Tag: Lovecraft Country

It’s Been… One Week

.Reading time 5 minutes.

Since we did this last and as it can be with establishing new traditions or in this case re-establishing an old one we’re here again on another Friday to look at some interesting things in the gaming world from over the last week.

First up is one that I just ran across today with a lot of other people –

A Chinese indie developer by the name of Game Science Studio has taken everyone a bit by surprise with this very early look at their game Black Myth: Wukong. Ostensibly based on the myth of Sun Wukong also known as the Monkey King, a trickster god from Chinese lore who features heavily in contemporary stories all around the world today. Everything from movies like Forbidden Kingdom with Jackie Chan and Jet Li to video games like DoTA and League of Legends have characters based on the Monkey King. The trailer itself demonstrates a wide range of abilities by the player character like his ability to take different forms, supernatural strength and command of the elements. Souls-like gameplay aside one of the more shocking things are the graphics including the environments and animations that are simply amazing. I have yet to see any information on when or where the game is intended to be released but if it’s on console it’s probably a safe bet that it will be on the upcoming generation.

At any rate, its got my Jade Empire whiskers wiggling and with my recent enjoyment of Ghost of Tsushima still fresh this seems like an excellent next step in games based on eastern history and mythology.

I can’t honestly tell how I really feel about this, either warmly nostalgic or the that tingling chill up your spine from childhood trauma, either way Battletoads 2020 has officially landed.

Love it or hate it this game series helped birth one of the most storied developers in gaming history, Rare and with it a bevvy of beloved titles.

Last time I mentioned looking forward to checking out Lovecraft Country and I finally got around to watching the first episode this week and I have to say, if you’re not hooked in the first five minutes or so, I can’t help you. Lovecraft for me, and probably for a lot of people, has always been a little bit about trying to find sanity in insanity. Watching characters try to keep a grip on anything that connects them to a world they once knew while desperately trying to come to grips with a universe that is relentlessly mad. I love it, I really do. It hits that sweet spot that monster-of-the-week shows like X-Files fits into with a healthy dose of The Outer Limits to really bring the weird. This style of story intertwined with the perspective of life as an African-American in Jim Crow America and the fact that it is produced and directed by Misha Green and Jordan Peele makes the whole package even better.

Also there is apparently a companion podcast called Lovecraft Country Radio. If you liked the first episode then probably a good bet you’d be into that as well. I know I thoroughly enjoyed the companion podcast to Chernobyl when I finished that so I’m looking forward to doing so here as well.

Overall it was a great start and I can’t wait to see more.

On a more personal note I still have a couple of mini’s to paint and I’m hoping to get to it finally this weekend in between playing a little more of the Avenger’s beta for the last weekend that it’s open. I’m still having fun with it and I think I’m happy with my decision to play it at launch. I’ve got a few other posts in the works and I’d like to get a second one out before the weekend is over but we’ll see what happens.

Short and sweet today, I hope you’ve had a good week and enjoy the weekend ahead.

Stay safe and happy gaming or whatever it is you choose to unwind with.

  • Anthony

It’s Frīġedæġ

.Reading time 9 minutes.

And it couldn’t come soon enough.

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Today Sophycles of Histastrophe! fame posted the above news and I have to say I was initially ready to dump on the idea due to the movie being a disaster and the fact that they’re still pushing a sequel to it. I won’t lie, I sometimes have a hard time separating my hatred for one part of a property from something that may not have earned that level of ire yet. The more I thought on it though it actually seems like a fairly fresh idea regardless of how saturated the market is with superhero properties, both excellent and horrifying. While Suicide Squad the movie may have had a rough go of it I can actually see myself getting excited about seeing it as a game property and thats before we even touch on the pedigree of Rocksteady and their history with the Arkham games. While not all perfect you’d be hard pressed I think to find any superhero that has been done justice like Batman was in that series of games. So for now at least we can rest that the idea of a Suicide Squad game or series of games is in the best hands it can be and I am excited to see what they come up with.

Personally I hope that they find an interesting way to work in the squad aspect of the property because even with recent releases like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 we haven’t really had a truly current or next gen ensemble experience. Grand Theft Auto 5 I think had one of the best iterations of an ensemble cast in recent memory and I’ve been waiting for another game to elaborate on it. Suicide Squad I think might be the perfect opportunity to explore that strange area of Me, Myself and, I couch co-op. I can’t say I’d be angry if they included actual co-op either online or local but I still think there is more that can be done in that weird solo co-op space.

Now for the really important question, as far as starting roster of characters goes… who would you want?

I don’t honestly think that my first pick needs any introduction but for our leading badass I’d love to see none other than Dr. Harleen Quinzel a.k.a. Harley Quinn—

The cover of Batman: Harley Quinn #1 — For my money it’s unfortunate there is no version of this cover sans the Joker, at least that I know of. It’s one of my absolute favorite depictions of Harley. Either way it’s a stunning piece of art.

I won’t waste your time with a list of reasons why but suffice it to say if you’re my age and you grew up with Batman The Animated Series then Harley Quinn should have a special place in your heart. Other than that I don’t know what to tell you, she’s awesome and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow as a character over the years. I hope this is yet another step in her journey that we can all enjoy.

Second pick for me goes to King Shark—

I’m not even sure he can read.

I’m going to be straight with you, I didn’t get a chance to own any Street Sharks toys as a kid and I don’t think anyone even remembers the show anymore let alone wants to make a video game of it. And no, Maneater regardless of how hilarious it is, doesn’t count. So this is as close as I’m going to get and I won’t let anyone trample on my dreams.

Give him to me, Rocksteady, you know you want to.

Third I think I’m going to have to go with a woman who needs little introduction, Enchantress—

I tend to have a soft spot for characters who struggle to control an evil aspect of themselves while trying to do good. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy characters like Venom so much in their strangely cruel but helpful ways, even Joker occasionally has a redemptive moment amidst the string of horrific crimes he commits. They are characters that will continually tease along that little bit of hope that one day they might overcome their darker sides and live a life of good. Naturally it will never happen but the point is that it could. The Suicide Squad is definitely a home for some perfectly ridiculous “villains” but Enchantress is definitely one with a better story and characterization than most.

Lastly the fourth spot for me is a bit of a toss up where I can’t help but want to even out this team of mostly close range brawlers with someone like Deathstroke or Deadshot because otherwise they won’t be able to raid worth a damn. On the other hand I kind of want to see Power Girl in the game, boob window jokes aside, just on the off chance we get to see a take on one of my favorite comic covers–

As odd as it seems Power Girl did spend an arc with the Suicide Squad and her interactions with Harley were always a real highlight and I think seeing them both in a game together would be fantastic. To be perfectly honest there are a myriad of characters you could throw into that fourth slot that be okay but hopefully Rocksteady will give us a varied roster to choose from so we can mix and match our own squads from the history of the comics.

I think that was the biggest news I wanted to touch on this week, other things that piqued my interest were a show called Lovecraft Country—

I am a big fan of Lovecraftian lore and this looks right up my alley for numerous reasons including the cast and overall feel. Very excited to check it out in a couple weeks.

The other thing was that Horizon Zero Dawn released on PC and while the reviews for it have been a little mixed on the technical side it was one game I have not yet played but would really like to. It’s been on my to play list for a long time and I should probably remedy that.

I hope you all have had a good week and can look forward to a little down time and relaxation the next day or two.

Stay safe and until next time, have a great weekend!

  • Anthony