We live in a truly wonderful time (sort of). Every year, hundreds of video games, board games, films, TV shows, books, and comics are created and released for our entertainment. There’s so much media for us to consume that it’s impossible to keep up. The really depressing thing is that if nothing new was created from this point onward, there would still be too much content for us to consume in one natural lifetime. There is literally hundreds of years worth of media out there for us to consume and enjoy. Despite this, new content is created at a ferocious pace and nowhere is this truer than in the video games industry. Every month, dozens of new video games are released for our enjoyment. They range from Triple A titles worked on by teams of hundreds of people with budgets of millions, all the way down to games made by one guy in his spare time using free software. So what’s a guy to do?
Ten Things To Look Forward To In 2017
Happy New Year everyone! We did it, you guys. We survived 2016. Now as we march bravely into 2017 and the terrifying unknown, I thought it would be best to kick off the year with a short list of things I am looking forward to getting my hands on.
Now we all know there are some scary things coming this year. We don’t need to talk about what those are because we all know of what I’m talking about. That’s right, another new Nintendo console!
I’m kidding! I’m actually quite excited for the Switch, but I’m sure I’ll talk about that in due time. Right now I want to share with you ten things I’m excited about that are due to be released in 2017. Like my end of year list, this is in no way conclusive. They are not in any order, or ranking. These are just ten things I’m eager to watch, play, or read this year. Okay then, so here we go with the first blog post of 2017…
Ten Things I enjoyed In 2016
I decided that for my last post of 2016 I would do something a little different. Normally December is filled with top ten lists. Everyone does them for everything, and they are endless. I find them quite entertaining, but I really didn’t think I could fill a top 10 list for games, books, films, and TV.
Instead what I decided to do was to pick ten things that I enjoyed in 2016. They aren’t in any order of priority, they aren’t based on anything other than the fact that I discovered them in 2016, and I enjoyed them. There will be some books, films, games, TV shows, and maybe even something else. This has been a shit year for planet earth, and humanity, but there’s been some good things. Let’s get to it shall we.
Video Game Movies Need To Change
Video Game movies are cursed. Every time a new one comes out we have the same discussions. Will this one break the curse? Will this one be good? Will this one be the one to show the world it can be done right? It seems that the answers are always, no.
Even when the biggest IP’s in the world give it a shot, and throw millions of dollars, and big stars into the project, they still manage to end up being a disappointment. This year we’ve had two of the biggest video game movies ever released. One of them I reviewed Here on this very site.
Despite most of them having some good qualities, like fan service or great CGI, none so far have set the world alight, if rotten tomatoes is any indication. Today I want to talk about what I think the real problem is and how we might go about fixing it. We all want good video game adaptations, so just for fun, let’s talk about how we might get one.
Rogue One: Full Metal Prequel
It’s 1 AM. I’ve just got back from the Imax after watching Rogue One. I want to sleep; I should sleep, but I can’t sleep. I’ve just watched a new Star Wars film, and I have to get my thoughts down. First off, if you haven’t seen this film already, stop reading and go watch it. Seriously, you don’t need to read about what I think. This films is 100% worth your time and money, go watch it.
Now if you’re still reading it then I assume you’ve already seen this movie. That’s good! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now I’m not saying it was a perfect movie, and I’m not saying it’s the best Star Wars movie since Empire, but I am saying that it was one hell of a ride, and I think it fills an important gap in the Star Wars timeline. This was a story I’m glad they decided to tell, and I’m glad they got people involved who told it with passion, style, and a whole lot of pew pew.
Warcraft: The Beginning (of good video game movies?)
Video game movies have always been cursed. Every time a new one was due to release we would all gathered around our metaphorical camp fires and utter things like “This could be the one,” or “This one looks good, maybe they’ll finally get it right”. Unfortunately, no matter how much we hoped and prayed they always seem to be a let down.
I remember going to see Super Mario Brothers at the cinema when I was just a small boy. I was so excited to see one of my favourite video game characters come to life on the big screen. Boy, was that a dark day. You would have thought I learned my lesson after seeing that abomination, but my young optimism could not be tempered. Time after time I went to the cinema to see the latest video game to movie adaptation, and every time I left feeling disappointed, and sometimes angry. Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Prince of Persia, Doom. None of them ever lived up to the expectations of fans, myself included. It’s 2016, I’m nearing 30, and I’m still watching video game movies hoping that one day they’ll live up to the incredible worlds they are based on.
Warcraft: The Beginning came out on Blu Ray recently, so I watched it and now I’m going to tell you what I thought.