The LEGO Movie Review

Bursting with colour, creativity, and of course bricks, this pop-culture cashgrab is as smart as it is stunning.

 

 

The iconic Danish brand alone guarenteed this film's financial success - but what could have been your typical dumbed down kid's movie is actually a masterful construction of wit, satire, and nostalgia that the whole family can enjoy.

 

In fact, The LEGO Movie is perhaps moreso written for adults than children. It's a movie that is very self aware, and the majority of the film's gags revolve around the limitations of the brand in question. For a film that is essentially an hour and a half long commercial, it surprisingly has a lot of social commentary, even poking fun at the consumerism it's based upon. There's several little nods throughout the narrative that can make anyone who's ever played with those iconic bricks feel like a kid again.

 

That's not to say that The LEGO Movie is without a plot - considering the brand has hundreds of licenses under their studded belts, it's actually admirable to see the writers haven't let their game down; the band of minifigure misfits are perfectly cast and, dare I say, hilarious to see interact with one another (Liam Neeson as a police officer with an unusual case of bipolar disorder takes the cake) and the inclusion of multiple third party characters makes this universe even more imaginative and similar to that of many children's experiances with LEGO. The third act is nothing short of breathtaking - after a year with so few good animated films, who'd have thought a movie based on colourful pieces of plastic could actually be incredibly touching? It's a moral that can identify with millions of LEGO users across the world, and one that is perfectly bittersweet; for both the young and young at heart.

 

The animation is also top-notch, with the stop motion indistinguisable from it's computer generated counterpart. It's a feast for the eyes, though can be overwhelming at times - the second act feeling like a mass of multicoloured bricks sprawled across your carpet. If you can recover from this seizure of creativity however, the rest of the film is incredible to look at, and you can see the craftsmenship that went into creating each individual world. From an ocean made out of translucent blue studs to every alarm clock reading 7:00AM, it's a "Master Builder" paradise.

 

Far from following the instruction manual of children's films, The LEGO Movie is a creation that is made with true precision in both writing and visuals. Despite the ocassional overwhelming nature of it's detailed setpieces, the mass is constructed into an ending you can't help but marvel at, and builds the foundations for many brand-based, family friendly films to come.

 

Score: 9/10

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 2 Review

The second instalment of TellTale's five-part Fables tribute lacks the full moon of its predecessor.

 

'Smoke and Mirrors' picks up practically minutes after the cliffhanger of Chapter 1, and we're immediately transported back into the beautifully stylised world of The Wolf Among Us. Having waited over four months for this next instalment to the franchise, Episode 2's long awaited release is only somewhat justified by it's actual content.

 

This chapter is much slower in pace, with very little actual story progression. Episode 2's plot is similar to a jigsaw puzzle, in that the majority of gameplay is based solely on detective work - from analysing a crime scene to interrogating a suspect. However, playing 'Smoke and Mirrors' is essentially like completing a jigsaw that came with specific instructions. When analysing evidence, the correct response seems the most obvious out of the four options, making your job as Sheriff feel like child's play, and the game's climax is unsurprising thanks to a sporadic change of one character's mannerisms. Most players will have the intellect to work these things out for themselves, making Bigby's investigation less mysterious and therefore less interesting.

 

In addition, the player's choices are limited to minor decisions in comparison to Episode 1's, where you felt as if everything you did had a huge impact on your case. Here, we have your quint essential good cop bad cop - play Bigby nice, or play him as the Big Bad Wolf he was born to be. These black-and-white decisions literally come to the point where an entire scene revolves around provoking your suspect through either mild intimidation or by brutally destroying his possessions. In this case then, the game is very bland to play out in some sections, in that you're limited to only develop Bigby's character down one of two paths.

 

 

Despite these flaws, the episode still holds up well and features many new characters who you'll just love to hate. Georgie Porgie is no longer an innocent little boy, but the owner of Fabletown's sleazy strip club The Pudding 'n' Pie, and early on we meet the kind hearted but obnoxious Jack of beanstalk-climbing fame, who doesn't quite know when to keep his mouth shut. These new additions to the game's universe add yet another layer of depth and dimension to a franchise that is already so rich in detail and well thought out. The gorgeous neon colour palette is shown off in all of it's glory in the strip club scene; paired with the game's brooding soundtrack, it's just stunning to experience.

 

Existing characters aren't left out though, with your choices from the previous episode playing a big part of several scenes in the episode. The suspect you arrested in the former's climax will give you entirely different information to what the other criminal would have said, allowing both you and Bigby to slowly solve the mystery in a unique way. Characters will interact with you based on how you treated them previously, and Bigby himself is developed fantastically over the course of the narrative. Adam Harrington's voice work shines through, perfectly delivering each line with such emotion - you BECOME the Wolf, with the player's choices parallelling the mood of the protagonist. Why wouldn't you hit that person when Bigby scowled at them like that?

 

 

With a story that's grim, gruesome, and everything in between, 'Smoke and Mirrors' is a satisfying addition to the The Wolf Among Us' evergrowing Fable universe, but lacks the proper story progression or diverse choices that would make it surpass Episode 1. Let's hope then that this is the only slimy hairball we'll see in the series.

 

Score: 7/10

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Review

The Arkhamverse's first venture into handheld gaming is a solid entry to the series' near perfect mythos.

Whilst Warner Bros. latest console addition to the franchise didn't bare as well as its predecessors, Batman: Arkham Origins was undeniably the best written and best looking entry to the trilogy. However along with the release of this perculiar prequel came the addition of a game unique to the PSVita and 3DS platforms - I'm of course refering to Blackgate.

 

Set three months after the events of Origins, Blackgate follows Batman's journey into Blackgate Prison in order to take out the three gang leaders - Joker, Black Mask and Penguin - who are holding the facility hostage after a suspicious riot breaks out. Working alongside The Dark Knight is Catwoman, in her first canon appearence of the franchise, whos motives seem uncertain to her caped counterpart. The story is the main focus of the game as it should be, with the same stellar voice acting and the same stellar writing behind the series that we've come to expect. Troy Baker in particular steals the show again as the Clown Prince of Crime, and the game actually manages to be pretty dark at times. Without giving too much away, Blackgate's loose plot and unneeded cameos in the form of boss fights ties up nicely at its climax, alluding to a much anticipated WB project in the works. In all honesty, many faults cannot be pointed out within the story itself, and the game is certainly a worthy entry into the Arkham universe. Although one must bode the question - haven't we seen this all before in Batman: Arkham Asylum?

 

What's particularly interesting about this game is it's platforming style, modelled after Metriod and the such like, in contrast to the sandbox enviroment of its console equivalents. In every sense then, Blackgate was designed to be handheld, and not a mere copy and paste job.

 

Playing on a 3DS though, it's hard to say many traditions of the franchise have transitioned all that smoothly. Keeping up a combo in combat is near impossible thanks to the device's tiny buttons in comparison to console controllers, meaning that the now iconic Freeflow Focus system developed in previous games is lost entirely to clunky, slow fight scenes. This can be particularly difficult for some of the boss fights, in which you have to multitask evading and using gadgets without the ability to quickfire them like in the game's predecessors. I specifically mention that I played the game on a 3DS as I feel the experiance may have been slightly different should I have played on a PSVita. In fact, I would say the game is designed even more so to the Vita's advantage; the collectables throughout the game don't feel that rewarding to gather unless you're earning a trophy for them, and similarly so for unlocking each ending (which we'll get into a bit later).

 

 

As far as Detective Mode goes, again the limitations of being a handheld game restricts overall enjoyment of playment. Each predator sequence feels laid out for you, not making it much of a challenge if you know the basics of any Arkham game. Of course there are the odd encounters that require you to think more than usual, but the new ability of analysing your environment is really what seals the deal.

 

Although briefly touched upon in Arkham Origins, the new feature of being able to analyse your surroundings using Detective Mode makes an emmersive gaming experiance where you truly feel like the World's Greatest Detective, and rightly so takes up the majority of gameplay. I actually found myself really liking this new feature after initial skepticism, and it isn't as tedious as it looks. Blackgate is very much a puzzle based game, with this new feature being the core of it. I'd love to see something similar introduced into the future console entries to the franchise, as it makes the Caped Crusader's journey that little bit more interesting.

 

Also unique to the game is the ability to backtrack. Each boss holds out a specific area of the prison, and once you've explored around half of each facility, you'll be required to travel to another via a secret entrance to obtain a gadget upgrade in order for you to move on. Admittedly this can be a bit tedious, but the structure works out OK for the most part, and the great set designs are good enough to occupy you otherwise. This also allows the player to complete the main story in different orders, making it great for replay value if you want to unlock all the villain's secret (all be it short) cutscenes and a slightly alternate climax - note the word slightly.

 

If anything however, the games biggest fault lies in its atrocious character models. Although only noticeable up close, by slapping a texture onto a character model rather than designing them more carefully is in all honesty a disgrace to a system that has had the likes of the beautiful Uncharted and Forza on their resume. Again, this may differ from console to console, but the 3D was certainly not doing the character models any justice.

 

 

What is gorgeous to look at however is the motion comic cutscenes. With a stunning blend of hand drawn animation and realistic textures, these drive the story forward and look fantastic in 3D. Bar some characters being drawn slightly off, it's a neat addition that delivers on what TMNT: Out of The Shadows failed to do so. As I mentioned earlier, the backdrops are also extremely well designed and laid out, whilst also being easy to navigate over time, allowing the platforming experience to be as entertaining as it should be.

 

In conclusion, Arkham Origins: Blackgate is similar to its prequel twin in that both have technical flaws and don't deliver 100% of the time. Despite these problems though, both also give us a great story, and the new features added are really what make them worth checking out.

 

Score: 7/10

 

Batman Arkham Origins: Initiation DLC Review

We dive into the beginnings of Batman's training with the first DLC of Arkham Origins.

 

For those expecting an epic take on Bruce Wayne's spiritual and physical journey into becoming the Dark Knight, you're being a little optimistic. However if you're a sucker for the gorgeous backgrounds or a perfectionist when it comes to the challenge maps, then this DLC is sure to satisfy your appetite.

 

First and foremost this isn't a story DLC; Initiation, or 'Rite Of Passage', is a campaign of five gruelling combat and predator maps, in which the player has to mainly rely on their basic striking and countering abilities to get by. To my surprise, Bruce Wayne counts as an entirely different playable character within the challenge maps, and actually plays quite differently to his vigilante counterpart. Gone is the high tech gear and threatening costume - instead players can use smoke, caltrops, and shurikens as part of their arsenal to take down enemies, though most fulfil the same function as your standard gadgets. There did seem to be however a couple of new animations for Bruce, making you feel like you're actually performing skilled martial arts rather than brutally punching a thug in the face - though whether I was just seeing things I'm not sure.

 

The maps themselves are beautifully designed and laid out, and it's nice to see some new thug designs for the ninjas; heck, the fact they included Korean dialogue alone is pretty impressive. The new costumes we get are also sweet, especially the Vigilante. Sadly though, this is where the good things end.

 

The battles include wave upon wave of enemies, but it never felt like a challenge to me. The only variation of thug types are Ninjas and sword wielders, which I don't find that hard to defeat. If you're not so good at keeping up a combo or large groups of thugs, you'd probably find this campaign difficult, but I expect for most this isn't the case. Predator rooms are also pretty basic, with the medals being easily achievable in under sixty seconds. There's also a sporadic cameo from Lady Shiva which felt highly forced; although of course it isn't a story campaign, I'd still have at least liked a bit of dialogue from her.

 

If you're really into Batman's history though, chances are you won't mind too much about the difficulty. The attention to detail is fantastic, and you can tell Warner Bros. Montreal put a lot of effort into making this an authentic eastern inspired experience. Even the tiny details such as naming each challenge map after a ninjitsu art form or the music really makes this DLC unique.

EDIT: I only just found out that the ending you get is slightly, and I do mean slightly, different depending on how many medals you get. Now that's a pretty neat thing to include.

 

Overall, Initiation is far from the intense campaign we were hoping for, but builds upon the foundations of Batman Begins to create a fresh experience for the player. Let's just hope the same can be said of the imminent Story DLC - Mr. Freeze anyone?

 

Rating: 5/10

The Wolf Among Us: Episode 1 Review

TellTale Games have huffed, puffed and blown me away with this fantastic first chapter of their adaptation of the comic series, 'Fables'.

 

 

After the huge success of The Walking Dead, developers TellTale Games had a vast amount of pressure placed upon them when coming up with their latest comic adaptation, The Wolf Among Us. Following the typical TellTale point-n-click style, Episode 1: 'Faith' gives us a flavour of what is to come over the series; and so far, it's delicious.

 

Having no prior experience to the comics, I found myself getting easily immersed into this fantastic world. The concept is ingenious, with fairytale characters residing in a modern day New York, trying to blend in with society whilst the Big Bad Wolf, now going by the name of Bigby, keeps order amongst the 'Fables' as Sheriff, all the while tying to make himself, and others, forget his past crimes. There's plenty of cameos from folklore throughout the story, and dozens of possibilities that can be had with these characters in the long run. Perhaps a fan of the comics is indifferent to the pre-existing set up, but I for one fell in love.

 

Although the game takes many pointers from its critically acclaimed predecessor, I find it hard to actually compare the two. Whereas in The Walking Dead the players choices ultimately decided their survival, The Wolf Among Us focuses on detective work, making it necessary to look for clues, and makes the way you interact with characters even more crucial; say the wrong thing at the wrong time and you could loose a valuable piece of information for your case.

 

Similarly, the choices you make now are even greater from the get go - merely halfway through do we get 50/50 choice, with both paths giving you their own clues to the mystery, but also withholding information that could help you later in the narrative.

 

 

Another huge improvement is the combat. Gone are the stressful button mashing sessions (though some still remain), but instead timed ones, making the action sequences flow seamlessly and completely immersing the player into the conflict. Don't rule out those jump scares either.

 

The actual narrative and characters of the episode are fantastic; I find myself preferring our protagonist here to TWD's Lee - with the latter, I could never see him as the killer he supposedly was. Here, you can see the regret Bigby has for his past offences as his animal form, and depending on how you play, his attempts to become trusted again within the community. In a lot of ways he reminds me of Joel from The Last Of Us, a lost soul who can only gain redemption through fear. The supporting cast are also a treat, with a not-so-heroic Woodsman, cocky Magic Mirror, and foul mouthed Toad all rounding off what is a grim yet still intriguing universe.

 

My favourite aspect of this game however is the design. The sketchy character models, the dark lighting, the garish contrast of purple and yellow colour schemes - it's outstanding. I have no hesitation in saying this is one of the best looking games I've played in a while; although TWD broke the mould of only 'realistic' video games being any good, The Wolf Among Us shatters it completely, blending unique cartoonish qualities with the edgy streets of urban New York - even the designs stand out, with classic storytime characters getting a gorgeously grim makeover.

 

 

Having chosen what I felt was the right final option, the episode ends on a cliffhanger that I don't think anyone saw coming, setting up what looks to be a great series. Masterfully building upon the foundations of its predecessor, The Wolf Among Us not only stands on its own, but completely towers over the former in terms of the player's choices and narrative. I didn't even experience any technical issues this time around. I eagerly await for Episode 2, and hope it kicks as much fur-covered ass as this one. My only complaint? The title sucks.

 

Score: 10/10