Closing Out the Generation

I think it is finally the end of it all, the final word in a long book that has defined a generation.

It is the end of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era, officially.  A year of mixing the two generations have left us knowing whether we are getting a Xbox One or a PlayStation 4.  for a year, we have poured over graphics and engines, game mechanics and online experiences.  And in that year, the change has come.  Even the Wii-U has become a force of power, with major franchise releases throughout the year.

It happened to me earlier this month, while I was sitting at school on a break from studying.  I was on Battlefield 4, looking for a specific game type.  I have not bought any of the new maps that have come out during the game's two-year life cycle.

I began a search for any playlist with original maps and a hardcore game type.  The previous day I had five separate playlists to choose from, all over half filled with other players, but this day I had none.  I changed to a normal playlist with the same maps, and I had three options to choose from.  I switched game modes, and still only five games to choose from.

I checked my friends list last night and ten of my friends were officially on Xbox Live.  Of those ten, only three were on an Xbox 360, and of those three, only one was playing a game.  It is just one example of the newest generation moving in on the old, replacing it.

Another example I see is in advertising for games themselves.  The games are being advertised for either of the big names, One or PS4.  Assassin's Creed Unity is being sold alongside the Xbox One this month for the holiday, and PlayStation's are being sold with Destiny.

And then there are the games.  I have only seen Destiny played on the One or PS4, and it looks marvelous, no screen tearing and little lag.  I have not gone complete into either console, examining the ins and outs, just the surface.  But each still has a large leg above its predecessors.  Better graphics, larger hard drives and improved controller response.

I have not bought a new game in a year, because I do not want to be disappointed with my "puny" 360.  I don't want to see worse graphics or decreased game play.

Oh, that is a thing, decreased game play.  Due to increased processing power and graphics improvements, more games provide options for the new generation.  According to Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor producer Monolith, the engine they created was too large for the less-powerful consoles.  Comparing Battlefield 4 between one generation to the other, I don't see clipping between characters or screen tearing when the action increased.  Even FIFA looks good and has better collision graphics and AI.

And in a year, the newest generation has completely separated itself from its predecessors.  Next year, there are games coming out not available except for the new consoles.  Evolve is one example, and Arkham Knight is another.  So far those two games are only announced to have a PS4 or Xbox One release.  Sony also has some planned releases just for the PS4 and not for the PS3.  Microsoft has yet to make any such announcements.

So is it the end?  Is my 360 phased out, making way for the new guns on the block?  I think so, which makes 2014 the final year of this generation.  We will be seeing a further decrease in games available to them.  Icing on the cake for this generation's end would be a drop in support from Call of Duty, and any EA or Ubisoft game.

Let me know what you think below.  Until next time.

Breaking up the Trilogy: on Mockingjay Part 1

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS INVOLVED IN THIS BLOG!!!! If you haven't seen the movie yet wish to invest time to do so without me ruining the entire thing for you, stop and read something else.  I have a ton of other options here for you to pick from, so don't be afraid to try something new!

Over thanksgiving break I went and saw Mockingjay: Part 1 of the Hunger Games trilogy.  The movie begins the conclusion of the series, similar to Harry Potter And the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 did to the seven-book, eight-movie series.  It picks up after Katniss Everdeen, AKA Jennifer Lawrence, is taken to the hidden, thought-to-be-destroyed, District 13.  District 13 was thought to be destroyed after rebelling against the Capital of Panem (Do you guys remember the backstory or have you read the books?).  But, They have survived, and have been rebuilding their forces to fight against the Capital's oppression of the twelve other districts.  Katniss is to be used as a symbol hope to the other districts due to her heroics in the previous two books/movies.

Let it be known that I have read and seen the previous two iterations of the series.  And from what I have heard, the book Mockingjay is not as good of a read, and I just never have gotten around to reading it.  So all of my opinions are based on the movie, and not comparing it to the book or referencing the book in any way.


Katniss is obviously affected by some for of Post-Traumatic Stress from surviving two Hunger Games and losing her fellow competitor Peeta.  Peeta has been taken to the Capital and is now imprisoned there.  Katniss has bad dreams about the hunger games, and misses Peeta.  Under pressure from the head of District 13, Katniss agrees to become the Mockingjay, the symbol of rebellion to the rest of the districts.  Across Panem, the first waves of rebellion are sweeping the districts.  The Capital tries to contain the districts through force, primarily execution of those associated with rebelling against the Capital.

During the course of this, Katniss teams up with her friend from District 12, Gale, and they create promotional videos to be spread about Panem.  Gale is mainly there to be Katniss's bodyguard when they leave the sanctuary of District 13.  They travel around with a camera crew, all of whom escaped the Capital to work towards the rebellion.  This whole portion of the movie is orchestrated by Plutarch, the Chief Game Maker of Catching Fire.  His role is like the political chess player of the entire movie, indirectly battling President Snow through propaganda of Katniss in the field, and directing the President of 13 on how to rally her people to fight against the Capital.  Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the role of Plutarch as a mentor who knows more than what is going on.

Honestly, the first portion of Mockingjay was a bore.  There is an obvious set-up for something later, but the pacing is all off for a set-up movie.  There are portions of action, with Katniss fighting off some Capital bombers with a bow (Rambo anyone?), but they only serve to break up the portions of Katniss crying over Peeta or Plutarch talking about "moves and counter-moves."  Unfortunately this goes against my argument for the acting, which was spot-on over compared to the rest of the series.  Every person in the cast understands their characters position in the plot, and acts accordingly.  My problem came from the supporting cast.  Katniss's family seems hollow, despite having such an influence over her personality and choices, and Gale's position is only a place holder until Peeta returns.  Little is known about the President of 13, and the series only barely highlights other characters that escaped the previous Hunger Games from Catching Fire.

I again compare Mockingjay: Part 1 to the first part of the final Harry Potter series.  It allows the story to have multiple threads so the second part can wrap up the story as it was intended.  The presentation makes this fact forgettable, and allows you to watch with some excitement for the final installment.  Overall, however, it is the weakest portion of the series, because its pace and story telling is radically different than the previous two installments.

As usual, comment below or on my Facebook page.

Until next time.

A Teaser Trailer for the Trailer for the Movie...

So, as the title reflects, I am going over the teaser trailer for the trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.  I highly recommend watching the trailer before reading further.

So the trailer first has a black storm trooper emerging from a pan across the desert.  An obvious homage to the first Star Wars film.  I have heard complaints that there are no black stormtroopers, which is true.  The actor in the shot, John Boyega, is one of the headline characters of the film, so it could be him disguising himself.  Or he could actually be a stormtrooper.

Scene 2: Beach ball R2 rolling down the sandy street of somewhere.  This thing looks cool.  And really shows how far we have come since the last Star Wars film in terms of how animated pieces look.  The R2 unit looks realistic, but in my opinion, it looks out of place.  Maybe it should be in a rave, riding the crowd.  As long as they do a remix of the Catina song.

Stormtroopers are back, and they have new helmets!  The shot looks cool, with just enough shaky camera work to make the scene look like a drop zone or the shuttle they are in moving through the atmosphere.  I cannot comment on the accuracy of these troopers, however.  Someday we will see one live up to the precedent Obi-Wan gave.

There is a girl riding a sweet speeder in the desert.  I am seeing a theme here... But anyway.  I have no idea what significance this has on the teaser (hence the name), but the speeder is again showing that the technology looks natural.  And it reminds me on a podracer engine.

Another CGI shot shows off JJ Abrams' cinematic shots, and the water effect is cool.  slightly overplayed in the comparison to the Enterprise rising out of the water in Star Trek: Into Darkness, but it has its place.  The X-wings also don't sound different, maybe a bit crisper in quality, but I am still taken back to their reveal in A New Hope.

And the controversial lightsaber.  I wonder why people hate it, seriously.
  I realize that the user is now limited to how it is used (don't want to cut your arm off...), but I also see its practicality.  I would wield this weapon as a claymore, William Wallace-style, hacking through the forest.  We have seen the sabers used in other ways too.  Count Dooku was a fencer, using his as a rapier or similar weapon.  Most of the Jedi use theirs like katanas,two handed with smooth motions.  The saber-locking, with the cool crackling sounds, is also negated by the additional energy projections at the hilt.  If you want to argue the specifics, take it up with Stephen Colbert.  And also, the blade looks like energy is coursing through it, not just a Tron-like projection of light.

When did the Millenium Falcon become so damn good looking?  I mean, did it go to the car wash?  Is it fully functional? Truth of the matter is, we don't have to worry about its speed against TIE fighters.  And those are back, with the same screaming noises.

Probably my favorite part through the entire teaser is the music.  It sounds like John Williams is back and punctuating every frame it great music that makes me want to run around in a bathrobe.  And the fanfare is back too, in case you were worried.

I loved the trailer.  Going to see it, ASAP, next December.  And if you are wondering why there is a teaser trailer for a movie coming out in a year, which will have its own trailer sometime next fall, you have come to the wrong place.  I have no idea why they are announcing this so early.  Maybe its to draw attention away from the animated film George Lucas is releasing in the spring, Strange Magic.

As usual, comment below, subscribe to the email list or my Facebook page.

Until next time.