Ok. Hear Me Out Episode 3 is Live!

We’re back with another episode of Ok, Hear Me Out! This is the second part of our Hot Takes episode and the focus is my opinions on playoffs in sports (Not positive). I would say that I won our mini debate but that’s not really for me to decide. So, take a listen and let us know what you think. Especially if you think I’m right.

As always, feel free to give your thoughts on these comments or on Twitter at @alexraysnyder. And if you like what you read here, consider throwing a couple bucks my way on Patreon to help cover costs.

Weekly Comic Reviews 05.27.2020

Hey, y’all. I took Memorial Day weekend all to myself so the schedule this week is a little off. But I have some really fun posts scheduled beginning with this, another look at the Fastest Man Alive Flash comic. Next week, will be longer and the list will continue to expand throughout June until we are back in the full swing of comic book releases. I cannot wait for that.

Henry's figure work is so expressive.

As always, I will be using a three-tiered grading system. Buy means I think you should go buy this comic; it’s very good and worth your money and time. Borrow means that I think this issue is worth reading, if you can borrow it from someone; it may be worth the money for you but I’m not confident in telling you to purchase it. Pass means you should pass on the issue; I don’t recommend you buy the comic and generally don’t think it’s worth your time to read. Pass is bad.

Spoilers for: The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #2

The Snyder Cut is Real

I am a Snyder Cut truther. I always believed a six-hour version existed in an unfinished form because that’s definitely the kind of guy Zack Snyder is. I never participated in the #RelasetheSnyderCut though. I just didn’t care that much and never expected anything to come of it. Maybe in a decade, a documentary would be released and some of the unseen footage would make it into that. To have the announcement that it will be finished and released next year is incredibly surprising. I can’t wait.

You see, I love Man of Steel. I think, somewhat unpopularly, think it is one of the best Superman films and superhero films, period. I don’t like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as much. I do like it, but I think it has clear issues that keep me from enjoying it as much as I would like. So, you might say that I am a big fan of what Snyder crafted before leaving Justice League.

Unfortunately, Justice League was a mediocre movie that bombed at the box office. Stitched together from the footage shot by Snyder and reshoots done by Joss Whedon after Snyder stepped away, the movie is a tonal and thematic mess. It is by no means a terrible movie, but I have never felt the desire to watch it again. I have always firmly believed that if either director were able to make their own version, it would have been a significantly better movie.

So, now we get to see that. More or less. Obviously, three years have passed and that will have an effect on where Snyder and his collaborators’ heads are while they finish. It may also be in a different format. Apparently, Snyder pitched the potential of turning the film into a series of 4-6 “chapters” (read: episodes) as an option. He says he knows exactly where each part would end. I believe it. Zack Snyder is nothing if not a detailed planner. I don’t necessarily want it in that form, but I will take it.

For the fans that just want to see Snyder’s vision, myself included, I am very happy to see this happen. Regrettably, the Snyder Cut fans have not always been the most…reasonable crowd. As with any online group, a number (in this case, a significant one) have a habit of turning aggressive and toxic at a moment’s notice. I worry that the success of this movement will only reinforce that behavior, as it has the Star Wars fandom in recent years. We’ll have to wait for a verdict, but I have hope because the good people always outnumber the bad in these situations, even if the bad are often louder.

In the end, this endeavor may end poorly. Maybe Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League isn’t actually that good. Maybe it’s what everyone hoped the theatrical cut would be. It will be a year, maybe more, until we get answers to that. For now, what we have is the passion of fans winning out. Not in a negative corporate pandering way, but in a genuine way created by the respect between a creator and his fans. That gives me hope and that is, after all, the point of these films.

Weekly Comic Reviews 05.18.2020

Hey, y’all! Welcome back to your (presumable) favorite weekly comic reviews. Today, we’re going to be reviewing comics that didn’t come out this past week because I don’t read any of them. Instead, there has apparently been a weekly digital-first Flash comic going for about a month so I’m going to cover the first issue of that. I’m very excited to talk about them so I’ll see you after the jump.

He's a shark

As always, I will be using a three-tiered grading system. Buy means I think you should go buy this comic; it’s very good and worth your money and time. Borrow means that I think this issue is worth reading, if you can borrow it from someone; it may be worth the money for you but I’m not confident in telling you to purchase it. Pass means you should pass on the issue; I don’t recommend you buy the comic and generally don’t think it’s worth your time to read. Pass is bad.

Spoilers for: The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1

Top 2020 Games I'm Looking Forward To

Thanks, Culture of Gaming, for this handy picture

As I wrote a couple weeks ago, my most anticipated games of 2020 have been released. I’ve played and beat them, so what is there to look forward to now? Turns out, a ton. So, I present to you a fake Top 5 (There are seven games). These games are listed in release order, so this isn’t truly a ranking though they are, coincidentally, almost in that order as well. But enough preamble, let’s dive in!

Honorable Mentions: Kingdom Hearts: Dark Road, Rune Factory 5, Little Town Hero, Marvel’s Avengers, Yakuza; Like a Dragon

Ghost of Tsushima is the Assassin's Creed Game I've Been Waiting For

Holy shit. This game looks incredible. Just the majestic beauty of the landscape and the clean user interface make me want to spend time in this world. I always say that you can judge the detail in a game by the amount of effort put into the grass. The grass here looks amazing. The foxes look amazing, as do Jin’s various sets of armor.

In terms of gameplay, this is just Assassin’s Creed. Old school Assassin’s Creed. A bunch of guys stand in a circle around you and attack one at time. You parry each one to open them up and defeat them before the next one attacks. There’s a chance the combat has more depth, especially in one on one encounters, but that is yet to be seen.

The stealth gameplay looks like exactly what I want. Sure, you could rush in and kill the Mongols in a big brawl but why not shoot an arrow into one’s head, sneak around the back, drop a fire cracker as a distraction, sneak attack one guy, then take his partner out before he knows you’re there. That’s some Assassin’s Creed Unity stuff. You love to see it.

The game also has what appears to be the most in-depth photo mode I have ever seen. You can play with a mind-boggling number of options including, but definitely not limited to, the direction of the wind, the score being played, and the color pallet. The game even has a black and white mode to emulate old samurai films. It also lets you customize the color of JIn’s armor and cloaks, helping make pictures even more customizable. I am not typically someone that dives deep into these modes but that may change here.

Sorry Valhalla, Ghost of Tsushima is the Assassin’s Creed game I have been waiting for and it releases sooner. This is the first time we have gotten an in depth look at the game and while it is not what I expected, it appears to be exactly the game I have been clamoring for. July cannot arrive fast enough.

If you like what you read here, consider throwing a couple bucks my way to help with costs:

The Future of Video Games Has Arrived

This morning, Epic Games announced and showed Unreal Engine 5, the next generation of its first in class suite of development tools. The above demo looks absolutely incredible and for the first time actually shows what next-gen video games could look like. It is also intended to be scalable from phones to high end PCs so there will be undoubtedly be interesting choices made with this ability in mind

There were two main focuses for UE5: better visuals and easier creation. I cannot speak to the latter as someone that doesn’t understand the technical aspects, but what I could understand sounded like it would make creation of models easier and faster. ON the former goal, there was a notable detail I felt was immediately obvious: the PS5 is capable of using movie quality assets. Many films use Unreal Engine for at least some of their visual effects, but these have to be higher quality and more detailed to fit in with the live action footage. The question here is if character models will realistically be able to match that level of detail. Only time will tell.

There are a couple important things to note: It has been confirmed that this demo is live gameplay and not a prerendered video like many similar demos. It was running on a PlayStation 5, which means this is a realistic look at the level of visual quality the next God of War or Spider-Man game could have. In fact, Epic and Sony worked together closely during development to ensure UE5 was as compatible as possible with PS5. I cannot wait to see the fruits of that partnership.

Ultimately, the quality of this engine and the games it can produce is yet to be seen. As the first real look at next-gen gameplay, this was an exhilarating demonstration. I just hope everyone is able to live up to the potential that is so clear. Hope springs eternal.

If you like what you read here, consider throwing a couple bucks my way to help with costs:

Weekly Comic Reviews 05.11.2020

Hey, y’all! Comic books are back! Kinda. Marvel and DC are drip feeding books until the end of May. The current plan seems to be the return of most comics in June. But we still get some new comics until then. This review will be here. I have some plans on how to keep it consistent as it seems there going to be two weeks where I have nothing to review. I’ve got you covered. Let’s jump into the book this week

As always, I will be using a three-tiered grading system. Buy means I think you should go buy this comic; it’s very good and worth your money and time. Borrow means that I think this issue is worth reading, if you can borrow it from someone; it may be worth the money for you but I’m not confident in telling you to purchase it. Pass means you should pass on the issue; I don’t recommend you buy the comic and generally don’t think it’s worth your time to read. Pass is bad.

Spoilers for: The Flash #753

The Xbox Event Had A Ton of Cool New Games

Xbox had a big event this morning where they showed off a ton of new games. I don’t plan on buying an Xbox any time soon but luckily almost every Xbox “exclusive” is available on PC. And I have a good enough PC to play most games. This event also showed off some actual gameplay of the new Assassin’s Creed and a bunch of new, non-exclusive games. Let’s take a look.

Welcome to the Summer of Shinkai!

Makoto Shinkai, the director best known for Your Name., has been hailed as the “next Miyazaki.” He’s certainly not the first to be given that title, but he may be the most successful. His aforementioned 2016 hit is the highest grossing film in Japanese animation history. His subsequent film, 2019’s Weathering With You, was another worldwide hit. Those films are best known for their brilliant vistas, fantastic scores, and touching love stories. But what about his other films? Do they share any of those traits? And what, exactly, makes a Makoto Shinkai film?

To answer these questions, I am inviting you, dear reader, to the Summer of Shinkai, where we will delve into the filmography of one of the biggest directors in animation at this time. We will be examining every film (And maybe some short animations of Shinkai’s if I can get my hands on them) he has worked on to figure out what themes and motifs interest the man the most. Now, I think I know some of the answers already as I have viewed about half of what I’ll be looking at. Having said that, viewing the whole canon may reveal something different and I may reinterpret events in those I have seen.

The other important thing to note is that this project will most likely extend beyond the summertime as I have to both have time to obtain, watch, and then write about the films between everything else going on in my life and the world. Summer of Shinkai is too good a name to pass up though. It certainly beats the ‘new name every month’ plan I originally had. Welcome to Maykoto, Shinjuly, etc. It was ugly.

I have no set schedule, but I will be announcing, probably about a week in advance, when I am going to be writing about a film. You will be able to find that on both the blog’s twitter (@DefenderofTheM1) and my personal account (@alexraysnyder), so keep an eye out. I hope you all join on this journey into the backlog. It’s going to be fun.

If you like what you read here, consider throwing a couple bucks my way to help with costs:

After 12 Years, Star War: The Clone Wars Has Ended

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”

-George Krstic,

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 1, Episode 19, “Storm Over Ryloth”

Every episode, except the final four, of Star Wars: The Clone Wars began with a version of John Williams’ seminal “Star Wars Theme” playing under a quote that espoused that episode’s theme or moral. 127 episodes featured these quotes. And yet, the one that best describes The Clone Wars is from an episode that aired over a decade ago, during the show’s initial season. Seven seasons over 12 years is quite a long journey, but today, 4 May 2020, the journey ended. Not without some bumps along the way. But it is those bumps that taught the show how to be great.

When George Lucas and Dave Filoni assembled a team to create a cartoon aimed at children and set between Episode II and Episode III, I don’t think they imagined the show would become arguably the most popular piece of Star Wars media released since 1983. That is probably because they did not begin with a show of that quality. The Clone Wars was largely forgettable during its first season and much of the second. That began to change late in the second season and continued during the third. The animation was suddenly much more fluid. The stories more mature and emotional. The focus shifted away from villain of the week type stories to longer term story arcs. And yet, it built upon everything those early seasons had established.

Blog Update 05.01.2020

Hey y’all. Welcome back to the almost-monthly blog update. Last time, I mentioned I was very excited to have some extra time to write and that you should expect more posts in the near future. I have, in fact, been writing quite a bit, so that’s good. Unfortunately, most that content has not made it to the blog over the past month or so. I just want to explain to you why that is.

To be clear, I have a number of posts written and most are complete. These range from a Final Fantasy VII Remake review to a piece about why I have gone back to playing more JRPGs than I have in recent years (Helpfully edited by my friend Reid) to a review of Kingdom Hearts 3 and the ReMIND DLC along with some pieces about Jonathon Hickman’s time writing the Fantastic Four and an Avengers Endgame retrospective. That’s not even counting the ideas I have for what to write this month and beyond. I have a lot built up.

Despite having all these pieces, and more, in some stage of the writing process, I haven’t posted many. That’s because they don’t feel like they’re at the quality I want my writing to be. This is a blog designed for two purposes: 1. To get my creative energy out and 2. To improve my writing ability. Part of becoming a better writer is writing stuff that is mediocre or sometimes even actually bad. And I know I’ve done that in this here blog. I have written some pieces I’m actually not proud of at all. But I have also written what I believe are very good pieces and it is clear that I have improved over the course of the last 17 months.

So, I’m meeting the two stated goals of the blog. And yet I can’t bring myself to publish much of my work. It might just be me overthinking. I am not satisfied with the pieces though. That’s been true of many of the things on my blog. In fact, it is true of almost everything I have ever written, including a sixth-grade essay on Ray Bradbury that I still look at from time to time. And yet something has been holding me back.

 So, here’s the plan moving forward: I’m going to do some clean up and start posting some of these. Even if I am not satisfied with them. Having said that, not everything I mentioned above will make it through. I will attempt to put as many as possible up, but if the piece isn’t good, it won’t go up. I also have to make room for the other things I want to write. Plus, finals are coming up, so I also have to deal with that. But please bear with me everyone. I’ve got some cool stuff in the pipeline. And thank you for reading.