So, your mom tried to kill you. These things happen. Sometimes the best option is to run away into your basement, but you don’t recall your basement being this weird. Flies trying to attack you, spiders, and hopping headless bodies. Obviously something isn’t right here. This is the world of The Binding of Isaac. A game that seems ridiculous and over the top, but somehow its extremely addictive and has you clamoring to try and finish it over and over again. For achievement hunters, it has its fair share to find. For people that like to find every little secret and item, they will be appeased as well. And now even more so since they’ve put in the Wrath of the Lamb DLC. The Binding of Isaac was a complete package before, but now with all of the new added things it will have you playing and replaying until your mind turns to mush. For this reviewer, who has sunk well over 400 hours into the game, I can’t say enough good things about it. While 400 hours seems like a lot, I assure you there are others who have made my playtime seem very amateur in comparison. Even with the few problems with the Binding of Isaac, obviously it’s done something right to keep players coming back for more.
As you crawl through the dungeons and floors, shooting your tears and bombing various enemies it becomes apparent that you’re going to need some upgrades, keys and more bombs to stay alive. The good news is that there are various ways to gain these things. There are shops that have things you’ll need for a price. Sometimes you’ll come across a lonely beggar. Keep feeding him pennies and he’ll drop keys, bombs, pills and cards before eventually dropping an upgrade of some variety. Too expensive for your taste? No problem, there’s a room with a golden door, and behind that door you’ll find a random upgrade. Trust me, these will come in handy, even if they’re some of the worst items in the game. Everything can be useful, as you will soon learn after playing through this game.
With numerous unlockables and a lot of achievements for you to grab (if you’re an achievement junky), this game has a lot of ways to hook you into playing and replaying this game until your eyes bleed. The randomly generated levels make this game like new every time you play it. So what are you waiting for? Jump into that basement, and run away from your crazy Mom. Take down mini bosses and a good variety of major bosses and see why this simple game is easily one of the best games in the entire Steam library in my opinion. Even with its few glitches and odd occurrences, it will make you shake your head but it won’t make you stop playing. A solid game that is challenging and isn’t expensive and will produce hours of enjoyment that I think everybody should at the very least try. Get it, play it now! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to run, I think I hear Mom coming.
Matt "Fat Jesus" Day wrote up a fantastic review for The Dark Knight Rises (maybe you've heard of it?) for his personal blog and we here at DIG thought it would be cool to post it here as well. The more people we can reach with our work, whether it be video games or other forms of entertainment, the better. The review is written with no major spoilers, so don't you worry about that.
This is easily one of the biggest releases in quite awhile, and probably the most anticipated release that will come out of the 2012 film season. Over the past couple of days I've gone back, re-watched, and reviews both Batman Beginsand The Dark Knight. Easily two of my favorite superhero movies and hell two of my down right favorite movies of all time. But last night was the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Me, mom and two of my best friends were there to witness some of the first showings of the end of an era so to speak. Sorry for borrowing that WWE, you came up with a catchy tag-line. And I do not think this movie disappoints.
We open the final chapter with the end of The Dark Knight and Gordon (Oldman) giving the eulogy at Harvey Dent's funeral. Fast forward eight years. Bruce Wayne (Bale) is throwing a party in honor of Dent's death. The Dent Act has effectively eradicated organized crime in Gotham City keeping criminals off the street with no chance of parole. [Now] Commissioner Gordon is slated to give a speech and was going to tell the truth about what really happened the night Dent died but decided not to. Inside Wayne Manor itself Alfred (Caine) tells one of the waitresses (Hathaway) to take a plate of food to Bruce who has secluded himself in a wing of the house. Instead of just leaving the platter and exiting, she decides to snoop around. She starts examining a bulls eye and Wanye shoots an arrow at it. Bruce is revealed to be walking with a cane now. He exclaims that the pearl necklace she is wearing looks exactly like his mothers that he kept in an uncrackable safe. The woman smiles, kicks the cane from under Bruce and with cat-like reflexes jumps out the window. Meanwhile, while all this is going down, on the other side of the world, three men are captured and put on a private plane. The kidnapper starts interrogating them one by one, until he has the misfortune of uncovering Bane (Hardy) as one of the prisoners. Bane and his crew wreak havoc on the plane and kidnap the scientist they need. Then they down the plane. Fast forward again, not too far, and Officer John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) comes to Gordon informing him that a senator has gone missing. During the search Gordon stumbles upon Bane's hideout. Bane questions him, takes the confession of what really happened to Harvey Dent and as Gordon is escaping, he gets shot. Now with motive and cunning behind him, Bane is aiming to destroy Gotham City from the inside. Batman has to restore the Wayne name, learn about his true self and save the city of Gotham from perhaps its final threat. The Batman must rise to conquer some of his biggest obstacles, both psychically and emotionally. The Dark Knight must save Gotham one last time.
Let me start off by saying, this is a movie. If you're a comic book fan going to see it you can't possibly get everything right, use everything and include every detail. That being said the end to this trilogy, without spoiling, is very good and satisfying. The story was grand and I can't think of one like this happening in a movie before. It kept me intrigued and questioning things till the end. There was suspense, heroics and twists that all worked well. The dialogue was written well, as in the other two, mixing humor, seriousness and emotion. This leads me to the acting. Superb as with the other two. Bale, Freeman, Oldman and Caine all reprise and rise to the occasion yet again. Hardy brutally plays Bane to perfection (not quite as grand as Ledger, but we'll not get into that). Gordon-Levitt, Hathaway, Cotillard, all also being the new, all played their parts well and I really liked Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman. Not many non-Disney movies spark emotion in me, so saying that this is one of them, is a big deal for. There are a couple parts that leave you for lack of a batter term, in shock. But there are also parts that have you cheering or laughing. Nolan has found the perfect mix and has turned the superhero genre into something that can be taken seriously now with this trilogy.
There was a lot less hand to hand combat in this movie. But when it was there it was focused on one-on-one and it looked great. Batman looks smooth and strong, Catwoman parts are quick and punishing and Bane completely out muscles everything in sight. Also this is the first movie I'm not seeing anything directly relating to the Batman games or vice-versa. Maybe it's cause this came out after both games, but there wasn't anything I noticed regardless. Gadget and tech-wise, this was awesome because of The Bat, enough said. But oh man, did I love the characters in this. Even beyond Batman, Alfred and the returning crew. Catwoman is always a crowd pleaser, including myself. Bane is very underrated as a villain and this movie made him look good! There is a mention of someone that got a nice laugh out of me, a return of a couple on-screen characters, and a couple nice twist-characters. One that I'm kicking myself for not noticing before it happened in the movie. But I loved, and at times geeked out at, everything character related in this film. For the third film in a row Nolan maintained the essence of the originals returning and seamlessly added in the new as if they were around since the first movie.
That is my ticket stub from the midnight showing. I've been to quite a few now, but this is up there as one of the best. Along with The Hangover and The Avengers. The theater I went to had it showing on like seven screens. People were a buzz, hell a dude in a full on Batman suit came in and my friend got a picture with him. As the movie started people clapped and as the credits starting rolling a roar erupted in the theater. The only other movie that got a roar for me EVER was The Avengers. I love Batman and I was right there with them clapping cause I truly enjoyed this movie.
On a basic level the story was great, the music never detracted, the acting was superb, the action was good, and while two and a half hours long the movie never dragged or was boring to me. On a deeper level this is the end of a Batman film era. There was emotion in the movie, there was a sense of urgency I'd never felt from a story before, and it had me reeled me in until the final reel. While I don't think this was on The Dark Knight's level this was a damn great flick. More comparable to Batman Begins for me. Like being compared to that is a bad thing. This is a great movie, this is a great end to the Nolan trilogy, and The Dark Knight truly rises to glory in this film.
Pokemon has grown up. From it's humble beginnings with Red and Blue Versions on the Gameboy, the birth of Black and White Versions on the DS is grandiose. The first installment of Generation 5 feels like a bigger game. With over 150 new Pokemon, new gym leaders, new battle types, a new evil team of criminals, new Pokemon type-combinations and a brand new region to explore, the Pokemon Universe has expanded even more with these releases.
When you start up for the first time you are greeted by Professor Juniper. Who welcomes you to the world of Pokemon. Asks for your gender, name, and wishes you luck as your journey in the Unova region begins. The camera pull-in to your house with Pidoves or Woobat's flying away in the new starting town of Nuvema is a welcome addition. You're in your room waiting for your two best friends, Cheren and Bianca. Professor Juniper has gift wrapped your Pokemon. Cheren will always choose the strong type against you and Bianca the weaker. You have your first battles in your bed room before heading to meet Professor Juniper. Juniper then gives you a Pokedex and tells you that the Pokemon you're given are for going off onto a grand adventure in the Unova region to fill the Pokedex and explore the land. You take your first steps onto Route 1 with Bianca and Cheren and your adventure begins!
From the start this game already feels bigger, just from the pull in into your house in Nuvema. The Unvoa region has eight cities, not including the Elite Four and three more cities not available until after you beat the main story. Safe to say the map is huge. But it's not just a large map. The landscapes, cities and bridges can be massive. Based off of, believe it or not, New York City and surrounding areas. Also they have added in cut scenes throughout the game. This isn't the SS Anne undocking from Vermilion Port with an 8-bit puff of smoke. This is a dragon type Pokemon exploding onto the the screen in a huge blaze of glory. It really utilizes the power of a DS and makes the Pokemon world seem expanded compared to the rest of the generations. This is not a short game either. The story is more than just beat the bad team and defeat the Elite Four now. There is character development, dialogue and back story. There's nuances for almost every main person you meet, even gym leaders, the professor, and the kids' parents. Pokemon has always been a RPG, but this game has really felt like one like no other.
There is also a new "Team" on the block. This time it's Team Plasma. This team is different from the get-go. They are't hiding in the shadows. They are out and about talking to crowds and trying to recruit people to their cause. Pokemon liberation. They believe that Pokemon shouldn't be confirmed to Pokeballs and to battle. They believe they should be set free and live on their own. A noble idea at its core but as you play through it develops and evolves into a very nice over-arching story.
As I said before there is well over 150 new Pokemon. You can only catch Generation 5 Pokemon until you beat the main game. I love that. Let me catch the new and learn what they do. With every generation there is both good and bad. Both in type, design and actual usefulness. New types include anything from Rock and Flying/Fighting to Fire and Psychic/Ghost/Bug and Dragon and Fire/Electric/Ice. The battles are still turn based. Pokemon go, you want to win, you attack, they attack, win fight, gain experience, level up, evolve Pokemon. This is, and will always be the Pokemon mainstay. What can change is sprites and battle animations. The sprites move and even close their eyes if they are put to sleep. The battle animations for the moves are updated as well and look great. There are also new types of battles beyond one on one and double battles. There's the new Rotation battle in which three Pokemon are put onto a rotating battle field and every turn the Pokemon are shuffled around in a circular motion. The more common, and the one I prefer, is the triple battle. Where you send out three Pokemon and basically have double battle rules. The middle Pokemon can attack any of the three, but the one to the left and right may only attack the two closest to them. Takes strategy in Pokemon one step further, and I like it.
I've said this many a time, I love this game. It feels complete. The story is leagues above all the other games. While character development is almost non-existent in other games, this game gets me involved with their lives. It feels like a RPG finally. The graphics are updated and look great for a DS game and are a huge step forward from Gen 4 graphics. Same with the sound. There's also cut-scenes now for God's sake. There's an after story, characters from previous games, the Battle Subway, the Dream World, and a host of other things to after you beat the main story. Replaying it so close to the release of Pokemon Black and White 2 has me hyped to the release as well. It's Pokemon, it's huge and expansive, it's fresh and re-playable. It gave me a reason to want to catch them all again.
First off I would like to thank EVERYONE for their support over the past 21 days. The week that turned into three haha. I knew I had to have the drive to cast. But you guys kept me coming back. Most every night I was tired or had a headache. So it was sometimes a pain for me to cast. From people throwing out Tweets for me to those to stayed on call with me for endless hours to all of you chatters who kept my chat moving. I want to thank you all. I would not have make it half-way through this event without you guys.
Over the past 19 days of casting (sorry I took two nights off in there >.<) I've spent 125 hours casting for all of you fine people. I gained 5600 views (5632 to be more exact) and garnered 110 new followers (not counting the unfollows). Average viewers jumped from 18 to 28 over the first nine casts. It stayed at around 30 for the duration. Sometimes topping 40 plus viewers depending on the night. Not counting any raids that happened. Obviously the biggest stat is that I beat a main series Pokemon game from each Generation. Blue , Gold, Ruby, Diamond and White Versions. I also caught my first ever shiny Pokemon, in a Graveler, in Diamond. I also beat Diamond for the very first time as well.
Below I'm going to be listing off all the teams that I completed each game with. The time it took me to beat the games, etc. So if anyone is interested then they'll be there. Also there is a couple of videos that I would like to share. Those will be down at the bottom as well. I wanna thank the other members of Dynamic Impact Gaming for all their hard work and support. You may not think you did much; Awoozl, Bam, Dog, Haru, Tee, Maggie, Reaper, Shoobu and Soggy, but I can assure you were all amazing. One more thank you to all of you reading this. I don't think I deserve any of this, but I guess you guys do haha. But thank you (for about the 90,000 time in this post) for being involved and truly thank you for making this, at least in my mind, a huge success.
Pokemon Blue Version
Time beat: 14:46
Trainer: Tobias
Final Team
AdmAckbar (Seaking) Lvl23
AGeoInAWig (Graveler) Lvl27
Maggichu (Raichu) Lvl35
Shoobu (Charizard) Lvl39
FJ (Kadabra) Lvl41
Bampras (Lapras) Lvl44
Pokemon Gold Version
Time beat: 16:12
Trainer: Tobias
Final Team
ShooHoot (Noctowl) Lvl20
AGeoInAWig (Graveler) Lvl27
Reaper (Kadabra) Lvl36
Bampras (Lapras) Lvl36
Harlequil (Typhlosion) Lvl38
Maggieep (Ampharos) Lvl40
Pokemon Ruby Version
Time beat: 25:56
Trainer: Tobias
Final Team
Maggelia (Roselia) Lvl42
AGeoInAWig (Graveler) Lvl42
Neji (Sharpedo) Lvl43
Haruvoir (Gardevior) Lvl44
Awoozl (Altaria) Lvl45
Bamiken (Blaziken) Lvl45
Pokemon Diamond Version
Time beat: 37:17
Trainer: Tobias
Final Team
Kabambra (Kadabra) Lvl40
Maggelia (Roserade) Lvl41
AGeoInAWig (Graveler) [Shiny] Lvl45
Charlequin (Infernape) Lvl47
Betaray (Luxray) Lvl50
Arj007 (Garchomp) Lvl50
Pokemon White Version
Time beat: 21:58
Trainer: Tobias
Final Team
Bamiary (Rufflet) Lvl42
Arj007 (Fraxure) Lvl44
Carl (Seismitoad) Lvl44
Magstrika (Zebstrika) Lvl46
Reaperclus (Reunculus) Lvl47
Monboar (Emboar) Lvl50
FJ Eats His Off-Cast Taco For Hitting 1,100 Followers
FJ Catches A Shiny Graveler; His First Shiny Pokemon
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