Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Full Review

WARNING: There will be spoilers throughout this review so please don't read any further if you have yet to see the movie.

AGAIN, DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE!!

---

So it has officially been over a week since the J.J. Abrams written and directed entry into the Star Wars universe of movies has been released worldwide, with the exception of China and few other countries. And I'm sure you've heard of the box office records it has been setting with it, and there's a very good reason for that.

The movie is Star Wars at its finest and brings back the lore of the Original Trilogy that creator George Lucas envisioned almost forty years ago. What follows is a movie that is not only fun but does indeed add to that lore that we want of the Star Wars universe. I waited until I saw the movie a second time to see if my enjoyment waned in anyway and I'm happy to say that it hasn't, in fact it was even better a second time.

That's a rarity for me as I'm someone that doesn't go back to the theater to see a movie more than once unless it's really good and fun, the last time being Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. I'm also someone that prefers to enjoy the movie that be critical of everything in it. And that's what The Force Awakens does and the box office numbers don't lie. Yes, it's Star Wars and yes it's been hyped up for a year plus now, but the hype is real and it isn't a letdown like the Prequels were. And while the movie follows the similar structure of A New Hope, it takes the formula and adds to it, bringing a transition between the old and the new and continuing the story set almost forty years ago.

It brings in compelling new characters in Rey and Finn along with possible new Han Solo type Poe Dameron on the Light Side. And it brings new villains in Kylo Ren who is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa along with his master Supreme Leader Snoke and General Hux. What this generation of characters brings is a new compelling story to the old and new alike and they bring with them the themes and romance of space adventure that we all seek. The Force Awakens blends these characters stories together very seamlessly but half it's strength lies in Rey.

Rey, who is left on Jakku at an early age, is a strong woman, a fighter, a survival, the type of character director and writer J.J. Abrams likes to have. And it's her that makes this movie stand up tall and realizes its potential. She follows the typical 'coming of age' or 'a hero's journey' that we've all seen before but the way that she is portrayed in the movie is someone that many can look up to. Self-reliant, independent, while at the same time wanting to be accepted, wanting a family and hesitant to accept their destiny. That sounds like a good portion of people in their life struggling to find who they are. She embodies this completely and does it in great fashion.

The second half of strength in The Force Awakens is the cast of characters and the build up of events throughout the movie. Kylo Ren is a character that is first intimidating but we soon see truly unstable and unsure of his own future, especially after killing his father. He's not fully trained yet and that's a scary proposition as his anger may lead to even greater evils or possibly may become even more powerful. Finn portrays his character of a stormtrooper realizing the true evil of the First Order in a way that's appropriate. He isn't looking to fight them, he wants to get away because he knows what will happen to him if captured but also naive in the true potential of the Force and how it can overcome evil.

I can go in depth with the other's, but it's those three that will be leading the charge in the new trilogy for the foreseeable future. That's not to say that Snoke, General Hux, Poe Dameron and the other new entries don't have their importance but they aren't showcased in this movie like the other three. And of course BB-8 will be a fan favorite for many years.

As for those other characters, I think it was a few named Han, Leia and Luke, they played their parts like you would expect. Han gets the most screen time but sadly meets his end (possibly) by his own sons hand, Leia is featured as well but takes the back screen to the main core of new characters and Luke...well he's pretty much absent until the very end on a literal cliff hanger for the next movie. This move isn't supposed to be a "f-you" to fans but it's a way to transition the old to the new while still telling a fantastic first entry in a new trilogy for a new generation of fans.

That's the thing I've seen is that social media is operating as I would expect, nothing but arguments and complaints about the movie. Things like "It's A New Hope rehashed; it's too close to the original; it doesn't do this or that" have popped up trying to discredit the movie as a success. Here's a newsflash people, it's supposed to be a fun movie to watch, an entry into the new trilogy. Does it rehash A New Hope in ways? Yes, I'll be the first agree, especially the final battle to destroy Starkiller base. But it does it in its own way that adds to the lore of the universe its apart of. This movie is the stepping stone into the next two which according John Boyega (Finn) will be "much darker" and with Rian Johnson writing the next two, directing one, that is a very good possibility. There's no reason to really go in depth with this, it comes down to this. If you ignore the little things and want to go be purely entertained instead of criticizing every little thing like this generation seems to want to do, you'll enjoy it and be glad you did.

The fact is, there's a reason this movie is the all-time domestic box office record holder in the U.S., it's Star Wars and it's a great film that you can see over and over again, and never get tired of it.

Oh, and Chewbacca is a cool as ever.

- Thomas J George

The Possible Impact of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Okay, before we get to the main segment of this article I’d like to set the record straight. For a while, I had lost my desire to make articles about games as they have become something that I had to come to terms with such as micro-transactions, corporate dollars being the final end game. It’s not that it’s all bad but it just took me some time to get back into the swing of things, but what I’ve decided to do is to try and focus on the good side of things for this. I won’t go into detail unless someone wants to ask me a question about it just because I’m not someone that goes into that realm of things and just want to focus on the story at hand. Alright then, onto the main event.

This year is going to be a huge year for movies in terms of entertainment, the reason I say that is because it’ll explain why Star Wars could and probably will be the biggest of the year. Yes, we have Avengers: Age of Ultron effectively kicking off Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, something that I’ll write about in a few weeks into greater detail. We’ve had Fast & Furious 7 breaking the billion dollar box office record in 17 days, a record that the Avengers and Star Wars could easily break. We have a slew of new movies from classics like Mad Max: Fury Road, Jurassic World, Terminator Genisys, another super hero installment in Ant-Man, the final Hunger Games movie, Ex Machina, Kingsmen: The Secret Service and of course Spectre in November because who doesn’t love James Bond? I would like to include the new Fantastic Four movie but that thing is an abomination to me already by ruining Dr. Doom.

Now of course all those movies will be great or have already been well received but none of them hold the same power that the Star Wars movies have held for almost forty years. The fans of the movies are passionate and not very unforgiving like myself, but even the prequels which garnered a lot of criticism for certain dialogue were somehow able to be enjoyed because it brought everything full circle. However, fans did demand more and when word that JJ Abrams was going to be producing, directing and writing the new film, their expectations rose up much like what had happen in 1999 with The Phantom Menace. When the first trailer was released for The Force Awakens, many questions were asked about what the story would be about.

What have been Luke, Leia and Han doing for the last thirty years since Luke defeated his father and the Emperor? Who was this new Stormtrooper or was he one in disguise? Who was the pilot of the new generation of X-Wings and would he be a Jedi? And who was the new possible Sith Lord with a lightsaber that had a cross guard?

(To the left) Kylo Ren in full view from the second teaser trailer

There were not many answers until just a few weeks ago when the second teaser trailer was released that sent the internet crashing in some cases. Alright, exaggerated maybe but it did go crazy. We saw a new droid in BB-8 that was either laughed at or thought of as a cool update to R2-D2. We got info on another main character in Rey (Daisy Ridley) being a scavenger that at some point meets the former Stormtrooper or disguised one in Finn (John Boyega) and we found out the name of the name of the pilot is Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Clearly as of now these three will end up being the main force behind the new trilogy unless some major happens. We saw a new class of Stormtroopers all organized under one banner with a leader that may or may not be the main villain and ancient crashed Star Destroyer and X-Wing in a desert. Clearly, the war loomed on after Return of the Jedi. But that’s not all we saw in the second trailer and interviews.

                                                                              (Bottom) R2-D2 with what appears to be 

                                                                             Luke's mechanical hand

We of course watched as Luke in a voice over explain the Force that runs strong in his family starting with his father as we see his burned masked has been taken from the funeral pyre Luke had set thirty years prior as some sort of possible trophy. Luke then talks about how he has it as we see a mechanical hand touch R2-D2 but we do not see his face. Then he talks about his sister, Leia, having it as well as we see a hand present Anakin’s lightsaber to someone who is presumed to be Leia. And then he says that “you have it too.” However we don’t see who he is talking about and I think the bigger message is that he’s saying we all have it, a very clever tactic until we see the movie. Then we find out the “face” of one of the new villains that may or may not be leading this new remnant of the old Empire called “The First Order” while possibly part of the Rebel Alliance is now called “The Resistance.” This villain’s is name Kylo Ren but who we don’t know is being portrayed by yet while being hidden behind a mask, but it seems like he is one of the main reasons the The First Order is still up and running, no doubt trying to keep Darth Vader’s and the Emperor’s legacy alive while trying to become a Sith Lord himself if he isn’t already.

Oh and we got to see Han and Chewie at the end and say they’re home. Yes, yes you are.

The thing is though while we got some answers to questions of who some of these people are and what they are doing, they were not fully answered and that is probably JJ Abrams's design. Most trailers and interviews when it comes to movies give us a pretty good idea of where the movie is going and probably how it’s going to end but with these two trailers and lack of definitive answers have given it a mysterious tone as to what will happen, hopefully that trend continues in any future trailers that are released until that point.

I will say that in September there will be a four-part mini comic series that explains some of things that happened between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens so we will get some answers there but they shouldn’t affect the overall tone of the actual movie. From what everyone has gathered through the trailers and the interviews, this movie for the hype that is being poured into it could actually live up to the hype. It has the feel of a Star Wars movie, it has the direction of centering the story around a core group of characters and not going all over the place which was one of the criticisms of the prequel trilogy. It has the feel of a coming of age journey which was one of the strong points of the original trilogy. JJ Abrams seems to be bringing the movie back to its roots and keeping it simple and focused. That is a good thing for many.

(From left to right) Finn (Boyega), Rey (Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Isaac)

This all depends on the writing that JJ and Lawrence Kasdan will be bringing to the table. But I’ll lay this out for everyone that wonders if these two co-writing will be good or bad. JJ Abrams is widely known for many of his writings in movies but will focus on the Sci-Fi genre of his writing which of course features both reboots of the Star Trek franchise that were well received by many. He’s also been highly praised for other features such as Mission Impossible 3 and Cloverfield, as well as the TV series Lost and Fringe. Of course he had the hindsight to bring in someone that knows the story of Star Wars even better than he does and Lawrence Kasdan is just that person. If you don’t know who he is and are asking why, then I’ll tell you.

Lawrence Kasdan is a four time nominee of the Oscars for his writing ability in The Big Chill, The Grand Canyon and The Accidental Tourist. Of course, the real reason that JJ Abrams brought him in was because he was co-writer for The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi and Raiders of the Lost Ark. If anyone can make sure this movie is done right for the fans then it’s him. This will be the only movie of the new trilogy that will feature these two as writers, but it’s important to get it off on the right foot and they are the guys to do it. The next two in the trilogy will be written and directed by Rian Johnson who has written and directed three films prior to Star Wars. Luckily for anyone that’s concerned about that, those movies include Brick, The Brothers Bloom and Looper which were all well recieved, as well as directing three episodes of the critical acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad. It’s no doubt in my mind that Abrams and Kasdan had a hand in picking the writer and director.

Now there are still questions to be answered as to what direction the movie is really going in and what we’ll all will be treated to but it’s being very tight lipped in order to keep it a surprise for all movie goers and fans alike as it should be. 

(To the right )Kylo Ren with his lightsaber 

that sparked debates from the first trailer

I haven’t answered the question though of why all of this that’s been laid out to read means it’ll be a great movie maybe even better than any of the six movies that have come before it. It’s because it’s for the fans, genuinely for the fans. There’s always going to be critics of everything because they want something to complain about or it’s not perfect just like anything else that’s been released. People have been talking about why Kylo Ren’s lightsaber has a hilt that resembles a broadsword, but we forget people were complaining about Darth Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber and they grew to love it. Some people want to complain just to complain whatever their reason.

Now what this new trilogy and specifically what The Force Awakens could bring to the movie industry are two subtle but very well thought out ideas that have not been used to their full potential in big blockbusters. The first one comes from what JJ Abrams has done to keep any info from leaking out. In this day and age with social media, keeping secrets is almost impossible in every aspect but what Abrams has done is have essentially everyone that is working on this project not just take a vow of silence but actually have them sign papers to make sure that they are tight lipped on everything in the plot. Everyone including the actors accepted it with open arms and they did it because it's a brilliant thing.

Think about it, we've seen numerous trailers of what Jurassic World is going to be about and we have the main plot in it so while many will indeed go and see it, there isn't anything really mysterious about it unless there is a major plot twist such as The Empire Strikes Back (Sorry, I had to). Even with Age of Ultron, we had an idea of what was going to happen but that movie was so epic, which I'll write about in a future piece about soon, that it was about the action. Of course, those films bring in fans because they know it'll be great to watch and they'll get to see how they figure out the problems that are upon the characters, perhaps Chris Pratt will dance to stop the dinosaurs. And we know that with the upcoming Marvel movies, it will all lead to fighting Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and Part 2. Yes, it's hard to hide any mystery in comic movies when you have source material but there are ways to work around that.

(To the right) Darth Vader's burned mask in possibly Kylo Ren's hands as a Sith relic

But what they don't bring is that sense of mystery and intrigue of everything that these two Star Wars trailers have brought with them. We only know certain things about the characters and we don't fully know everything about them. We don't know if Luke is a crazy hermit, or could be Kylo Ren or has he been training Jedi underground for the last 30 years (again, the comic mini series could elaborate on that) as some of the fans have speculated. We don't know if Finn is a stormtrooper even though we've heard that he is because again, the plot is being kept very secret and we aren't sure of everything. We don't know who will be a Jedi and who will be other than the photo's of Finn with Anakin's lightsaber and again, that's only and possibility. The point is that we don't know anything for sure and THAT's what will make movie goers even more eager to see this film than they already are. On a side note, Spectre, the new James Bond film, is also doing this same thing as well. Obviously, the film industry has done this with films before that smaller and lesser known but for a major blockbuster like this, it truly does make an impact and it could see a lot more revenue gained that it already will no doubt get.

(To the left) Anakin's lightsaber possibly being handed to Leia

The other idea is this, it's for the fans, to give them the best possible experience. Think about it this way, you have writers that know what makes this particular franchise amazing and give credit to Disney on this as well. As much as some people may hate them, Disney rarely fails in making sure the story is a good one for all audiences and considering they took George Lucas's ideas for a sequel trilogy and threw them out the window shows that they thought it would be bad. And to be fair, while Lucas did create the series, the prequels and to a lesser extent the original trilogy did suffer from some bad dialogue as well as some bad plot points. I'm sure Disney thought about it long and hard but they knew that in order to make this new trilogy work and keep fans happy to make money, they had to do it right and they made sure to have someone that understood from a fan perspective what made the Star Wars franchise great and take it to another level. That's why JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan are here. And those two along with Disney know what the stakes are in this. If you make something you know the fans will enjoy, then you will reap the rewards. If you want a good example of not giving the fans what they want, just look at Sony as they tried with Spider-Man and they had to give the right to use him to Disney and Marvel because they just weren't cutting it.

The main point of this article is to inspire hope for anyone that’s afraid the movie will fail or meet expectations. I don’t need to quote every interview that’s been released, it doesn’t need to be. The reason this is short is because it doesn’t need explaining in depth explaining, it just needs to be a good summary of everything that it stands for and what will make it good. For all the answers we’ve been given and all the info that’s been released so far, none of that matters more than one simple fact that to me at least will make sure this movie and this trilogy will succeed and be better than the two before it and transcend how movies are made like the original one did so many years ago in a galaxy far far away. If you don’t believe that, just read my statement here.

JJ Abrams is first and foremost a fan of this series and he wants it to succeed more than anyone. I trust him in what he’s doing and you should too.

May the 4^th be with you.

Assassin’s Creed 3 – A Unique Journey

There have been a rare few games that have been created that create a sense of amazement and make you want to see how the story ends and in some regard, not want to see it end. Yes, we know that Ubisoft has released a new Assassin’s Creed title every year since 2009 and you see some people make the argument that they’re coping what Call of Duty has done. However, not since Assassin’s Creed 2 has a story made me want to actually play it over not just a second time, but a third as well. And that is a rarity for me.

Usually when I beat a game’s story mode, I usually don’t play it again because either it takes too long or you really can’t get that same emotion again. Certain games just don't have that same appeal as the first play through, they don't have those moments that you remember instantly. However, Assassin’s Creed has made it a point for the character to not only continue his own story as part of a legacy, but to make the world around them better in the hardest of ways.

When we began our journey as Altair in the original Assassin's Creed, not remembered as the greatest character or story, but still important as it of course established the story. Of course, we would later be returned to witness some of Altair's most important parts in life and see just how much he struggled.

Once we were introduced to Ezio Auditore, the game changed into what we see it now. He had humor, charisma, and certain flare that we all love about him. We wanted to complete the side missions as well as the story. We wanted to find amazing items, to make the people recognize us. That continued all the way through Ezio’s journey which I enjoyed every step of the way. 

But we needed a breath of fresh air and Connor brings that with his own personal torment. I'm not going to reveal too much, but I'm going to give you the basics of the story to give you an understanding of it. But to truly experience it is to play the game themselves.

Connor is born to a Native American woman and a British Colonial man, also a Templar to boot. He is born just before the American Revolution and cast into a world that he has no idea of until his late teens. He loses his mother in a fire that will eventually be a catalyst later in the game’s story as he continues onward. He begins his journey when a ‘spirit,’ rather Juno, comes to him from a Piece of Eden from his village elder. After finding former Master Assassin, Achilles, Connor begins his journey to becoming an Assassin himself.

As the Revolution goes onward, Connor is at a constant struggle with his beliefs in right and wrong, and knowing that he must his kill his father, Haytham Kenway, while also trying to avenge his mother whom he believed died at the hand of Charles Lee. As the story unfolds, Connor learns the horrors of truth as he continues forward, learning the truth of his mother’s death during the Seven Years War, due to George Washington’s orders. The ironic truth is that he allied himself with generals like this to protect his beliefs, but as a result, allow the American people to push his own people further west, the ultimate betrayal in a sense.

That is what makes the story so sad, so powerful, and so inspiring. Connor sacrifices his own needs and wants of his people for the greater good in defending the right of freedom to the colonists. And even the ending, you still see the travesties of slave trade that would not end for nearly another hundred years. So for all the good Connor inspired and wanted, in the end, he still could not accomplish his goal.

He is not the same person as Ezio was. He's more reserved, protecting himself from the colonists around him as his people have done since their arrival. He isn't a ladies man like Ezio was, he's not as elegant in his movements. He's down to business, he is a simpler man and just beginning his journey as an Assassin, even if he does not take to it at first. It's not until the end that he understands that his role as an Assassin is not to protect just his people, but to protect the world from the Templar influence. Yes, throughout the journey he's very cocky, overconfident, naive, defiant of the conventions of what the Creed stood for, going so far as to suggest an alliance with the Templars after encountering his father for some time.

But it's those qualities  the fact that he chooses to question the Creed's conventions in an attempt to grow, something that the Assassins have strove for since their existence was first known. It wasn't until he had killed all of the Templars, including his father, and killing his best friend along the way, did Connor finally understand what it meant to be an Assassin, sometimes, there are things that you cannot control as he saw with the slave trade at the end of the game.

The problem I feel that people do not like Connor for is that they did not invest the time to understand him. They did not do the side missions that were fun, the ones that involved bringing up the Homestead around him, the ones that saw him take down Forts around Boston, New York, or the Frontier. They did not appreciate the Naval combat or recruiting the Assassins that he had. To fully understand a character, you have to play the game fully in my opinion. And each time I freed someone being oppressed by the British, I felt a little closer to Connor.

Now I've heard criticizers of the story of Assassin's Creed 3, saying that Connor is too dull to be an Assassin, that the story overall is boring compared to Assassin's Creed 2 and even that of Brotherhood. But people fail to realize that yes, this isn't going to be as lively as Florence or Italy was. It's a new colony just starting to find its way. There aren't sprawling cities where the buildings are all connected for rooftop exploration. There are no massive buildings or polazzo or catacombs to explore inside. No, there is instead the open world, the wilderness, the massive battlefields, harsh winters and forts that have never been explored in the Assassin's Creed universe. Shame that people cannot appreciate that. Don't get me wrong, the frame rate has been an issue with this game. The engine of course should not have been for this generation of consoles, but Ubisoft screwed themselves with the 2012 end of the world scare. Again, as I've said before, they should have never introduced Desmond and just left it to history.

As I've stated, Assassin's Creed is not Call of Duty, but apparently, they should have done that to make the people happy as they wanted more of the same. Perhaps in time, people will see the error of their ways.

What Makes A Good Game?

Ah, the question that many debate over in video games. What makes a game as good as it possibly can be? What makes it have a chance as one that can stand the test of time? Like in the opening statement has already said, it's very debatable. So let's just go through the three main aspects I find are important in creating a video game, otherwise known to me as The Principles of Gaming.

First, let's start with the story that it features. Now with this, it comes down to what any good story should do. Does it engage you? Does it pull you in? Does it make you think? In a nutshell, a story should always make you want to keep going forward. For example, let's take the story in the Mass Effect series and what it brings. It's a straight forward story, man saves the galaxy from various threats in the future for the survival of man kind and for all species of life. Seems boring when put in those terms doesn't it? But the way it grips you is that the man, or woman, saving the universe is yours. You create what your vision of Commander Shepard should be, and you are thrown into it all.

Still seem boring?

Well, take in the way the story is told and how it shapes out. Its all based on how you chose what path to follow. The path of the Paragon, the good guy who does no wrong, or the path of the Renegade, the bad boy that takes no prisoners is what helps pull you into it. And then there's the setting, the way that those choices are played out with the back drop, the music, the ideal of the fate of many worlds in your hands to save and only you can save. Mass Effect tells its story in such a way that you can't help but feel betrayed at the very end of it in some ways, and believe me, you'll find no end in the amount of forums or YouTube comments discussing this every day. But that's because it was your Commander Shepard that you spent hundreds of hours playing and devoted to it.

There's also the tragic tale of Niko Bellic in Grand Theft Auto 4, a man trying to rid himself of past sins only to be brought back into the same life that caused those sins, and the same with John Marston in Red Dead Redemption, both products of Rockstar Games. Rockstar is just one of a few companies known for its amazing story telling, as is Ubisoft with its Assassin's Creed series. There's the entire Legend of Zelda series, the Uncharted series from Naughty Dog, and of course there's the God of War series. I mean honestly, there's a number games out there that stand the test of time or become some of the best of its era because of the story telling that it brings with it. The Legend of Zelda has done this on many occasions and has proven time and again why it's one of the greatest game franchises of all time. So it's not just this generation of games that follows a great story as a principle but past ones as well.

But the story is only part of what makes a game good.

The second part is of course game play. A story is only good in a video game if the game play matches it. And it's not always multiplayer that takes center stage to make a game amazing. Let's take the success of the Uncharted series again and show what makes it amazing. You of course have the action adventure aspect of the game, platforming, and the shooter aspect of the game all combined perfectly in many reviewers eyes (I should cite that, but as this is a blog and quite honestly you can look up the reviews, I don't see the point). One minute you're climbing on a ledge of a train hanging off a cliff and looking for the next thing to grasp onto to pull yourself up, the next minute you could be in the middle of a gun fight while looking at a magnificent temple. All of it is combined into a perfect meld in a Hollywood film style cinematic game play that is becoming more and more prevalent into today's generation. And of course it had multiplayer installed in the second game of the series.

Another fine example of game play that captivates the gaming community is Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The open world RPG (Role Playing Game) in previous installments has always been enjoyed by its loyal fans, but this installment has taken on another level of immersion not thought possible. The way that it has brought a new leveling system, its dual handed combat where steel swords and magic can be combined in various ways, a world that has so many quests that it takes two hundred hours MINIMUM to explore a part of it. Think about that for just a second. A sixty dollar game today usually may last an average of ten to maybe twenty hours. This game takes it way past that.

That's not to say that a game has to last that long to be enjoyed. Batman Arkham City, the sequel to Batman Arkham Asylum, created a masterpiece for the Batman franchise that fans wanted after the first game. The simplistic, but fun combat system combined with Batman's many gadgets, an open world to explore, solve the Riddler's riddles and defeating many of the Dark Knight's iconic foes, including of course the Joker made it one of the best games of 2011. That game lasted for me around twenty hours, and each one was amazing to play because of the game play that it had that was so much fun to play. It basically made me continue onward.

But as with today's generation, multiplayer is also a key factor in many games now such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Ghost Recon, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed and so on. It's the lasting nature of the games that makes people want to keep buying and playing them. Things like the intense shooting matches in Call of Duty, the sneaking but high adrenaline of Assassin's Creed, or the vendetta fueled shooter of a new comer to multiplayer in Max Payne 3 are what today's gamer want and as a result have actually made gaming cool to the public. It's what makes some of these games worth buying to the person, worth spending the money to have these games. But as I have said, it's not always the multiplayer that makes the game, but it can be a big part of it.

And my third basic principle is the intelligence of the game. Now what I mean by this is that the game has to make you...well, think. When we saw Watch Dogs at this year's E3, we saw that the player had to think wisely about his next move, about how to take out his enemies without becoming exposed while using cover in a way to protect himself, all the while trying to save a high value target. Now we've seen this been used before in shooters such as the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six series where squad based tactics are king, as well as the Splinter Cell series where you cannot blow your cover as a stealth undercover agent, all from military novelist Tom Clancy. A game should have to make you think about choices that you are making and what the consequences could be when you make that choice It also to me has to make you think about the world as whole, what can happen to us in a game like The Last of Us which releases next year, it has to make you connect with your character in a way that you almost think like him or her and almost become that character in a way.

Those thoughts are just how I feel, everyone shares different styles of thought and may find something else to wonder about. That's my point in what I'm saying. If a game doesn't make you think for a least a second about something around you or what's happening in the game then to me, it isn't anything more than mindless play, but that's alright.

All these principles that I have are what makes an amazing game to me. If you're someone that enjoys simply going around shooting things in Call of Duty or something of that nature, then I respect your decision because it's what you chose to do. It's a difference of opinion and I have to respect that, but....doesn't mean I have to like it though, especially when I play online in Ghost Recon.

And that's where a hidden fourth main principle of mine comes into play, and it's quite simple. One, all these factors together make my type of an amazing game. Two, even if one of these is lacking, it doesn't mean a game can't be fun to play and engaging in some sort of way.

As a final note, in case you were wondering what games have done this for me in my life, I have them listed for you here since my SNES days. That's not to say that these games are the greatest of their era because they aren't, but they're the ones that have made me feel amazed by them. I'll show my top 5 at the bottom of the list. This is all compromised of what I've learned as I've gotten older and become wiser in my quest of gaming so if it's a little more modern, well it's because I'm young so don't be offended.

- Super Mario 64
- Super Mario Galaxy
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto 4
- Red Dead Redemption
- Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion
- Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
- Fallout 3
- The entire Mass Effect series (until the ending)
- The entire Assassin's Creed series
- Batman Arkham Asylum
- Batman Arkham City
- The entire God of War series
- The original Jak And Daxter trilogy
- Dead Space 1
- Dead Space 2


Quite a lot right? (Laughs) Well, I'll bring it down to my top 5 here for you to kind of get a better idea.

- Grand Theft Auto 4
- Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Assassin's Creed 2
- Red Dead Redemption


- That's it for now. This will be posted on the Game Informer website on my blog under thomasg2488 later on tonight for your viewing pleasure as well. Feel free to leave a comment and thanks for reading


- Written by Thomas George.

Apocalyptic Love Review

Now if you haven't heard, Slash has become a big idol in the last five years. Since his days past in Guns N' Roses, he's been apart of many things. From his biography, to Slash's Snakepit, to movies, to Velvet Revolver and eventually a solo album to go with it, Slash has emerged as an artist all his own and not the often overused "former guitarist for Guns N' Roses." Now, twenty-five years after the release of Appetite For Destruction in 1987, he along with the other members of the 90's era of Guns N' Roses, Slash have been inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame. It seems fitting that he has released another solo album that I see could be considered a truly great album to the eyes of many, perhaps his best work since Use Your Illusions 1 and 2.

Apocalyptic Love is straight rock n' roll. There's no overuse of piano, no big effects, no cowbell, it's guitar, drums, bass, vocals and the occasional wah wah pedal (and a talk box in the Deluxe Edition). It's Slash at his finest with Myles Kennedy returning as the the sole singer and rhythm guitar to be on the album. Todd Kerns returns from the same tour on bass and backing vocals as well as Brent Fitz. And if what I said earlier doesn't hit, I'll say it again.

It's straight rock n' roll.

And that's what we want to see from Slash and company. But if you compare this to his first solo album, you feel a sense that there is more of a unity or bond between the band members, which they of course did on the last world tour to support the album. That chemistry has transitioned over to this album nicely as each song doesn't disappoint, something that not many albums can be said of, but I may be a bit biased on this of course. I've heard other albums of my favorite artists and I always had that sense of some disinterest in the album at some points, here though each song keeps me going. It seems that with Slash and Myles understanding each other completely of what this album is meant to be.

It at last seems Slash has found a vocalist that knows what they are best at and isn't filled with ego, but I'll keep my fingers crossed just in case.

As for the sound, well of course in each, you get what to expect from the Cat in the Hat. Raw, blues based, heavy distorted rock and roll from his Les Paul guitars. But don't assume that it's the same traditional intro, riff, chorus, riff, chorus, solo, end style. That template is followed, but the way that it's done in various tone in each, different style riffs, different tempos, the songs each have their own feeling to them and each could probably be a single down the line. A key example of this is on possibly the best track called "Anastasia."
You get an acoustic neo classic intro that drives into a symphonic style of guitar riffs with a chorus that is simple, but makes you like you're in a orchestra of rock. Of course the first single "You're A Lie" is a classic Slash style that we take from other songs like "Paradise City," "Slither," or "You Could Be Mine."

However, you really can't say that's the albums top highlight because the entire album gives that Appetite For Destruction or Boston's debut record feeling that every song is amazing in its own way. From the opening track "Apocalyptic Love" to "Bad Rain" to "Anastasia" you just can't help but fall in love with this record, especially if you're a rock enthusiastic or guitar player.

And I of course can't leave out Myles Kennedy completely. He's probably this generations greatest voice. He's been considered to be a part of Led Zeppelin and ironically enough Velvet Revolver back in 2003. Now of course, that did not happen but he seems to have realized that this was an amazing opportunity for him and a second chance to work with Slash. Sometimes his vocals are hard to understand, but once you hear the album enough, you can. And the lyrics aren't deep, but because this is a rock n' roll album at heart, they don't need to be. I hope that if there is a third solo album, Myles is on it because he's really the only man I'd consider at this point to be able to work with Slash. In fact, I hope this group is one that stays together if Velvet Revolver doesn't get a singer anytime soon, which it doesn't look like it.

Apocalyptic Love won't wow the main stream radio stations or the ones that more into modern music, but that's not who this meant to be listened by. And I think an unfortunate product of how amazing Guns N' Roses sounded in their hey day, this album won't get the credit it deserves. It has the feelings of GN'R album, the sound of one, the make of one. Because in my honest opinion, it's the best work Slash has done since Use Your Illusion. That isn't knocking what he's done since then, but I haven't heard an album quite like this in a LONG time. Hopefully in time, this album will gain the recognition it deserves. You can't look at it as an album that changes everything, because it doesn't. It's rock n' roll, good song structure for each, not too short, not too long. It's Slash, what else can I say.

Here's the track list for you to check out from the Deluxe Edition, the * representing my personal favorites.

1. Apocalyptic Love *
2. One Last Thrill *
3. Standing In The Sun
4. You're A Lie *
5. No More Heroes
6. Halo *
7. We Will Roam
8. Anastasia *
9. Not For Me
10. Bad Rain *
11. Hard & Fast *
12. Far And Away
13. Shots Fired *
14. Carolina
15. Crazy Life *