TARDIS up and showcase how they've grown as individuals before bringing them back together (Ryan and Graham, Yaz and 13) for the 3rd Act

Graham being on his own drives up the tension over whether he'll kill Tim Shaw - Ryan gets there just in time

Explicitly call back to the moment in The Ghost Monument when Ryan used a gun - highlight how far he's come because of 13, talking Graham down

Get rid of the robots, because they weren't in The Ghost Monument now, and they turned the intimate story into an action movie.

Over the series we've established the Stenza genetically engineer other creatures into weapons (the Remnants, the P'ting, the cable ball in The Woman Who Fell to Earth). Replace the robots with scary leftovers from the Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (because that title was irrelevant to the original episode) - Think the Hand Mines from The Magician's Apprentice

Have each of the missing planets throughout the series be named - that way when we discover the stolen planets in the finale there is emotional impact because their being stolen has caused so much suffering.

This way not only are the Stenza a lot more threatening because they are present throughout the series, there is more build up to seeing Tim Shaw again

Also, the subplot about returning the planets is more emotionally impactful - the Doctor is retroactively providing closure to lots of the side characters from the series

Finally the threat to Earth is much greater - the companions have seen what losing your planet does to a person emotionally, and they fear that

WHEN THE EARTH IS THREATENED CALL BACK TO YAZ'S FAMILY SO WE FEEL SOMETHING

Also the continuing thread of missing /lost planets could link to Galifrey, raising 13's emotional stakes

Multiple people have complained the plot thread about the planet attacking you psychically and erasing your memories went nowhere - when 13 and Yaz take those devices off they get slight headaches

Instead have the planet actually attack them - 13 and Yaz have to remind each other of their memories and their families - exposing Yaz to a rare snapshot of the Doctor’s lonely childhood on Galifrey

This gives Jodie the opportunity to do some SERIOUS DRAMATIC ACTING, and finally opening up about Galifrey to the whole TARDIS team at the end gives an emotional climax to her relationship with them, as well as the relationship between Ryan and Graham

The Fam line is cute, but we need ACTION to evidence this growth - this way throughout the series we’ve established how much family means to 13, how much she wants that, and Yaz saying “I’ve always liked fam” means so much because it means she understands 13 as a person

Resolution

Change how the Dalek got split.

Medieval humans killing a Dalek on their own is ridiculous and makes itr less threatening. Instead, have the Dalek be a scout from the Time War, looking to attack Earth to distract the War Doctor. The Doctor, furious, rushes over and helps the human armies divide it, to stop the Time War spreading to his second home.

We’re told this legend by the archaeologists, positioning the Doctor as a vengeful wizard. We can get a flashback with the War Doctor as a dark silhouette on a hill or something.

This makes the “it’s personal” stuff even truer

Use the archaeologists and dig site to expand on the Dalek race’s impact on humanity, because they’ve visited Earth dozens of times. I’m thinking wall paintings depicting the Dalek Shell as a Divine war chariot, and the mutant as a Cthulhu-like God

This way we’re really throwing Team TARDIS in the deep end - they are immediately aware of the number of times the Doctor has fought the Daleks, which is completely different to the rest of series 11, where 13 was encountering everything for the first time

Change the junkyard Dalek shell.

The Scout goes to a storage facility where pieces of its shell are stored. Now this place is owned by the modern incarnation of the cult we’ve set up who worshipped the Dalek in ancient times (their logo is the same symbol found on the wall paintings)

Instead of killing the gay (AGAIN), have the company staff welcome and exult the Dalek - only for it to turn around and kill them all, establishing its racial superiority complex. (This is something Chibnall glossed over - his Dalek wanted to conquer like anyone else, not exterminate)

The company has collected the remains of dozens of different Dalek models from invasions across the show’s history (we still have the parallel to 13 making her Screwdriver)

The Dalek reassembles itself not using Earth metal, but into a Frankenstein’s monster welded together from different Dalek designs (classic 60s, Imperial, Special Weapons, Time War, Supreme, Progenitor)

When the Dalek and 13 face each other this one Scout now represents the entire Dalek race, every type the Doctor has ever fought. The idea of it stitching itself together is also a nice parallel to Regeneration

Destroy the Dalek by separating all the different sections - use Ryan’s dad’s technical skills but don’t have all of Team TARDIS rush the Dalek without getting killed - them pushing it around immediately removed any threat.

Emotional Impact

Seeing the remains of all the Daleks the Doctor has killed at the storage facility and hearing the stories of the War Doctor makes Team TARDIS reconsider 13

Police officer Yaz realises she is devoted to a murderer, and considers whether she wants to get closer to such a person

To make the Dalek more impactful to both Team TARDIS and the new audience that has only watched Series 11, when Graham asks why it’s so dangerous have 13 say something along the lines of “the Daleks are my Stenza”

Graham realises why 13 stopped him killing Tim Shaw in series 11, and (considering his Dad must’ve fought in WW2) gains a new level of respect for her

Don’t have Ryan immediately forgive his Dad and declare that he loves him - set up that he’s willing to give his Dad a second chance as an arc for series 12 - the push and pull between Graham and Ryan reconnecting with his Dad

The Scout is trying to complete its original mission, bringing the Tile War to Earth - 13 has to literally defend her freinds from the ghost of the War and finally let go of her violent past (personified by the War Doctor). She’s also letting go of the deified, Messiah-like version of herself (represented by the wall paintings of the Doctor’s battle with the Dalek) that RTD and Moffat loved

13’s arc is worrying learning about the Daleks and their toxic relationship will change the way her friends look at her, because she’s been trying to protect them from this side of her life (it’s revealed she’s been deliberately avoiding places she’s been before because she’s looking for a fresh start)

By now Ryan and Graham are getting along fine, they’ve avenged Grace’s murder and Ryan is now talking to his Dad. 13 worries everyone has outgrown her, and they’ll leave

Have a scene at the end where Yaz comforts 13 and assures her she won’t abandon her - 13 doesn’t need to save their lives for them to want to travel with her - it’s their job to save her. They are here because they care about her.

This way we get a new emotional climax of 13′s emotional arc and reaffirm the status-quo for Series 12

Improving Matt Smith’s era here

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chao-chachaslide · 3 years ago

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OH HEY I think Knux might be going through a ring portal in the new trailer. I stared at it for 2 minutes straight.

IT WOULD MAKE SENSE ACTUALLY. Robotnik got yeeted to Mushroom Hill at the end of the first film. And that just so happens to be a location in Sonic 3&K. And while, yes, it’s passed off as a planet in this canon rather than a smaller ecosystem of Angel Island, it wouldn’t surprise me if this is where Robotnik finds Knux. In the opening of S&K we start off his story with him lounging around in MHZ so it could be a clever callback. But, why isn’t Knuckles on Angel Island?

Now take a look at gif #4. We see a massive green flash and the sea separating. We’re in a tropical beach location (Angel Island Zone, anyone?) here so perhaps this is why part of the film was filmed in Hawaii. We see the sunken M.E. Shrine with the green light beam in other trailers, so they are defo 'awakening' the shrine here. This trailer has some great medium and long shots of Sonic and Knuckles fighting inside the shrine, as well as a shot of Sonic running through Labyrinth Zone. Given the M.E shrine being sunken underwater in this, Labyrinth Zone is a perfect pick to replace Hidden Palace Zone.

Now I just want to address a major plot point from S3&K. Specifically how Angel Island has plunged into the ocean. And yeah, we don’t have a death egg to force the island out of the sky, but let’s think about how multiple times in the franchise it has been mentioned/shown that without the master emerald, angel island will fall. So what if the emerald was dormant? We see them activating it and the sea opening up to reveal the shrine. Could this well be a sunken Angel Island (or SCU equivalent)?

I think this film is going to be heavily influenced by the plot of the classic games, which I am so hyped about I love those games to death. Now this is where I can link to both of the theories regarding who will be appearing in the third movie. And also the Knuckles tv show because none of you have actually considered the idea of new characters being in that.

So firstly, Metal. Metal first appeared in Sonic CD, released in between Sonic 2 and Sonic 3&K. However the games don't take place in release order, since S3&K begins exactly where S2 left off. So when does CD take place. This has been a topic of debate for a long time, but it was confirmed recently that CD is after 3&K. So it is totally plausible for Metal and/or Amy to star in the next film. Especially if they are trying to follow the game continuity to appeal to the target audience.

However, what if we went with the theory that Shadow will be in the next film? Well, it is highly likely that he will appear at some point due to the confirmation of GUN existing in the SCU. GUN simply existing in this movie is a great opportunity to drop a reference to Shadow, or even straight up chuck him in a post credits scene. But there's one thing: Shadow first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2. Not one. 2.

So are they just going to skip SA1? This game was very significant in Sonic lore being the first major game since the original three (4 if you count CD). It soft rebooted the whole franchise. Perhaps most notably, it introduces the current and most well-known characterisation of Amy Rose, who are previously stated, is predicted by fans to appear in the 3rd film. It's noteworthy that although he doesn't really do anything, Metal does cameo in this game.

But then again, SA1 isn't about Amy. In fact, her role in the game is quite minimal, and doesn't touch on the main plot. So it wouldn't really be fair to do an adaptation of that game centered on her. So, let's think about that first statement again. SA1 is not a game about Amy. So, other than Sonic, who does the game throw into the spotlight? Who gets an incredibly fleshed out backstory in this game? Who's origins are crucial to the plot of the game? Oh yeah, the character who's getting a TV show. Knuckles the motherfucking Echidna.

The Knuckles TV show is a perfect opportunity to adapt Sonic Adventure. See, if this TV show is going to delve into his backstory like people think it will, what better way to do it than to adapt the epic game where we finally get a glimpse into his origins. Knuckles is definitely going to become the guardian of the M.E in Sonic movie 2 if he isn't already holding that title at the start. SA1 contains crucial lorebuilding for the Master Emerald and how it connects to Knux. And as I mentioned before, Amy is in SA1, so why not introduce her in this series? Sonic and Tails are probably going to appear anyway. And boom, then you'll have the Core 4.

And if you do that, it now allows you to do a cinematic adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2.

I'm a fucking genius (I'm not I'm BSing rn I just love old video games)

Also in terms of structure, Sonic Adventure works much better if you were to adapt it as a TV show, due to how the story is almost episodic already. Obviously it's a Knuckles TV show it's gonna be about Knuckles, so I'm not saying like one episode per character story. I'm saying like one episode per section of story. Finally, Sonic Adventure 2 just has that 2hour action movie vibe to its story anyway. It just has such a cinematic feel to it.

If you read all of it and actually understood what I was saying the whole way through, good for you.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 / Sonic vs Knuckles - Big Game Spot

#i started writing this last week but had an epiphany and typed this all out in an hour.#i forgot this was a reblog so enjoy the gifs also #sonic vs knuckles #miles' relevant shit #sonic movie 3 #sonic movie #long post #i think I'm losing interest in Sonic and then BOOM. 10 paragraph essay in one hour #wish i could've done that on my english mock earlier #flashing gif tw #pulsing gif tw #i didn't proofread this because it's modnight and I'm tired. there's probably like a bajillion mistakes or something.#can't bloody spell when I'm tired #i also didn't fact check this so please correct anything i got wrong. i was on a roll so I just did everything from memory

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mellz117 · 5 years ago

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Hi and welcome to part 5 of Mellz Plays KH Re:Com for the PS2

For those just joining me today here’s the previous posts about my experience thus far.

[ 1 ] _ [ 2 ] _ [ 3 ] _ [ 4 ]

We’re just about to leave the Destiny Islands and reach Sora’s endgame.

Namine meets Sora at the next floor and Sora finally starts to doubt his memory’s validity.

Namine’s proportions, and in extension, Kairi’s, terrify me pre KH2. And Repliku shows up AGAIN to try to set things straight. Ugh do I have to fight him agai- Yup I sure do! How many fights is this?!

I lost twice, then utterly obliterated Repliku with Sonic Blade, Strike Raid, and Onmislash attacks. He didnt take kindly to that and took a pot shot at Sora.

Hes REALLY fuckin ready to kill Sora oh my god. That self satisfied sigh as he relishes the moment? Yikes.

and Namine kills Repliku before he can hurt Sora! I mean, good on you honey but are you ok? Larxene appears and continues to be The Worst. All she relishes in is emotionally tormenting a literal child. She does not get better.

She yeets Repliku across the room

And harasses Namine

Donald and Goofy caught up with Sora.

Well yeah you only had to go up one flight of stairs, Sora hadn’t gone far, how hard could it have been to find him?

Battle! Lost three times. Larxene is such a drama queen. “I can’t believe I lost to a bunch of losers” Then what does that make you, huh Larxene? You lost, doesn’t that make you even more of a loser? Grown-ass woman calling a teenager a loser. Sounds like me lmao

So Namine explains to the gang about what she was made to do, constantly apologizing for what she did. Honey, no, Marluxia didn’t give you a choice!

Sora being an adorable, precious, wholesome dork.

I love him so much. I would die for him. He made a promise and when he does that, he keeps them, god damn it! I missed him so much omfg—

— …I’ve always had issue with how big his stupid thumb is.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy ascended to the next floor and made “super, duper big promise” to stay friends. And that’s supposed to make them not scared…?

ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL! READS THE SAME IN REVERSE! HELL YEAH LET’S GO!

*exploring the castle* You know for a group of people created from darkness, Org13 sure has a lot of white for their hideouts

There’s only one other person who would pay Marluxia a visit “ You have a lot of nerve to show your face around here, you treasonous bastard”.

And Axel’s like “I beg your fucking pardon? lmao”

“How long have you suspected my plan with Larxene?” Marluxia asks

They start fighting and Axel tries for a dramatic line. “The Organization’s betrayed. In that name, I will annihilate you”. What a dork.

—Axel fight! I’m expecting to have a difficult time with this one. AXEL? MORE LIKE ASS-HOLE! GOD DAMN IT! I cant ever fucking trust this stupid duck! Always using ice against an ice user, always using fire against a fire user. You’re no good, duck!

—Death count against Axel: 8 losses. Fitting as he’s the 8th member. Marluxia peaced out in the middle of the battle. He’s not interested in spectating.

I got a little lost. I ended up going in a circle trying to get back to where Axel and Marluxia fought because I’m dumb. I can get lost in an open field with one exit. It was a Naruto Shippuden game…

“Namine, erase Sora’s memory”. This begs the question; Can’t she erase MARLUXIA’S memory? I mean, it’s not like he’d know…

“A-hyuck we can remember everything for Sora!” Yeah you’ve done a great job up until this point /s

Repliku shows up. Marluxia doesn’t like that. I thought Nobodies didn’t have emotions? Oh wait wasn’t that retconned or something in KH3D? idk lmao

Ohp! He said it! He said the title of the game!

Marluxia battle death count: 3. He only had half a bar left on my 2nd death. What matters is that we won. Oh wait, just an illusion. Fuck you Marluxia. an illusion. Eat a dick.

Sora doesn’t hold grudges. He trusts Repliku to keep Namine safe. That’s so sweet. So precious. It may not actually be Riku but Sora don’t care. He loves all his friends, imitation or not.

This reminds me of Salazar in RE4, when he was eaten up by a giant plaga infected plant and became a boss monster.

Huh I only lost once on the final battle…

WAIT NEVER MIND! I forgot Kingdom Hearts bosses have MAAAAANY phases! First try on the final phase and I won. He gets easier and easier as his phases progress. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Nah he’s just getting worn down. These transformations take up a lot of energy. He’s tired.

Upon Marluxia’s death, Sora watches him fade away. With a scowl on his face, he leaves the battle arena (how he does this I have no idea). Savage.

The trio meets up with Namine and Repliku. “All I remember is my time with you and Namine" says Repliku. Not like his time with Sora was in any way positive. But regardless, they’re his. After a few more exchanges, he leaves the group.

Namine offers to put Sora’s memories back in order. After a few painful moments of contemplation, Sora makes his choice. “Make me like I was.” He decides, with the SADDEST expression on his face.

---So like, WHAT is with this pod? We know what Namine uses it for but why does it exist, assuming she’d never have to return someone’s true memories? It serves exactly ONE purpose and it’s not what Marluxia wanted.

“I’ll write a memo to thank Namine!” Jimmy pipes up. Well why can’t Jimmy JUST WRITE EVERYTHING ELSE THAT TRANSPIRED IN THIS GAME IN HIS JOURNAL FOR FUTURE SORA?

During the credits scene, we get a few clips. In one we see Repliku is absolutely Not Content with his situation. Axel appears before him and offers his hand.

I feel so emotional about the poem at the end of the credits

It took me 32 hours and 30 minutes to complete Sora’s campaign. On to Riku’s. See you there? I’ll link part 1 when it’s ready.

There is always sleep between part and meet with our usual words on the usual street. So let us part like we always do… And in a world without you I’ll dream of you. When I come to, let us meet with our usual words on the usual street.

#mellz plays kh recom #Kingdom Hearts series #kingdom hearts re:chain of memories #square enix #Playstation 2 #kh recom #mellz post

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attract-mode-collective · 7 years ago

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CASE SHOTSHOT STAGE4, aka THUNDERBOX’s Summer Collection 2017

… But first: Toco Toco’s season finale (I wasn’t aware that there was one in the first place) is here, and the subject is the man responsible for perhaps my favorite video game of all time? And maybe yours as well? It’s Tetsuya Mizuguchi…

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Alas, the focus is squarely on the most recent iteration of Rez (aka my fave game). Was hoping it would touch upon his earlier work, in particular, Sega Rally. Older games are oh so briefly mentioned, with the role of audio being the primary emphasis. And even though it’s not a music game… holy sh*t does Sega Rally have an AMAZING soundtrack.

BTW, I’ve got game music on my mind because… will explain later! Also, the gifs above are courtesy of Prosthetic Knowledge, cuz they make them far better than I ever could.

Anyhow, it’s been a while since the last game culture round-up, hasn’t it? So long in fact that… there’s a new THUNDERBOX lookbook to, well, take a look at. Which actually just came out, so this particular round-up ain’t that overdue…

Whereas the HuCard was the hottest fashion accessory of last spring, summer will see this rather nifty take on the Sega Saturn Lightning Brain design (also, RIP 1CC shirts)…

There’s also a really nifty shirt, a collab with INC NOXXX SCREAMING…

… plus a single Famicom cart holder/wallet…

Along with LEBLANC GIRL, either on a shirt…

… or as a pin…

Back to INC NOXXX SCREAMING, real name Yozi Shimoda, who’s been grabbing my attention more and more as of late. Was going to share his latest shirt in the next Instagram dump, but no point in waiting right?

Sticking with fashion for just a tiny bit more; it’s been over three years, but the King of Games has finally updated their YouTube channel, and they now have a trailer?

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Which video game-centric footwear do you prefer? These sneakers, based upon Sonic’s (via miki800)…

… Or these sneakers, based upon the Super Nintendo, one that’s also running NBA Jam (via FreakerSNEAKS)…

As you may have heard, a new Super Famicom cart is going to be released later this year. Am talking about Kaizou Choujin Shubibinman Zero, originally released 20 years ago for the Satellaview.

Now, something that’s getting far less attention is how the same publisher, Columbus Circle, is also releasing a new Famicom game called Heiankyo Alien around that time as well (via tvgame)…

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In other news, there’s a manga based upon Daigo Umehara, which you may or may not have heard about. Anyhow, UDON Entertainment has just revealed that it’s become translated and published in the West…

Here we have a nice little piece from José Salot, one that’s simply entitled: “Gamer Room”; I really want that poster that’s on the wall, of the Famicom karts…

And a somewhat similar scene, except it’s a girl playing games while in bed, and that girl also happens to be Sailor Moon (via sixteen-bit)…

Check out these photos of a strategy guide, for that Godzilla game that came on a Dreamcast VMU, which I want to say pre-dated the release of the console itself (could be wrong, but am pretty certain; via jimpluff)…

And on a related note, here are some pics from a shmup supplement that accompanied an issue of Famitsu, way back in 1990 (via videogamesdensetsu)…

On another related note; which bonkers shmup flyer do you prefer? This one for Darius (via shmups)…

… or this one for Space Bomber (via obscurevideogames)…

It’s Mario and Bowser, adorning a nuclear command bunker, taken by NPR originally, that suppermariobroth recently re-posted it (if you want to catch glimpses of some of the other oddball Mario artwork that exists alongside, then watch this video)…

And on that note, time once again to see some of the more interesting discoveries and observations that the Broth has made as of late. Including the actual note for the coin sound effect in the Mario games that Nintendo filed a trademark for only last year…

This question posed in a strategy guide back in 1987…

This “extremely rare official artwork of Mario holding up a Super Koopa” from a pog…

This image of a Thwomp on a moped from a Mario Party…

This curious depiction of Donkey Kong from an ad for the GBA port of DKC…

This photo of a goofy looking Mario with a Korean boy that looked just like me when I was his age…

This photo of a scarier looking Mario with Wil Wheaton and his younger brother; apparently it was from a tournament where the Star Trek TNG star had the highest score among all the celebrity guests…

And this fascinating bit of intel…

“In one particular piece of official art for Super Mario Odyssey, Mario’s hair is rendered in great detail. Zooming in to the part above his ear, we can see what appears to be a single gray hair. This seems to be deliberate, as analysis of the image reveals that this is not a transparency issue, but that the hair is indeed colored a lighter color than the rest. Due to the image being released in a lossless format by Nintendo, this also could not be a compression artifact.”

BTW, I completely forget where I got the following. I may have blocked it out of my memory to be honest…

Gizmodo recently ran an interesting piece about an astronomy student who strapped a Game Boy Camera to the end of a 179-year-old telescope to take pictures of the moon…

Meanwhile, The Verge recently ran a story on Shawn Wasabi, that musician with a MIDI controller that has 24 arcade buttons, whom Eric and later myself wrote about over two years ago.

Though it reminded me that I hadn’t checked his YouTube channel in a while and totally missed the following, posted on this past Valentine’s Day. So if you haven’t seen it before either…

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Sticking with musicians for just a bit; here we have a guy who plays music with a Famicom on his head, playing a game with a Famicom that’s on a table…

Isn’t this Tron movie poster from Japan the raddest or what? (via gaijira)

You Mortal Kombatants get off my lawn (via horrorsoflife)…

meldowiseau asks: “from Mortal Kombat Advance’s credits; does that imply they spent a fraction of their budget on a new coffee machine?”

vice-s-assistant notes: “Oh shit’s its Robert From King of Fighters’ bank password“…

Let’s say hello to the cast of Primal Rage, shall we? (via thewaragainstgiygas)…

And let’s check out what Josh’s top 3 games are, shall we? (via xxx.hypnosis.party)

Is this image from a TED talk for real? (via smart-elec)

Whereas as I know for a fact that this isn’t some piece of Gex fan art, it’s an official image, from the cover of Gex 3 on the N64…

Please enjoy this rundown of assorted Pac-Man clone covers, courtesy of vgjunk, with perhaps my favorite one being…

It’s funny how the Game Boy was essentially the video game equivalent to the Walkman, which someone would clone and make it resemble a Game Boy (and which Nintendo would officially sanction, according to nintendroid)…

And speaking of music, by someone who goes by Motocross Saito…

Oh, so at the very top I mentioned that I had game music on my mind… game music by Treasure to be exact. And that’s because, earlier this evening, I was a guest on the Video Game Grooves podcast! Where I was asked to talk about the just released Gunstar Heroes record by Data Discs. Alas, I didn’t get a chance to touch upon the music of Guardian Heroes, but at least I have this super cool gif by kyn…

And finally, why yes someone has modded fidget spinners into Grand Theft Auto V, did you even need to ask?

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Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.

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pafsins2 · 8 years ago

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Everything Wrong With O.W.C.A. Files

Well, here we are. We tackled the finale but now it's time for the final official Phineas and Ferb Episode, also the only episode of OWCA Files. I can't believe it this far. But we'll cover that at the end, for now let's see what our final episode did wrong.

(No wins because there's less to say and I figured if I didn't parallel what they did for the finale on the finale, I may as well do it on the other finale)

1.Let's get this out of the way. If you didn't like this special, chances are you're pissed it all ended here.

2. Poorly Disguised Pilot.

3.A laughing Hyena, how original.

4.They just went on without Heinz? Jerks.

5.The art style is a bit different because...reasons.

6.Now that the show was not picked up, it's just one story. Sorry, Monogram.

Gotta sin off this opening song is AWESOME!

6. But them wasting the best part at the very start is a sin

7.”We'll explain it better when we get to the chorus” Saying the name of the episode a lot doesn't explain this much further.

8.Yep, Netflix splits it up causing sins, such as them telling us “Owca Files Part” right after we already saw the title.

9.These agents are not being that quiet these bad guys must be hard of hearing

10.Oh, and I'm late but this has a Season 4 production code and of course this skip numbers ...again.

11.”Opening action bit is just a training thing” cliché,.

12.Shouldn't Carl be at school like this said in LDOS?

13.”Lone wolf has to learn to work together” cliche

14.Wait, didn't we already do this in Sidetracked? Only there Lyla hardly screwed up while the other agents, especially Doof do so a lot and thus become more annoying?

15.Trainees has these yellow-ish fedoras but Doof didn't have one back in Agent Doof.

16. Speaking of, say hi to the exact same shtick from that episode.

17.Individually each score is good? Most of the trainees seem to suck even on their own in some parts.

18.”You're lucky you're legally considered an Ocealot” Exposition!

19.He's a baby in that picture but the flashback in Meap had him as being older.

20.They actually play the wah wah music.

21.”Background music turns out to actually be played in universe” cliché.

22.In Doof 101, the bugs were funny because of how out of place they are, and that seemed be the joke to make fun of spin offs. Here's an actual spin off with them actually being out of place.

23.I kinda sinned the bugs talking before but here's another reason it's a sin: They've done plenty of jokes about how Perry not talking leads to issues but sure, bugs can talk now.

24.They new about OWCA last years which contradicts a lot of the stuff they did know about in Doof 101, set after that and before this.

25.Wait, they have actual homes? Where do they live?

26.They survive this.

27.”Isn't it about time we talked about the elephant in the room?” Haw haw

28.”Okay, that was you” “Guilty” Fart Joke.

29.”Aw Nuts” Only Class A Humor with these bugs, I see.

30.They survive this.

31.Paul Rubens isn't Pee Wee Herman in this scene.

32.Can't wait for Monogram not knowing him to get a completely satisfying pay off.

33.Hands someone his screenplay while he is a currently a hologram that cannot be touched.

34.Good thing they were conveniently outside so they weren't captured and this whole plot can happen.

35.Monogram do you really this exact set up every time you contact Agent P?

36.Btw, the fact that they were robots makes it even dumber that no one noticed them.

37.They happen to be bear a box with his address on it right as they are told about all this.

38.They run off without Heinz because, jerks.

39.”Tell my wife I love her” Disney!

40.I'm actually confused, why do they run to the Flynn Fletcher house to begin with?

41.Now Doof knows where the boys live, be sure to tell him not to tell them about your little secret, k?

42.Doof doesn't hear that giant explosion.

43.Thank god this one of the very few times the whole family happens to be out.

44.Harry's right, you're not exactly being too sympathetic here.

45.”Is this your liar?” You've seen it before, at least once.

46.”That is not what you wore when we were in space” Even at the end, he's good at sins.

47.You said it yourself, it's a canyon that looks grand, you can't miss it.

48.”These guys are really annoying” You're one to talk...too much.

49.”Wait a second, [silly thing instead of serious thing]” Cliche,

50.Making formations fools agents because reason.

51.”Isn't that something we should have checked before crawling through all that duct work?” Yes.

52.The Part 1 Credits ,...are something we actually see in Part 2. Whoops

53.Netflix repeats the intro again.

54.Monogram takes tactics from Sonic the Hedgehog.

55.The bugs effect the story but it's in a bad way for the heroes, wah wah.

56.I sinned the whole cliché they are doing/repeating her with the screw but man they go full force in this scene with Doof.

57.”Who had the double espresso?' Nobody ordered anything specific.

58.Doof screwed up sure but come on, this is really dick-ish.

59.Sad Song

But it's by Kenny Loggins so...

59.Good song but the better 2015 cartoon appearance of Kenny was in Penn Zerro, sorry not sorry.

60.'Water is no longer coming out of my hole' Uh...

61.”Good guys sneak in only for it be a trap” cliché. One they did in AT2d.

62.Of course, they need Doof's help right after shunning him.

63.Yep, Karen's the dumb one.

64.The unpaid intern has an office?

65.The contractor thought Carl would like a bear that happens to be big enough for them to fit. Fine.

66.Dumb guy says something too smart for him cliché.

67.Olaf is talking about something being Frozen.

68.This is the 3rd time the bugs didn't die when they should. Serioisly.

69.Guys, Doof at least rescued you, stop being ungrateful!

70.Gee, wonder if Perry had a plan cooked up and isn't actually being a jerk.

71.Teamwork song.

72.Doof's voice had slowly being getting more off during season 4 and this episode is the worst offender, and this song really shows it.

73.”But (Shows doof's Butt). Boooooo

74.”You forgot the cat...they forgot you, you're the cat” Thanks for reminding us.

75.That's a very strong roof if the rocket thing can't burst through it.

76.”It opens from the outside sir' Wooooow.

77.You think a villain voice by Pe wee with a plan like this would be just a bit more memorable than he ended up being, compared to the other P&F Villains.

78.This back and forth with the bugs goes on too long.

79.Holy crud, he;s a robot! Let's dive into-oh wait, first the bug stuff. Sigh.

80.Okay,now one survives their HEAD being chopped off? The bugs are invincible!

81.Wait so was he a robot back then or did Monogram's school or whatever accept a flea that can talk for some reason?

82.This music here is either from, or very much, like the music in the start of Sidetracked. Because taking the plot wasn't enough.

83.Get it, they are using the training stuff to parallel the opening. Subtle.

84.Those are not Hipster Glasses.

85.Perry learns teamwork....by leaving his other team members to do things on their own. Not exactly Teamwork, per say.

86.How did he have time to write in that?

87.”Dumb character is smarter than they look' cliché. Even if it's kinda badass.

88.Don't worry, bugs in this special can't die so that fan will do nothing to him.

89.In the end, them learning to work together was a bit rushed, honestly. Besides, it's cool that they can work together but only freaking Karen seems to be able to hold her own, off all of them.

90.Violin from hammer space. (Also, given his size, he stole this from Mr Krabs)

91.And the final Doof scene in this series has him screwing up again. Sigh.

92.If the bugs survive that, I quit.

93.Now for peeks of adventures that look way cooler than the one we just saw.

94.Ferb is credited BEFORE Phineas. The boys shouldn't even be first at all.

95.Wait, that whole house blowing up thing wasn't addressed at all afer that? Doof doing this was just...forgiven?

96.How were they able to replace before they got back? Maybe this is way we got no explanation to where the family was, to avoid a plot hole but sorry, still a sin.

97.Hey wait, they didn't use this chance to address any of the unresolved plot lines from Season 4. And Vanessa was no one where to be seen despite getting that internship! And no Monty even though he was there during the last OWCA Crisis!

98.This never got picked up as a full series, even though I bet it would good now that we got the flawed set up out of the way.

EPISODE SIN TALLY: 98

SENTENCE: Leave you standing outside

A tad more than I expected, given I had only seen this once prior. More than SBTy, but less than all the others. Interesting. Yeah, I got more critical but this lended itself more to it. I do like it, just not as much as I wanted to and especially after the charm of seeing the show again after the final wore off. Eh.

But with that said, that's ALL 223 EPISODES (and a movie) SINNED! Holy crap, we did it. We sinned every episode of Phineas and Ferb. I honestly thought I'd give up early on and at many points, I took long breaks.

But I think the final being announced made me want to buckle down and do this. So I got a better schedule and...we did it. I'm quite proud of myself, I never finish projects this big. Thank you all for reading these, (all few of you, although this blog has more followers than I thought I'd have, especially after having to make a new one). It was quite the trip and even if I was never perfect, I had fun.

As for the future, soon I'll start a poll for my next big sins related project, and I have a couple more things to post here within the coming days/week such as a look every sin tally to sin which episodes had the most sins and such. Plus any other extra fun stuff I come up with. The important ones will come soon, I want it to be this week but who knows. Either way, this is the end of episode sin posts.

Goodbye until whatever I post here next.

#Season 4 Sins #Special Sins #Phineas and Ferb #The true finale

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martens-movie-reviews · 7 years ago

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Released: June 13, 2008 Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

“Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk. Cut off from his true love Betty Ross and forced to hide from his nemesis, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, Banner soon comes face-to-face with a new threat: a supremely powerful enemy known as The Abomination.”

In honour of the latest movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe being released on November 3, 2017, I decided that I wanted to review all of the previous MCU films, and it was also a wonderful excuse to rewatch all the movies again. My girlfriend and I wanted to watch it with a group of friends, however there was no time that we could all agree on, and to space it all out didn’t work, so we watched the MCU movies during the month of September and October so that we would be ‘all caught up’ for Thor Ragnarok.

Marvel Cinematic Universe – Source – Marvel

You can find all of the reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the link here. At that link, you can also find the dates that the other reviews for the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be posted. My plan is to release one every single day, and because I’ve already reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 here, and Spider – Man: Homecoming here, they will not be included in the two weeks leading up to Thor Ragnarok.

As such, I will now move onto the actual review of the film, and I hope you enjoy!

Incredible Hulk Trailer – Source: Universal Pictures

Cast and Crew

The Incredible Hulk was helmed by French director Louis Leterrier, and written by American Zak Penn. Leterrier’s work as a director before this film was as an action oriented director in films such as ‘Transporter’ in 2002, ‘Unleashed’ and ‘Transporter 2’ in 2005, while they are feature a lot of action, there’s also dramatic elements in those films. He’s since worked films such as ‘Clash of the Titans’ in 2010, ‘Now You See Me’ in 2013, and 2016’s ‘The Brothers Grimsby’. He has since moved to television work, and was announced as a director for the upcoming 2018 show ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’ which will explore the world before the events that take place in the 1982 film.

Penn’s work before The Incredible Hulk includes other comic book characters such as ‘X-Men 2’ in 2003, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ in 2006, and ‘Elektra’ in 2005. He also wrote the story elements of video games such as ‘Last Action Hero’ in 1993, and the ‘Fantastic Four’ video game based on the movie in 2005. It’s very easy to see that he enjoys being a part of the comic book world, and has continued to do so after this film, having writing credits for ‘The Avengers’ in 2012, the ‘Lego Marvel’s Avengers’ video game, and has recently been brought in to write a treatment of ‘Suicide Squad 2.’ A new film of his to look out for, that is generating a lot of hype, is ‘Ready Player One’ that is set to release in March 2018.

Bruce Banner’s about to become the Hulk for the first time: Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

The Incredible Hulk’s cast includes Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell, Lou Ferrigno, Robert Downey Jr. and Stan Lee.

Review

Let’s get the big Hulk in the room out of the way first, this movie, while not a fantastic film, is miles ahead of the ‘Hulk’ movie that come out in 2003. This adaptation is a much better film in terms of quality, story, visual effects, and acting. I remember even as an 11 year old boy, I found the 2003 film to be bad, and ruined the Bruce Banner / Hulk character and storyline.

The casting in this movie was better in terms of picking actors that fit the characters of the story. Liv Tyler did a good job in portraying Betsy Ross, displaying the right kind and amount of emotion that was required for her character. I really hope that one day we get to see her interact with the new Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in a future film, even as a cameo, rather than the semi love interest that they explore in Age of Ultron, but I’ll get to that more in that review.

Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

Ty Burrell’s character was a waste in the film as well as a pointless character. Burrell’s acting was not a problem, however the character and his little story in the film had no point other than to give Betty Ross a short lived love interest and a story line that is completely glossed over for the remainder of the film. Yes he lets the General know that Banner was in town, but that could’ve been covered in a much better way. In the comics, Doctor Leonard Samson is known as Doc Samson, a psychiatrist turned superhuman being when his curiosity and wanting to be superpowered took some of the energy and radiation from the Hulk and turned it on himself, as pictured below.

Tim Nelson did a good job with what he was given in the role of Samuel Sterns, however the character itself was again wasted in this film, and set up horribly in the film. I feel like these last two characters characters’ inclusion in the film was moronic, and was simply sequel baiting. Samuel Sterns in the comic is also known as The Leader, a self given name after he is exposed to gamma radiation in different experiment by the government, increasing his intellect and his lust for knowledge. You can see him in the picture below.

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The Leader – First actual appearance – Source: Marvel Comics – Tales to Astonish #63 (1964)

Doc Samson – First Appearance – Source: Marvel Comics – The Incredible Hulk #141 (1971)

I believe this film was trying too hard in including comic book characters for the sake of including them, in the hopes that the film would get a sequel, without giving them the time that the characters need to be portrayed properly on film.

Edward Norton – Source: Paramount Pictures

Casting William Hurt as General Ross was great, as he’s able to portray both the strict and worried father when it comes to his daughter, as well as the crazy and power obsessed general who’s trying to build an army of supersoldiers. Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky was a good choice as he’s able to be the cocky Ace and as well as the competitive man who wants to take down the Hulk, and risks his life in trying to get stronger, and eventually becomes the Abomination.

Edward Norton as Bruce Banner / Hulk was a good choice for the character, making him a scrawny scientist, who is able to be depicted as intelligent as well as having inner demons that he must contain, and I feel like he would have fit in quite nicely with the other Avengers if he would have stayed on, however I prefer him a million times more than Eric Bana in the role, I’ve grown to enjoy Ruffalo’s depiction of the character. I really enjoyed that the film briefly displayed Banner’s intelligence in the scene when he is trying to find a cure with the flowers at the beginning of the film. It’s an important part of his character that there’s a mild mannered genius behind the gigantic Hulk monster.

From Left to Right: Tim Roth & William Hurt- Source: Paramount Pictures

The action and early fight scenes really displayed how the Hulk is a one man army, and completely destroys the envoy that General Ross sends his way, and even breaks Blonsky into pieces after he had taken a dose of the ‘super soldier serum’ that they were trying to recreate.

The special effects in this movie mostly hold up to today’s standards. I feel like they did a good job in showing the horror of the transformation into the Hulk, and the Abomination.

Hulk & Emil Blonsky – Source: Paramount Pictures

I really enjoyed that even though making Hulk was almost considered a last minute addition to the Avengers and the MCU, they managed to put Stark Industries, the weapons manufacturer for the Sonic Tanks that they use against the Hulk in the scene depicted in the picture above.

The story elements in this film were pretty basic; guy had unimaginable power in hiding, stupid accident brings the army on his tail, guy escapes, runs into old lover, army gives similar power to cocky guy, guy beats up everyone, runs off with girl, tries to get rid of power, fails, gets taken in eventually, cocky guy gets more power and kills people, original guy beats up to save the day, and escapes once more. It’s not a very complex film, and there are a lot of mistakes, as mentioned above with the sequel hunting, and the misuse of characters, but the film had heart, and fun, and still managed to overcome the absolute terribleness of a film of the same character from 5 years prior.

From Left to Right: Liv Tyler & William Hurt – Source: Paramount Pictures

I feel like the music which was orchestrated by Craig Armstrong fit really well in this movie, as the soundtrack was erratic and all over the place, just like the titular character, and I enjoy the continuing theme throughout the MCU, where the music is well chosen and works within the film and fits the character in a really well done way. He previously ‘Moulin Rouge’ in 2001, ‘Ray’ in 2004, before working on The Incredible Hulk, and has since done ‘The Great Gatsby’ in 2013 and ‘In Time’ in 2011.

The Abomination – Source: Paramount Pictures

The climactic battle between the Abomination and the Hulk is something that people have been wanting from the Hulk, for him to go toe to toe with someone of equal or greater strength than him and they delivered. It was entertaining, while still hitting the beats of a helicopter getting stupidly close to the action when it had no reason to, endangering the lives of the General, the army personnel on the helicopter, and of course, the love interest. The Hulk won that fight even though he seemed to be outmatched, he won because of his use of the items around him, and the raw rage that comes with defending the person you love, while corny, it does fit the narrative of the character, and is much better than fighting some weird cloud / father hybrid.

The Hulk – Source: Paramount Pictures

The end credits scene was something that was rushed, and last minute, but it fit really well within the movie and connecting the movie with the grander MCU even more by having Robert Downey Jr. show up as Tony Stark, trying to recruit Abomination, while others originally thought it was the Hulk that he was trying to recruit, it was later revealed in the Marvel short – The Consultant, where S.H.I.E.L.D. purposely sends Stark to annoy General Ross to avoid having to work with the Abomination, since the World Security Council thought that he could be useful.

Overall, I feel like this movie deserves to be recognized as a good film, that still had the stink of the previous incarnation of the character. It’s place in the MCU would probably have been better remembered if Ed Norton would have reprised the role, but sadly that didn’t happen, which means that a lot of people might not associate the two films together, even if we have now seen General Ross portrayed by William Hurt in another MCU film (Captain America: Civil War). At the end of the day, the film was entertaining, music was as erratic as the main character, and the love story while corny and overdone, was adequate in giving the Hulk the proper motivation in defeating the Abomination at the end. There was problems as mentioned, but to me, this movie still deserves the score that is coming up, and that score would be 7.25/10.

Post Credit Scene: Tony Stark annoying Gen. Ross – Source: Paramount Pictures

What did you think of the film? Are you excited for Thor Ragnarok? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading,

Alex Martens

The Incredible Hulk Review Released: June 13, 2008 Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes "Scientist Bruce Banner desperately seeks a cure for the gamma radiation that contaminated his cells and turned him into The Hulk.

#Comic Book Movie #MCU #Movie Review

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