Renewed Top 10 - February Dump Month

On the previous Dump Month post, I misidentified the months involved. The Dump Months are January, February, August, and September. But... I've decided to do a post like this for each month.

If you haven't seen the previous post, the idea is a Top 10 movie list for the month. Based on how much I liked the films. But starting this month, I'm adding a mini list. The mini list will be the top 5 domestic grossing movies for the respective month. That way you can see that trend as well. And it will preface my list. You'll see...

Top 5 Grossing Movies for February

1. Black Panther

2. The Passion of the Christ

3. Deadpool

4. The LEGO Movie

5. Hitch(yes... Hitch)

There is the grossing list. But now... how about mine?

Top 10 Movies Released In February

Special Mentions: 3 Disney Classics released before the era of blockbusters and dump months. But... they were still released in February.

-Pinocchio(2/23/1940)

-Peter Pan(2/25/1953)

-Cinderella(2/15/1950)

Honorable Mention 1: Robocop(2/12/2014): The remake, and while it was a PG 13 version, I still loved it.

Honorable Mention 2: Coraline(2/6/2009): A creepy "kids" movie that I'm STILL surprised wasn't a Tim Burton fever dream.

10. John Wick: Chapter Two(2/10/2017): Second movie is the stunt heavy John Wick Saga. Every movie in this franchise has been epic so far, and revitalized Keanu Reeves action career.

9. Blazing Saddles(2/7/1974): Before the Blockbuster/Dump Month Era, one of the best movies from the legendary mind of Mel Brooks. Makes me miss Gene Wilder every time I see it.

8. Ghost Rider(2/16/2007): Nicholas Cage bring his skill of overacting to the Spirit Of Vengeance. But... dammit if he didn't do a great job at it. With Wes Bentley as a superb Blackheart and Peter Fonda as an unexpectedly great Mephisto. Too bad we can't see all of them in the MCU.

7. Black Panther(2/16/2018): Rest In Peace Chadwick Boseman. I really don't have much to say about this movie. If you haven't seen it, you should. Shows just how good Boseman was... and how good Michael B. Jordan still is.

6. Get Out(2/24/2017): The Horror movie that turned Jordan Peele from sketch comedy master to OSCAR WINNING horror movie prodigy. So good. So... out of nowhere.

5. Sonic The Hedgehog(2/14/2020): The Best Video Game Movie I've seen. And it made it to February due to all of it's re-editing. And it killed in the Box Office because of it. Timing is everything. Re-timing can be even more. 

4. Constantine(2/18/2005): Another unexpectedly awesome movie. Noir... mixed with horror. And fans keep pining for a sequel. My favorite Rachel Weisz role to date.

3. The Silence of the Lambs(2/14/1991) and Hannibal(2/9/2001): Two top shelf movies starring Anthony Hopkins as the Titular Hannibal Lector. The story of fiction's favorite cannibal.

2. Wayne's World(2/14/1992): I love this movie. I really do. There have been many attempts to turn popular Saturday Night Live sketches into shows or movies, and most of them are cast classics at best. But Wayne's World transcends that. Mike Myers and Dana Carvey. Still a great duo. We finally got a Bill & Ted 3... is it too late for a Wayne's World 3?

And the number one movie released in February is...

1. Deadpool(2/12/2016): Yeah. It released in February. Deadpool proved you CAN make a successful R Rated Superhero film. A passion project that movie goers should be more than thankful for. Not just for being a successful R Rated Superhero film, but showing that an R Rated CAN make all that money. It broke a very specific barrier. Plus... on top of it, it was an epic movie. A personal favorite for many people. And you don't have to be a comics fan to like this movie. It was Van Wilder in Spandex, and not just because of Ryan Reynolds. But... yes... because of Ryan Reynolds.

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What did you think? Any movie released in February you really like? Comment below... and share this thing.

Until next time... don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - Batman Villains We Haven't Seen In The Movies

Warner Brothers is releasing the next Batman movie on March 4th, titled The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. With new takes on Catwoman, Penguin, and The Riddler. But of course, those 3 characters have been in Batman movies before...... there are plenty of villains that have yet to be shown in a big screen Batman movie.

So... I am sharing with a list of villains I would LOVE to see in a big screen Batman movie! Also... I am NOT using the Adam West Batman movie, since the villains there were from the show.

And... maybe a special mention.

So let get to it!

Top 10 Villains Yet To Be In A Batman Movie

Special Mention 1: Mr. Freeze: Yes... Arnold Schwarzenegger played him in Batman & Robin. But I despise that movie so much. Arnold did a decent job. But I want a more focused Mr. Freeze story with someone else as the snowman. Jason Bateman would make a wonderful Victor. Matt Reeves... there... use him.

Special Mention 2: Killer Croc: So... we have yet to see Croc take on Batman. But we DID get an excellent version of him in Suicide Squad. So... why not use him too? But if not, Mustafa Shakir is a good choice

Honorable Mention: Anarky: A modern villain. Pretty young kid causing trouble in Gotham. He couldn't be the featured villain, but a supporting player would be perfect for him. Charlie Heaton or Justice Smith would be good for this role

10. Copperhead: There have been various versions of Copperhead in different mediums, but one thing is the same. Copperhead is a DANGEROUS assassin. Give Batman a huge headache... and still, maybe not a featured player. Sofia Boutella would be a great fit for a female Copperhead.

9. Azrael: So... this one is the center of my favorite Batman story, Knightfall. But... that was John Paul Valley. Servant of the Order of St. Dumas, thinking they should be protecting Gotham, and not Batman. I had a different idea though...... why not make a movie version of Azrael... Tommy Elliot? Played by Zac Efron. And cross his backstory into it? More on that later.

8. Mad Hatter: A villain fashioned after the character from Alice In Wonderland. Uses mind control to set up various scenarios for his victims. Pair him up with Scarecrow, and you have a Deadly Duo. Elijah Wood has that neurotic feel to him he would be perfect.

7. Professor Pyg: Another modern villain. This psychopath makes "improvements" on his victims "imperfections"... to create the Dollotrons. The only issue I would have with Pyg is that for his talents to fully realized, it might require an R rating from the MPAA. It would be worth it. James McAcoy can play this kind of deranged... but Rory Culkin(the other other brother) just feels right for this role.

6. Solomon Grundy: The servant of the Grey. The resident Zombie in the DC Universe way before the Black Lanterns became a thing. I love this character. And he ALMOST scored high on the list. The reason he didn't...... I would rather they use Grundy vs Swamp Thing in a Swamp Thing movie. Warner... get on this!! With Paul Walter Hauser giving us the vocals for this CGI zombie.

5. Man-Bat: Kirk Langstrom looking for a cure from deafness spliced his DNA with that of a Vampire Bat. And... well... Jekyll/Hyde, he started turning into a giant bat-like Humanoid. A few times, he has even been an ally of Batman. But... works as a monster villain for Batman. Sean Harris for this role was brought to my attention, and he could do it.

4. Hugo Strange: Brilliant man who figured out who Batman really was. The only issue with Hugo Strange is that he would need the right henchman/partner to work with... that... and... it looks like Riddler in this upcoming movie has figured out Batman's identity. So... it would be a retread. But I always like the idea of Hugo Strange. So... he gets this spot. Raul Esparza from Law & Order fame would be a good fit for this role.

3. Calendar Man: Julian Day is a villain who commits themed crimes based on the holidays. And for the longest time, he was depicted as a joke villain in the various mediums he has been shown outside of the comics...... with 1 very notable exception: Arkham City. Arkham City gave us that murderous sociopath that was locked up during the events of the Long Halloween. Portray Calendar Man as a John Doe from Se7en type character. Play the audience by casting Jonah Hill. And make him terrifying.

2. Hush: In Number 9, I mentioned Tommy Elliot. In the comics, Elliot is the villain Hush. Childhood friend of Bruce Wayne who ends up blaming Bruce for making him losing everything. In some stories, Elliot even uses him skills as a surgeon to graft skin to his own face to make it look like Bruce's. He is Leatherface with a Doctorate. And while it would be cool to see Elliot join the Order of St. Dumas, this story for Hush would be PERFECT versus a Pattinson Batman. I can only hope. And because I mentioned Zac Efron in Number 9, it applies here too.

And the Number One Villain I Want To See In A Batman Movie...

1. Clayface: Those of you that know me personally know I LOOOOOVE Clayface. And I want him in a Batman movie. Granted, I know it would be a heavy CGI villain, but I don't really care. So... who is Clayface? If you were a fan of the Batman The Animated Series, you would know the Matt Hagen version(voiced by Ron Perlman!!!), and in the comics, the most famous version is Basil Karlo. After a retcon, Karlo ended up with a similar origin as Hagen. Aa character actor who ends up disfigured in a car accident, and used a product to alter his skin to look what it did pre-accident. An incident leads to him getting doused in the chemical, and turned him into a living being made of mud and clay... able to shapeshift into almost anything. This... is a Johnny Depp type role or someone that has his range(open to suggestions). And... to top it off, Clayface has become an ally to Batman in recent years. That could be played off in the role. A redemption story? Either way... I need Clayface on the big screen. And Matt Reeves needs to get on this one(Or Rami Malek was brought up, and he would be great for this too).

Please?

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What do you all think? Any villain you wanna see that we haven't got yet? Comment and share...

Special shoutout to Bob for his assistance with casting. When it comes to fancasting, I know no one that comes close. So thank Bob. Well... I am thanking Bob.

And until next time, don't forget...

The New Review - DC's Peacemaker

Copyright to Warner Bros and DC Comics

DC's Peacemaker Season 1

Starring John Cena, Robert Patrick, Steve Agee, and many more.

Created by James Gunn

Concept: After James Gunn did the Reboot/Sequel/Refresher The Suicide Squad, during Covid, he sat down and wrote 8 Episodes of a Spinoff of Peacemaker. What could go wrong?

Execution

Here we go

Cast: There isn't a single casting lost here. Everything is solid. But I have to highlight the following: Steve Agee's John Economos is the every man stuck in the situation, Freddie Stroma's Vigilante was a SCENE STEALER, and Robert Patrick's August Smith was a villain you could hate(and he wasn't the main villain). But... John Cena. I know I made fun of him during his wrestling career. I know I did. But dammit... as an actor... he is a much better actor than Dave Bautista and he is close to the crown that Dwayne has. It was the breakout role for him I was waiting for. And I can't praise it enough. Score: 20/20

Presentation: It's James Gunn. The visuals were crisp. The soundtrack was unique, but fit the feel for the whole season. And that intro/theme song... I didn't know who Wig Wam was before this season... but WE ALL know of them now. My favorite intro in so long. The show is gory filled with great simple set pieces. Score: 20/20

Chronicle: This season is extremely goofy. That was the point. Goofy. Because that is what the character was in Suicide Squad. But... the layers peel back, and you get this seriously sad story about a man that was ruined and manipulated by a father who was abusive AND a supervillain. All of this while being convinced to help take down an alien invasion of massive proportions. But nothing seemed like a stretch. Each time we got a stretch, they figured out how to explain it to the audience. They successfully turned a douchey anti-hero/criminal into a full fledged hero still dealing with a horrifying past, finally getting the help he so richly deserved. John Cena started as a heel, and ended the show with a most epically heroic face turn. Score: 30/30

Impact: James Gunn is James Gunn. He took a barely know Marvel team and made it into one of the most praised MCU movies(Guardians of the Galaxy). He took the Superman origin story and mixed it with Damien from The Omen(Brightburn). And now... he has taken the DC's douchebag Captain America and made him a household name. But even THAT doesn't explain the impact. Peacemaker was more in demand than BOTH Disney+'s Book of Boba Fett AND Netflix's The Witcher. And I feel it is BETTER than the MCU Disney+ shows so far. Yes... even better than WandaVision and Loki. With the condition that Peacemaker is not kiddo friendly. Peacemaker is that good of a series. And has changed the game when it comes to superhero TV shows. Now... Marvel... more seasons of The Punisher would be the only response... Score: 20/20

Extra Oomph: The references of other DC characters. Even Green Arrow has been confirmed to be in the DCEU now.

-Green Arrow

-Eclipso

-Bat-Mite

-Doll Man

-Matter-Eater Lad

-Mad Hatter

-Cerberus

-Intergang/Khandaq(references to upcoming Black Adam movie)

-Kite-Man

-The Justice League

-and a sly reference to Sgt. Gorilla

Any more that I missed? Regardless... James Gunn got to put all the references in he wanted to, and that drastically expands the DCEU outside the characters we already know. And that is pretty cool to me. Score: 10/10

Final Score: 100/100

Final Grade: A++

Conclusion: I fucking love this show. Sorry... I've trying to avoid using expletives in since I revived the blog, but this one deserves it(don't worry... the show has MANY more). So glad it got a Season 2. Because it deserves a season 2.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for?! I cannot stress enough that the show is not for kiddos... but if you are not a kiddo and can promise me you won't expose kiddos to it(or gross them out and corrupt them, who am I to say what you should do? Lol), then watch the show. Watch the show...

Watch... this... show...

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HBO Max and DC's Peacemaker got a PERFECT FUCKING SCORE!!!(That's... two expletives lol)

And it deserves it.

Have you seen it? What do you think? Did I miss a reference? Comment and Share this thing.

Until next time... don't forget...

Renewed Gaming Top 15 - Arcade

Arcades. Sadly, we don't have very many of those left in the US. And most are just for nostalgia purposes. So... many young gamers missed out on one of the coolest gaming experiences you could have. Dropping quarters or tokens into really awesome looking machines. $5 worth of either quarters or tokens, tokens that could be really great looking Namco collectibles with Pac-Man on them or custom designs for the arcade you were in, $5 worth could be hours of entertainment.

When I worked for Kroger, I would get excited to see a random arcade token that someone mistook as penny in my drawer, and then ask to trade a penny for the token. Not to use... but to hold onto. Because even then I knew arcades were having trouble.

Sadly I lost those tokens decades ago. But those memories in those arcades. But they weren't limited to arcades. You could also see them at the exits at your local pizza places, retail stores, movie theaters(some still do), and bowling alleys.

So... this list is dedicated to the arcade machines. Yes, gameplay and visuals for the game factor in, but so does how the machine looks and feels.

Walk down memory lane with me.

Top 15 Games IN the Arcade(I've Gotten To Play)

Honorable Mention 1: Dance Dance Revolution(1998): Tap buttons on a floor to the music. Dance Dance. It was a craze! I wasn't ANY good at it. But I did try it out. And I get it. It was a unique machine to look at. And some of the music was good.

Honorable Mention 2: Time Crisis 2(1997): Another game I wasn't good at. But it was unique. Light guns paired with pedels to duck and reload. So much fun, I just wasn't fast enough.

Honorable Mention 3: Play Choice 10(1986): Nintendo released this as an NES away from home. Up to 10 different games to play, and you didn't use quarters for lives, you used it for time and could switch between the games at any time as long as you had time left. This machine introduced me to Hogan's Alley. And... yes... the machine had a Zapper for it.

15. Golden Axe(1989): Sega created this hack n slash DnD-esque title. Pick your class... beat waves of enemies. Arcade Beat Em Up..  it barely missed that list.

14. Marvel vs Capcom 2(2000): Capcom's Ultimate Franchise busting fighting game. 3 on 3 ass kicking with characters for both companies' plethora of options.

13. The Simpsons(1991): America's Longest Running Cartoon... well... now. Back then, it was still hitting it's stride. And while I knew of this machine, I only ever saw 1 or 2. The graphics were a bit off(weird shades of yellow), but it worked.

12. Street Fighter II Champion Edition(1992): Street Fighter II was revolutionary. Changed the arcade business, and singlehandedly saved the industry at the time. But... it also went through some changes. There are now about 6 different versions of Street Fighter II, but Champion Edition's Big Blue Cabinet is a sight to see.

11. Super Off Road(1989): A very basic game reminding us of RC Pro Am on the NES. But this machine always looked cool. A stand up cabinet with 3 wheels: Red Player, Blue Player, Green Player. And... it controlled worth crap. But it was still fun.

10. Mortal Kombat 3/Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3(1995): I never physically saw an original MK1 cabinet. And I did see some MK2 ones. But the MK3/UMK3 cabinets, I played the hell out of them during middle school(and the violence never made me violent... go figure). It was loud... it was flashy. And adapted controls from Street Fighter made it easy to pick up. This thing ate so many of my tokens.

9. X-Men Children of the Atom(1994): There are many others in this series that might grab attention, but I remember seeing this game for the first time in the "lobby" of my local Walmart... and I thought "a Street Fighter game with X-Men characters". It was glorious! And let to one of my favorite crossovers: X-Men VS Street Fighter.

8. Killer Instinct(1994): Yes... I put Killer Instinct over Mortal Kombat. Why? The visual from Rare weren't as cool as the motion capture, photo renders graphics from MK, but the soundtrack was better, that all black cabinet was beautiful, and C-C-C-C-C-COMBOBREAKER ringing through the arcade was epic. Too bad KI2 didn't get the same love.

7. Crazy Taxi(1999): Honestly, this is the game that made me feel like Arcades were dying. And it wasn't because Crazy Taxi was a bad game. It wasn't. It was glorious. But there was also a home release... and while the arcade version was way more cool(and visually more impressive), the console version had more options for the experience. And... this was the first big blow for Arcades, I think anyway.

6. Vs Super Mario Bros(1986): This is a fabled arcade machine. But it is real. So real, this version is purchasable on the Switch(I bought it). It is a modified version of the original Super Mario Bros to create a more difficult experience... or that is what I thought. Playing it now, I realized it was a test market concept. Some of the levels you come across in VS SMB are levels from the Japanese SMB2, the game we know as the Lost Levels. And it wasn't released initially from Japan. They thought it was too difficult for the US. And..  maybe they are right. I've barely beaten it myself... and I've NEVER finished VS SMB. Still doesn't change the memories of playing the hell out of it!

5. Dragon's Lair(1983): I was born in 1983. But once I got old enough to play in arcade, it was still there. Drawn by legendary animator Don Bluth(All Dogs Go To Heaven, Land Before Time, An American Tail), it was designed to be difficult. It didn't eat tokens... it consumed them. But it looked so great! Story driven... you didn't see story driven games in the arcade. Well... here you did.

4. Daytona USA(1993): Sit down racing title that focused on entertainment racing as opposed to racing sim. It was pretty common to see 4-8 of these cabinets together(in pairs) connected together. So... you can have all the spots filled in a race, no AI. And you would have groups switching out to play this game. Great games.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1989): Konami made great Arcade Beat Em Ups. And TMNT was one of the best. 4 Player Cabinet, pick a spot for your favorite Turtle... kick some Foot Clan ass. And... it lead to Turtles In Time, which was one of my favorite SNES games of all time.

2. Terminator 2 Judgment Day(1991): LJN made some horrible games for consoles. Angry Video Game Nerd did a whole series on LJN games. But... this Terminator 2 arcade cabinet was epic. The gameplay was simple... kill enemies. You've seen this machine. It has a giant screen with giant machine guns. The Regal Theater in Greenwood, Indiana still has this machine. One of the coolest designs with simple gameplay. What happened to LJN on consoles?

And the Number One Arcade Machine I've Gotten To Play...

1. X-Men(1992): This is an anomaly of a game. It was based on an X-Men cartoon that NEVER happened in the US. It piloted. I know it did. I saw this cartoon. And I liked it. But it never materialized. This game... the translation was broken. But... the game was epic. Pick an X-Men member, go kick some ass together vs legendary Mutant enemies. And this game started my love for Colossus in the comics... all because of the super power attack that sounded like a constipated robot you could hear outside of the arcade... and... now... that wasn't what made the machine so appealing. There were two different machines. One was the traiditonal Konami Beat Em Up 4-Player machine that TMNT and The Simpsons had... and one was the epicly large 6-Player machine. Every member of the X-Men in the game represented, playing at the same time. It was a great experience.

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Any epic machines you've gotten to play? Share them below! I would love to look them up and see what they look like!!!

Comment and share.

Until next time...

New Review Gaming - Pokémon Legends Arceus

Copyright owned by Game Freak

Pokémon Legends Arceus

Developed by Game Freak

Released exclusively on Nintendo Switch

Concept: Let's go back in time, to the region that will become Sinnoh, back before humans and Pokémon worked side by side. Not your traditional Pokémon Experience.

Disclaimer: I am finished with the story, but the game is far from finished.

Execution

Here we go...

Presentation: The first ever fully 3D single player story driven Pokémon experience. It isn't completely open world. But it is open enough. Think Monster Hunter meets Breath of the Wild. The Pokémon models are amazing to look at, the environments are beautiful... but... there is a visual issue that is bothering me. When I get into a Pokémon battle, if there is any standing grass, it is glitchy. Very much so. To the point that it is distracting. Sway in the wind, flicker on screen, the grass will vanish, and then come back. I now it is minor overall, but since you will be in enough Pokémon battles, it was happen enough to bother you all too. Aside of that, scale is wonderful, music is nostalgic. And the scenery is breathtaking for a Pokémon game. Score: 20/25

Gameplay: So... let's combine the availability of Pokémon Go and the Let's Go games, with the environments and overworld of a Zelda/Monster Hunter/Dragon Age game, and all the Pokémon battling we all know and love. The best aspect of the gameplay is easily how to obtain Pokémon in the wild. You can go the traditional route of Pokémon battles and weakening all of them OR you can go the stealth route(smoke screen, hiding in grass, baiting the Mons)... and I use... BOTH. Both methods are so much fun. And... battles are much more balanced than ever before. The Alpha Pokémon can be a bit of a bear, but that is okay too, that is the point. This is the kind or Pokémon game I've been waiting for. Score: 25/25

Chronicle: As mentioned in the Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl review, I don't usually play the Pokémon games for story. But... this is purely singleplayer experience. So... story driven. Now, I haven't completed the story. But I have a pretty good idea for the story... player character is a human from a different era helping out the Galaxy Corp create the first Pokédex. Helping the Diamond and Pearl Clans live in harmony. The Diamond and Pearl games mention a time where Palkia and Dialga reset the area. And... I think that is what is being prevented here. But... again... I'm not sure. That part aside... the main story... the main goal is finish that first Pokédex. And... that is really interesting as a story element. Story... not gameplay. Because the idea is, you are completing the entries based on how you interact and catch the various Mons... even defeating so many work from some entries... creating the mini story for each Dex entry(even though HOW you do it, doesn't effect what the entry says). Score: 18/20

Legacy: This is a great point for the Pokémon franchise. Full 3D environments, taking the concept of the Wild Area in Sword/Shield and expanding it like 100 fold. And it works... still rough and still room for improvement, but this can lead to greater things with the Core Franchise. We will see what happens after some refinement, but this is a wonderful HUGE step in the right direction to refresh this long standing franchise. Score: 18/20

Extra Oomph: They built a full single player experience. How does that work with certain Pokémon that require trades to evolve? They thought about that. So... you CAN still trade. It doesn't unlock right away, but you can. But... you don't have to. There is a new Merit system. The idea of the Merit system is that when you die, you drop items from your satchel, if you are online, your satchel will appear on the map for OTHER players. If they claim your items before you do, you STILL get your stuff back, but they get Merit points based on the value of the items. That also means THEIR satchel items will appear on your map too. Claim the items, they get them back, you get Merit(and yes... NPCs satchels will appear too for those offline). The idea is, with Merit points you can turn them in to that same vendor that sets up trading for Evolution items, like the Stones, or items like the Reaper Cloth for Dusknoir or the Metal Coat for Scizor or Steelix. No trade necessary(they can't hold the items anyway). Just use the items. But... what about Gengar? No item, but trade... they throught about that. There is a universal item for those trade Evolutions... it is a Game Boy Link Cable! Such a great touch to this new system. I hope it continues to future titles in the series! Score: 11/10

FINAL SCORE: 92/100

FINAL GRADE: A-

Conclusion: This a wonderfully fresh Pokémon experience. Story is fun, but the research aspect is pretty damn fun. It isn't just about catching them all... some research can be completed with catching a single one of that Pokémon. And that is what... makes the experience work so well.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: This could be the future of the Pokémon franchise, and I hope it isn't the only one like it. It is different. It is special. And I recommend it for ANY gamer, Pokémon fan or not. Just... know this... it is a challenging game. The "boss fights" can be a bitch for anyone. Just stay with it... and it is WORTH IT!

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So... Pokémon Legends Arceus has gotten a 92!!!! A-!!!

Have you played it yet? What do you think? Comment and share!

I don't know what the next gaming review will be. Might play through Guardians of the Galaxy again on the Series X and do that one. Stay tuned either way.

Until next time...

Renewed Gaming Top 15 - Action

Action games. There are different types of action. Elements that might including beating up bad guys, maybe shooting bad guys, cutting them up. But there is a dedicated focus on the action/combat in some way. Some... changing the business overall. It could be the Pirate mechanics for Black Flag... it could be the slash and dash combat style of God of War... stylish combat like Devil May Cry.

Action... is action.

So... how about it?

Top 15 Action Games/Franchises

Honorable Mention 1: Bayonetta(franchise): What if Dante from Devil May Cry was a hit chick with guns? That is bascially what Bayonetta is. Stylistic gun play, Angel and Demons.

Honorable Mention 2: Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag: Long standing franchise focused on Stealth. And... I don't like most of the games. I'm not good at stealth. I'm a barbarian/pirate. Which is why Black Flag worked for me! Pirating!!

15. Dante's Inferno: A God of War style game based around the first book of Dante's Divine Comedy. The demons in the Lust circle STILL creep me out. Love it!

14. Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order/Force Unleashed(franchise): I put these together because I feel like they are similar. Force Unleashed was about Vader's Apprentice... Fallen Order is a Jedi that survived Order 66. I MIGHT edge Force Unleashed here, but it is very close.

13. Devil May Cry(series): Stylish combat, combos galore, and gonzo action. And... a story that works! So good. Even if I am not good enough to land those S level style combos, I enjoy these characters and stories... except... DmC. Screw that game.

12. Castlevania Lords of Shadow(franchise): 3D Castlevania games that introduced a new origin for Lord Dracula. Very God of War feeling game. The second game, you get to fully realize Dracula's powers, and boy is that fun!!!

11. Dragon Ball Z(series): DBZ has had many different games... with many different styles. Their actions games have Fighting game elements. Their a

Fighting games have action adventure elements. And some have RPG and card game elements. But large open world/area games are something they can pull off. And... an MMO style series. Action and DBZ go hand in hand.

10. Uncharted(franchise)/Last Of Us: I know... I know... why aren't these higher? Because I don't like the gameplay as much as I love the stories of these games. Lots of stealth. I don't do stealth. But... I also need to point out that I can't stand Last of Us Part 2... so... here is where it stays.

9. Darksiders(franchise): Darksiders has a huge focus on combat, and each game has its own combat style. The first game is demonic Zelda. The second game is Demon Final Fantasy. The third game is elemental God of War.

8. Deadpool: Deadpool the Game. Fighting. Humor. Fighting with humor. Humor with fighting. Extremely graphic. And so much fun.

7. X-Men Origins Wolverine: Another Marvel game. And a movie tie-in game at that. But... M rated, gloves off, visceral action. All with Hugh Jackman involved. The regeneration aspect is pretty fleshed out(no pun intended).

6. Metroid Prime(franchise): it is a First Person Shooter, it is a 3D platformer, but... it is a 3D Metroid Game. And Metroidvania is its own subgenre. Explore... find new ability... go back explore what you couldn't. Action... adventure... platforming... FPS. Metroid Prime is unique.

5. Final Fantasy 7 Remake: The original Final Fantasy 7 is one of the best RPGs in gaming history. The Remake was designed as an Action RPG. Hard action. And it was strategic action. So much fun.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: After the mismanagement of the Avengers game, I was worried about this game. And it ended up being amazing! Single player group dynamic. You play as Star-Lord, but command the team through battle. And... as the group dynamic changes, so does how they work together as a team. So intuitive... with a story that will shock you.

3. Spider-Man/Spider-Man Miles Morales: Insomniac's Spider-Man is the best Spidey game. A seasoned, experienced Peter Parker, with the science in the abilities to make a great combat system that seems fluid. A Miles Morales is the side sequel that improved on that same combat system... with a great story. Play them both. Get the whole experience.

2. God of War(franchise): Kratos... an icon in gaming. The Spartan warrior screwed over by the Greek pantheon. His response? Kill them all. After, he started a family in Scandinavia...... then attacked by the Norse pantheon. You know what happened. God of War set a new standard for combat and gore that changed the entire business.... you hear about God of War clone just as much as you hear Diablo clone. And... for good reason.

And the Number One Action game or franchise is...

1. Batman: Arkham(franchise): Yeah. Arkham. When Asylum was released, no one knew how good it was going to be. Most superhero games were meh... some were really good... some weren't at all. But there truly wasn't an amazing one until Asylum. Freeflow combat, Detective work, epic boss fights. And... then Arkham City happened. I never thought I would see a superhero game get a perfect score in the gaming magazines... but it happened. And it was sooooo good. Arkham City was everything Asylum was, but more fleshed out. Arkham Knight was massive in scale, and so much fun. And Arkham Origins was a pretty cool year one/two experience. Arkham City is still the greatest, and one of THE best boss fights I've ever been through(the Mr. Freeze fight is still so damn awesome).

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Action games! Any game I missed? I had a handful more in the pool, so I considered many more.

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Until next time...