2018 Game of the Year

Game of the Year 2018

Red Dead Redemption 2

My favorite games of 2018 carried some common themes that I truly appreciate, those being world building and cinematic storytelling. The game that accomplished those two themes to near perfection is Red Dead Redemption 2. I'm sure if you stitched every cutscene together you would have an epic western, on par with the likes of Hateful 8 or Tombstone. However, the experience created in Red Dead 2 could never exist on film. Living and exploring this world is what give you appreciation of the story beats.

Red Dead 2 pushed back in ways that I would have disliked in any other video game. Indeed, I didn't like some of the choices forced on me over the first several hours. The deliberately slower pace at the beginning of the game was of putting (especially coming off of the arcadey Assassin's Creed Odyssey), but is necessary because RD2 wants the player to become immersed in the world. Eventually I was thankful for the slower pace. Another example of a questionable design decision is how the game forces you the be a villain. However, in the context of the story, I eventually understood why that decision was important. There has to be redemption in this game after all.

I must confess I didn't indulge in this world as much as I probably should have. While I didn't' rush through the story, it did keep me compelled enough to mostly focus on story missions. I can see people putting 300 hours in the single player campaign, but I rather focus on doing the side stuff in the multiplayer, which has been a lot of fun so far. some random thoughts to wrap this up; the most heartbreaking part of the story was in the epilogue when Marstons' son said "I remember Author taking me fishing." I feel the epilogue was too long. Sadie was my favorite character, and I want single player DLC with her missions in it. I love how Red Dead Online is eventually a prequel, and is exploring smaller characters from the main campaign.

Overall, Red Dead 2 isn't perfect, but it does reach true classic status, thus making it my game of the year.

Runner Up

2) Yakuza 6

Following the themes I've laid out, world building and cinematic storytelling, the next two games each excel in one aspect but perhaps fall short in others. If you've read my Yakuza 6 review, you may know how much I admire that game, and it was very close to being my game of the year. The story simply blew me away. I also think the game world is phenomenal, but RD2 out does it by being vast and beautifully photorealistic.

3) Kingdom Come: Deliverance

This brings me to Kingdom Come: Deliverance, which is my surprise of the year.  Keep your eye on War Horse Studio, because I'm thinking they will be the next CD Projekt Red. The world they delivered simply shouldn't be possible by a independent studio. It's beautiful, on par with RD2, vast and filled with interesting people and places to explore. No other game, this year or maybe ever, has created a world that felt as real and lived in as KC:D.






4) Super Smash Brothers Ultimate 

The new Smash is so refined and full of content it's ridiculous. Taking a great base game (Smash for Wii U), then spending 4 years refining, updating, and expanding on it is a great recipe for success. I'll be playing this game for the next 10 years.




5) God of War

This game had some of my favorite cinematic moments out of any game I've played, maybe ever. The story is simply phenomenal, and each character has a reason for being here. The only reason it appears so far down on my list is because I'm not a huge action/combat guy.

5) Monster Hunter World

This is Monster Hunter done 95% correct. It's addicting, (mostly) accessable, beautiful, and is still being supported with new content. I'm a little ashamed for dropping out of MH after *only* 80 hours, but I plan on jumping back in this year. The biggest flaws here are is the multiplayer infrastructure. Basically, I don't care if me or my buddy is doing a "story" mission, I want to do it together. I wish they would take a page from the Destiny handbook as far as easy of grouping us goes. Also, my friend group nicknamed this game "tutorial hunter" based on all the early ingame hand holding.

6) Detroit: Become Human

Move over Bandersnatch, this is how you do an interactive "movie." This game is brilliant. The acting is fantastic, cinematography, environments, realistic graphics, and the branching stories are second to none. I definitely plan on giving this gem a second playthrough.


7) Shadow of the Tomb Raider

It breaks my heart this game is so low on my list, as it starts out great. The game doesn't become bad per se, but it doesn't reach its potential. For what it does right; character control and movement, environmental puzzles, the lush jungle graphics, and the characters. What felt wrong to me was the pacing of the game. The beginning was great; the game felt like it was going somewhere. Then, it felt like the game got stuck somewhere in the third act, and then I was quite surprised when it ended. The climax of the eclipse also felt improperly built up. I believe this game would of benefited from a timer, like from Majora's Mask, to give a sense of impending doom and a reason to stop the villain. While it was obvious the story wanted you to feel the doom, the game play let you explore the dense environments at your leisure.

It's my belief if you combined Tomb Raiders' character control and environmental puzzles with the world map of Red Dead 2, you'd have the perfect Zelda game.

8) GRIS

GRIS was an unexpected Christmas present. It's beautiful visuals remind me of a 2D Journey. The gameplay and control are both serviceable, but what really drives the player through this game is to see what beautiful scene is around the corner. I'd compare this to a really pretty Limbo.

9) Assassin's Creed Odyssey

I plan on writing a review on this game as soon as I finish it, but after Red Dead 2 I'm suffering from open world fatigue. Right now I'll say I really like it, but not as much as Origins.

10) ThroneBreaker: The Witchers Tales

A card based RPG in one of my favorite video game universes? Sign me up. It's doubly awesome that you can earn cards in the Gwent multiplayer game as well.

Honorable Mentions: 
Spider-Man
Destiny 2: Forsaken
Sea of Thieves

2018 Games that I plan on playing:
Celeste
Octopath Traveler
Astro Bot Rescue Mission
Beat Saber
Moss

Best Game I played not from 2018: 

Persona 5

All I gotta say is holy shit. I've never played a game in the Persona series, and I didn't expect to like this game so much. Now it's in my top 3 JRPGs of all time now, right next to Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 7. This game is overflowing with personality, charm, and style. Joker being announced for Smash was also my surprise of the year. I hope this game gets ported in 2019 because everyone should play it.


Movie of the Year 2018

1) Mission Impossible: Fallout
2) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse
3) Avengers: Infinity War
4) Crazy Rich Asians
5) Black Panther

Yakuza 6 - A Modern Masterpiece

Engaging Excellence 

Let me not mince words; Yakuza 6 is a masterpiece. The story and the characters in particular stand out as exceptional. I also enjoyed greatly the environments, music, fighting, and several of the mini games. 

The Yakuza series has been growing in popularity here in the States. For many people, Yakuza 0 was their exposure to the series. By contrast, Yakuza 6 is my first one, so hopefully I will bring a fresh perspective to this series. 


As a first time Yakuza player, I had no problem jumping right into the game. There is a prologue that recaps the previous game, and then this game is set up. The premise is simple enough to get started, and the momentum from that allows the story to introduce new characters to the series and to set up many of the games mysteries. 

Loaded up on Character 

I absolutely adore the characters in this game. They are this games greatest strength. In this obligatory Witcher 3 comparison, Yakuza 6's story and writing compelled me to emphasize and relate to these characters is much like the Witcher 3. These characters feel very much like real people whom I wanted to see succeed. Characters aren't treated like a plot device, but as as living person in that world. Everything is voice acted, like in the Witcher, which brings a cinematic feel to the game. Even the inciting incident is similar to the Witcher 3; that is, something has happened to the adopted daughter, and the main character must follow the clues to unravel the mystery.

Soon after the start, the story becomes sprawling. Characters are constantly being introduced to the point it is almost overwhelming. Thankfully during cutscenes, when an absent character is referenced, the game shows you photo of that person. Yakuza 6 didn't have the Game of Thrones problem, in regards to remembering who everyone is. Two characters who I especially enjoyed were Tsuyoshi Nagumo and Yuta Usami. Honestly though, I loved the entire Hiorse Family. 

I'm inspired by Yakuza 6's confidence. Some cutscenes are 30 minutes long. Taking control away from the player for that long is risky, meaning this game definitely isn't for everyone. If the cutscenes were cheesy or boring this game would have sank. However, I was 100% engrossed. I sought out all the cut scenes. Everything works; the exceptional voice acting, the personal and very unique cinematography, the compelling story, the subtle movement of the characters which bring them to life, and the music. I'm really interested to learn about the production of this game, especially the motion capture.

Out with the Old

Apparently, Yakuza 6 uses a new engine - the Dragon Engine. I can't say how to compares to the old engine, but I can say I really dig it. There are two aspects I really like about it: the lighting and the load times. The lighting is phenomenal. Water on the ground reflects exactly what is above it. That may not sound too impressive, but several recent games haven't had that feature (God of War). Second, the load times were extremely quick. It takes a little time when loading a brand new area, but besides that the loading times were minimal. The only improvement I want to see in Yakuza 7 is a higher resolution. I believe Yakuza 6 is 1080p on the PS4 Pro, which was distracting at times. The environments in this game are gorgeous, so I want to see them without all that shimmering. 

A Product of its Environment

Speaking of environments, I really liked the energy of Kamurocho, but I could seriously live in Hiroshima. I've seen several folks on the internet criticize Hiroshima for not having as much activity as Kamurocho, but that's missing the point. Hiroshima is meant to be slower and have a small town vibe. I really enjoyed my time there, and always looked forward to going back. There is something about the architecture and the narrow streets dug through the hillside that are iconic. The fact several characters shared my exact sentiment furthered my bond to them, even with the villains. I'm already planning my trip to Mt Misen.  

Finally, I want to give a nod to the music. It was great, and always fit the mood and helped move the story along. I'd like the own the soundtrack. 

Who is this for? If you like JRPGs, but feel like the genre has grown stale you'll love this game, just like I did. 

Infinity War - The First Comic Event Movie

The first MCU movie I saw in theaters was The Incredible Hulk. 

It was a good movie, probably 7/10, but I remember being somewhat down on it because they had recast Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, whom I loved in the first movie. I ended up liking Ed Norton's performance, but that wasn't the real reason I went to see The Hulk that day. I went because rumor had it Tony Stark was making an unprecedented move and appearing at the end of another movie. I remember this being a big deal. This was the first time a character crossed over from another movie in such a way. 

Iron Man was the first MCU film, but this was where the idea of a shared universe became reality. 

Start of a Shared Universe

Fast forward 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, which I consider the first true comic book movie. Of course, there had been other movies based on comic book characters, but those movies were missing a big part of what makes comic books so special. That is, a shared universe that allow the writer to use the "shortcut" of using characters introduced elsewhere.

When Universes Collide

That's the significance of Civil War.

Plot aside, Civil War is a very sophisticated film. It requires viewing other films, and an understanding of who these other, non-central, characters and their motivations are. It adds a richness to a movie that the movie can't earn on its own.

The Russo brothers have become the masters of character juggling. Ever since Winter Soldier, all of the Russo's characters feel well-rounded, properly motivated, and have a complete arc.

Their trajectory from Winter Soldier, to Civil War, and now Infinity War have me anticipating a character-rich movie.

The Bros That Make It Happen

This brings me to why I have such high expectations for The Avengers: Infinity War: it's taking what Civil War did and adding several more layers of complexity.

This is the movie equivalent of a comic book event. Comics have done events for decades, and now cinema will too. If Civil War was the first true comic book movie, than this is the first true comic book event movie.

Ben of the Year 2017

I must confess, this wasn't a big year for comic book or music for me. I know there is quality there, but with personal life changes (and too many of good video games), my music listening and comic read habits took a hit.

Game of the Year

1) Assassin's Creed Origins
2) Zelda Breath of the Wild
3) Destiny 2
4) Mario Odyssey
5) Sonic Mania
6 Mario + Rabbids
7) Injustice 2
8) Steamworld Dig 2
9) Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia
10) Halo Wars 2

Biggest disappointment if the year: Mass Effect Andromeda

Note: I don't have a Playstation, which makes this list somewhat easier. I'm 100% sure Horizon Zero Dawn would be on this list if I did.

This was a spectacular year for gaming. Everyone loves Zelda, myself included, but it's not my game of the year. If this game were another franchise, would it be game of the year? I think not. First, the Pros: It pushed the open world genre into a bold new direction. In the future I want to see more open world games inspired by BotW's design decisions. Those include gliding, climbing, having an empty map where you must fill out points of interest, and a sense of isolation. The cons include the cooking system, frustrating climbing (especially when it rains), lack of epic dungeons, enemy diversity, a so-so story, and finally lack luster DLC. The high point of BotW is that it went to the series roots by having the entire game be open and explorable from the beginning. That, however, wasn't enough to snag it the coveted Ben's Game of the Year.

I've never been a Assassin's Creed guy. I played 3 back in the day and it was just average. Origin's Egyptian setting and reworked systems is what drew me to this game, and I became completely immersed. Put simply, it filled the Witcher sized hole in my heart. Origin's iterates on nearly all of The Witcher 3's systems, which is why snagged it my Game of the Year.  Instead of just incorporating The Witchers automatic path following mechanic, ACO also lets you automatically follow path to next quest. While doing that, you can switch to bird mode and really take in the scenery. Combat is Dark Souls-esk, and the progression system both makes you feel powerful without becoming overpowered. Horse mounted combat is far less frustrating than in The Witcher, and you can pick up ground items without dismounting your horse (!).

As someone who played it on the Xbox One X, this game is absolutely stunning, perhaps overshadowed only by Destiny 2. The world map is amazingly huge. I do wish the game was a "naked" map, like Breath of the Wild, to let me discover things on my own. I love the Egyptian setting the Greek influence in everything. It takes place during one of my favorite time periods, in 54 BCE or right around the rise of Caesar. As a history nerd this really appeals to me in a way that no other game has. I hope the next Creed takes place in Ancient Greece. I also hope Origin's has some DLC that takes place in Ancient Egypt, or 3100 BCE.

After Assassin's Creed and Breath of the Wild comes Destiny 2. I'm aware of the controversy around it, especially the endgame, but I had a blast in my 80+ hours with this game. 4 things are exceptional in this game: the graphics/world design, the music, gun combat, and the sci-fi story. The graphics are some of the best I've ever seen, especially in 4K on the Xbox One X. The scale of the game is literally breathtaking. There were moments when I couldn't move; all I could do was stare at the gigantic environment. The music was also phenomenal, and I'd put it alongside any Star Wars movie. Gun combat, which is at the core of gameplay, feels spot on. The story, while not always easily accessible, is very compelling if you take the time to learn about it. The Curse of Osiris story in particular was awesome sci-fi. The game has an excellent base to build on, but I have a few concerns. First, PVP is less than average. This is the same company that made Halo 3, and the PVP here is several miles behind a 10 year old game. Also, there should never be a AAA game without dedicated servers, which is the case here. Finally, I have a concern about the pay structure of DLC, as I think paid DLC fragments the player base. I rather have a balanced microtransaction system (see Overwatch or Halo 5) that keeps all players on the same DLC page.

Next is Mario Odyssey, which I liked but didn't love. I thought Mario 3D World is a better game, but Odyssey still has some amazing aspects. First, the soundtrack is amazing. Second, I love the 2D segments. 2017 Nintendo really loves changing costumes, and once I could be Mario 64 that's all I wanted to be. This game oozes creativity. I hope for a remaster of Mario 64 in the same graphics style.

Sonic Mania saw the best sonic game since Sonic 3, and I believe it's the best game in the series ever. Injustice 2 was a surprise hit, and takes me back to the glory days of Mortal Kombat as a fun pick up and play fighter. Steamworld Dig 2 was an excellent metroidvania sidescroller with a fantastic progression system. Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia was a fun history lesson for the FE series, and a pleasure to play. Halo Wars 2 had a great campaign and the CGI movies were the best I've ever seen in a video game. I hope the designers from HW2 stick around for Halo 6. Doki Doki Literature Club came out of nowhere and was a novel experience, and one that will stick with me.

Haven't Played;
Wolfenstein 2
Thumper
Cuphead
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Tacoma
Metroid Return of Samus

Movie of the Year

1) Blade Runner 2049
2) Star Wars The Last Jedi
3) Logan
4) Spider-Man Homecoming
5) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
6) Coco
7) Baby Driver
8) Wonder Woman
9) Get Out
10) Lego Batman
11) John Wick Part 2

Fantastic year for movies. The superhero genre was subverted with Logan, as was Star Wars with the Last Jedi. Marvel had a very strong line up with Spider-Man Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which I liked more than the original. Thor Ragnarok was also good, but also undercut by being too comically focused. Coco was spectacular in classic Pixar fashion. Baby Driver was quite the surprise pleaser, and I love when great movies come out with little hype.

Blade Runner 2049 takes the top prize. The cinematography, direction, story structure and tone are all out of this world. In a year of genre subversions, I find it somewhat ironic that my top movie didn't subvert the original but continued the story in such a respectful way. That's not to say 2049 doesn't chart its own course. Artificial Intelligence is examined in this film, much like robots were more than 30 years ago. It's a shame this movie didn't get the boxoffice love it deserved, but hopefully it will becoming a classic on DVD. This movie deserves to be seen on the big screen though.

Haven't seen, but make make it on the list later:
War of the Planet of the Apes
Kingsman 2
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water

TV Show of the Year

1) The Orville
2) Game of Thrones
3) The Crown
4) The Punisher
5) Stranger Things
6) Star Trek Discovery
7) Agents of Shield
8) Peaky Blinders
9) Dark Matter
10) Voltron
11) Castlevania

Biggest disappointment if the year: The Defenders

There are basically infinite TV shows these days, and the chances of me watching them all to offer a complete opinion are substantially less than infinite. The biggest TV surprise is The Orville, which continues to blow me away. It's not simply a cheeky take of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in many ways it improves on the formula. In TNG, the characters were almost too flawless; making them hard to relate to. In The Orville, because of the humor, the characters are more relatable. The contrast between the futuristic setting and the characters casual speech and attitude create many comic moments, which create something TNG never could: relatability.

GoT was mostly phenomenal but also had some questionable plot decisions. Dark Matter provided for some excellent twists and turns, and it's very unfortunate it was canceled. I was skeptical about The Punisher (especially after the horrendous Defenders) but it won me over with its daring plot decisions and the wonderful Jon Bernthal. Stranger Things Season 2 was better than the first, and the pace kept the show from ever feeling dull. Star Trek Discovery is a great renewal of my favorite franchise, and another example of Trek characters feeling more relatable than ever. Agents of Shield had its best season yet, with storylines straight out of Terminator and the Matrix. I just discovered Peaky Blinders, but it's quickly becoming my favorite show. Voltron had 2 seasons this year (a decision which I question), but remains an absolute exceptional anime. Same with Castlevania which had only 4 episodes to win people over, but with Warren Ellis at the helm this was little doubt this show would be compelling and brutal.


Music
Cold War Kids- LA divine
!!! - Shake the Shudder
Joywave - Content
Phoenix - Tremendous Sea of Love
Foster the People - Sacred Hearts Club
Alt-J - Relaxer

Comics
1) Kill or Be Killed
2) Paper Girls
3) TMNT Vol 5
4) Thor
5) Captain America: Steve Rogers
6) Captain America: Sam Wilson

Ben of the Year 2016

A Year to Remember

Greetings! Regardless of the memes, I thought 2016 was a pretty kick ass year. Naturally, no year is free of struggle, but struggle isn't the only factor that makes a year good or bad. What makes a year good or bad is our ability to express ourselves and to connect to other people, along with what we lost. This year I grew (due to struggle), reflected on my decisions, and planned for the future. I believe the world and our culture did too, in many ways.

Artistic expression in 2016 as an example of something that keeps evolving and surprising us. Game of Thrones, Captain America Civil War, Hyper Light Drifter, and Tokyo Ghost are all examples of how human expression keep pushing the limits. Video game innovation reached a high point IMHO, with games like OverWatch, which keeps expanding the boundaries of how we relate to the world and to others.

I'm happy to present the "Ben of the Year" awards for 2016, a celebration of art.  The only metric used is how warm and fuzzy it made me feel.

Ben's Favorite Video Game: Overwatch

Heros Never Die

Runner Ups: Darkest Dungeon, Fire Emblem Fates, Witcher 3 Iron and Wine, Forza Horizon 3, Hyper Light Drifter, Inside

This was an amazing year for games. I've played a ton of games this year, but it's Overwatch I keep coming back to. It's a rare day I don't log and play a few games. This game is special because of the character balance, the unique play styles, the aesthetics, art direction, and also the competitive scene. My 3 year old daughter knows all the characters, which illustrates how memorable this game is, and I believe we will be playing it 5 years from now.

Beyond that, The Witcher 3 has continued to blow me away. The Iron and Wine DLC is amazing, possibly even better than the core game. This DLC is the tech demo I show off when I have company. Toussaint is an amazing region, bright and full of color, that contrasts well to the darker tone of the core game.

My blind spots include Firewatch, OXENFREE, and The Witness. Some of these games may get moved up once I have the chance to play them. There were so many games to come out this year, it was basically impossible to keep up with them all.

Ben's Favorite Video Game Soundtrack: DOOM

Runner Ups: Axiom Verge, Hyper Light Drifter, Star Wars Battlefront DLC, Witcher 3 Iron and Wine.

This is the hardest category, because each soundtrack goes a long way to defining the tone of its game, and each one is completely different from the next. DOOM took the prize though, because its soundtrack is on another level. Mick Gordon is currently the "it" man in gaming, and he contributed significantly to making the DOOM remake not a great game, but an exceptional one.

Hyper Light Drifter

I included Axiom Verge even though it was released for the PS4 in 2015 because it just got ported to the Xbox One this year, which is when I discovered it. Its soundtrack is phenomenal, and deserves to be listened to with headphones.

The Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack is another score that is integral to the game's tone and aesthetic direction. Disasterpeace created a unique tone that hasn't been seen in gaming until now.

The Star Wars Battlefront DLC sound design and music score is as good as the original movie. This game is basically a warm blanket straight from the dryer.

Finally, the Witcher 3 soundtrack and sound design perfectly emphasize the action on screen. It fits in perfectly, helping to create a world that feels intimate and intriguing. The Blood and Wine DLC add more classic tracks, each that I love.

Ben's Favorite Album: Big Gigantic - Brighter Future

Runner Ups: Young the Giant - Home of the Strange, Opeth - Sorceress, Vulfpeck - The Beautiful Game, Haken - Affinity

It came as a surprise to me that the new Big Gigantic is my album of the year, but I keep coming back to it. The band doesn't just produce in your face electronic anymore, but also has some more downtempo tracks as well. Each of the collaborating artists helped make a track that has a sonic tone completely different to the song previous. I'd recommend this to people who didn't like BG's previous music.

Decent year for music, but it couldn't live up to the exceptional 2015. I'm pretty disappointed the new Gorillaz didn't make a 2016 release. Also, it's good to see Young the Giant becoming a great band, and to see their songwriting maturing.

Haken's 1985 is my favorite single from the year.

Ben's Favorite Comic Book: International Iron Man

Runner Ups: Paper Girls Vol 1 and 2, Saga Vol 6, Klaus, Tokyo Ghost Vol 2

I'm about 4 months behind in comics because I like to trade wait. This is important especially when it comes to Marvel, because they have their big event, Civil War II, happening right now. However, the buzz has been that it's not the best event, so I feel pretty comfortable naming my comics of the year, which International Iron Man takes the top prize.

Bendis is hit or miss for me, and he has been missing much more lately. That's why I was so surprised that I loved IIM so much. I was totally captivated by the mystery, the story, and characterization. If you're an Iron Man fan, you owe your inner nerd to pick this up.

Paper Girls is another fantastic story by Brian K. Vaughan. Between this and Saga, he's the best writer in comics today. He makes writing intriguing stories look easy.

Grant Morrison's Klaus is the newest Christmas classic in our home. This is a gritty Santa with a sword, who has to fight for the right to give gifts.  He has wolves instead of reindeer, people!

The final to Tokyo Ghost had a deep, philosophical climax and was beautifully drawn. It reminds me of the Matrix in some ways, except the ending was much better. I bet this will get made into a movie one day.  I hope Remender becomes inspired to write Volume 3.

Ben's Favorite Movie: Captain America: Civil War

Runner Ups: Rogue One, Warcraft, Doctor Strange, Kung Fu Panda 3

Movies is probably the area I'm weakest in. Unless it's Star Wars or Marvel, I don't get out to see many movies in theaters. I have the feeling I may really love The Arrival, but I haven't seen it yet, so it wouldn't be fair to put it on my list.

With that said, Civil War is an exceptional movie. I consider it the first true comic book movie. Of course we've had comic book movies before, but this was the first one that included characters from other movies the same way the comics take from other comics. It's like "You know Antman? Good. He's in this movie now. Screw it, let's have The Vision too." Some shots were essentially comic book splash pages, which I thought were visionary and hope to see more of. It truly felt like a comic book event, much like Civil War in comics did.

The Warcraft movie was better than most people gave it credit for. It wasn't perfect, but the core story was well executed. Also, I really liked the world and how liberal the use of magic was. For instance, in LotR magic isn't used all that often, and is usually fire magic. In this movie though, the magic has a great visual presence, and was used all the time. Good stuff.

Kung Fu Panda 3 came has a big surprise. It's visual style is perhaps the best I've seen in an animated movie. The script was strong, humor spot on, and it felt like the entire cast was having a great time.

Ben's Favorite TV Show: Game of Thrones, Season 6

Runner Ups: Luke Cage, Silicon Valley Season 3, Daredevil Season 2, Stranger Things, Voltron

Another fantastic year for TV. I almost gave the nod to Daredevil Season 2 because it is the best Marvel Netflix show so far, but the last two episodes of Game of Thrones is some of the best TV ever produced. The Battle of the Bastards was one of the most realistic war scenes ever produced for TV. The final episode, where Cersei finally gets her revenge, and takes out half the cast in the process, is one of the most memorable moments in TV or movie history.

Luke Cage had an exceptional score, and deeply developed characters. Stranger Things also had a standout soundtrack, and a gripping story, although I felt the climax didn't live up to its own hype.
Finally, my list would be amiss without mentioning the fantastic Voltron, which blew me away. I didn't expect the show to be so charming, or hilarious, as it was. I'd recommend this to anyone who is tired of traditional anime, as it destroyed all the old cliche.

See you in 2017! Let's remember those we lost, and live in ways that make them proud.

The Legacy of Nintendo 64

The Grandaddy of 3D

I imagine most 80's babies have a special place in their childhood for the Nintendo 64, which was released 20 years ago today. I consider this the last truly phenomenal Nintendo console, and the system that lead to Nintendo's downfall. 

Originally called the Ultra 64, The N64 didn't invent 3D gaming. There were some true classics in the early 90's, including DOOM and Nintendo's own Star Fox. The SNES had Mode 7 games, like Mario Kart and F Zero, but they were more of a trick of technology and less true 3D games. By my estimation, the only 3D game that left a lasting mark on pop culture was 1993's DOOM, but PC's were not as ubiquitous back then. Nintendo was about bring 3D to the masses. 

The N64 was the first system I ever saved for and bought myself. In the summer of 1996, me and my brother mowed lawns and did any yard work we could find. I remember being particularly bummed one day when, after a long afternoon of intensive raking, my uncle paid us a mesially $20 between the two of us. We didn't let it phase us though, and that hard work paid off on September 29th, 1996, when we went to Toy's R Us and bought the N64 and both release games; Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. The hype was real. After a summer of hard work, and Nintendo torturing me and my brother by mailing me promo VHS tapes for the N64, we finally had the long coveted console in our living room.

I'll will spare you, dear reader, all the memories we created as we played our two launch titles (all 120 stars baby), and the games that followed, including Wave Race 64, Shadows of the Empire, Mario Kart 64, Turok Dinosaur Hunter, Star Fox 64, Banjo-Kazooie, 1080 Snowboarding, Pokemon Snap, WWF No Mercy, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Diddy Kong Racing, Zelda and the Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007, F Zero X, Super Smash Bros, Star Wars: Podracer, Mario Party, Blast Corps, and finally Zelda: Majora's Mask. 

The lineup was amazing. Absolutely some of the best games ever made. The stars of the lineup were Mario 64, which the N64's hardware was literally created to play, Goldeneye, where we dumped hundreds of hours into 4 player(!) multiplayer, Zelda OoT, which is still the template of 3D Zelda games 20 years later, and finally Super Smash Bros, which has subsequently been crafted into the perfect fighting game. 

Nintendo had an amazing system, with some true classics. However, Nintendo's 10 year reign over the video game industry was about to come to an end. There were some problems with the console. First, the hardware was designed from the ground up for Mario 64. That might not sound too bad, but it served as an obstacle, both creatively and financially, for future development of 3rd party games. In short, the system wasn't easy to develop for unless you were Nintendo. In fact, game studio Factor 5, who created Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the N64, got the German secret service to reverse engineer the N64 so they could take advantage of the systems capabilities, and in turn created the best looking game for the system. 

Nintendo's second downfall is two parts. First, they famously and publicly betrayed Sony by not adopting their disk based technology. Thus, Nintendo chose to use the aging and expensive cart technology, and also created an enemy in Sony who would later over take their domination of the video game market. Compared to developing for the N64, making games for the PlayStation was dirt cheap. The technology wasn't as good as the N64, but ease of development and the low price of disk manufacturing saw the PlayStation usher in the biggest bonanza of creative content since the original NES. 

20 years later, I like to remember the N64 for the breakthroughs we continue to enjoy. The N64 brought us 4 player gaming, a breakthrough analogue stick, the rumble pack, and introduced our favorite 2D games into 3D with grace. Sega only wishes that Sonic fared as well as Mario did into the 3rd dimension. Thank you for the memories, Nintendo.  

Contest of Champions Vol 01 Review

Let the Games Begin

Contest of Champions is an excellent book for two groups of fans; long time Marvel comics readers, and newcomers looking for some excitement. Marvel veteran Al Ewing crafts an explosive tale of warrior vs warrior, where familiar and alternate demnition versions of heroes face off in a battle for cosmic dominance.

If you don't know the difference between a Stick and a Guillotine, fret not. Each of the main protagonists are given a proper introduction and plenty of character to make them immediately sympathetic. However, as a long time Marvel reader, I found this book to be immensely rewarding. Some of my favorite characters and rivalries some of my favorite characters from years past return.

This book also has 6 chapters (most others have 5), and it feels both epic and like only the beginning of a more grand tale. Each chapter has many twists and turns. It's politic heavy, as alliances are made and broken and loyalties laid bare. As a reader, you feel as powerless as the hero's put to battle against their will.

The breakout character is Guillotine, the French hero with a blood thirsty sword. Previous holders of the cursed sword led the many social revolutions in French history, and he even led the French resistance in WWII. The sword always thirsts for blood, but the current welder struggles to live up to her own heroic aspirations, and not give in to bloodlust.

The highlight of the book is Aries return, and his confrontation with his killer, the all powerful Sentry. This Sentry, however, is from an alternate universe. His personality differences from the 616 Sentry are compelling, and make for some extremely compelling showdowns between the two super powerful beings.

The art is the perfect Marvel house style; that is, cartoonie and epic. Paco Medina's style is Olivier Coipel, which is perfect for the Aries/Sentry showdown, since we last saw the two characters in Siege, drawn by Coipel. I always have a hard time finding flaws in Marvel's colors, and it's still the case here. They are vibrant and beautiful as always.

Who's this book for? If you want a fun book that's light on continuity (relatively speaking) and lots of fun, this is it. Here are some of the most popular characters duking it out with lots of twists and turns. Long time Marvel readers will also find much to enjoy as well.