Archives November 2020

“You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms;” Who is this weapon? It is revealed in the book of Batman, chapters 99-100!

This is the tale as witnessed by James Tynion IV.
Cast into light by Jorge Jimenez.

The official plot:

“The Joker War’ comes to a city-shattering conclusion as Batman battles The Joker in a brutal, no-holds-barred duel! This is a fight 80 years in the making, and its outcome won’t just change Batman’s life, it will change Gotham City for years to come! Plus, a pair of short stories that will chart what’s to come in Gotham City and Batman.”

DC Comics

The highly hyped Joker war comes to it’s expected conclusion. As expected, everyone under the sun shows up to throw a punch or two. Does it live up to the hype? Not in the way you might expect.

My Impressions:

• Harley Quinn is the best part of this story arc. A timely intervention saves the day, and when she get’s serious, it’s chilling.
• Oracle is back online. ‘Nuff said.
• Clownhunter. Either he ends up a Robin, or he’s a flash in the pan. There’s no in-between.
• Did Harley just become a member of the Bat-family???

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Batman (Bruce Wayne)
• Joker
• The full Bat-Family
• Harley Quinn (Harleen Frances Quinzel)
• Punchline (Alexis Kaye)
• Clownhunter (Bao Pham)
• Ghost-Maker 1st Appearance! (Cameo)

Bottom Line: 4 Stars!

I feel like the climax for this story arc was about 1 page long. The build-up of how badly Joker and his forces were destroying Gotham, along with the corruption that is revealed is absolutely huge. Batman finally admitting he can’t deal with this alone and calling in the help of his various protégés doesn’t feel quite sufficient to handle the task. And then it’s over…and fast too. However, Harley’s part in the finale is almost a whole new character. I really hope we see her continue to evolve down this path, and become a semi permanent member of the troupe.

Ding-dong the Wizard is dead!! Well…not really, but close enough for me, see what I mean in Books of Magic, chapter 23, verses 1-25! The story of “Dwelling in Possibility” part 3.

These are the musings of one David Barnett
As translated into the visual by a certain Tom Fowler

The official plot:

“The true masterminds behind the Cult of the Cold Flame now stand revealed-as does their purpose in handing the power of the Book of Possibilities over to Tim Hunter’s onetime friends Ellie, Fatimah, and Tyler! But can Tim save his schoolmates from making a terrible choice? Or is their Destiny already written?”

DC Comics

Tim has nothing to do with saving anyone. He’s a lump that sits there and whines.

My Impressions:

• Put a nail in it…we’re done! Finally!
• Of course it had to end that way…but it would have been so much better if it hadn’t.
• Contemporary Artwork: Nothing stunning. Again.
• As with most of the current Sandman Universe titles…no final punch.

Notable Appearances/Events:

• Tim hunter
• John Constantine
• Finale issue!!!

Bottom Line: 1 Star!

I’m happy to see this one go. Books of Magic gives the Sandman Universe a bad name. For 22 issues now, I’ve been certain that the next issue would be the last…and FINALLY I’m proven right! As for this issue…yep, ends with “the future is unwritten!” I hate it! Take some chances will you? Walk the kid out in chains! Banish him to Heck! Do SOMETHING impactful! Anything would have been better than this.

Based on the original by Vlaada Chvatil, Codenames is back with Codenames Harry Potter from USAOpoly.

USAOpoly continues to prove they are the masters locking down the best intellectual properties like Marvel, Disney and even Harry Potter with Codenames Harry Potter. This of course is not their first foray into the magical world of Harry Potter but it is the second one we’ve had the pleasure of trying out.

Visually the game has top quality cards using hires images from the various movies but at a glance the game looks more like a version of Memory. The concept is that as operatives of the Order of the Phoenix you must use clue or “Codenames” to lead your teammates to tracking down the hidden members of the Order. This sounds rather easy but you must do it while avoiding the Death Eaters in the field. As time turner cards are revealed you get closer to running out of time. This puts a bit more urgency in the gameplay and the need to decipher the coded messages more imperative.

The simplicity of the game is quite brilliant in that the game is limited in only how creative you are in creating and deciphering the clues. The game is typically quickly played, the first game taking about 30-45 minutes and followup games closer to the 15-20 minute mark. If you are looking for a quick game that features some of your favorite Harry Potter characters then this is a must purchase for you.

Dread Nautical is a tactics based horror game with an Eldritch twist.

In Dread Nautical you are on a cruise ship sailing through the Bermuda Triangle. What could possibly go wrong? This title from Zen Studios attempts to answer just that by putting players on a luxury cruise and everything goes to hell rather quickly.

You might as well be Bill Murray because you get thrown into a Groundhog Day situation where each day you wake up and the day starts over. Playing as Fargo Drexler you must solve the mystery of what is going on and why you wake up back where you started each time you sound the ship’s horn.

Conceptually a cruise ship in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle makes for an interesting locale and the introduction of Eldritch creatures make for a story that leaves you wondering what is behind your new world of horrors. Controls are quite easy to master as you maneuver the ship but where this game really lacks is the visuals. The visuals look very similar to the original Virtua Fighter game and feels out of place among the many other titles in their library– namely Pinball Fx. I was expecting something a bit flashier but it is not enough to take away from the experience. The gameplay is enjoyable enough but the game just comes off feeling tedious.

Through the Darkest of Times is a strategy game based on one of the world’s darkest periods in history- the rise of Nazi Germany.

Through the Darkest of Times by Handy Games is a historical strategy game that puts you behind the resistance movement in hopes of preventing Hitler’s rise to power. When I started this game I knew that your goal would fail but figured I’d stick it to every Nazi I could along the way. Little did I know how close the game would hit to home. Not only did it give me a reality check but it literally made me nauseous. It wasn’t the graphics or video quality that did it either.

Within a couple game days I noticed a sickening trend, how much the rise of the Nazi party mirrored our own country’s politics the last couple of years. The things Nazi sympathizers would say would mirror almost word for word things I have heard and read said by Trump supporters. Whether this was intentional or not I have no idea. This wouldn’t be the only time I’ve compared the rhetoric to Nazi Germany and certainly won’t be the last. I just hope that the current election woes will pass soon and we can return to making our country a better place, without the need of war and outside interference.

The game itself plays similar to games like the original Where in the World is Carmen San Diego and it’s many sequels but instead of quizzing players it allows you to turn the populace towards revolting against the regime. Visually the graphics would fit well with the late 80’s computer games and it feels like that was the goal, aiming for some semblance of nostalgia. The gameplay however is mind numbing but interspersed with tidbits of story to keep you curious. If you want to watch a resistance movement like a fly on the wall, observing the plans and the results only as the members return to headquarters then you will enjoy this game. The story is fascinating and disturbing in equal parts and worth the play for that alone but don’t expect much in terms of excitement.

Beyond Blue is the title meant for every aspiring marine biologist or anyone that wanted to be one as a child (myself included).

Beyond Blue from E-Line Media is an adventure where you play as Marine Biologist Mirai as she explores the ocean collecting data. Her primary focus is on studying a group of whales, or a pod, specifically Humpback whales. Each in game day gives a list of tasks to perform like scanning the pod of whales and fixing buoys. With the couple hours I already put into the game the worst of the tasks was holding the X button down for about five seconds. The game has a story but it is far from exciting, however it does have a bit of backstory you can pick up regarding Mirai and her family.

Visually the character models look like they belong to some of the classic Xbox days and not the Xbox One. The best thing though is how natural the underwater creatures move. The reactions of the AI have a bit to be desired as you can swim through a school of fish and the just keep swimming instead of darting away from you like real schools of fish would. The game is easy to pick up to play and can be played with your whole family in the room. It was an enjoyable game that was a bit too slow to keep my attention for more than thirty minutes at a time.