Some Thoughts - January (The Favourite, Spyro The Dragon, WWE Royal Rumble, Daughters and more)

Hi! Thought I try something a little different this year, I'm going to be posting a blog at the end of each month with some thoughts on somethings I watched/listened/played that month. So here it is:

Music

Daughters - You Won't Get What You Want (4/5)

A really amazing atheistic choice for the music, I still maintain that the opener 'City Song' sounds like a Slipknot track, but the rest is some hardcore, dirty, scary and anxiety driven noise rock. I can totally see why this is a lot of peoples favourite record, and honestly this would definitely have place in my top 5 if I had listened to it before making my list.

Fave Tracks: City Song, Satan In The Wait, The Flammable Man, Less Sex, The Reason They Hate Me.

Nirvana - Nevermind (4/5)

Never properly listened to this album all the way through and I'm glad I finally did, it's a treat, I read somewhere that Kurt didn't like how clean the production on this album was, and honestly I agree with that statement. I feel I gravitate to some songs from the debut album, Bleach, more cause of the punky and dirty production. Nevermind clearly has much better writing though, genuinely a classic.

Fave Tracks: In Bloom, Come As You Are, Lithium, Polly, Territorial Pissings, On a Plain, Something In The Way

The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (3/5)

A really enjoyable emo poppy album, and some track really do stick with you, but for me this isn't usually stuff I gravitate to, and it also suffers from a long run time and track list, it means it really meanders in the middle, even with the hot start.

Fave Tracks: Give Yourself A Try, Love It If We Made It, The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme, It's Not Living (If It's Not With You), I Couldn't Be More In Love.

Nirvana - In Utero (3.5/5)

I can totally see why people think this record is the best out of the three, but for me, and maybe this cause I listened to Nevermind directly before this album, I think In Utero might be my least favourite of the three LPs Nirvana released. It is clearly the blend between the first two albums, and in that respect it should be the best, but I feel like overall it just falls a little short overall. I still really love the album, it's a pretty close call, I guess I was hoping this one would be a 5/5. Heart-Shape Box might be my favourite Nirvana song now though.

Fave Tracks: Heart-Shaped Box, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle, Milk It, Tourette's.

Ghost - Prequelle (3.5/5)

By far the best Ghost album they have released so far, I feel like Ghost has a large catalogue of great songs, but they all don't sit in one record where you can enjoy them all in a sitting, and this is the closest they've come to that. Let me be clear, the best Ghost songs aren't on here, but quite a few real good ones are.

Fave Tracks: Faith, See The Light, Miasma, Dance Macabre


Movies

Sorry To Bother You (3/5)

Fucking weird, but also has funny moments. I think this needs a rewatch but my overall feeling is that it was fine.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (3/5)

A fun movie that is overall quite funny and charming, but has cheesy/cringy moments. I remember when this came out people had this very positive voice for it, being unexpectedly very good, but for me, watching this for the first time in a post-Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse world, this is no where near up to the standard that it could be.

Aquaman (3/5)

Cool sequences, beautiful underwater shots, very good CGI, charming and funny performance by Jason Momoa, coupled with the DCEU trait of being, a bit all over the place, feeling weirdly paced, disjointed, strange editing decisions and being too fucking long.

The Favourite (4.5/5)

I need to see this movie again right now, every performance by the main three actresses, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachal Weisz, are all absolutely amazing. The story, all about love told in this really interesting way, with lots of beats, told in a period which is unusual with characters that are unusual, all boils down to nothing really actually changing in the long run and it's just so fucking COOL MAN. WIN ALL THE OSCARS.

Games

Spyro Reignited Trilogy: Spyro The Dragon (4/5)

Just completed the game with the full 120% you can get, it is a lot of fun and you can see the tight map and level design coupled with simple controls and abilities to create a really challenging platformer. I'm looking forward to play the next game and seeing the evolution of the design of these games, as I am a big fan of Jak & Daxter 1 which wasn't made by Insomniac but it was made by Naughty Dog who were working right next to Insomniac during the PS2 days. I see a lot overlap between Spyro and Jak 1. The remaster side of it is gorgeous, I really love the audio design too, but I have some gripes with the controls, I found myself slipping off the edge when doing jumps sometimes when I should be making them, but apart from that there doesn't seem to be any glitches or bugs, it feels really polished and fun to play.


TV

Sex Education - Series 1

Hilarious and Heart-warming, the correct way inclusion should be done, and a coming-of-age tale that still has a lot to go. Also great casting full of actors I haven't seen before bar one. Just a really great British comedy show, go watch. Also, this show has a really weird but cool aesthetic, of the whole show looking like a USA coming-of-age, romantic comedy, teen movie, think The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller type deal, but it's set in the modern day. I noticed this almost immediately when I realised, 1, England is not that sunny, 2, the school doesn't have a school uniform.

Friends - Season 2

Not much to say here, slowly going through the series, Friends, although aged in places, still feels incredibly relevent and also sometimes ahead of the times. It's a strange mix, the show is awesome. Rachel and Ross being an actual couple rules, Monica and Richard was also a great storyline.


Wrestling

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13

As always a stellar show by New Japan, I didn't love everything but Ospreay/Ibushi, White/Okada and Omega/Tanahashi are really standouts and the ones I'll keep in my mind for my End Of The Year Match candidates.

NJPW New Years Dash

Really shocking and lack luster to see no Elite members that night, it kinda put into perspective the kind of wierd situation New Japan is in now that AEW is around. I'm still holding out hope New Japan will make a deal with AEW and we can get some cross promotional shows between them.

NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool

As a British wrestling fan and someone who considers themselves to be in touch with that wrestling scene, I was dissapointed at the waste of potential here in the first ever NXT UK Takeover. I thought the opening Tag Match was really good, but considering the two teams involved and their history in a place like PROGRESS, felt that it could've been better. Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm had my favourite match of the night, which felt genuine and was just a joy to watch from start to finish. But the whole show ended with a main event which I frankly believe is abysmal. Slow and boring from the outset, multiple botches especially at the end with the top rope spot firmly points it at being really quite awful.

NXT Takeover: Phoenix

For me, I thought this show didn't hit the high points you expected Takeovers to have now. I thought the opening tag to be really good, Gargano/Ricochet to be a bit too dense in their spots and pace, but still a good match, Belair and Shayna to have an alright bout where Belair really shone and The main event to be really quite lack luster considering the match up, the main problem being the finish of the match where Aleister Black hits a Black Mass and then 2 minutes later tries to do it again but hurts his leg and gets pinned. Really quite dumb.

WWE Royal Rumble

Well isn't this a really nice surprise! WWE had a really great PPV for the first time in a while and has firmly brought me back on board from just about under a year away from watching PPVs. The standouts here were the Women's titles matches for me, Asuka/Becky really quite great, Ronda/Sasha a really close second to that. I also really love the cool chemistry between Bryan and AJ, I know it isn't this big fast paced indy-tastic feud that people would expect from those two names, but I think they have a really good flow and it grabs you really quite well. Finn/Brock was a spectacular match, Brock has really gone all out on these past two matches here with Bryan and Finn. Women's Rumble was quite shaky for a long time and only really picked up right at the end. Men's Rumble was much better overall, nothing too shocking or crazy but a really enjoyable rumble all round.

Yeah so that was my January, I hope I convinced you to try out something, brought something to your attention, or made you avoid something you were gonna try, I had fun doing this, dipping into this blog over the month and just adding a few lines of my thoughts. See you all next month I guess!

2018's Best Of The Year - Games

HEY, this is all opinions maaan, I don't listen, watch, play, experience, everything that happens in a year. SO CUT ME SOME SLACK.

I spent ALL of 2018 preparing for this series of lists. I printed out a bunch of blank lists for each medium I was experiencing, stuck it on the back of the door, noting it down and rating it all. Needless to say, I LOVE LISTS.

VIDJA GAMES ARE COOL AND I LOVE THEM. So many games, so little time. This year I'd say I was the most engaged with playing current and newly released video games as I have ever been, at least as much as my wallet would allow. I also started trying to pick my way through my games collection that I haven't even touched as well. It has been pretty eventful. I think this year has been slightly weaker than 2017 and I think 2019 will be weaker still as we are fast approaching the launch of the next console generation. But I still have 5 games here I really enjoy and wanna talk a little about.

What's that? This isn't a new game? This is a remaster? Pffft. It's on PS4 isn't it!? I have also never ever played the original Spyro games on the PS1 and this is my exposure to those games, and man, these are really fun. Also playing this remaster is showing me where the origins of one of my favourite games came from, Jak and Daxter, Insomniac made the original Spyro games and you can see the level design thinking almost paralleling the original Jak game. Needless to say, I am really enjoying this game, plus the graphics look absolutely incredible and they really did a great job at remastering this. I also am really hoping for Activision to start making new Crash and Spyro games in the vain of the originals. There is an open market for it and every remaster they've done so far has been stellar.

Guess what? I'm kinda cheating again. I have technically, not even touched Hitman 2 content, the reason being is also the same reason this is one of the best games of the year. Hitman 2 included all of the original game in this one within the new engine and the new mechanics being implemented. Disclaimer, you only get that if you buy the pack for the game, which is the same price of the original game, you also get that pack if you own a digital or physical version of the game. Look it all up, it is a bit weird. Anyway, I had vouchers for CEX and I goyt the original Hitman game on physical with my vouchers just so I could get the maps for Hitman 2. This game is fucking great, the level design is essential o the game being successful or not and they have done an impeccable job. It feels less of a stealth game than it does a puzzle game, working around all the working parts, and adding all the extra challenges around each level, as well as restrictions, and the ability for players to just making their own contracts in each map, gives this game the biggest replay value and just masses and masses of content to delve into, you can really get lost in there. A lot of fun, watch some videos, see if you'll be into it cause the game lends itself to amazing video content too.

I'm literal trash and fighting games, it is a curse, I love watching fighting games and everything about fighting games is super cool to me, but I am BAD at fighting games. Super Smash Bros however, seems to be a different story. I have never owned a Smash game before and this fucking game had the audacity to make me feel competent at a fighting game and care about characters that are from games I've never played. I've just had a blast with this game, I feel like it is one of the most fun purely gameplay experiences I've ever had. Also Joker from Persona 5 is coming real soon, that makes it amazing by default.

WOWOWOW! Tight, great feeling combat? Open world design connecting more linear based areas? Simple but in-depth mechanics and skill trees? All coupled with a high difficulty curve if you want it and a extremely compelling story with interesting characters? You get all of that from this one incredible game. God Of War is one of the games that will be talked about as a MUST HAVE for this entire console generation, It feels so unique in art design as well, the game is truly incredible in every sense. I will say for all of you who may have been deterred from playing this, you do not have to play all those older original God Of War's, this may be connected but you will get by just fine not knowing anything, that was the position I was in and I was fully engaged. Also this is a complete reinvention in gameplay and direction, so if you hated the gameplay of those original games, do not worry! If you can give this game a try, it'll be known as one of the best.

I think, as a unique or creative game coming from 2018, God Of War beats Spider-Man. But If you're asking me what my favourite game of the year is, 1000 times, it will be Spider-Man. Spider-Man definitely feels like it is the 'Greatest Hits' of Batman Arkham games, but in a world full of shit, all I really want is an escape from the world, a feel good time, a great feeling game and a engaging story, and Spider-Man gives me all of that while being about one of the best superheroes of all time. I have complete rose tinted glasses for this game already, but I feel so thankful for Insomniac for creating a game that makes me feel like the most relate-able superhero to ever be created. Peter Parker is the epitome of a wholesome character and being able to be him is a joy. I keep hearing the DLC isn't great, but you know what, if it is an excuse to go back into Manhattan and feel like Spider-Man I will take it.

Honourable Mentions: Red Dead Redemption 2 (as of writing I have not finished the game, I am in Chapter 4 I believe? I HAVE A LOT OF OPINIONS. enough that I will definitely want to at least write something about this game when I finish it), Bayonetta for Switch (I really enjoyed my time with Bayonetta, but that game is fucking hard and I am no good with memerising combos, so it isn't a game that is made for me but I enjoyed my time nontheless), Overcooked 2 (me and a rotating cast of friends and family has made me fall in love with this game, feels like the best chaotic fun that I need to just kill time and hang out with the people I love), A Way Out (A really fun co-op experience with some really cool ideas, the story has a lot to be desired but the gameplay around it is pretty good!), Detroit: Become Human (with a game that looks so visually stunning and that seems so well put together, why are we still getting stories from David Cage. Detroit has a laughable plot and maybe if that's why you wanna try it go ahead, but I think this is now probably one to many games that has been squandered by David Cage's stupid writing. In a world with Until Dawn and Life Is Strange, why are Quantum Dream's talent being squandered by one idioit?), Life Is Strange 2 (I haven't had a chance to even by the game yet, but I want to at least mention it here because I love this series and I played Captain Spirit when it came out and loved that to pieces too.), Astro Bot Rescue Mission (Holy Shit, this is the best PSVR experience I've had so far, granted I don't own a PSVR and I only got to play an hour of a the best levels from a friend who owns the game, but this is a HUGE step forward to selling people on VR, I want to play this whole damn thing, it's just so creative and it feels so fresh, and it looks beautiful)