Lego, Growing Up, and a lot of RPGs: A Review of 2014

If you spent a lot of time watching the news this year, then you might be like me in thinking that 2014 was a pretty awful year. With Ebola rife in western Africa, rebels in eastern Ukraine, the rise of Islamic State, and some incredibly tragic incidents involving planes and ferries, 2014 will probably go down in the history books as quite frankly one of the worst years in the history of everything. Everything, except pop culture. Despite the world being a terribly bleak place to live right now going into 2015, the ways to escape our dreary reality this year were quite spectacular. Some of the most refreshing video games to come out in a long time came out this year. And if you were a film buff, you were treated to some truly awesome movies. To make it more fun, I managed to capture some of it along the way with this blog which is now a year old... for those you who care about that sort of thing. In the same vein as the first post on this blog; which was also a year in review post, I will be highlighting what I believe to be the best of this year in some slightly unconventional categories. If you have no idea what that might entail, you can read the previously mentioned post here.

Best Picture

Winner: Boyhood

Ok, so maybe we're starting with something a little more conventional this year. But as I said in my review of this masterpiece, it's a fantastic film and I cannot sing its praises enough. Watching Boyhood was an amazing experience (getting to participate in a QA with Ellar Coltrane after watching was the cherry on top :) ), and like I alluded to in my review, I imagine that this is what it's like to understand that you're watching history being made. A film that has a perfect score on Metacritic (which is rare), I truly hope that in the upcoming award season it gets the accolades it deserves. I have to also point out that this film has been placed first on several high profile (read: far more legit) film critics lists for top films of the year.

Runner Up: Imitation Game

A well done and witty film about a personal hero of mine, this was another great film. Not to mention that the cast is perfect. It's in theatres now if you haven't seen it.

Most Awesome Movie

Winner: Lego Movie

Pardon the pun, but everything (about this film) is awesome. Also apologies for using the word awesome too much in this blurb. This category was tough, what with Guardians of The Galaxy being so great, How Train Your Dragon 2 being as good as the original, and even the ending of the flawed Hobbit Trilogy being a film that I could watch again and again. But the attention to detail is awesome, the dialogue is awesome, and the plot is (wait for it) awesome. With all the throw away lines and another perfect cast of both good guys and villains, the Lego Movie is movie that was both hilarious and inspiring. A rare film that feels actually original, something that seems harder and harder to come by these days. Truly awesome.

Awesome count: 6

Runner Up: Guardians of The Galaxy

(sorry The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies)

Showing that Marvel doesn't need the Avengers to be successful, this great summer blockbuster shares a lot in common with the Lego Movie in it's combination of humour and heart. Also as I said in my review, it's great soundtrack was one that I played for weeks after.

Best RPG

Winner: Transistor

Picking a winner for category is practically impossible, simply due to the fact that the number of great "RPGs" this year is crazy. If you're wondering why I put RPG in quotes, it's because you can throw Pokemon and Borderlands into this category, despite not following normal genre conventions. Also there are a number of RPGs that aren't being considered because I haven't played them yet, such as Child of Light and Dragon Age: Inquistion. But as I explained in my review of Transistor, its world, atmosphere, characters, story, and of course soundtrack are all so fresh and fun that I wish it wasn't over all too soon. Another great game by Supergiant Games, they really out did themselves.

Runner Up: South Park: The Stick of Truth

I was tempted to give the runner up spot to Bravely Default despite the mediocre second half, but no other game had me laughing more and wanting more. It's a shame that we probably won't see another game like this one, but it's ok. Because South Park: The Stick of Truth combines some simple and fun gameplay mechanics with an amazingly fun world.

Best Non-RPG

Winner: Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U

I don't think I need to explain myself here... it's Super Smash Bros.

Runner up: None

Biggest Disappointment

Winner: Sherlock series 3, episode 3

Compared to how much I loved the first two episodes in the third series, the third episode while not terrible was fairly disappointing. Sherlock's equivalent of flipping the table didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion. And while I'm excited for the mystery of Moriarty's "return", the fact that they have to use him again makes it feel like they can't enter new territory. Of course we're being told that future Sherlock will be "heart-breaking", so like the masochist that I am I more than ready (and super excited) for what is coming.

Runner Up: Newsroom season 3

The entire thing is a disappointment, except any part with Sloan or Don because they are the best characters on the whole bloody show.

Best Indie Album

Winner: The Bleachers- Strange Desires

The debut album of The Bleachers, Strange Desires was a wonderful album. At first I worried that the only song that would be worth listening to would be I Wanna Get Better. But Rollercoaster and Wake Me are equally great tracks, if not better than the first single of the album. The entire album is a treat and yet another great start for a relatively new indie band.

Runner Up: Arcade Fire- Reflektor

I'm aware that the album came out last year, but I saw them on tour in Toronto this year... one of the best shows I've ever been to. Joan of Arc is my personal favourite of this album.

Best Video Game Soundtrack

Winner: Bravely Default 

While I sing and hum the fantastic soundtrack of Transistor, Bravely Default's beautiful ballads and scores are exquisite. That and I'm a sucker for symphonic rock/metal. Seriously the battle theme and character themes are a pure pleasure to listen to

Runner Up: Transistor

Came in at very close second, it's the only game where there's a button so you can hum the soundtrack in-game. That's just how good it is.

Worst Blogger Ever

Winner: Yours Truly

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try and update this blog more regularly. It's hard to do when you have several other things going on in your life. But this project is one that; despite it's lack of regular updates, I've enjoyed doing over the last year. I hope that 2015 will be an even better year in more ways than one, and I plan on being the best blogger... I can be. After all let's not get too ahead of ourselves here.

Happy New Year Everyone! Let's make 2015 a great one.


Bonus: Best TV Show that I still need to finish

Winner: Fargo

I know how it ends, I just need to watch it. But I keep getting distracted.

A Challenger Approaches: A Review of Super Smash Brothers 3DS

When they announced that the next Smash Brothers game was going to be on both the Wii U and the 3DS, I was skeptical to say the least. While I love my 3DS, the idea of playing a game of smash on it seemed like a not very enjoyable experience. It would be underpowered, a stripped down version of what a real SSB game would be. Combined with the small screen size (even on by the XL's standards) and a control scheme that is really meant for a dedicated controller, everything just screamed to me like this was a bad idea. And yet, the fact that it would be "a smash brothers game" peaked my interest enough that I shelled out for the game in lieu of being "smashless" until the Wii U version comes out towards the end of the year. So, does this new territory work for the franchise? Or is this an experiment that isn't worth repeating. Well, in a nut shell it is a great entry into the beloved franchise, but you can't help but wonder if tying it with it's inevitably more powerful console brother is doing it a diservice to its potential.

Free For All!

If you've never played a Super Smash Brothers game before, shame on you because they're all fantastic titles. All you need to know is that each entry is a crossover fighting game staring an all star line up of Nintendo's biggest characters. Each match is either timed to see who can knockout of the arena the most players, or each fighter has limited number of lives and one must be the last man (or woman, turtle, robot, Pikachu, blob, etc) standing. The beauty comes in the different stages and characters you can play. While the controls are always much simpler than the other fighting games of the genre, it's simplicity and nostalgia are what make it so wonderful to play. The 3DS version is no different.

In addition to the smash matches, classic mode, and all-star mode that have become series staples, there are new unique modes to the 3DS version such as a mode very reminiscent of City Trial in Kirby's Air Ride for the gamecube. In fact, the game is definitely a Sakurai (the game's director) game as both Kirby's Air Ride and Kid Icarus: Uprising have strong influences on the game's style and gameplay modes. While that isn't a bad thing, it makes me miss the original and melee for their distinct "Smash Brothers" flair.

However the game is still a ton of fun to play and what you expect of a Smash title.

Choose Your Character

Possibly the most exciting prospect of a new smash brothers title is the roster of playable characters. In fact they capitalized on this excitement in the build up to the game's release, making each "newcomer" as new fighters are referred to in the franchise a star of an epic announcement trailer, showing off the characters unique talents. Compared the the last instalment Brawl, the lineup is not only massive, the number of interesting and unique ways to play is the best part of the whole game. In addition, a mechanic of certain characters being able to transform has been removed with these characters being themselves split into separate characters. This was, in my opinion; a great decision and allows for great expansion of characters which relied certain conditions or mechanics. While there are still too many "clones" or characters that are basically palette swaps (much better than brawl), it's still a great and diverse line up.

No Contest

Now based on the title for this section the review, you think that they've omitted something crucial thing in order to get the game onto the 3DS. That isn't entirely true. It's true that an Adventure or Story mode which has been around since Melee is missing from the game, however that doesn't irk me as it is both both a disappointment and a feature that I don't miss terribly. The issue comes from the fact that there's something in the feel of this game that seems off in comparison to the previous instalments. As I mentioned before the game feels like Kirby's Air Ride meets Kid Icarus meets Smash Brothers, which means in many ways it doesn't 100% feel like smash. I also think that because the two versions of the game are meant to be "interchangeable" to an extent, the Wii U version is going to feel not as robust as a major console version should have.

Now before you all go complaining about how I'm saying the game isn't as good simply because of my "feelings", the issues that you may or not have heard about regarding the control scheme are definitely true. There are times when a dinky control "circle" just don't work. Also while no one may admit it, in an attempt to keep both versions the same, there's definitely cuts that will annoy some hardcore fans.

This Game's Winner Is...

While this a great foray into the world of portable smash brothers, it's definitely not perfect. It's still a great game an a tone of fun, but I know that really all I'm doing is tiding myself over with a roster preview of what the Wii U version will have. Hopefully the Wii U will have some great distinct features that will make it the true successor the franchise needs. Otherwise it will be a great yet slightly unsatisfying free for all.

Score: 8/10