Halo 4 vs. Destiny - Critically Compared

Halo 4 vs. Destiny

Critically Compared

Here we go boys. Possibly the two biggest sci-fi shooters in recent memory, pinned against each other in a critical comparison to the death!

In one corner, we have Halo 4, Bungie’s abandoned pre-pubescent teen that was graciously adopted by 343.

In the other corner, we have Bungie’s newest and favorite offspring, Destiny.

Which will win? Armored/badass/faceless soldiers, or wizards from the moon?

Note: As usual, I will name the things that both games have in common, and judge which one does it better. Also note that both games are the same genre and share many qualities.

So without further ado…

Round 1: Story

Destiny doesn’t have one.

Point Halo!

Well, not exactly. You see, Destiny’s story is completely dependent on how much the player want to learn about the lore. There are several resources that players can use to learn about the imaginative (and relatively detailed) world that Bungie has created.

It a shame that not much of that lore come through during the game. Most missions are not really story based, and instead play out as:

1. Go Here
2. Kill That
3. Pick Up/Stand Next To/Hold X Near That

Halo’s story is one beloved by millions, and even though Halo 4’s story is pretty different from the rest, it at least has a plot line and character arcs.

Result: Halo 4

Round 2: Shooting

Destiny and Halo, despite having many similar traits, play very differently. Destiny is much faster paced, while Halo is more slow and kind of methodical.

Destiny also has offers the option for players to aim down the sights on every weapon, a feature that is absent in Halo.

This combined with the overall flow and openness of Destiny, is why it wins this round.

Result: Destiny

Round 3: Leveling & Customization

These two categories seemed pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, so I decided to combine them.

Both games offer a leveling system in order for players to unlock new content as they progress. In Halo, the leveling is exclusive to multiplayer mode, occasionally rewarding players with gear to customize their Spartan with.

In Destiny, leveling and loot applies in both the Story mode and PvP matches. This allows players to use what they earn in the open world in battle against other enemies. The whole system plays like this: Kill….Get Loot… Apply Loot…. Kill Some More…. and repeat…

Still Destiny’s leveling and customization systems have much more depth than Halo’s.

Result: Destiny

Round 4: Multiplayer “Mode”

Technically speaking, Destiny is entirely multiplayer, meaning the player is never offline. But rather than just giving the point to Destiny, I will instead compare both games’ Player vs. Player modes.

Destiny’s PvP mode has all the basic game modes, but that’s it. While more PvP modes may come via DLC, at the moment there are only 4. Or maybe 5…. 6? I don’t know. Regardless, it isn't even close to the variety of PvP modes in Halo 4. Plus, higher leveled players are so overpowered with their gear abilities, that newbies have a hard time having fun.  

Halo’s multiplayer is legendary. It’s simple, easy to get a hang of, and accessible to almost everyone. Not everyone appreciates this, but I think it’s a quality that game developers should keep in mind more often….

Result: Halo 4

Final Round: Overall Gameplay

Like I said before, Destiny is very repetitive. Even though the shooting in Destiny is better than Halo’s, I’m not sure that can hold up against Halo’s diversity of gameplay.

After all, Halo 4 had some amazing set pieces and level design. Like that level on the outside of the space ship!?! Awesome…

Plus, Halo has more vehicles and gameplay option so that everyone can have his/her own style.

Hurray for diversity!

Result: Halo 4

End Result

Destiny: 2 Points

Halo 4: 3 Points

Winner: Halo 4

Keep in mind that the opinions expressed in this post are just that: opinions. Also remember that I am not an expert and that nothing I say is conclusive. Don’t hate me Destiny fans.

Hit those like, share, +1, and Subscribe buttons.

Thanks for reading and hopefully I’ll see you next time.

BoJack Horseman Christmas Special Quick Review

BoJack Horseman Christmas Special

Sabrina’s Christmas Wish

Thank God for Christmas.

I’m not one to get in the Christmas spirit, but with the amount of content that is put out during this season, it’s hard not to get excited.

And leave it to Netflix to give me just what I needed to get in that festive mood that everyone’s always talking about. Yes, Netflix has put out a special episode of BoJack Horseman just for the holidays. And it is brilliant.

The episode actually revolves around BoJack and Todd watching a Christmas episode of “Horsin’ Around,” the show that BoJack starred in during the 90’s.

With commentary from the both Todd and BoJack, and tons of exploited 90’s stereotypes, hilarity ensues. It’s amazing how accurately the show can portray “bad sitcom acting” in a cartoon.

This actually might be my favorite episode of BoJack to date, and it was just what I needed to get out of my “BoJack withdrawal.”

Award Time!

(Spoilers)

Best Scene: The heart-to-heart discussion on Sabrina’s bed in which BoJack tells Sabrina he’s glad her parents are dead.

Best Off-Screen Character: The guy in the live-studio-audience who keep shouting

Conclusion

Seeing as it is the holidays, and since I am now in the giving mood, I’ll give this episode of BoJack Horseman a 9.5/10.

Happy holidays everyone, and happy new year too!

Death Punch'd by Jeremy Spencer Review: It's Decent

Death Punch’d Review

Five Finger Death Punch is one of my favorite bands. So when I heard that the drummer from FFDP, Jeremy Spencer, had written a memoir, I knew I had to read it.

So I did, and here are my thoughts on the book.

Plot

Jeremy has had a troubled life. In his book, he writes of all the mistakes he’s made, his trouble with drug addiction, and of course, his climb to fame.

The book is well organized, with every other chapter jumping from Spencer’s early life to his later years as the drummer of Five Finger.

Note: If this book had a rating, it would be rated R. Seriously, this book isn’t for kids.

I think the best way I can describe the novel is brutally honest. Spencer spares no detail, describing every party, every sex scene, and every drug related incident vividly. While it was sometimes uncomfortable to read, Death Punch’d is a story about overcoming life’s obstacles. It isn’t exactly a good one, but it is relatively interesting and occasionally funny.

Writing

Death Punch’d is an auto-biography, and since Spencer is a drummer and not a writer, my expectations were not set high.

Still, I was impressed by Jeremy Spencer’s overall writing ability. Sure, there and grammar mistakes and misspelled words throughout the entire novel, but if you don’t care about these mistakes, then they won’t subtract too much from the book.

Conclusion

Death Punch’d isn’t specifically about FFDP, so if you want to read a book about Five Finger, don’t read this one. However, if you want a poorly written book about the struggles of a now famous rock star, then this book is decent. I give Death Punch’d a 6.5/10.

Rock on.

White Collar Final Season (6) Review

White Collar Final Season Review

Here we go boys. Another final season of a show that I love. It’s true that there was a time where I dreamed of being Neal Caffrey, conning my way to success.

There’s a certain allure to Caffrey’s character that I think everyone can find interest in.  Whether you love his good looks, or are jealous of his suaveness, everyone who has seen this show loves Neal, and the final season of White Collar sent him on his way appropriately.

SPOILER ALERT: Don’t read if you haven’t finished the final season yet.

Plot

Ah, the final con.

One last job.

It’s true that the whole “One last gig to end things” plot is used way too often in crime and theft movies. Even so, I can’t think of any other way one could have ended this series. The show is known for it’s cons and heists, so this season gave the people what they wanted.

As you probably know by now, Neal joins the “Pink Panthers” in an attempt to bring them down, prove his skill as a thief, and earn his freedom, all in one fell swoop. I thought the plan to make Neal’s freedom worth something tangible was a good idea, as it allowed me to have a clear goal in mind the entire season.

The season was a short one, but I think I prefer it this way. My only complaint about the pacing would be that the build up to the finale didn’t quite seem like...enough.

I really wanted something big from the final episodes. I wanted something really special. And although the final airport con was brilliant (the one with the tubes), it still wasn’t what I was looking for.

At this point I should address the elephant in the room: Neal Caffrey faking his death.

I hated this decision.

Why? Because I knew it was going to happen! The finale was so predictable that by the end of the episode, I was actually hoping that Neal was dead!

And why can’t he just die? It would have left a bigger impact on me than the loosely strung together faked death con.

In the end, I knew that Neal wasn’t dead.

I knew Keller was going to die.

Hell, I even predicted that El and Peter’s son would be named Neal (although that one was obvious)!

What I’m trying to say is I was disappointed. This show, in past seasons, has tricked me and had me confused time and time again. After all, that’s one of the most important qualities in every good heist story!

I just expected more.

Still, I think the finale sent Neal off on a good note, left every other character happy, and confirmed the fact that Neal Caffrey is the best of the best. Which I guess was their goal all along (?).

Acting/Dialogue

I’ve always felt like White Collar’s acting was a bit spotty in places. With the exception of Matt Bomer (Neal Caffrey) and Willie Garson (Mozzie), all the actors seems to be laying it on a little thick. Tim Dekay (Peter Burke) always seems on the verge of shouting his lines.

But hey, I’m no actor, so I can’t be too critical. They’re good enough.

As far as dialogue, while I never felt the absence of emotion, I often thought to myself: “That’s an odd way of saying that...”

It’s hard to explain, but heartfelt monologues in the show are sometimes compromised by poor word choice. Oh well…

Award Time!

Best Performance: Willie Garson as Mozzie

Best Episode: Uncontrolled Variables

Best Heist/Job: The Initiation Job

Conclusion

I’ve faithfully watched White Collar since the beginning, and while the direction the show went wasn’t exactly what I expected, I think the decision to let Neal return to his life of crime and earn his freedom was the right choice for the character. I give the final season of White Collar a 7.5/10.

Neal Caffrey, you will be missed.

Socially Unbalanced Ep. 5 - EOTY Awards Part 2 & Our Thoughts on "The Interview"

We wrap up our End of the Year Awards and talk about The Interview...


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Legend of Korra Series Finale Review: Giant Robot Death Machines and Romance!

Legend of Korra Series (Book 4) Finale

So here we are at last. The series finale. *sigh*

At this moment, I am experiencing a strange mixture of emotions. I am saddened by the fact that the show has reached its end, but there were many things the final episode(s) did that made this series one that I will remember for a long time.

Beware of SPOILERS ahead.

Story

If you don’t know, Book 4 revolved around Korra recovering from her battle with Zaheer, as well as stopping the dictatorial menace: Kuvira. Within the first few episodes, I was afraid that the show was going to have a hard time pacing itself while still resolving all the established plot lines.

I am happy to report that Book 4 of The Legend of Korra was a fantastic conclusion to the series, and left just enough open to interpretation for it to be interesting.

Note: I will be focusing on the events of the last two episodes during this summary.

I guess we’ll start with the literal giant robot in the room.

When I first saw Kuvira’s colossal mechanical robot death machine, I was not a fan. In my experience, battles in the Avatar universe against giant foes just don’t appeal to me as much as the normal one-on-one fights (Like the Giant Korra vs. Giant Vaatu/Ungalaq fight. Ugh).

Still, the death machine grew on me in these last two episodes, as it proved not only to be a respectable opponent for Team Avatar, but also a unique setting for some great fights. Once our heroes were able to enter the machine, things got really interesting.

I especially loved the fight between Korra and Kuvira in the command room. It was a nice contrast to the normal wide open space fights that we are used to.

Mako and Bolin’s appearances were great as well. Their team up in the engine room was almost like watching them back in the Pro-Bending Ring.

Anyway, at the end of the episode(s), Kuvira is defeated, Varrick and Zhu Li get married, and Korra and Asami fall in love.

Well, not exactly. Yes, Asami and Korra were portrayed in a way that would suggest that they could perhaps pursue a romantic relationship. While I think this may have been done mostly as a fan-service, I applaud the creators (and Nickelodeon) for releasing such progressive episode, especially in a show directed towards younger audiences.

I’m sure there will be a wide range of responses after this reveal. Honestly, I think the decision to put the relationship in the show was a good one. I think it’s good step in the right direction, especially after the whole censorship issue that just occurred with The Interview. Plus, It leaves room for expansion to the world.

Anyway, if I had to have one complaint about this season (which I do), it would be that the last episodes leave some relationships half-baked, Like Opal and Bolin. Then again, I don’t really care.

Art Style

LoK had a rough time even having four seasons. With the show being taken off television and put on the web, I’m sure the studio was desperate for funding. Maybe this is why I excuse the show for looking as terrible as it is. Some of the scenes look terrible, but I think the studio did the best with what they had. The most important scenes look great, and that’s all that matters.

Action

Book 4 offers the most and the best fight scenes of the entire series, if not the franchise. While none of them quite live up to the fight with Zaheer, I appreciate the creators for going all out on the final season.

Award Time!

Best Character: Kuvira (Still)

Best Fight: Taking down the Colossus (Specifically the part where they earthbend the building)

Best Episode: Beyond the Wilds (just because of Zaheer)

Best Relationship: Korrasami!!

Conclusion

So hey, this was a great show. While the series finale wasn’t everything I’d hoped it would be (because Appa’s spirit didn’t fly out of the spirit world and kill Kuvira), I thought it was a fitting end to the series. I give Book 4 of LoK and the entire series itself a 9/10.

We may never see anything else from the Avatar universe for a long time, if ever. We were lucky enough that Korra was made as it is! Still, I hope this isn’t the last we see of Team Avatar.

Friends, you will be missed.

And remember guys, let go your earthly tether. Enter the void, empty, and become wind.