Many games allow you to play as an insect and many more allow you to play in a first person perspective but only Metamorphosis allows you to play both!
Based on the writings of Franz Kafka, Metamorphosis begins with players waking up in a hotel room, vague memories of the night before. After leaving your friend behind you enter a strange hallway and start to notice things about yourself changing the further you get. Soon after you realize you have not only turned into a bug of some sort but see a letter offering you employment at a secretive location called The Tower. Deciding to accept the offer the page sucks you into a dizzying world where you use the written words as stones to bridge your path.
Along the way you encounter various dangers and puzzles to solve to bring you closer to The Tower. As a bug you find that traversing steep slopes is far easier and with the help of something sticky can easily walk along vertical walls. One of your first tasks is to return to your friend and wake him up to try to get him to see you as yourself and not just the bug you have been turned into.
Visually the game leaves a bit to be desired as an Xbox One title I would expect the visuals to be a bit cleaner. Gameplay is quite fluid as you traverse the many varying terrain in ways you never expected but can be quite glitchy. Multiple times over the course of an hour of play the game crashed and required rebooting the system before I could return to the game to only do it again. Glitches and visuals aside though, the team at All In Games made an enjoyable title that is well worth playing for the mechanics alone, not to mention an interesting story that will leave you wondering what’s at the tower? After nearly four hours of play (including two reboots) I feel like I am nowhere near the tower but wanting to get there and learn it’s secrets.
Ole Jack is here to help you navigate the sports card collecting market. This week he focuses on Pokemon and Top Loaders!
HELLO JACK-O-LANTERNS! Ole Jack is here to help you navigate the collectible memorabilia trading card market, more so this week than our typical sports card collecting. If you are the last one to hear about this, it’s okay and there is no judgement coming from ole Jack on this… Pokemon cards, if you got em find someone who knows about them. first edition sets are clearing hundreds of thousands of dollars. I repeat if you got old Pokemon cards do not sell these at your annual garage sale and if you already have, it’s okay and let me tell you why.
POKEWHAT!?
Currently there is a “new” to newish set called Hidden Fates. roughly can sell the retail “tins” and elite trainer boxes for 100% profit. They pull is a raw “Shiny” Charizard that is fetching $400-$500 online if you happen to hit one in these you can keep it for bragging rights and water cooler talk how you should send it out for grading it but….
Folks paying double retail from the retail…
TOP LOADERS AND PENNY SLEAVES HORROR IN THE RETAIL ISLE! OUT OF STOCK!
Okay so if you are now in the hobby and you are throwing dollar upon dollar out there and you now are hunting for retail boxes so you can “rip”. You look around at your dinner table as they cards can no longer be looked at on your bed. You don’t have protection… Do yourself a favor and take my advice on this. Just spend the few bucks to make sure your $10 if not $5 or higher cards are penny sleaved and top loaded or at least the lanyard cover looking ones from 1998.
Let’s like at the pros…
Protects your investment
Easier to store. (Don’t be an animal and stack em cardboard boxes)
If you sell them in the future, It will be much easier as a person not seeing your collection will have a clearer idea of what is in it.
Cons? It cost ya few extra bucks…
The Retail Rush of 2020! TRICK OR TREAT! IF YOU CAN FIND A BOX.
Does everyone remember when my president was black and my lambo’s blue and I be gd’d if my rims ain’t too??… maybe it was more simple time then it is now. Maybe it was better time, maybe it was more flossy and less substance. I miss those days, not because of Jeezy or anything political. It was when you can walk into a wal-mart or target and buy retail sports card boxes.
Here is your reality check! This isn’t going away. There are too many people out there that have the money for this but not the time, to hunt these retail stores down for product. Just as many folks that have the time to wait for them to be re-stocked. There are plenty of people out there that flip these boxes for 100-300% profit. Each one of these retail locations have independent vendors who stock a “leased” spot on one row of product normally in the check out lines area. So if you see a box like this at Wal-Mart… stick around.
Poor Bastard…
There is nothing that you can do as a buyer except try to drop the comp price. Good luck, lol. There will be natural half life on mostly all boxes. Basketball seems to be the exception. I am interested in watching what happens to the retail box resale price when the season kicks off and the draft finalizes. As always a little advice from your boy Jack, stock up and sit on these unopened boxes of 2020 Mosaic Basketball. Good luck on not opening the boxes!
thanks for checking out my post. If anyone is interested in more tips for hunting retail send me a message on the post and I will help if I can. Happy Social Distance Drive Thru Halloween!
Maledictions is a Warhammer Horror Anthology from the Black Library and features such names as Graham McNeill and Josh Reynolds!
There are numerous anthologies published by the Black Library that are centered in the 41st millennium but Maledictions is the first in their Warhammer Horror lineup. Some of the authors have been around since the earliest days of the Black Library like Graham McNeill, Josh Reynolds and C L Werner. There are even some newcomers to the ranks of fabulous writers- Cassandra Khaw and Lora Gray! Lora Gray you may remember from last year’s Digital Horror Week.
The worlds of Warhammer 40k have always had a tendency to fall along the lines of horrific between the machinations of Chaos or the terrifying swarms of the Tyranid. This means that these stories must be absolutely dreadful to be labeled as Horror. Many of these stories however are about on par from what we’ve come to expect from the Black Library but a few definitely pushed the envelope a bit further. What makes this book really stand out is that it is the first I’ve seen that contains both Warhammer Fantasy AND Warhammer 40k stories. Overall this book is a great read when you are looking for easier to digest stories. These stories still kick some major ass despite their length.
Here’s the full story and author list (some of which were previously released by the Black Library as short stories outside of this collection):
Nepenthe by Cassandra Khaw
The Widow Tide by Richard Strachan
No Good Deed by Graham McNeill
Crimson Snow by Lora Gray
Last of the Blood by C L Werner
Predation of the Eagle by Peter McLean
The Last Ascension of Dominic Seroff by David Annandale
Ever wondered what the world would look like if you woke up from a coma? With Neversong you can!
Neversong is a side scrolling platformer from Serenity Forge that requires ingenuity to solve it’s many puzzles and defeat the many adults. I mean monsters. The world has become much darker upon Peet’s waking up from his coma. His best friend (and possible love interest?) has been kidnapped and it is up to Peet to find her. She has been taken to Blackfork Asylum and her fate looks grim.
The puzzles require some thought and many can’t be completed until returning later with new abilities. Graphically the game is rather simple but quite endearing in its simplicity. You are greeted with a dark story-line where this same darkness permeates everything and yet still manages to feel like a game to be enjoyed by the family. Neversong looks and plays similar to games like Limbo and it’s sequel Inside.
When I first started the game I felt a weird kinship with Peet having been in a coma myself at the beginning of the year. The coma was handled tastefully and was an interesting starting point for a story. For someone that barely recovered from a coma he is quite athletic.
Overall I found the game enjoyable and look forward to being able to spend more time helping Peet save his lady love.
“What man of you does not go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Harken to my words, and I will tell you the tale of The Marked, chapters 7 & 8, verses 1-32!
“For Pope and Klara to save Lovecraft, they must sacrifice their own ambitions. Will The Marked superstars give up fame for the sake of one miserable, half-mad writer?”
The mere mention of Lovecraft appearing in a comic should pique your interest. Unfortunately, this issue just won’t live up to expectations. Lovecraft is a whiney little bitch and the cavalry, which arrives too late, turns out to be unnecessary.
I never pictured something Lovecraftian to be…cute. I mean…it’s a damned puppy!
My Impressions:
Full Disclosure: I’ve already read issue #8…(Yes, I’m a little behind on my reviews)
The story was quite disappointing. (Especially when combined with issue #8, which just drops this entire storyline for something new.)
This series has some of the best cover art I’ve seen. It’s too bad that this issue’s internal artwork is so bland.
Major overarching story blunder: The start to this arc made perfect sense…a funeral for those that were lost in the previous battle exposes that Pope’s soul is missing! Cool! A new arc to figure out what happened to his soul and put it right! PSYCHE! The reader finds out what’s up, but Pope’s “friends” start looking into it, only to drop the unresolved storyline cold for something new and unrelated in issue #8. (Yeah, I know this was intended to set up something in the future and create suspense, but it didn’t work.) The whole thing is unrealistic and disjointed. I demand better segues for my money.
Oh no, you mean it was the butler all along?
Notable Appearances/Events:
Spoiler: Pope’s soul is stuck inside of Lovecraft’s body
Revelation: The Lurch-like butler is the real H.P. Lovecraft
Conclusion: This is a classic example of how a single issue can kill a reader’s interest in a promising series
Bottom Line: 1 Star
The first story arc for The Marked, was something I highly recommend. Sadly, the writers seem to have spent all of there creative energy there, and left nothing in reserve. Issues #6 and #7 were just not up to par. With so many creative offerings out there right now, both mainstream and indie, there is just no reason to waste time and money on boring content. I’m out.
It has been written “For behold, I am sending among you serpents, adders that cannot be charmed, and they shall bite you.” Damned if they didn’t end up in the book of Something is Killing the Children, chapter 10, verses 1-32!
“When Erica’s handler forces a confrontation on the street of Archer’s Peak, Erica must decide where her loyalties lie-to her employers, or to the people who need her?”
That’s a little bit of a mash-up really. That handler, he is really a dick, but the confrontation has nothing to do with him. Once it happens though, there really isn’t much decision making going on…it’s sort of a fight-or-flight thing.
In Aaron’s defense, this guy is a whiney little nuisance.
My Impressions:
A little character development for Erika…nice to see them adding some dimension to her.
Aaron, by the book and towing the company line, represents a great foil for our protagonist. I hope that he somehow survives.
Visually the book is inconsistent…the more important the character, the better they look…and vice versa.
Mature content incoming!!!!
Sorry dude, I think you’re guess is a little off.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Erika takes a stand
Aaron dies…pretty sure he’s not coming back from that…
Everyone else is on the menu
Bottom Line: 3 Stars!
This issue is a bridge between action scenes. It’s not bad, but it really isn’t all that impactful (in the grand scheme of things). However…it does go for a little shock value. (If you don’t believe me, you must have missed the picture above.) In the end, this is a set up for what feels like a rather messy confrontation. If you’re not reading this series, I question your nerd-worthiness!
“For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Learn the perils of jealousy in Superman, chapter 25, verses 1-32!
“A colossal new threat to Superman, the planet Earth, and the DC Universe arrives on the scene in this special issue! The unique warrior called Synmar was created to represent an entire alien race. He’s trained his entire life – but for what purpose? As the antithesis of everything Superman stands for, Synmar launches his aggression toward Earth – to destroy the Man of Steel and every being on the planet! This is what Superman was born to protect us from!”
For the record, much of this solicitation doesn’t come through. At least not in this issue. In fact Synmar is kind of silly looking and pathetic until the last page of this issue. No doubt there’s a fight coming…I just hope it is more exciting than this issue.
Mid-fight and Superman can pick out his high school crush snapping a photo!
My Impressions:
Head Scratcher: Um…Lana is a professional competitor of Clark Kent, why would he give her an interview? I mean…he can literally write the article for his own paper, himself, right???
Having two stories presented side-by-side is just annoying. I’d have rather seen Synmar’s back story as a flashback somewhere down the line.
Error!: Lana gushes about some high school times with Clark. (Except it isn’t THIS Clark! This Clark is from the pre-New52 universe!!! Her Clark is dead!!!
Flashback to Lana as Superwoman.
Notable Appearances/Events:
Superman (Kal-El / Clark Kent)
Synmar Utopica (Eisno Alkor) 1st Appearance!
Superwoman (Lana Lang)
Lois Lane
Lex Luthor (cameo)
Bottom Line: 2 Stars!
If it wasn’t a first appearance issue, I’d say skip it. My money says that unless you’re a huge Superman fan, you won’t care about anything in this issue. Additionally, Bendis should avoid trying to comment on social issues like platonic relationships, he isn’t good at it. Oh, and if he’s trying to set up a love triangle with Superman, he really doesn’t understand the character.
Let Ole Jack tell you about the latest Football news and how that affects your cards!
Hello Jackolytes! With the NBA Finals in the rear view and we are starting to take our light jackets and hoodies out, drink pumpkin spice aloe waters and start to sweat the upcoming holiday season. We did it! The first quarter of the football season is over, with horrible season ending injuries and coach firings, not all of us have come out of this unscathed. The HOLY SMOKES SERIOUSLY! Holy Smokes! I hope you watched the Steelers game against Philly this weekend. You would have seen a young man from the University of Notre Dame play a game in which he scored 4 Touchdowns! Reggie Bush was the only other player in History to have 4 TD’s in a single game in his rookie year. Does anyone remember the one that got called back with a suspect offensive pass interference call? Chase could have had 5 TD’s…
Let ole Jack put that in perspective for ya. Scoring 75 points in a NBA Game by yourself? James Harden scored 34.3 ppg last year. Which is 5 points higher then the second player on that list MVP Giannis Antekounmpo. So in closing, hope you all have plenty of Claypool for your PC. From this point his card value will only increase.
“I wanna get blacked out after a game like that!”
Holy Smokes! First and foremost I wanna wish Dak Prescott a speedy recovery. Person to Person, I most definitely cry for sure if my bone was sticking out of my skin. This guy just lost $50-$100 million this off-season. No doubt about it the Cowboys will try to bring in Aaron Rodgers Next year… HOT TAKE! Jerry Jones trades 2 first round picks and 2 second round and like a 4th and a 6th rounder, cuz the pack are the pack. Dak Prescott signs with Green Bay to compete with Jordan Love! That would be a wild scenario, but you heard it here first!
Holy Smokes! Herbert is the man! Justin Herbert the First Round Selection from the University of Oregon has had a wild start to the season. 1st game Patrick “Don’t call my son Pat announcer guy” Mahomes, finding out 5 mins before the game that he is now the starter. Teddy B nobody cares, because the next game was the GOAT himself Tompa Baydy. Which Justin went blow for blow with Brady and came out with an “L”. Goes to New Orleans and throws down with another GOAT in his own right, Drew Brees. Losing… on the leg of the Money Badger… bahahaha. DOINK! So ole Jack is going to give ya perspective, but ole Jack has got ya… Herbert has not won a game, that is right the LA Chargers are 0-5. This Rookie has been in every single game, 4th quarter last possession wins type of games. Throws and amazing ball and guess what… Burrow won a game and nobody cares!! It seems Herbert is pulling ahead on the Rookie QB of 2020! Hobby wise he is cant miss, which the list looks something like Joe Burrow, Herbert, Tua, CEH, CeeDee, Love, Taylor the best of the rest is Claypool.
Let’s Say Goodbye with a So Longggg!
So Longggg! Le’veon Bell. He was able to play his way out of job as the starting running back for the New York Jets. Hot Take! He did the right thing. That’s right! So Lev sat out a whole year while playing for Pittsburgh. Do you think this man really minds sitting out during Covid Season? The Jets are bad right now. Gase isn’t the guy. Darnold is not even starting. Flacco is ELITE, brightside if there is any.
Places I think would be interesting spots for Bell to land. Pittsburgh, because it would just be great to have him quit on the team a second time. I wanna hear the gasps from the 412 when this happens. Arizona, every former “washed up” RB Great has landed there. Miami, he can literally just go back and hole up in the strip clubs to quarantine. Because I was living in Pittsburgh during Le’Veon’s hold-out and I remember seeing so many snap chat and IG vids of Bell at the strip club. Do you, Sir! So Longggg! To the SF 49ers chance at doing anything this year besides being second possibly in a tough NFC WEST. With the loss of Bosa and Thomas both to ACL’s, I’d be lying to if this scenario playing out didn’t make me feel good. I remember last year’s NFC Championship Game. The 9ers beat up on the pack so bad it, Randy Moss even was like DAMN! So burn all of your Bay Boys cards? Ok, or try looking into Aiyuk as a bright spot in an otherwise total loss of a year. What are they going to do at QB? Garrapolo can’t put pressure on his ankle to throw at least a lame duck, he literally threw geese! Cheer up 49ers nation. Just remember you could have had Brady… So Longggg! My fantasy trophy… that I haven’t even held in my hand in my family league. None of which are actually related to me. Does that really matter? Ok so Lamar Hasn’t panned out as of yet. Lazard went down all year with a core injury? Just lost this week on a covid-by-law stating in the event the players game gets bumped or rescheduled you are granted the average points of that players games. In all fairness to the other team. He put up a good week. As did I, but not good enough to pull out the W. I had the perfect line-up and missed with Koo on the return. Kept rolling with Seattle. Fantasy Pick-ups to get right now if you can. Chase Claypool, Chase Edmunds, Vinny Chase… Fulgham the former packer. Count on me, Ole Jack wont steer ya wrong. We have a responsibility to take of ourselves and others. Just think about things a little extra right now. Sanitizer never hurt nobody. Even my mouth breathing ass got used to wearing a mask. Please, make smart choices out there whether its voting or not licking door knobs but don’t lick knobs. Thank you for checking out my post!
Have you ever wanted to punch a luchador with an elf or brawl as a character from Battle Chasers? In Bounty Battle you can!
Bounty Battle from Merge Games is a meta fighter that doesn’t require a classic fight-stick. Huge vortexes have opened and pulled dozens of heroes from not just different video game titles but different genres as well. As these vortexes pull our different combatants to the field of battle the throws you right into the game with your menu. For this game I started on the tutorial, more so because I assumed there would be an achievement. The tutorial takes you through the basics of the game, focusing mainly on grapples, hard and light hits.
By performing different chained attacks and hitting the opponents you build up a combo which gives you an increasing amount of bounty points. Get defeated and lose your points. It’s rather straight forward. The goal is for you to defeat all of the characters in the multiverse and bring glory to your home world. What’s unique about this brawler is that as you get wounded your character starts to glitch. We’re talking like Penelope in Wreck it Ralph but without the benefits.
Overall I found the game to be easy to pick up and learn but found it severely lacking in terms of story. This is brawling for the sake of brawling.
Dark Harvest follows the exploits of Harran Blackwood, a Warrior-Priest that must confront his past if he is to survive in this novel by Josh Reynolds!
Harran Blackwood was a Warrior-Priest, meaning he was a priest of Sigmar that was also a warrior in the first Warhammer Horror novel Dark Harvest. When I requested this book from the Black Library for the sake of review I hadn’t even read the details about the book. Simply put I saw the name of the writer and the cover and that was enough for me.
The story starts with Harran receiving a letter that reminds him of some rather painful memories. Arriving in the town of Wald in search of the sender finds something far older and more evil in the area. The story focuses more on slow building tension than outright horror. Along the way you learn that practically everyone in Wald is not someone worth redeeming. Told in a first person perspective Harran comes off as surprisingly relatable. He’s constantly trudging along despite his growing unease, while simultaneously battling with his own inner demons and the lies he tells himself.
Overall I found this book to be quite engaging and well worth the read. Josh Reynolds as always knocks this out of the park!
