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Sunday 26 March 2017

Iron Fist Review

Iron Fist
Iron Fist is not "Spectacular" or what core fans would deem MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) worthy, but it's a decent look into the origin story of one of Marvel's long-buried icons, fleshed out with a new way and with some reasonable changes (e.g the bro-mance between Danny Rand and Luke Cage). After surviving a fatal air plane crash, bar his family (Mom and Dad), Danny Rand, is found by monks from the non-existent place, K'un Lun, raised in the way of the Iron Fist to one day guard the gates against the treacherous threat of The Hand. The origin of Iron Fist the legendary defender of K'un Lun, blessed with the power of Shou-Loa the undying. Iron Fist is a mantle passed on from generation to generation, bestowed onto the only one who can pass the trial, enter Danny Rand, coming back to New York after being  presumable dead for 15 years.

Claire Temple again! Continuing to be the glue these Marvel-Netflix shows have, evidence of how tied together these individuals are, various references to the said individuals that will helm The Defenders TV show in the coming future. There's also some Easter eggs and homage paid to the original character and a subtle tip of the hat to Stan Lee himself. The show holds it own in storytelling, depicting the emotions of Danny Rand, a naive and by-the-book man who is looking for answers to the unexplained death of his parents.

Danny Rand/Finn Jones
I would've never backed Finn Jones to be the lead for Iron Fist, then again Charlie Cox (Daredevil) put critics/doubters to shame, in any case I'm still not convinced about Finn, let's blame it on the unbalanced nature and naiveté of the character his playing + it could be what the directors requested of him. Besides, the fact that Finn Jones was picked ahead of Lewis Tan (who ends up as Zhou Cheng in the same show) rings a bell in what they were looking for in the character; someone without little or not enough charisma and then going to have so much of it eventually. It felt rushed without detailed explanation to some events that occurred, like they wanted to get somewhere quick. The fighting choreography was shittier than Daredevil, The Hand enemies went down way too easy at times especially the ones in The Tournament who were supposedly meant to be difficult to eliminate, but make an excuse seeing as the Iron Fist actually has a para-human ability (and it was just one fist by the way).

It's a good watch for both Marvel and non-Marvel fans and newcomers alike. It's totally not a waste of time as the critics said it was - a hard 7/10.


Monday 13 March 2017

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

Aloy, Tallneck, Horizon Zero Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is a very vivid and beautiful illustration of how the "3005" future meets the gathering and hunting civilisations of the past. Horizon Zero Dawn is the first effort from one Sony-owned, Guerrilla Games, outside the well-known Killzone franchise. A risky endeavour a first thought, but a risk worth the jump.

The events in the game take place a thousand years after a cataclysmic event that robs earth of everything and returns it to the most basic of civilisations, the hunting and gathering survivor. However, what is left of humanity is caught up in a world rid with animal-like machines roaming the earth. The game puts you in the shoes of a young and curious warrior, Aloy, who seeks to find out where she's from and why the world is the way it is.

The story telling sets it apart from other games in the same genre, every quest and or mission is tethered together in a beautiful web which has been carefully constructed in way that appeals to the explorer in you. It is a well made RPG based game, from the skill tree, looting, hunting and gathering and good old collectibles spread across the map. It's a complete balanced diet. At times it felt like a mix somewhere between Assassins Creed (Rappelling Down from high places) and Far Cry's open world (Far Cry III to be specific, the best Far Cry ever made in my own opinion). It wasn't repetitive as different bosses had unique ways to take them down, the world is massive with so many places to explore you forget there's a main story quest to do. 

The interaction between characters didn't make me want to care enough for them, the dialogue between characters was dry or better said, uninteresting. Although the cutscenes did well to makeup for this injustice, it just made me want to skip past the conversations and head straight ahead into the next mission. 

It is a must-buy for every PS4 owner, a title worth the experience - 9/10