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Dying Light: Been There, Done That

Lauren Croft
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Dying Light: Been There, Done That

Dying Light was released back in January 2015 and unfortunately I’ve only just found the time to play it properly. Like myself I imagine that some of you may have noticed straight away the striking resemblance it carries to a few other notable games, in particular and expectedly it’s somewhat predecessor, Dead Island.

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Besides both games being developed by Techland, both are first-person survival-horrors with role-playing elements set in an open-world environment and share similar objectives:  run fast, bash things over the head with blunt objects, dodge zombies and complete a series of grueling repetitive tasks to make friends, save the day and learn the truth.

Dying Light gets to the point straight away. You play as Kyle Crane, an undercover agent who gets dropped right in the middle of a messy zombified hot zone, is saved by a group of people who seem to already have a pretty knowledgeable understanding of what’s going on and of course count on you to return the favour.
Dead Island is different, you choose to play as one of four characters either working at or lounging around a luxury resort on the fictional holiday island of Banoi. You are basically forced to immediately come to terms with what’s going on around you as the expensive looking resort crumbles into madness and you’re pushed out into the big wide flesh eating world. It is there and then that you begin to realise what exactly is going on, whilst continuously finding yourself surrounded by desperate locals and tourists that are trying to survive and who again of course require your help.

Visually the scenery differs (ever so slightly) between the two. The bright sunny holiday resort and lush green jungles of Dead Island have gone, replaced by a dismal sea of corrugated rooftops, brickwork and pylons, all set in the fictional coastal city of Harran. Amidst all the chaos the local environment still boasts palm trees, boats and random zombies still walking around in bikini tops and hot pants as they did in its predecessor, but I found that what Dead Island lacked in storyline and gameplay was made up for with imaginative scenery which gave way to unexpected settings and quirky characters as the main story progressed. Conversely, Dying light seems to have had the colour drained from the environment and injected back into the storyline and gameplay.

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The new parkour system is fairly self explanatory; more Mirrors Edge than Assassins Creed and including a more realistic set of athletic and combat skills which go hand in hand with the health and survival system. It seems as though this new found athleticism has somewhat replaced the original survival tactic of just using brute force to survive in the testing environment.

The skills tree has changed and represents one of the few instances where the game has faulted in comparison to Dead Island, jumping straight into the action means that you’re at a disadvantage when it comes to leveling up and collecting said skills. This time around the game also includes a new lock picking system, similar to Bethesda’s signature style last seen in Fallout 4, although I admit that I found that this version slightly more challenging due to the sensitivity of the picking action which can be tedious at points, particularly when you’ve just found the correct point on a hard lock without the lockpick breaking and then get smashed over the head having to start again.
Although some may argue that fast travel would ruin the theatrics of the game, particularly at night, I was slightly disappointed to see that this option was not available, especially when some missions which fall right after each other are on opposite sides of the map, wasting precious time running to and fro to deliver a box of crayons.

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One of the most noticeable controller clenching features is the new day/night cycle. Reminiscent of Silent Hill’s famous warning siren that helped escalate the survival horror genre, this game’s version has been reduced to a reminder on a sports watch, alerting you to the perils of the coming night. It’s purpose succeeds and the reminders beep has a similar effect on the atmosphere as the ash rolling in. With the night now upon you it paves the way for new traps, tougher enemies, visual obstacles and physical obstructions, all leading towards a desperate sprint to the closest safe zone to sleep off the horrors until morning.

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Despite these seemingly new additions to what feels very similar to an already existing game, it’s difficult to not feel a constant reminder of the fact that you may have already played through the same basic elements of this before across a number of other titles. Although enjoyable for a while, the repetitive nature becomes tedious and leaves it a bit of a struggle to complete without getting bored in parts.

Legends of Tomorrow – White Knights

Cristina Bogdan
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Legends of Tomorrow – White Knights

Ah, blessed be Canada and its early release of Legends of Tomorrow episode 4. While Americans were busy enjoying their post-Superbowl bliss (and that awesome Civil War spot), their northern cousins were busy travelling through time and space in another adventure on Rip Hunter’s ship.

I have to say, I am more than happy with that particular development, because this episode was awesome and I am generally impatient. The show seems to have finally found its footing, even if there are still times when it goes a little clunky. Early days, early days.

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How to woo a lady, Leonard Snart style.

**SPOILERS BELOW** 

The team finally made it into the ’80s, still tracking Savage’s moves, and having their plans thwarted by impossible odds, and the good guys’ habit of redacting the good bits out of documents that happen to contain important information, which actually sets the stage for their next adventure. Our future legends need to break into one of the best guarded buildings in the world – you guessed it: The Pentagon.

I have to admit, I liked the entire setup, from the humoristic way in which Palmer’s dreams of being the next Napoleon Solo were dashed, to the suave way in which Captain Cold solved the little hiccup coming their way, to the kickass way in which Sara managed to hold her own when Kendra aka Big Bird lost it. It was one of the very first missions in which they were all involved fully, coordinated by Rip, who seems to settle in his role as a leader. It felt like an episode of Mission Impossible and the music definitely helped with that.

Sure, it ended badly – Hawkgirl flipping out, portions of the building, needing a new roof, but the seeds of the teams potential when working together were planted.Gone are the days of them each working on a piece of the puzzle, the one that benefited them the most.

Of course, it lasted only a few minutes, but the fact that their team effort was so easily ruined by personal issues was actually fitting. They all have different personalities, different backgrounds and very different motives for being there. All they have in common is their want  to be remembered as heroes, as legends. But Carter’s death, while working as a motivator before seems to have lost its ability to sustain them in their missions and our barely functional team is already cracking at the seams.

Points to the screenwriter for actually acknowledging that most teams that form under pressure also crack under it. However, I will take those points back, because Rip set a course for the Soviet Union – surprisingly, that is not a tiny village, making his course as broad as telling Gideon to take him to the US, while looking for something incredibly specific. But I digress.

We are reminded that Rip is a rebellious Time Master, when Chronos aka Boba Fett, attacks the ship. Top Gun references, doe eyed Palmer and generally unhappy people abound, but at least they are all alive, despite crashing.

Now, this is where things actually start getting interesting and once more, everyone is given something to do, however in this episode it seems that everyone’s peculiarities and particularities are exacerbated, reminding us all that yes, Palmer is still naive, Snart is a cold-hearted bastard with a plan, Sara and Kendra are struggling with their identities and the list can go on and on. If last episode split them all up for longer than necessary, giving them each the time to shine, as I mentioned before, this time around they were paired up in yet another new combination, bringing different people together and allowing them to play off of each other in new ways. Most ensemble casts tend to show the same pairings over and over again. It’s how ships are born, after all, but Legends of Tomorrow has strayed from that.

Surprisingly, aside from working on a plot level, it actually works in giving us all the opportunity to see new interactions, keeping things fresh week to week.

I mentioned before that Palmer is naive, almost childlike in his belief in giving people second chances and believing the best of them. If said people happen to be female and scientifically inclined, his ability to forgive and forget increases exponentially. With Savage seemingly defected to the Soviet Union and working on a secret plan that will help him conquer the world and a gorgeous scientist thrown in the mix, Palmer decides to play the suave scientist that will sweep her off her feet, taking her in and leading her back to the path of righteousness. I am imagining this is how Palmer’s inner monologue sounded like. The narration of a very average romantic movie. And with the help of ingestible translators he can actually narrate it in Russian too.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow -- "White Knights" -- Image LGN104B_0007b.jpg -- Pictured: Brandon Routh as Ray Palmer/Atom -- Photo: Diyah Pera/The CW -- © 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Sorry, Ray. You’re out in the cold. No pun intended.

As Ray discovers ”reality” hardly works like that and he finds himself rejected before he even got to properly introduce himself to Valentina Vostok (Stephanie Corneliussen). Luckily, my favourite bad guy – Captain Cold – is there to save the day, yet again. I have a feeling – though I could be wrong – that Leonard Snart might soon become a fan favourite. The fan favourite. He’s genre savy, he’s good at stealing, at spinning stories and firing guns and has a code of honour that most bad guys lack.

Back on the ship, Kendra and Sara, two very different women, but sharing a common plight – their inability to always control their rage – are working together towards that exact goal. I have to admit, another thing that I like about Legends of Tomorrow is that they are thankfully avoiding any love triangles, jealous spats between characters and so on and so forth. People get angry, people fight, people lose control, but so far they are focused on the matter at hand, which happens to be saving the world.

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Sara and Kendra end up in a situation that might have put them at odds for the rest of a season and lesser writers would’ve focused on that conflict, instead we are regaled to them learning to support one another through the worst of it. I feel like they were given too little to do, the aforementioned large cast always taking the spotlight from one person or another throughout an episode. Ciara Renee still has a lot of work to do, in my opinion, but she is actually better without Falk Hentschel thrown into the mix.

Rip and Rory also team up, against a big bad enemy. Funny enough, it’s one of the neutral guys, one of those obsessed with preserving the timeline pure and untouched individuals, Rip’s former mentor in the Time Masters – Zuman Druce. Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell) actually proves himself smarter than most people give him credit for and figures Druce’s plan before Rip does. I liked seeing that, considering that most people see Heatwave as a package deal with Captain Cold and nothing more than that.

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Jefferson and Stein are mostly absent from the main story, only showing up when bickering or when saving Rip’s butt from the Time Master’s plan, that Rory ”kindly” informed him of. Jefferson gets hurt and Stein turns into some sort of evil grandfather for a few moments. His intentions are good, but the delivery left a lot to be desired. And he did roofie the kid and abducted him, so I get to call BS whenever he tries to act like he’s got a point.

It might seem a bit like karma struck when Stein gets himself caught, while trying to figure out what Vostok and Savage were working on together, in her evil lair. Okay, it’s more like a laboratory, but she is evil, so lair works. Her project is actually focusing on creating a  Firestorm. They are trying to build what only Stein achieved and it excites and frightens him at the same time. Palmer, our eagle scout,  who I personally believe should never be allowed on any type of mission without adult supervision, gets the everything messed up because he still harbours the idea that somehow pretty scientists can’t be villains. He pays for it, getting himself, Stein and Rory caught. Cold escapes with the thermocore and a whole load of bottled up anger against Rip, who focused more on the mission than on the people involved in it.

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However, I see where this is going and I can see the Prison Break references that will show up in the next episode already.  We need that in our lives. All in all, it was a great episode and while Legends of Tomorrow is still working towards ironing out all of its flaws, it’s definitely enjoyable and what the script can’t fix, the actors and actresses make up for with their deliveries.

Porcelain: Bone China goes international

Cristina Bogdan
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Porcelain: Bone China goes international

Bone China, the sequel to Porcelain: A Gothic Fairytale has hit print last year, to rave reviews. one of which you can read right here. The independent publishing studio that focuses on tales that bear a touch of the fantastic and otherworldly has released the following:

Improper Books are delighted to announce the upcoming international release of PORCELAIN: BONE CHINA, by Benjamin Read & Chris Wildgoose. The second volume of their creator-owned Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy tale series, Bone China will be available from all good comic shops on Wednesday, 10th February 2016, and can be pre-ordered via the Diamond Code: DEC151417.

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Written by Benjamin Read, illustrated by Chris Wildgoose, coloured by André May, and lettered by Jim Campbell, Porcelain: Bone China is set more than a decade after the events of Porcelain: A Gothic Fairy Tale, and follows Child, now grown into Lady. Sole inheritor of all of Uncle’s secrets and wealth, she has continued his work, becoming equally as isolated in her quest to refine the Porcelain and put right past mistakes. Against this backdrop, she must forge her own path through the complexities of love, family, and war.

Porcelain: Bone China is proof of just how much work goes into making a comic, with everyone taking their time to make sure everything is perfect. I might be biased, since I was smitten with the story since I first read A Gothic Fairytale, but it is definitely one of the best stories to have hit print in a while. The final part of the Porcelain trilogy has yet to be announced, but given fan reaction, we’re all waiting with bated breath.

So far the books have been available for UK fans, but with the new release, that will soon change. Several other Improper Books titles will be released internationally via Diamond Comics in the following months. Stay tuned for more information, and take a look at the event that establishes the story and the kind of character that Lady grew up to be.

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Does Dredd Still Have the Thrill Power? – Judge Dredd Megazine #369

Ben Fee
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Does Dredd Still Have the Thrill Power? – Judge Dredd Megazine #369

OK, so first things first: I’m British, so I know who Judge Dredd is, and I grew up aware and sometimes reading 2000AD (kids aren’t always good at consistency, we’re too easily distracted!). However, it’s probably been more than 20 years since I purposefully sat down and read an issue; I’ve flirted about the edges, like trying out the wargame from Warlord Games, and enjoying the film (the Karl Urban one, of course).

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From the cover, issue 369 of Judge Dredd Megazine FEELS like 2000AD, and that’s simultaneously reassuring and scary. Reassuring, because it’s a very British and down to earth kind of screwed up, bleak sci-fi. Scary because it reminds me of how I got my sense of humour, among other things.

Inside there’s a bit of a mish-mash of different stories. Some are partway in, some are standalone, some are just starting, but I enjoyed them all to varying extents. Jude Dredd is still Judge Dredd, the judges of Megacities 1 and 2, etc are still grim, unyielding, with occasional dashes of betrayal and heroic sacrifice.

The interviews, with Dan McDad, Al Ewing, and Alec Worley & Pye Parr are enjoyable, and serve to remind us that we Brits still produce some very smart and talented writers and artists for the comic world. The interview with Alec & Pye prefaces the first part of Realm of the Damned, a stark, nordic-inspired horror whose clean lines, pale tones with stark flashes of red are perfectly suited to the plot. The framing is deliberately uneven, throwing out odd angles and lop sided panels to keep you unsettled and flitting between tightly focusing on one character to highlight their terror or insanity and pulling back to wide sweeping vistas showing the loneliness and scale of the location of a scene relative to the world around it. I might just need to come back for more!

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The Dredd story, The Gyre Part Two, is full of lurid, bright colours, making effective use of blues and greens to highlight the mutation and rot of the environment. However it possesses an airbrushed quality that means it doesn’t feel as sharp as the classic black & white Dredd strips, something that is very hard to ignore and occasionally makes the page too busy, with speech bubbles for some of the characters jagged and uneven, and hard to read. It was still a very Dredd tale of pain, heroics, no mercy and betrayal.

DeMarco, PI is part three of a story called Damocles, set in Mega City 2. It’s a more traditional black and white linework strip, and feels very familiar, with madness, betrayal and stoic heroism. I enjoyed it, and could pick up enough of the previous two parts to understand what was going on. Does this mean the stories are too predictable, or that the tropes of Judge Dredd are just fused into the British consciousness at an instinctive level?

The second Dredd story, Dust, Part 3, is a full colour strip again, but with more traditional colouring and lettering. I found it a lot easier to read and follow. Some action out in the Cursed Earth, but come back next time, kids because It felt a little too short to me.

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Synammon, Arc of Light was a nice, sci-fi semi-standalone story that seems to fit within an arc. I’d like to read some more, I must admit, as while it was as dark as expected for a Dredd book, it reminded me more of something like Dark Angel or Firefly than Dredd. lots of action, a little morality, space ships and explosions. Would come again!

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Tyranny Rex, The Comeback was originally printed in  2000AD progs 1395-1399 and is a little bit Richard Morgan with personalities being put into new bodies when they die, genetic engineering, mysterious contracts, villains and such. Still enjoyable, but I should maybe remember that, while it’s over pretty quickly, it was originally in four parts! Assassins, second chances and betrayal! Colourful, clean linework, nice colouring and lettering.

Tyranny Rex, Systems of Romance , originally from the 1989 2000AD Sci-Fi Special, uses a mixture of black and white and colour, to tell a story of redemption, madness and mercy. I could almost hear Malcolm McDowell in full Clockwork Orange mode as I read this story. Messy and bleak, but enjoyably so.

Overall, there’s a lot here, and I’m sure that if you buy it regularly, you will enjoy it even more, with it’s serial nature. Lots of little flashes of story adding up over the weeks. It’s nice to mix it up with the interviews and letters page, and cool that they bring back some shlock sci fi and horror from the classic 2000AD progs too. Fun to dip into and nostalgic, but more fun for the committed fan!!

 

Ryan Reynolds wants Deadpool in X-Force

James Buckingham
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Ryan Reynolds wants Deadpool in X-Force

On the eve of Ryan Reynolds‘ labour of love, Deadpool, hitting UK theaters (I’m so damn excited!), the star has given us geeklings a roadmap of what he’d like to do with the “Merc with a mouth” next. And it involves donning a grey version of his beloved suit.

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Yep, you read right, folks. Reynolds wants to see more Deadpool in the X-Men universe, though in particular he has his sights firmly set on the beleaguered X-Force movie.

“X-Force is my priority. I really want to get that in”

If you remember, writer Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) was signed on to get a screenplay sorted out, with things appearing to be going smoothly. We even heard rumours of potential characters involved due to some concept art, with Warpath, Cable, Domino, Cannonball and Feral featured (no Deadpool though).

However since then, other X-Men projects have moved forward (like New Mutants, for example), while X-Force has been left bringing up the rear. Well Reynolds’ drive may very well give X-Force the kickstart it needs.

Concept art from Gregory Semkow
Concept art from Gregory Semkow

Speaking with Filmstarts, the star commented: “There’s so much material to mine in just the X-Men universe! In the future, if we’re doing a bunch more Deadpool movies, we’re really going to explore the X-Men a lot. We’ll see. And maybe X-Force – X-Force is my priority. I really want to get that in”.

With any luck, Reynolds’ interest along with Deadpool’s success (if early impressions and reviews are anything to go by) will help to speed along X-Force. Then we’ll (hopefully) get to see Wilson and Summers on the big screen together!

Until then… here’s the most recent red band trailer for Deadpool… of course, NSFW.

https://youtu.be/fR1ftWprkxM

 

You talkin’ to me? Taxi Driver at 40 and 5 facts you didn’t know

trekkiemark
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You talkin’ to me? Taxi Driver at 40 and 5 facts you didn’t know

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This year marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most influential films ever made; Taxi Driver. When it was premièred in America on 8th February 1976 it was considered, by some critics, to be quite violent whilst others praised its brooding score and dark cinematic tones. Reminds you that Robert De Niro actually made some cracking movies too, (apparently you’ll need therapy after seeing Dirty Grandpa!!)

Here’s some bona fide Geek-Pride “interesting fun facts” about this piece of legendary cinema.

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1 – Robert De Niro actually worked as a cabbie in New York.

Yes that’s right. Ever the method actor, De Niro actually obtained a New York City Cab Drivers permit and spend several weeks driving around the city as a taxi driver in order to get into the part. It’s a wonder no one noticed him having starred in the epic Godfather Part 2 in 1974 as the young Don Corleone.

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2 – The angry passenger in the back seat is the director

The actor George Memmoli, who frequently collaborated with Martin Scorsese in films such as Mean Streets and New York, New York, was originally meant to play the part of the vexed passenger who was ranting about killing his wife and her lover. Unfortunately he got injured on the set of a previous film so the director had to fill in at the last minute.

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3 – Life imitates Art

In 1981 a lone gunman shot and wounded then President of the United States Ronald Reagan in Washington eerily echoing the scene where Travis Bickle attempts to assassinate Senator Palentine. Once apprehended and tried for attempted murder, John Hinkley Jr was found to have been obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and had watched the film Taxi Driver on multiple occasions leading many to believe the film had a strong influence on his actions.

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4 – Last Waltz of a Musical Genius

This was the last score ever composed by legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann. Herrmann was famed for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock and composed many memorable scores for films such as North by Northwest, Vertigo and the famous shrieking violins piece for the shower scene in Psycho. Herrmann died hours after the final recording sessions of the soundtrack; the film dedicated to his memory.

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5 – Close but no cigar.

Taxi Driver missed out the accolades at the 1976 Academy Awards having lost to the first instalment Rocky. Whilst it would be a further thirty year wait for Scorsese to pick up an Oscar for the Departed Taxi Driver is now critically revered with it placing 52nd on the AFI’s 100 greatest films and 31st on the “Sight and Sounds” critics poll. It even has a place in the US Library of Congress being deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically unique in 1994 and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Follow the author on Twitter @hughesms

 

 

We need to talk about the New Ghostbusters film and confront the haters!

trekkiemark
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We need to talk about the New Ghostbusters film and confront the haters!
The latest Ghostbusters 2016 Character Poster
The latest Ghostbusters 2016 Character Poster

 

There’s something dark in the neighbourhood. And I’m afraid it ain’t no ghost.

In the past few months I’ve never come across such acidic, vitriolic criticism over any pre-released film more than I have with the upcoming Ghostbusters.

Paul Feig was given the reigns of this film and decided to spin the concept on it’s head. Nope. Not set it in space, or the future, or LA. Nope. He’s cast an all female Ghostbusting crew.

My reaction?

“Intriguing! He’s picked a crop of current women actors with a background in comedy and given them the keys to ECTO 1. What’s more there to say?”

Yet in nearly every comment section of every social media post reporting on any facet of the upcoming film you will find a barrage of scathing criticism of a film that people haven’t even seen yet. And it makes me ashamed to call myself a nerd.

Nine times out of ten I do the sane thing, shrug my shoulders and move on. But it was one post from a popular (and I will leave unnamed) Facebook “Geek” page in the form of a meme showing photo the new cast with the words “Not calling these guys” that really got me mad. I just said it like I saw it. This was nothing more than blatant misogyny. A barrage of angry Facebookers took to this like a red rag. And in turn I called out each and every person on their gripe with this film.

Here’s some of the common argument I encountered most of them beginning with that old adage “I’m not sexist but….”

“Paul Feig is ruining my childhood!”

How exactly? I betcha tonnes of your favourite films have been revamped in recent years. Didn’t hear people going nuts when the announced the new Star Wars. There wasn’t anything like this kind of hate when Star Trek got renewed in 2009. I’m a Trekkie and we’re the most precious fanboys out there. And yes, we’ll tell you if an instalment is sub-par. But we’ll certainly wait to see it before ripping into it.

And lets face it. The original 1984 release was a classic comedy film. Not denying that. But Ghostbusters II kinda sucks. (Don’t take it from me, Rotton Tomatos has it at 50%.) You had the Saturday morning kids show from the 80’s and a reboot from what I can remember in the 90’s and that’s it. Feig is not exactly crapping over a wide oeuvre of work here is he?

“Feig is only casting women to be politically correct.”

So what? I think this is a fresh and unique take on a much loved plot. We’ve never had problems with strong female leads like Captain Janeway, The Bride from Kill Bill and nearly every Josh Whedon female protag. What’s so wrong with four ladies with the overalls and proton packs? In fact I quite like that Feig hasn’t over sexualised them in anyway shape or form. I think they look bad ass to be frank.

“You’re just jumping on your keyboard to try and score points from the “feminazis out there.”

Wrong. Who am I to turn around to my girlfriend or my sister or any of my female friends, look them in the eye and tell her them they can’t play Ghostbusters with the rest of the guys just because they don’t have a physical pair down there? I’ve never classed myself as a feminist but if believing that my female peers should have the same equal opportunities as me then call me a feminist. Why should a person’s gender disqualify them from becoming president, a CEO or a Paranormal Investigator?

I get it. Being a nerd is all about wearing your love for your fandom on your sleeve. Being a die hard fanboy/girl can be exhausting with Hollywood repackaging and re-churning our your favourite films over and over. I remember leaving the cinema after seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and I felt numb. What did they just do? Aliens? CGI Gophers? Nuclear fridges? South Park summed it up the best going as far to depict Lucas and Spielberg gang raping Indy on a ping pong machine. Don’t even start me on the Star Wars prequels and the mess made there.

However one of the down sides of being an opinionated nerd in the 21st Century is that to prove you love something so much you have to show you hate any slight deviation from the original. I know plenty of people who are angry at Han shooting first but not really sure why. Most people my age saw the special editions in the 90’s and never really noticed yet throw a shit fit every time the new CGI sequences. I feel that displays of this nature show a very unflattering snobbishness that exists within the geek community; one that unfortunately flashes shades of sexism time and again.

I know people are already entrenched with their views on this film but to them I say catch a grip. You’re hating on a film that hasn’t (as of time of writing) even had a trailer released yet. My advice? Take a long look in the mirror and tell yourself, “it’s just a movie.”

I really hope Ghostbusters is good. In fact I’m praying it’s going to be great. Now to sit back and read about how horribly wrong I am in the comments section. Bring it on!!

The all new Ghostbusters is coming to the UK on 15th July 2016

Deus Ex: Children’s Crusade – The Comics of the Future, Today!

MrCraiggy
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Deus Ex: Children’s Crusade – The Comics of the Future, Today!

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Word on the internet is that, the minute you mention Deus Ex, someone somewhere will reinstall it on their PC. So, while my copy of Deus Ex is reinstalling, I want to talk to you about the latest development in the franchise.

Sat in my email inbox was a preview copy of the new Deus Ex comic series under their Universe umbrella of material.
Rather than think to myself “I never asked for this”, I immediately opened the comic and dove into the story.

Now, this first story arc, entitled Children’s Crusade, takes place between the events of Human Revolution and the upcoming Mankind Divided game.
The comic opens with a brief recap of the plot, explaining the happenings of the Aug Incident which… Oh, wait, I know the drill by now.

*AHEM* SPOILER WARNING!!!

 

Propaganda poster used as a part of the ad campaign for Mankind Divided
Propaganda poster used as a part of the ad campaign for Mankind Divided

 

The Aug Incident was kind of a big deal. Cybernetically enhanced people were controlled with a signal and made to attack regular humans.

This was seen as a bad thing, for lots of reasons, but it caused Interpol to create Task Force 29 to deal with “Aug Terrorist” threats.

This is where Children’s Crusade kicks off.
Adam Jensen, freelance badass and professional king of being ungrateful – seriously, if you’re not familiar with “I never asked for this”, A: Where have you been and B: go Google it. I’ll wait – now works for Task Force 29 as their newest recruit.
Naturally, with Jensen being an Aug (and a pretty high tech one at that) this causes some animosity on the squad, with leader MacReady being against Jensen for being both an Aug and the new guy.

Written by Alex Irvine (who some of you may recognise for his work on Marvel’s Iron Man: Virus novel or from writing the novelisation of Pacific Rim) and drawn by fairly recent newcomer to the comic book world, John Aggs, who has spent a lot of time honing his craft in the world of webcomics but has the 2007 Tokyo Pop Grand Prize in their Rising Stars of Manga awards under his belt.

Now, I am a fan of the Deus Ex franchise, but I feel that my enjoyment of this comic was mainly drawn from that fandom.
Aggs’s artwork really complements the gritty Cyberpunk setting of Deus Ex and fully captures the vibe of franchise and, while I don’t want to take anything away from Irvine’s writing because again, it does fit the setting, I feel as though this comic loses a large amount of appeal for readers who may not be entirely clued up on Deus Ex.

If, however, like me, you enjoy Deus Ex and can’t get enough of Jensen not asking for things, you will probably get a lot of entertainment out of this comic and you will probably want to find out what happens in the story on the run-up to Mankind Divided.

Deus Ex: Children’s Crusade is released this Wednesday, 10th of February, from all decent comic book stockists for $3.99 (or however much your comic store charges for your comics here in the UK) and is published by Titan Comics.

Until next time, I never asked to be Craig.

Judge Dredd: Dead Zone, by John Wagner and Henry Flint

Peter Ray Allison
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Judge Dredd: Dead Zone, by John Wagner and Henry Flint

Dead Zone is the latest instalment in the ongoing epic of Judge Dredd, which continues the ongoing fallout of the Day of Chaos storyline. To give an idea of scale, the Day of Chaos storyline was a consequence of The Apocalypse Way storyline (first published in 1985).

In the Dead Zone storyline, Mega City 1 is still recovering from ‘Chaosday’ and is seeking to rebuild itself, as well as honour the people who lost their lives. Yet there are always people willing to profit from another’s tragedy, and when an item of great power is discovered, more tragedy is sure to follow.

One of the great things about Judge Dredd storylines is how they all – whether they are big or small – develop the ongoing storyline, and Dead Zone is no exception. As well as the consequences of Chaosday, we are also introduced to a potentially new faction within the world of Dredd. Whilst new blood is always welcome, as it is allows for a jumping on point for new readers, this one seems out of place for the Dredd universe, especially as there has been no inclination as to the existence of such a faction before.

Any storyline that pushes the story forward as much as Dead Zone does is always a great read. Having it is written by Judge Dredd co-creator John Wagner is just the icing on the cake. The artwork by Henry Flint is gloriously brutal and visceral, as the story requires.

Many people know that the character of Judge Dredd is a satire of totalitarian regimes, yet still many forget that is 2000AD is an inherently political comic. This political theme continues with 2000AD examining the immigration and poverty.

Accompanying Dead Zone is Breaking Bud, a fantastic sequel story that is heavily inspired by Breaking Bad and includes many of the elements from Dead Zone. Breaking Bud is great not just because it ties up some of the loose ends, but we meet one of the few genuinely sympathetic characters within the Dredd verse. We have all had one of those days where we are crapped on from a great height, so it is always great to see someone fight back.

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XCOM 2: First Impressions

Tom Sorsby
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XCOM 2: First Impressions

XCOM 2 finally arrived on shelves and digital storefronts on the 5th of February, having been delayed from its original November release date so Firaxis could iron out the remaining kinks with their new procedural world generator – theoretically, this is now a game you can play a hundred times without ever getting a repeated map. Except the tutorial ones, presumably. I had my first crack at the game yesterday, my copy being “lost” by the world’s largest online retailer, forcing me to buy it through Steam and borrow my brother’s much faster internet to download it. Sorry for the delay in getting this review up!

My first impressions of the game were not all positive. Graphically, it was not looking the best, but a quick trip to the options menu sorts that right out – guess I’m just used to games doing the auto-detect thing before you hit the main menu, while XCOM 2 defaulted everything to minimal. Easily fixed, onto the game proper.

Meet The Team
Operation Sweaty Future: couldn’t have named it better myself.

Having just finished the tie-in novel “Resurrection”, a good, quick read by Gregory Keyes, I was well versed in the lore of XCOM 2 and dying to get a look at the New Cities our alien overlords had built for us – for unlike most sequel games, XCOM 2 makes the assumption you lost the first game in a matter of months, and puts you in the position of guerrilla resistance. Your first look at the shining New Cities does not disappoint, and while the tutorial is still as on-rails as the previous game’s, there’s a lot more story going off in the background to keep your interest.

A little exposition later, and you’ll be assigning research and building medkits just like the old days, only with a few twists. Instead of mining out tunnels in your ant-farm base, you need to clear sections of the retrofitted alien ship you now call home, which requires the on-hands experience of a member of the engineering team, not just a bloke with a digger. This helps to give the vibe that not only are you no longer the (arguably) well-funded operation you once were, having to devote actual manpower to the “simplest” of tasks, but that even your base is not a friendly environment. Which is just fantastic.

Specialist Dance
Funky fresh moves. I call it the “Specialist Dance”.

The first mission where I felt there’d be no hand holding was the third, and was also the first to give me an opportunity to edit my squad, using the new customisation toolbox. Oh yes, a plethora of sleeves, flak jackets, hats and weapon camos are unlocked from the get-go, though one or two options such as a soldier’s disposition remain greyed out for higher soldier levels. Naturally, I made some of my closest friends, plus myself, and sent them out to die.

Hero Shot
My Ranger, representing the Geordies – an accent sadly not available in game.

What fun I had. The new Concealment system, where you begin a mission hidden from the enemy, works fantastically. Enemies potter about on loose patrols, but don’t seem to notice a unit that’s crossed their updated line of sight unless that unit moves while in that detection range (unless that was just the game cutting me a break in the second mission). So you can’t get too close, for fear of a patrol discovering you and tying your units down, but the rewards far outweigh the risks, when the ambush is successful. Charge in with your sword-wielding Ranger, while the rest of the team waits on Overwatch to pick off the rest of the patrol as they scatter for cover – it feels great.

More Action
Action on the Sharpshooter – my most deadly squad member, with 6/9 of the kills.

Speaking of cover – I’m getting the feeling that it’s more important this time around, and it was pretty damn vital last time. Unless I’m wildly misremembering my numbers, the hit percentages my squad are capable of for gaining height advantages, flanking or blowing out cover are superb, so don’t be stingy with your explosives, and for the love of Shen, don’t leave yourself open to the same tactics. My sniper was positioned on a rooftop (naturally) and had above a 90% hit chance with her pistol against a nearby ADVENT Trooper in low cover. If that situation were reversed, I dread to think what’d have happened.

Boom
The Grenadier, XCOM 2’s Heavy. No cover for aliens, ever.

Troopers have made up the bulk of my enemies so far, three missions in, and while I know there are more flavours of ADVENT later in the game, I’m a little disappointed by them at the moment, and don’t see the basic Trooper as much of a threat – though that could just be because I kill them off before the ADVENT Captains have a chance to buff them. The Aliens however, are definitely a threat. The humble Sectoid is a mind controller and panic specialist from the off, and has a HP bar that requires two or three attacks (or a Geordie Viking) to bring down. They’re a far cry from the scampering little nuisances they once were – so I only assume Chrysalids are going to be an absolute nightmare.

Feelin' Lucky
The Spirit of Callahan lives on, post-occupation.

First impressions of XCOM 2: its new and improved but business as usual – in the best possible way. The new features enhance the largely unchanged but rock solid core gameplay and the tonal shift, supported by the mechanical changes, paints a vivid picture of the world you now live in. I’m loving XCOM 2, and looking forward to seeing more of what the game offers. If you’re new to the series or don’t want to commit to a full priced game just yet, then make like my Grenadier and pick up Enemy Within.

Central out.

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