Written Reviews – Page 6

COMIC REVIEW – Ghostbusters: Deviation (2016)

Earlier this year, IDW had this event called Deviations, which is a concept akin to the old “What If…?” comics that Marvel used to put out. The premise was to take an established event and see what happens if things turned out differently?

What if Spider-Man saved Gwen Stacy from death? What if the first Death Star wasn’t destroyed? What if the Enterprise-D was successful in destroying the Borg ship? That sort of thing…

Nine times out of ten, the end result is usually “everybody dies” because that’s what happens when hack writers are given an opportunity to craft an alternate take (or alternate reality, if you will) on an idea and they can’t think of anything better to do with it. Sometimes, they don’t. But more often that not, these “What If?” scenarios are good alternate takes that can make readers think and wonder. And they’re usually good reads as well.

Ghostbusters Deviations is not one of those stories.

The idea was interesting; depict a world in which the Ghostbusters didn’t cross the streams to defeat Gozer at the end of the first movie (and spoiler: they never do) and see how badly things turn out from there. The answer, of course, is that things turn out pretty bad; not just for the Ghostbusters, not for the city of New York, but also for the hapless reader who decided to fork over the five bucks to read this tripe. If you enjoy juvenile humor, poop jokes, and outright horrible characterizations, you’ll probably get better quality material watching the Angry Video Game Nerd webseries than you would from this comic book. At least that will cost significantly less to suffer through. I don’t mind stupid funny, but when even that’s done poorly… good lord.

As I would flip through each page of increasing levels of utter banality, my hopes for this to be something worthwhile would slowly evaporate until all that was left was an utter contempt for human life. At some point, you have to feel bad for the Ghostbusters, who have some inklings of their original personalities but have somehow regressed into being complete and utter morons. Gozer, who was this menacing figure even when he/she/it/whatever was stuck in the Stay Puft form in the movie, has become an utter caricature of him/her/it/whatever-self that it’s almost painful. The rest of the characters, along with the attempts to try and sneak in references to contemporary times to a story set in 1984, can kiss my ass because they’re not worth mentioning.

I was initially not a particular fan of the art style – a sort of caricaturistic exaggeration of the cast of characters – but it’s my understanding that this is the art style used in IDW’s main Ghostbusters series, so in that regard, the art is consistent with what little I’ve seen of the main books. And eventually, it grew on me. I can only assume that the quality of the writing in those other books are a little better than what was featured here.

I can only imagine how diehard Ghostbusters fans have reacted to this book, but as someone with only a passing interest in the Ghostbusters franchise, I am flabbergasted by how bad this book turned out, especially when the premise has potential to be interesting and offer something worthwhile. Too bad that potential is wasted on pure crap.

BOOK REVIEW – Ghost Hunting 2.0 by Chris Bores (2015)

We’ve had our fun and games this past month with the newest literary tome from the Irate Gamer; a couple jokey video vlog things and a couple blips in a commentary… but Halloween has come and gone. The games are over and done with. It’s time to give my thoughts on Ghost Hunting 2.0 by Chris Bores.

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BOOK REVIEW – SMB3: Brick By Brick (2013) (a.k.a. How Bob Chipman Ruined Super Mario Bros. 3 For Me)

Once upon a time, there was an online personality called Moviebob. He did a show on Screwattack called the Game Overthinker, where he talks about certain topics and brings up good points. Then he decided to add shitty storylines and skits to his videos and they started sucking. Basically, the same trap that befell other online personalities with the caustic reviewing angle.

One thing was readily apparently with Moviebob a.k.a. Bob Chipman; he believes that Super Mario Bros. 3 is the most important video game in the history of the universe. So much so that it became the focus of his life… and the subject of his first book.

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BOOK REVIEW – Journey Into Darkness: The Unauthorized History Of Kane (2005)

“I think you’d have to be on cocaine to enjoy it.”
Blade Braxton, Wrestlecrap Radio

So, 2005 saw WWE release a fictional book detailing the story of Kane, the Undertaker’s half-brother who debuted in 1997 and caused a big scene… and then bit by bit, that aura dwindled with stupid stories like Katie Vick, unmaskings, and corporate Kane. Fortunately, Journey Into Darkness was published long before that last bit took place and in fairness, I want to give the author credit in trying to reconcile all these different plotholes in WWE narrative into one cohesive story.

I mean, the poor bastard tried.

The book is poorly written… sometimes it reads fine, sometimes it reads bad, and then there are moments when it is unbearable (but those times are few and between). Here’s the thing, though; I enjoyed the book because I like the wrestling product. There’s a certain level regarding suspension of disbelief that you’d have to attain in order to follow wrestling. If you’re NOT a wrestling fan, though, then this book will do NOTHING for you. You’ll be reading this thing wondering, “What the hell is going on here?” And while the story is certainly readable for the most part and isn’t remotely terrible, it doesn’t make any attempt to make sense to the people who are picking this up without prior knowledge of the wrestling product.

If you’re a fan of the Big Red Monster and are remotely interested in his backstory, then Journey Into Darkness is probably worth a look. The story does its best to explain the various inconsistencies with the Kane backstory, but is marred down by generally poor writing and the fact that this is trying to make sense out of a narrative concocted by a company who didn’t give a rat’s ass about cohesive narratives unless it was convenient to them. There’s a “clever” attempt to try and make this grounded in reality by using real names here and there while maintaining their hokey fake story and for what it’s worth, you can’t help but admire the attempt.

I don’t know. If you’re into trainwrecks in literary form or want to know how WWE makes sense of its nonsense (and fail), then this is worth checking out. Otherwise, there are plenty of more worthwhile books to check out – either within the wrestling or fictional realms.

DVD REVIEW – Thoughts on the CGR Perks

(A portion of this text is taken from Episode 41 of the DTM-Cast, with some additions made afterwards.)

So about a couple weeks ago, I finally received the Best of Classic Game Room 15th Anniversary 2-disc set that was supposed to be out in December in time for Christmas, but that didn’t happen; it showed up in April and I’m guessing for those who didn’t donate, it’ll be available for purchase sometime this month if it isn’t already; I haven’t checked. I already got my copy; signed and delivered by the man himself. And also as part of the package that I had selected, I also received the Classic Game Room mockumentary film that was put out back in 2007 and personally, this was the big reason for my wanting to contribute. Not only because I was getting the new DVD, but if it came with the old DVD too, I’d figured; “Kill two birds with one stone and get them both.”

So I did a video showcasing my quirks that week and, you know, I don’t need to repeat what was said there, which wasn’t much; it was just showing off the printed materials and the coasters and the DVDs itself, but what I thought I would do is give some quick thoughts on the productions themselves and… I don’t want to call it reviewing because it’s not really that.

I want to talk about the 2007 documentary first because, well, that came first.

Classic Game Room: The Rise and Fall of the Internet’s Greatest Video Game Review Show was basically a humorous lookback at the history of Game Room, the show’s original 1999-2000 incarnation. And there’s a selection of Game Room episodes on display; some you’ve seen before, such as the Ninja Golf episode and the Seaman episode, and there’s a couple that are “officially” exclusive to this DVD, such as the Duck Hunt and Alien episodes. And in between the episodes, there’s the mockumentary portions which feature Mark narrating the history of Game Room and one has to decide for himself how much of it is legit and how much is over-exaggeration, but there are some bits of behind the scenes stuff and outtakes scattered about and it’s not bad.

Extras include a couple video blogs regarding the development of the documentary film, which are already on YouTube. There’s an alternate commentary track with Mark where he talks about the film and also some insightful and sometimes over-exaggerated observations regarding Game Room. But on a whole, it’s a fairly good mockumentary with a selection of choice Game Room episodes for good measure.

Now, regarding the Best of Classic Game Room… yeah, let me just set you up as to what to expect; you’re getting 50+ reviews worth of Classic Game Room episodes spanning from the original Game Room days in 1999-2000 to last year. Most of these reviews are already online, but there are a couple of them that are exclusive to this video. You’ve got an audio commentary with Mark Bussler, which is actually quite entertaining and informative in its own right. At one point, he even pokes fun of his monotone delivery during the HD era in 2008 when the show made its official comeback. There’s some behind the scenes content, some outtakes, and a conversation between Mark and former Game Room host David Crosson, which was a highlight.

So, speaking as a backer for this thing and speaking as someone who has enjoyed Classic Game Room since the resurgence of the show back in 2008, I have to say that I was satisfied with The Best Of Classic Game Room. In terms of the content on disc, there’s some good stuff there, some good choices for reviews to represent the show’s best, and presented in the highest quality possible on DVD format, the extra bits were pleasant, I enjoyed the segments between Mark and Dave – that made the DVD worthwhile in my book – but at the same time, there were bits of it that left me underwhelmed.

For one, I would’ve liked to have been able to skip to specific reviews rather than have to scan for them, I would’ve loved for some of the stuff, like the Mark & Dave conversional bits, to have been their own thing rather than scattered throughout the main program. And also, it would’ve been nice to see some reviews exclusive to this DVD; I know they advertised Super Metroid and Shenmue as DVD exclusives at one point, but those eventually made it to YouTube before the DVD’s release and so it just blows the wind from the sail. You’ve got a couple on there, though, such as the reviews of Arkanoid as well as Mark’s Broken Game Boy Advance SP that still works.

But, no, other than those minor bits, I’m quite happy with the way the DVD and the product turned out.

GameFAQS Review – Hat Trick (Arcade)

Fun for a while… but not much else.

This is sort of an odd thing because my first exposure to Hat Trick was not the original arcade game, but rather the odiously flawed conversion on the Atari 7800. To make a long story short, the game boasted choppy animation, flawed controls, and was basically outclassed by other hockey games available in 1987.

The original Hat Trick arcade game, which I did play once or twice during a road trip several years ago, is a far cry from that 7800 conversion by a considerable margin… which should come as no surprise considering an arcade board should be more capable than a home video game system.

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COMIC REVIEW – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (Mirage Studios – Volume 1)

the one that started it all… and after reading it, I’m amazed they were able to continue the series for as long as they did.

The very first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pretty much lays the groundworks for the various aspects that people would become familiar with as this became a massive multimedia empire. We are introduced to our four Ninja Turtles, their rodent sensei Master Splinter, their arch-nemesis Shredder and his Foot Clan, and the origins of all these characters as well as their bloodfeud. It leans hard into its parody and homage to the Frank Miller works, particularly Daredevil, while also crafting a compelling story with lots of bloody, violent action depicted in glorious black and white.

The artwork is truly exceptional stuff; lots of gritty detail and some beautifully rough line art of the various battles between the Turtles and their foes; whether they’d be rugged hoodlums, lethal Foot ninjas, or the Shredder himself. The decision to go black and white as opposed to color might’ve been a money thing – I honestly don’t recall – but it pretty much defined the look of the comic going forward. To the point where I would later come across a color version of this issue and it didn’t quite look as good.

For those whose first exposure to TMNT was the cartoon, reading this comic and realizing how violent it was had to be a bit of a shock and you get why the cartoon is what it is to appeal to kids. But more than anything, the bigger shock was how self-contained the story is. I’m not going to spoil things, but the ending leaves little room for further adventures, presumably because Eastman and Laird figured this was their one and only shot at getting something published. Fortunately, not only did they manage to produce a second issue and continue the story, but… well, it got big.

It’s funny to go back and revisit this issue, like, what? Decades after the fact. It’s been reprinted several times, it’s even been posted on the official Ninja Turtles site for all to see before the big change in ownership. The original printings command high prices, but you could probably find reprints easily enough. The book holds up after all these years and is worth checking out if you bare any fandom to TMNT. And if you’ve already read it, read it again. It’s fantastic.

BOOK REVIEW – The Death Of WCW (10th Anniversary Edition) (2014)

So in 2004, The Death Of WCW was released. A tome written by Wrestlecrap connoisseur R.D. Reynolds and Figure Four Minus Five Stars guy Bryan Alvarez, it was a fascinating and insightful look at the history of World Championship Wrestling, from its early days to its most profitable period to eventually its downfall. Ten years later, they release an expanded edition of the book to commemorate the book’s tenth anniversary… because the thing still gets published and apparently still sells, which justifies said expanded edition.

For all intents and purposes, this is the same book you’ve read in 2004… at least, for the most part. A lot of the text included in the old book has been retained for the most part, but at the same time, the new Death Of WCW book almost feels like a completely different book. Surface-level, it uses different fonts and pictures as the previous book. Dig a bit deeper and a lot of the items that have been mentioned in the previous book has been expanded upon with actual quotes from those who were on the “front lines” as it were. There are also new items added in for good measure. In a sense, this book feels like a more refined product of what came out ten years prior; almost as though this was the book that was supposed to come out, but didn’t because of space constraints.

But what makes this book even more insightful is that not only does it expand upon the unfortunate tale of World Championship Wrestling, but it also points out some of the mistakes that are being repeated TODAY by the major promotions. Remember that mirror gimmick where Hogan (and the audience) could see Warrior in the mirror, but nobody else in the room could? Did you know WWE tried that stunt not just ONCE, but TWICE? Many of these lessons not learned are highlighted and pointed out… although there are a couple lessons that have been “learned.” Remember when WCW unmasked Rey Mysterio Jr? You don’t? Well, good. Nobody else does, either.

In the original book, the epilogue covered the mismanaged Invasion that dominated WWF television for the latter half of 2001. Sadly, that entire chapter has been excised from this new edition, but in its place is a laundry list of all the stupid things that TNA Impact Wrestling has done over the course of its dozen year existence… and it is just as lengthy as the original epilogue. It is, perhaps, the closest thing you’re going to get to a Death Of TNA book… assuming such an event happens sooner than later.

All in all, this expanded edition is worthy of being added to your library, even if you already have the original book. It’s the same book with some expanded bits, but feels different enough that it’s worth taking up another slot on the shelf. Those who didn’t care for the book the first time… well, I doubt anything here will change your mind, but this version feels more complete.

A hearty recommendation.

MOVIE REVIEW – Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (2014)

So I had originally intended this to be an extended vlog – about fifty minutes or so, but due to a variety of technical issues including Vegas crapping out on me multiple times during the rendering process, I ended up having to do a much shorter vlog, which in hindsight, may have been for the best. However, someone wanted the full version and while the chances of that happening now is slim, I did have the original text (or script, as the kids call it) for what the intended vlog was supposed to be… and so here it is, with some minor fixes and edits to make it readable at most.

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COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (PaperCutz) Free Comic Book Day 2014

For those who missed out, there was a line of Power Rangers comics put out for a couple years by a company called PaperCutz, who mostly specialize in family-friendly comics. Nothing too risqué, but at the same time, somewhat toned down from the usual comic fare. They mostly did a handful of comics based on the current run of series (Samurai, Megaforce), but eventually got around to doing a couple MMPR comics before the license expired earlier this year.

I found myself with a copy of the MMPR book that they put out earlier this month as part of the Free Comic Book Day event. It’s a story that takes place during the 2-part White Light episode, shortly after Tommy became the White Ranger. By Bug… Betrayed involves Lord Zedd turning Billy’s Rad Bug into a monster because… sure, why not? We also have a subplot of Zack explaining the joys of collectables to Kimberly (no doubt catering to the speculative market who collects these things, grades them, displays them, and does nothing of significance with them), and we also get a shot of Trini almost getting run over by a car… which garnered some negative reaction due to the scene being in poor taste.

For those who don’t recall, the actor who played Trini in MMPR – Thuy Trang – lost her life in a car accident… and pray that the people decrying this in bad taste did not write fanfics that parlayed that real life tragedy into a plot point of their unoriginal narrative… though, for what it’s worth, when I still wrote fanfics, Trini was still very much alive… but I digress.

(2026 Update: They eventually edited the panel so that Kimberly was the one who nearly got run over… in the digital releases, anyway. This one sequence is why Boom didn’t include the issue in their MMPR Archives collections.)

Anyway, it’s a book aimed for the little ones, so naturally the whole thing is dumbed down considerably. The story, while a bit silly, isn’t outside the norm of MMPR – see Season 3’s Follow That Cab, for example – but the dialogue is what gets me. A couple minor errors (Skull is called Spike, wrong Zord calls) and some rather cringe stock words that I can’t imagine any of the actors speaking. Even the artwork feels a bit lacking here. It’s clean looking, the costumes, monsters, and zords look fine… but the teens only bare passing resemblances to the actor who played them – you’ll recognize the hair, but not so much the faces.

Part of me wonders if this was originally intended to be either a Samurai or Megaforce book, but then someone decreed that we need MOAR MMPR and we got this. PaperCutz did put out a couple of MMPR comics, but if they’re anywhere close to the quality of this, I’m probably going to skip on those. Sorry.