New In Review: The Mighty Nein

The success of Critical Role cannot be understated. What started as a simple, inexpensive show to put on Geek & Sundry exploded in popularity and did more to help Dungeons in Dragons in a couple years than all the advertisements from Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro could do in a decade. The cast of veteran nerdy-ass voice actors playing through a simple adventure turned epic fantasy gave them merch, live tours across the globe, their own company, their own foundation even. But no adventure lasts forever and after two years and 115 episodes, the campaign featuring the merry misfits of Vox Machina came to a close. But as is so often the case, one campaign’s conclusion can easily lead to another. And so on January 11th, 2018, a new adventure began.

The Mighty Nein is the latest animated project from Critical Role and adapts their second campaign. It stars Laura Bailey as Jester Lavorre, Taliesin Jaffe as Mollymauk “Molly” Tealeaf, Liam O’ Brien as Caleb Widogast, Marisha Ray as Beauregard “Beau” Lionett, Sam Riegel as Nott the Brave, Travis Willingham as Fjord, with Ashley Johnson as Yasha Nyoordin, and Matthew Mercer as Essek Thelyss and Uk’otoa.

The series also stars Mark Strong as Trent Ikithon, Lucy Liu as the The Bright Queen, Ming-Na Wen as Dairon, Graham McTavish as King Dwendal, Ivanna Sakhno as Astrid, RedChild as Eadwulf, Bennett Abara as Owelia, Rahul Kohli as Verrat and Nathan Fillion as The Gentleman. Guest stars include Alan Cumming, Tim McGraw, Auli’i Cravalho, Anika Noni Rose, JB Blanc, JP Karliak, T’Nia Miller, Jonathan Frakes, Liam McIntyre and Anjelica Huston.

Set in the continent of Wildemount, conflict between the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty has boiled up to the point of war as the theft an ancient relic has struck at the very heart of Kryn culture. As shadowy forces within the Empire seek to use this relic for their own ends and trouble brews among the highest order in the Dynasty, a new group of heroes arise. Or rather a group of barely-functional misfits with more problems than solutions arise. Whether by fate or happenstance, these misfits are thrown together to tackle impossible odds like clearing their names, pulling off heists and getting enough money for booze and along the way are put in the crosshairs of some very dangerous people.

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Game Review: Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is the latest beat ’em up game from Tribute Games from Dotemu and Marvel Games. Based around the idea of setting the Marvel crossover event Annihilation and having it take place in the mid-90’s rather than the early 2000’s. The game is a throwback to the old pixilated arcade games from the 90’s and features a wide variety of Marvel characters, many of whom are voiced by veteran performers such as Brian Bloom, Josh Keaton, Cal Dodd, Alison-Sealy Smith, Elysia Rotaru, Steve Blum, Trevor Devall, Aileen Mythen, James C. Mathis III, Matthew Mercer, Jennifer Hale and Isaac C. Singleton Jr.

I have to say, this game is a lot of fun. Tribute Games has already shown what they could do for the beat ’em up genre with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and they bring all of that and more here. The game features a staggering 15 character playable roster with classic characters such as Spider-Man or Wolverine but also the more obscure like Phyla-Vell’s Quasar or Frank Castle’s alternate universe counterpart, Cosmic Ghost Rider. Unlike previous games like Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite or Marvel’s Avengers which stuck extremely close to the MCU in terms of tone and character use, this game embraces the whole of the Marvel Universe and feels all the better for it. And this extends to more than just the playable characters and bosses, each level is bursting with personality as the players fight their way from the streets of New York City to the jungles of the Savage Lands to the far reaches of the cosmos. All of them sharing little bits and references to the comics as background characters also fill out the setting.

Gameplay-wise there’s plenty to talk about. Besides the usual setup of movement, attacks and super moves, each character is designed to move and attack in a way that wholly unique to them. She-Hulk for example is slow and doesn’t have the best range but hits hard and is one of the few characters with a proper grab. Fans of the Marvel vs. Capcom series will find plenty of shout-outs in how several characters attack.

But what sets it apart from others in Tribute Games’ catalogue is the unique tag mechanic. Players will actually use two characters that can be switched in and out with the press of a button, these tags can also come in the form of an assisted attack or super move. This adds a bit of complexity to the formula as players now have to keep track of two different health bars and focus meters needed for special attacks. Then there’s the matter of which characters to use; do you pair two of your favorites together or do you want to make sure you balance out one character that specializes in melee with another with a wide variety of ranged attacks? Should you have at least one flier on the team? And when going through the campaign are you aiming for the level-specific achievements that require certain characters to hit certain goals? Either way, this game has plenty of replay value and like previous beat ’em ups from the company, they offer means of leveling up characters.

This is a fantastic game, a spectacular homage to the arcades of the past, and a worthy addition to the genre. I sincerely hope that the game succeeds much like Shredder’s Revenge did in the past and allows for more support from the company in the form of an expanded roster and more styles of play.

Season Review: Hazbin Hotel: Season 2

Hazbin Hotel from SpindleHorse and A24 returns for its second season on Amazon Prime. It once again stars Erika Henningsen as Charlie Morningstar, Stephanie Beatriz as Vaggie, Amir Talai as Alastor, Blake Roman as Angle Dust, Kimiko Glenn as Nifty, Keith David as Husk with Krystina Alabado as Cherri Bomb and Alex Brightman as Sir Pentious. It also sees the return of Jessica Vosk as Lute, Christian Borle, Lilli Cooper and Joel Perez as the Vees, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as Rosie, Patina Miller as Sera, Shoba Narayan as Emily, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Carmilla with Jeremy Jordan and featuring Patrick Stump, Kevin De Aguila and Liz Calloway.

The story follows up after the previous season’s conclusion where both heaven and hell have gone through significant changes. The crew of the Hazbin Hotel has successfully repelled the Exterminators of Heaven but now have to tackle the overlords who want to use this victory for their own benefit. Meanwhile in heaven, the image of invincibility among the angels has been shattered and a new arrival in paradise has shaken the idea of moral superiority all the way to the upper echelons. Amidst all this, Charlie Morningstar still strives for redemption for sinners but a PR war in hell could lead to another war with heaven and destroy her dream before it has a chance to flourish.

The Following Will Contain Spoilers:

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Game Review: Dispatch

Dispatch is an episodic management simulation game from AdHoc Studio and in collaboration with Critical Role. AdHoc, which consists of many former staff members of Telltale Games, bring their signature “choose your own adventure” style to this new game. It stars Aaron Paul, Erin Yvette, Charles “Cr1TiKal” White Jr., Lance Cantstopolis, Laura Bailey, THOT SQUAD, Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin, Alanah Pearce, Matthew ‘Yung Gravy’ Hauri, Mayanna Berrin, Travis Willingham, Tanoai Reed, Joel Haver, with Matthew Mercer and Jeffrey Wright.

Set in Southern Los Angeles, the game’s story follows Robert Robertson Paul), the third bearer of the Mecha Man mantle, and probably the last when an encounter the sinister syndicate of villains leaves him without his trademark power suit. Not long after, the superheroine Blonde Blazer (Yvette) and his old mentor Chase (Wright) offer him a job working as a dispatcher for a group of heroes with the promise of helping him get back on his feet and back in the field of crime-fighting.

Unfortunately the “heroes” he’s assigned are a dysfunctional band of ex-supervillains on a rehabilitation program who range from “violent nitwits” to “hostile to the point of insanity.” Now Robert will have to step up as a manager in order to get his suit back in working order and keep this motley group from killing him and each other. And it’s up to the player to ensure that the right member of this Z-Team is dispatched to the right situation. Both in and out of work, the player’s choices affect how the story plays out.

Spoilers Will Follow:

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Season Review: The Witcher Season 4

The Witcher returns for its fourth season and now features Liam Hemsworth in the lead role of Geralt of Rivia. New additions to the cast include Meng’er Zhang, Danny Woodburn, Christelle Elwin, Ben Radcliffe, Fabian McCallum, Aggy K. Adams, Connor Crawford, and Juliette Alexandra. It also features Clive Russell, James Purefoy with Sharlto Copley and Laurence Fishburne.

Set after the end of season three, the story follows Geralt and Jaskier journeying through a warzone to Nilfgaard under the belief of rescuing Ciri. Yennefer leading the remnants of the Sorcerers against Vilgfortz and his conspirators before he destroys them all. And Ciri joining with a band of highwaymen to try and get away from the various factions wanting to use her. Meanwhile, Nilfgaard continues to consolidate their power, the forces of the northern kingdoms struggle to keep them in check and a new threat stalks the Ciri and her band of friends.

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Season Review: Peacemaker Season 2

DC and HBO’s Peacemaker returns for a second season and sees the return of John Cena in the title role. Also returning is Jennifer Holland, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Dee Bradley Baker, Nhut Le and Robert Patrick. Newcomers for the season include Frank Grillo reprising his role from Creature Commandos, Sol Rodríguez, Tim Meadows and David Denman.

Set some time after the end of the first season (and the rebooted universe which isn’t really touched upon), Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker’s life is down the drain. His attempt at joining the Justice Gang has gone poorly, his attempt at a relationship with Harcourt ended badly and he’s still struggling with the guilt of his previous actions. Made all the worse as A.R.G.U.S. is now being helmed by Rick Flagg Sr. and the fact that Peacemaker still has access to the pocket dimension his father used as an armory. But when a drunken trip into that dimension sends him into a whole new universe, one where he has all the love and respect he craves, a series of decisions ends up dragging him and his band of friends into this strange and seemingly perfect paradise…

Warning:Spoilers may follow.

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New In Review: Superman

Superman is the first film in the rebooted DC Universe and was directed and written by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as the titular superhero. It also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olson, Maria Gabriela De Faria as The Engineer, Wendell Pierce as Perry White with Sara Sampaio as Eve Teshmacher, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Jonathan and Martha Kent. It also features Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Dinesh Thyagarajan, Zlatko Burić with Anthony Carrigan and Milly Alcock.

Set three years after Clark Kent begins his career as Superman, the Man of Steel’s efforts to intervene in an international conflict have set him in the crosshairs of not only multiple governments but in Lex Luthor and his personal cadre of metahumans, a trio of corporate-sponsored superheroes and the public itself. With a PR campaign with the deck stacked against him and the troubles with his relationship with Lois, Superman may be in battle that he can’t win. And in this bleak and cynical time, how does a symbol of hope find hope for himself?

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You’re Gonna Carry That Weight

I’ve recently been thinking about the conclusion to the series Cowboy Bebop, specifically the last scene of the final episode. The crew of the Bebop has splintered and won’t reunite back to what they once were, Spike’s reunion with Julia has been tragically cut short, and Jet and Faye fail to convince Spike not to go back and confront his old partner, Vicious. A bloody swathe is cut and though Spike finally puts an end to Vicious, he soon collapses from his wounds. Giving one last “Bang” to us, the audience before Mai Yamane and the Seatbelts perform the last song of the show, “Blue.” Not fading to black like normal but taking the credits past the rain, past the blue skies and into the vastness of the stars, it’s final card giving one last musical reference from the Beatles, “You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.”

I’ve been thinking about this scene for the wrong reasons, because I’m grieving. I’m grieving the loss of a family member. I’m grieving because the world has been irreparably changed for others and myself I’m grieving because I could no more stop her death than Jet and Faye could stop Spike from going on his awful conclusion. Maybe these are the right reasons, I honestly don’t know. All I know is that I don’t want to feel like this and I don’t want to face what comes next.

But I’ve realized something about that last line, or rather I’ve reached a revelation that might not be right but I want to share it all the same. The “Weight” is usually been interpreted as the regrets from the choices we’ve made, our past mistakes, or even the grief we feel as we soldier on even as we lose our friends and loved ones. That one seems the most appropriate but it also feels like there’s something else, that’s when it hit me. The Weight is more than just the hurt and the losses and the bad mistakes, it’s also the good times, the cherished moments, the love that’s shared. It’s heavy because life is heavy.

When we lose someone we care about we carry all that we felt alongside of them, the weight of their lives and our own. We may be fortunate to have someone else help with that burden or we may struggle on our own. But however the journey goes and until the stars in our lives all fade away, we carry that weight.

New In Review: Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is Netflix original animated series based on the videogame series of the same name. Developed by Adi Shankar it stars Johnny Young Bosch as Dante, Scout Taylor-Compton as Mary, Hoon Lee as the White Rabbit, and Chris Coppola as Enzo. It also features Benjamin Abiola, Kari Wahlgren, Roger Jackson, Jason Marnocha, Erica Lindbeck, Leilani Barrett, Sunkrish Bala, Fryda Wolff, Ray Chase, Tina Majorino. With Ian James Corlett and the late Kevin Conroy as VP Baines and Robbie Daymond as Vergil.

Thousands of years ago, the forces of Hell invaded Earth in a act of bloody conquest that nearly wiped out all of humanity. But the demon knight, Sparda, turned against his kind and saved the human race, sealing the demons away at the cost of his own power. Ages later, his son Dante works as a professional demon hunter battling the unholy powers with a combination of pizazz, style, and some serious immature, try-hard energy. But the forces of Hell are mobilizing once more under the leadership of the mysterious figure of the White Rabbit. And the world of the humans is also taking steps through the clandestine organization DARKCOM, whose leader is dedicated to protecting humankind to the point of fanaticism. If there’s to be any hope and chance of survival, Dante will have to step up his game because chaos is coming and the party’s about to get crazy.

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New In Review: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

The Unshaved Mouse once described that even though Wallace & Gromit have had four short films, a long-running spin-off, comics, computer games, and a feature film, the two have never felt like a franchise. There’s always been a distinct coziness to them that never felt pervasive no matter how merchandise has been produced. A big part of that comes from the fact that their stories and humor have remained quite British in tone and style regardless of the budget and kept the charm that comes with stop-motion animation. The duo of Wallace, an inventor with more technical ingenuity in his little finger than common sense in his brain and Gromit, his silent, longsuffering dog and minder have remained staples of British culture because they’ve never lost their charm.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl is the latest project from Aardman Animations and is directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and released through the BBC and Netflix. It stars Ben Whitehead as Wallace (taking over from the late Peter Sallis). It also features Reece Shearsmith, Peter Kay, Lauren Patel, Diane Morgan, Muzz Khan, Adjoa Andoh and Lenny Henry.

The film is a direct follow-up to the short The Wrong Trousers, some years after foiling the robbery from the criminal mastermind penguin Feathers McGraw, the titular duo find themselves strapped for cash once more on account of Wallace’s constant inventing. Wallace’s latest creation is a robot garden gnome named Norbot whose…enthusiastic take on gardening make him a hit for the community. But it might also be the key to the penguin’s sinister plan of revenge against the two.

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