The Division

As I hope you all know. I am a geek. Which means I love everything from superhero films, to the latest technology. Well, one avenue I enjoy letting my geek out is video games. I love video games, however I do not play video games the way most people do. I will make a list of some of my all time favorites in a different post; today, I want to focus on a game I haven't actually played yet. Tom Clancy's The Division. This game looks amazing, graphically speaking. But I want to list three reasons I want to play the game, along with three concerns I have.

Reasons to Play
#1 - Multiplayer
I have been hoping for a console game with the MMO-RPG style made so famous (but not invented)by Blizzard's World of Warcraft. The reason I loved WoW, was the depth of player interaction and how you create your own story for your character(s). Now, I have always wanted a game like this on the consoles, but technology hasn't allowed this until now. Well, almost. The division seems to still rely heavily on a scripted story, but it's a story you complete while other players run around you completing simultaneously. No player will have the same experience, because each player will be effected by the other players around them. This is what I have wanted, because I don't like campaigns that turn into a dance. Remember how masters of Super Mario Bro.s could complete the game in a matter of minutes by memorizing a set pattern in the games? I want the challenge of there being no pattern to learn. I want a different experience each time I play. MMO-RPG's provide this.

#2 - Open World
I love open world games; again, this stems from my desire to build my own story. By allowing me to choose what parts of the story I want to complete and the parts I want to ignore, I make the experience unique. Once again, technology is just now allowing consoles to provide truly open world games. Most open worlds in games are to large to be functional on a consoles. You either have too many loading screens to enjoy the game, or not enough details in the environment to enjoy the game. The Division provides a massive New York City area to explore and enjoy, without numerous loading screens between areas. Also, the game will feature expansions with more of the city to explore soon.

#3 - Realistic Combat
Having been a soldier in the US Army, I hate how the majority of video games depict combat. Yes, this is directed at you Call of Duty. Do not get me wrong, I love the Call of Duty franchise as much as the next guy; wait, let me rephrase, I love the good Call of Duty titles (anything before Block Ops II). They were amazing games, and I spent far too many hours on them. A popular phrase my college friends and I would say is "It's time to get knifed in the downstairs, while playing CoD in the But." Which sounds dirty, but it simply refers to a player being killed by a knife in the downstairs room while playing Call of Duty: World at War in Butler Hall at our college. But CoD doesn't provide a realistic combat experience. First, there is no quick scoping in combat. Second, rarely is it one shot one kill (unless you have the time, patience, and skill to do it). Third, you do not die instantly from most gun shot wounds. And fourth, you do not sprint around the combat area trying to knife people or throw grenades blindly or perform what I call "spraying and praying" and actually kill the target. Now, from what I have seen of The Division, it isn't a perfect depiction of combat either, but it brings in a very important aspect of combat, COVER! Yes, in reality, you would hide behind anything solid enough to stop a bullet. Why? Because you are not superman and med kits do not heal your wounds in seconds, they take days, weeks, or longer. Real soldiers use cover and concealment when engaging the enemy. Also, if you have watched Lone Survivor, you will realize, the human body can take an enormous amount of punishment before dying. Especially when your life depends on it. This doesn't factor in the training elite soldiers do to survive combat. So, it may actually take multiple hits on a target to actually kill them. Now, no video game has perfectly captured this, but The Division has gotten a few things right.

So, those are three things I liked about what I have seen of the game. Now for some concerns I have.
#1 - Bugs
The reviews I have read, suggest the game was more than developer Ubisoft could handle in terms of size. The game is apparently filled with bugs and glitches, not to mention players intent on just overloading their character to bully other players. This can be explained by the games massive scope and a lack of planning for adolescent minded players who intend on making other players hate the game.

#2 - Not So Open World
From the videos I have watched, primarily by Massive Network, It seems the streets are open world, but the buildings you can enter are limited. I know it is still not possible to design and program each individual room of each building, but I think a few more interior areas would be nice to have.

#3 - Overly Complicated Player Customization
This may be due to my lack of playing the game yet, but the player customization options seem far to numerous to be enjoyable. Also, it seems too many people can easily purchase advanced gear for a new character without any playing time required. This means the gear earned early in the game makes players who didn't make additional purchases weaker than other players. This concerns me.

I would love to hear some recommendations on whether I should try this game, buy it, or avoid it all together.

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS (REVISITED)

Well, if you haven't guessed or heard already, I am attempting to relaunch my blog. This time I intend on actually making something of it, not simply writing useless things. However, I cannot deny my inner geek (no I am not a nerd, cause nerds love to learn or love education, I love geek things). So, join me as we review an old post, and make a few revisions to it. My post about a possible reboot of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series was, in my opinion, one of my better posts. Well now, there officially is a reboot in the works and many of the characters have been revealed, though not much of the story has to this point. I think it will be interesting to see how my opinion stacks up to what is actually happening. 

As you can see above, the new poster is decent, though not very different from the various posters used by the numerous shows. 

Now, let us begin with the characters. and of course we will start with the heroes.

Above is an official picture of the new Rangers. I'm afraid they each look a little too much like models to be tough monster fighters; but that's Hollywood for you. Below is the original Rangers from the hit 90's show.

Without knowing the characters in the new film, I can only compare how the new characters look when compared to the old character.

So, let us begin with the Black Ranger, played by Ludi Lin. Known as Zack Taylor, the new Black Ranger keeps the name, but steers clear of the stereo typical casting the show was criticized for. All I can say is, I hope his jaw is stronger than it looks, cause he doesn't look like he can taker a punch. But overall, should at least look the part.

I am afraid I do not like the casting choice of Becky Gomez on the surface. Miss Gomez, who I am certain is a talented actress in her own right (I am unfamiliar with her work at this time), doesn't fit the name Trini Kwan. Now perhaps the character names will not be the same as the original show, but this would be very disappointing for us lifelong fans.

Billy Cranston, the famous nerd of the original group, will be played by RJ Cyler. I almost like this casting, at least without seeing any footage of the young actor. Billy was by far one of my favorites, and he was hands down, my mom's favorite; so please stay true to the character while expanding upon it.

Well, well, the girl next door is back. The Pink Ranger, Kimberly Hart, was a role seemingly destined to be played by the adorable Amy Jo Johnson. However, Miss Naomi Scott will undertake this near iconic role. IS she ready for the undoubted pressure that will accompany it? I must admit, from her picture in the group photo above, I don't think they are sticking with the girl next door character we all knew.

The leader of the Rangers is of course the Red Ranger. Austin St John played the character known as Jason Lee Scott very well. Dacre Montgomery will be called upon to reinvent the character. Perhaps he can add a depth to the character, the limits of the show didn't allow.

The casting of Elizabeth Banks seemed good to me on the surface. No, she wasn't my choice but I thought, maybe it works. However, the recent images of her Rita Repulsa is anything but good. She looks nothing like the evil witch that plagued the Rangers I remember. Below are pictures of her character found on the web. I found the promotional image of her off IMDb.com. there has been no word on who, if anyone, will play Zordon. The mystical being who formed the Rangers. Unfortunately, I fear they will not do the character justice.

Please let me know your thoughts on the upcoming movie. The current release date is March 24, 2017.

New Day

So, I didn't write a single post in 2015. Much to my disappointment. Well, that is going to change. I finish my graduate classes this month and will begin blogging like crazy. I hope you are ready for many blogs to come. I know one blog I intend on writing soon will be about top 10 video games I have ever played. Plus I look forward to writing a review of the new Captain America: Civil War movie once it's out! I hope you all have a blessed day!