Streets of Rage 4 Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

Back in August 2018, I gave my thoughts on the announcement of the then-upcoming Streets of Rage 4. And then in December of 2019, I learned that it was coming to the Nintendo Switch. I was so excited for this game, and I could not wait for it to be released. Well, that day has come. It's now out, so let's take a look at the launch trailer!

Well, yes. I am ready to risk everything. I want to do this! Let's take some risks!

On the Streets of Rage, they do not greet each other by saying hello. They greet each other with punches. Broken jaws are just a part of life here.

Yeah, taking a Molotov cocktail to the face, and then an exploding barrel? That'll hurt!

A big building with a giant "Y" on it. Yeah, that's not ominous. Wait, is this the headquarters of the villain of this game? Well, yes. And it's villains, as in more than one. Yup, its been ten years since the events of Streets of Rage 3. And in those ten years of peace, a pair of new threats have made themselves known: The Y Twins, the children of Mr. X. Makes a bizarre form of sense. Y does follow X in the alphabet so far.

And Wood Oak City? Was the name of the city the SoR games previously established, or did it finally get a name with this game?

And of course, we have the three iconic past fighters: Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter. We've met Cherry Hunter. And now say hello to Floyd Iraya. From what I understand, he's the apprentice of Dr. Zan, the cyborg fighter we could play as in SoR 3. Maybe Dr. Zan died in the ten years between 3 and 4? I think he was pretty old despite the cyborg implants...

17 characters, eh? Does that mean we'll get to play as characters like Max Hunter and Dr. Zan as well? Hope so!

Wow, that's quite a lot of artists for this soundtrack. And YES, Yuzo Koshiro is involved!

I like the features this game offers, especially soundtracks of previous games in the series. But why not 3?

Well, this game looks spectacular! I definitely am adding this to my Switch library! I cannot wait to bring some pain on the Streets of Rage! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time! Take care of yourself and each other, wash your hands often, stay healthy and stay safe!

Text Play: Pokemon Zeta #8

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Vesryn Region! This is the eighth entry in my Text Play of Pokémon Zeta!

As with last time, I will be warning you. I will be spoiling this game. If you want to play through the game yourself, I recommend that you download the game at its wiki right here. And with that, let's go!

Last time, we managed to get the third Vesryn badge: The Diamond Badge. The Badge was given by Agassiz Town's Gym Leader, the Rock-type specialist Jonathan. With this third badge, I can now challenge the Gym back in Fianga City. There's still a little business to take care of in Agassiz, though. First, there's a little gap in the path leading to the Secret Base.

This opening allows you to take a path that goes through the mountains around the Town. It leads to a small area where an item can be found.

It's a Machete. Like the Dolly replaces the HM Strength, this can be used in place of the HM Cut. It honestly makes me wonder why these HMs are in the game when these items exist. Keeping the HMs around seems rather redundant to me. And honestly, I prefer having items like the Dolly and Machete to the HMs anyway. These objects don't force you to give a Pokémon a move that can't be removed later. I think the official games should do this.

There's also one other piece of business to tend to here. One of the houses is occupied by a person and a Linoone. The house has a TV that is seemingly broken, but actually contains an Ancient Tome.

I believe it's the...fourth Tome I found so far? I don't know, the game doesn't keep track for some reason. Why doesn't it? It doesn't really give the idea that these Tomes have any importance. Well, with the Tome collected and the Machete obtained, it's time to head back to Fianga City. On the way back, on Route 308.5. There's a tree in the way that I can cut own with my new machete.

The path leads to an area behind the closed-up Trick House.

It's an Ultra Ball. For those not in the know, Pokéballs can be actually rather varied. Some of them can be used in special situations to increase your chances of capturing Pokémon. For example, Dive Balls can increase your chances of capturing a Pokémon that live in water. Ultra Balls are just basically stronger versions of standard Pokéballs. They're the best version of the standard Pokéball. And with that out of the way, let's head back to Fianga City!

The last time we had visited Fianga, we had to clear out Team Olympus from the Pokéhadron Collider. But they're gone, and we'll hopefully never have to worry about them again oh, we're going to face Team Olympus again in the future, aren't we? Anyway, as was established earlier, the Fianga City's Gym Leader is rather unique...as it's a robot.

No, it doesn't look like that...that would be neat if it did. The robot, PK-096, is from the Orre Region. It's a "real" Region, as it's the setting of the Pokémon games Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. It's a very odd region for one reason: There are no wild Pokémon in it. The name of the region plays on the word ore, and many of the cities and towns there reference minerals in their names. It does make sense that the game would surmise that there are mines there.

It was originally built to provide security for the mines there, but a cave-in damaged it and gave it a lust for battle. So, instead of trying to repair or destroy the robot, they plopped it in Fianga and made it the town Gym Leader. I don't see this going horribly wrong in any way.

It's pretty clear that in the Pokémon universe, there are no equivalent to the Terminator films. Anyway, PK-096 specializes, appropriately enough, in Steel-type Pokémon. To counter him, I'll need to pack some Fighting and Fire-type Pokémon. Unfortunately, I...don't have a lot of options here. I only have like, two Fire Pokémon: Magmar and Ponyta. The only Fighting-type Pokémon I have is a Mankey. God, I'd kill to have a Tepig, Torchic, and Chimchar right now. They evolve into Fire/Fighting Pokémon, and they'd be great Steel-wreckers. Ah, well. Sometimes you just have to work with what you got. Mankey's going to be a pain to grind up as she's at level 5. Ponyta, not so much, as he's at level 17. Again, work with what you got.

Thankfully, grinding hasn't been that hard. I managed to get Mankey up to level 13 pretty quickly. To me, the game is pretty generous with experience points.

The Fianga Gym itself is, rather appropriate for a gym led by a kill-crazy robot, a bit high-tech.

At least, I thought it would be. Walkways over a black...floor? Bottomless pit? Is this Gym over a bottomless pit?!

You have to go on these walkways that will take you to various platforms. Each of these platforms contains strategically placed rocks. It creates a puzzle that you have to solve to reach PK-096. You cant destroy the rocks to make the puzzle easier. You have to use the walkways and the rocks' placement to get to the robot. There no trainers to battle here in this gym. That's a bit of a shame, as it would have allowed me a little extra XP for my Mankey and Ponyta.

1st Pokémon: Klink (Lv. 28) - Defeated by Ponyta.
2nd Pokémon: Bronzor (Lv. 29) - Used Iron Defense heavily. PK used a Super Potion, and switched out with a Metang. PK used Full Restore to fully heal it after Metang was defeated. Defeated Ponyta. Defeated Mankey. Defeated by Magmar.
3rd Pokémon: Metang (Lv. 29) - Was brought in from Bronzor. Defeated by Ponyta.
4th Pokémon: Honedge (Lv. 29) - Defeated by Magmar.
5th Pokémon: Magneton (Lv. 31) - Defeated by Magmar.

And with that, PK-096 was defeated. Badge number four, the Android Badge, is mine.

I also got TM74 (Gyro Ball). And the robot appeared to have crashed. Should've gotten better programming...It's also a shame that all that time I put in when it came to training Mankey was for nothing. Frickin' Bronzor...

Anyway, I admit, after I beat the Gym, I was unsure where to go next. After all, there wasn't really anything left to do here. I could still get a Smeargle from Mr. Tempremental Artist. But I still don't have an extra Clefairy. But then I remembered something. Back at Agassiz Town, there was a cave in the town that we could not enter. Remember that cave from entry ? Well, maybe now that we have four badges, maybe we can go in. So, let's head there, shall we?

Man, I love the bicycle in this game. It's so delightfully fast. And yes, we can enter the cave! Hooray!

The cave is the entrance to Route 309, which can be a rather...confusing Route thanks to it having a ton of ladders. This route is the way to go to the next town in the game: Turkana Town. It's also the way to get to Route 310. I'm going to go straight to Route 310. How do we get through it? Well, it's simpler than you think. There's a ton of ladders everywhere. Avoid those for now. Travel around the route until you get to this point.

Don't worry about the rock and the item yet, we can't get it at this point. From there, we go upwards to a ladder. Go up this ladder. And you'll find yourself in a chamber with a Hiker in it.

Well, he's looking for some Heart Scales. He thinks they'll make a nice little gift for his girlfriend. Aww, that's nice. He's been trying to find some, but he's been having no luck in that. Hey, wait! Maybe we can help him. We'll be doing some traveling in this game, so maybe if we find some, we can give them to him. He'll give us Super Potions in return. Not a bad deal. We enter the cave right next to him, and it's the entrance to Route 310.

However, Route 309 is a branching place. It also leads to another town: Turkana Town. And yes, it's named after a lake. In this case, it's Lake Turkana in Kenya, and part of Ethiopia. How do we get there? Well, from the entrance to Route 309 from Agassiz City, you go straight down until you reach this ladder.

From there, you go left until you get to this point.

See that little cave entrance there? Go into it, and you're there. Easy peasy! Turkana Town is a nice sleepy little place. There is a Pokémon Center and a store. The main center of the Town is the Turkana Stone.

The area is clearly swarming with cops. They believe that Team Olympus may have plans to take the Stone or do something with it. That makes sense. It fits their MO. You see, the Turkana Stone indicates where Arceus stood when he created the world. At least, according to myth. It's also believed that a bit of the Pokémon world's version of God's essence still lies in the stone. Team Olympus's schemes have all involved legendary Pokémon in some form, so it makes sense they'd go after the Turkana Stone. Nice to see the cops here actually anticipating this.

One of the unique sights here is a seemingly ordinary house. However, inside...

It's a Wynaut zoo. Tons of them. Just wandering around. Why are all these Wynaut here? Well, Why not?! Heh heh heh heh...

Yeah okay, I apologize. In another house, a woman took one of the Wynauts and will offer it for a Maractus. Maractus can easily be found in Route 310, so this is not a hard trade to pull off. At the same house that you can make this trade, I was also given a Heavy Ball. It's a special Pokéball designed to help capture very big Pokémon, like Snorlax and Steelix.

At this point, there's really not much else to do in Turkana. You can also obtain a Farfetch'd by training a Dodrio, but I don't have an extra Dodrio to trade. The Turkana Stone itself will be more significant later in the game, but for right now, we can just head to Route 310 and continue on our way to the fifth Gym...and hand Team Olympus another whuppin' if they need one. I get the feeling they're not going to leave the Turkana Stone alone...

Yeah, there's really no point to staying here much longer. Let's move on. After traveling through Route 310, we arrive at Kivu Town. And yes, it's named after a body of water. In this case, it's named after another one of the African Great Lakes: Lake Kivu, which is on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The town if home to the game's fifth Gym. It's run by someone named Graham, and it specializes in Ghost-type Pokémon. Graham is an 11-year-old boy.

I am not kidding. Evidently they'll literally let anyone or anything be a Gym Leader here in Vesryn. I mean, the last Gym we went to was led by a malfunctioning mining robot! The Pokémon League here must be incredibly dumb, incredibly corrupt, or incredibly dumb AND corrupt. Why does that feel rather relatable now?

Anyway, Graham is supposed to be some kind of child prodigy, a brilliant trainer of Ghost-type Pokémon. As such, we need a good Dark-type to take him on. Luckily, there's a house near the Poké Mart that has such a Pokémon.

The trainer inside will accept any Pokémon for his Absol. That's a refreshing change. One of the main features of this place is that it's the home of the Ranger Club, Pokémon Rangers' HQ.

We've seen Rangers through out the game, and this is where they get recruited and where they mainly work, helping abused Pokémon and the like. Yes, your character can join the Rangers. Pretty cool, huh?  I love this. I like that the Rangers are shown to have a variety of Pokémon. It makes sense. Each Ranger probably has their own personal favorite Pokémon to use in their Ranger duties. Although I think they would have a standard Pokémon or two they use in their duties. If you talk to one of the female Rangers in the building, she'll ask you if you're a Ranger yourself. Say yes, as she's not going to fact-check it. She'll give you HM02 (Fly).

Fly makes backtracking a lot easier as you can literally just fly back to previous cities and towns you visited. However, there is something that makes me frown. Remember when we got the Machete in and the Dolly in ? Well, those two items quickly rendered the (respectively) Cut and Strength Hidden Machines rather obsolete. Why give us these HMs if we can get items that can easily replace them? I'm just saying, I won't be surprised if we get a jetpack or a hang glider soon. I think I've said this before, but items instead of HMs is something I think Game Freak should have done a long time ago.

I said we can join the Rangers, right? Well, of course! "But how do we do that," you ask? Easy. We talk to the head Ranger in the building. She's standing between a couch and a computer. She will give us missions. Well, we basically do missions for them. The first is that there's a machine in the area that Team Olympus is using to hypnotize the wild Pokémon. Gotta shut it down.

A word of warning, though. If you start these Ranger missions, you cannot go back to the Pokémon Center to heal between battles with Team Olympus goons. So before you get your assignment, make sure you hit the Poké Mart and get some supplies. Get some Potions, healing items, and the like. For the first mission, it's also recommended by the game's wiki that you bring a team of Pokémon between 26 and 35. At this point, my main team of Pokémon are well within that range, levels 28-29. As such, I could take on this mission. So, why not?

And that is where I think I'll end this entry. Next time, join me as we do some grinding and take on our first Ranger mission! As well as prepare for the ghostly Graham! See you then! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourself, and each other! Stay home, stay safe, and wash your hands often!
Pokémon Obtained:
Route 309 
- Solrock
- Lunatone (100th Pokémon! Woot!)
- Durant (Zeta exclusive, Omicron counterpart is Joltik)
- Meditite
Route 310
- Maractus
- Roselia
- Charmeleon
Turkana Town
- Wynaut (obtained by trading a Maractus)
Kivu Town
- Absol (obtained by trading a Charmeleon)

Panzer Dragoon Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

In 1995, Sega released the game Panzer Dragoon, the first game developed by Team Andromeda. The first in the Panzer Dragoon series, it was one of the six launch titles developed for the Sega Saturn.

In Panzer Dragoon, you play as Keil Fluge, the rider of a mighty dragon. You ride the dragon through six rail shooter levels in which you try and stop an evil dragon from accessing a Black Tower in a post-apocalyptic science-fantasy world.

The game received much critical acclaim as well as a couple of sequels: Panzer Dragoon II Zwei in 1996, Panzer Dragoon Saga in 1998, and Panzer Dragoon Orta in 2002. The game also got to be ported to the PlayStation 2 and PC. Now, the Nintendo Switch has got a remake! Let's take a look!

Fly, my pretties, fly!

"Okay, here's your blue dragon, just be careful with the turbulence, make sure you're securely strapped in and give it steak on Thursdays."

Seeing that winged flying ship reminded me of this time that I once rode on a ferry when I was a kid. The seas were so rough, and I got so seasick. I wonder, on a flying ship like this, do you get seasick or airsick?

The game's a rail shooter, so you just have to concentrate on shooting the enemies while the dragon flies through the air. Simple, yet addictive.

One of the things this game has gotten praise for is its art direction, and I can see why. It's beautiful stuff. And the upscaled graphics only make it more so.

SANDWORMS! SOMEBODY CALL BEETLEJUICE!

Well, this game looks like it will be a lot of fun. I do enjoy a good shooter on occasion, and I also like old-school games, so...there you go. I Think I will give this a try, it looks really beautiful.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time! Take care of yourself, and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay at home, and wash your hands often!

Avengers #31 (August 2000)

After that issue of Wonder Woman, I felt we needed a palate cleanser. And when it come to comics, nothing cleanses my palate than Kurt Busiek's Avengers run. As such, I thought I'd revisit that run for this week's comic review. If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you're well aware that I'm a big fan of this run, as it not only made me a fan of the Avengers as a team, it made me a fan of comics in general. So, let's take a look at Avengers #31!

The cover is pretty cool. A George Perez and Tom Smith piece, it depicts a seemingly giant Vision holding the Grim Reaper and Madame Masque in his hands. Or have they been shrunk? I mean, Hank Pym was an Avenger at the time. Maybe he shrunk them down for a laugh.

"And So It Begins!"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Colorist: Tom Smith
Letterers: Richard Starkings, Wes Abbott
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Editor-In-Chief: Bob Harras

The story begins in Chicago. The Windy City. A man walks into a bar...and no, this is not the setup for a joke. This man, Victor Shade, is a bit of a regular here. He likes the atmosphere there. It's very...homey. Not to mention it has a dartboard, and he likes to play chess and darts with the barflies.

He overhears two men discussing a major meeting in town, and armed with this information...the Vision flies again. We then next join members of the Avengers checking out one of their own, a Henry "Hank" Pym.

Due to events in Iron Man's book at the time, Tony's had to return to an older model. The suit he was wearing at the time (The Model 16, aka the Renaissance Armor) was becoming sentient and trying to take over his body. The older suit he's wearing is the Model 4, which first appeared in Iron Man #85 (April 1976), and it's become one of his most iconic suits.

The testing has shown that Hank's perfectly fine. No problems with him or his shrinking powers whatsoever. Pym can confirm this, as he solved the issues with Pym Particle-based growth serum years ago. Shortly after he left the West Coast Avengers (remember them? I talked about them a bit here.), he had some extra time on his hands. So, he got to work improving and refining the serum.

He wanted to perfect it not just as a point of pride, but also to prepare if anything happened to Janet Van Dyne's powers, or anyone else who had used them in the past. Remember, by this point, it wasn't just Hank and Jan that used Pym Particles. Scott Lang had used them as the second Ant-Man, Bill Foster had as Giant-Man II/Black Goliath, Erik Josten was using them at the time as the Thunderbolt Atlas, and finally Rita DeMara had use them when she was active as Yellowjacket II. Hank Pym's superhero identities tend to get passed around like candy.

He managed to finish his work shortly after he rejoined the Avengers in Avengers #366. As a result of his tinkering, his powers had been altered slightly. He could shrink and grow again, but he couldn't do the same to objects unless they were specially treated. Janet Van Dyne is still a bit worried, but Hank assures her he's fine. Meanwhile, they're being observed by what looks like...another Hank Pym, this one tiny and acting like he did back during his days as the cocky Yellowjacket.

Having had enough of Hank and Jan's romance, he decides to go out and get some air. The Avengers Mansion's security systems didn't register him as a threat. After all, is he not Henry Pym? Meanwhile, let's have some fun. Carol Danvers, who was going by Warbird at the time, watches She-Hulk and Triathlon [You may remember our triple-athletic buddy from my reviews of Avengers #8 (September 1998) and Avengers #15 (April 1999)] play a game in the Avengers' training area that looks like handball on steroids. The former Olympic athlete may not be able to match the Green Glamazon on raw power, but he's got some moves of his own.

Using skills he learned hustling pool for money during his college days, he's able to get the ball into the goal by making a bank shot off of She-Hulk's head. Elsewhere in the Mansion, the Scarlet Witch has gotten a call from the former Avenger and X-Man known as Beast. He wanted to talk to his old friend Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man. You know, catch up, have some drinks, that kind of thing.

Wanda points out that Simon was in Los Angeles. Beast was supposed to have been with him then. Beast points out he was. He saw Simon off to New York at LaGuardia Airport...a week earlier. He was going to go straight to the Mansion when he arrived. Wanda is confused by this. If he had returned to New York City a week earlier, why didn't he call her or any of the Avengers?

Wanda's train of thought is derailed by the Vision making a call. He's discovered that there's a major Maggia meeting in Chicago. The Maggia is essentially the Marvel Universe version of the Mafia. Wanda wants to know where he's been the last few weeks. You see, he left the team back in Avengers #23 (December 1999). Vision doesn't answer, just telling her to meet him at the Okanaga Building.

The trip there does give us some nice character moments. Duane Freeman suggesting that tackling organized crime will be good for the team's image, and Warbird pointing out the...complicated relationship with Wanda and the Vision to Triathlon.

In Chicago, the Grim Reaper has gathered the heads of various Maggia branches because he wants to make like Marlon Brando in The Godfather and make them an offer they can't refuse. He's functioning as a representative for someone who has a vision for the Maggia. They're normally a loosely-allied group of crime families, keeping out of each other's way. But the one behind the Reaper's scythe sees a greater vision for them.

Some of these characters are more significant in the MU than others. Edward Lavell is also known as the second Eel. Fans of the Spider-Man mythos may be familiar with Silvio Manfredi, aka Silvermane. Ceasar Cicero first appeared alongside Silvermane in Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June 1969), as Silvermane's lawyer. Pierre Fresson was also known as the third Cyclone. But yeah, this meeting shows just how wide-spread the Maggia's activities are. They're even active in other countries, as we got Ishihara speaking for the Pacific Rim and Fresson speaking for Europe.

The Wasp, Triathlon, and Vision are easily able to take down the guards protecting the meeting. Inside, Madame Masque makes it clear she wants no part of a united Maggia. She fears it will put her in a position of vulnerability, and she has plenty of enemies as it is. However, the Grim Reaper reminds her that this is an offer she can't refuse. It's at this moment the Avengers bust in. Madame Masque, has come prepared for this.

Its's the Dreadnoughts combatants originally created by HYDRA. The Maggia heads try to make their escape. After all, the Avengers will be too busy trying to keep the Dreadnoughts from wrecking everything to worry about them. The Dreadnoughts brought some backup, but they're dispatched by the Scarlet Witch.

The Grim Reaper manages to hold Madame Masque hostage, his scythe to her throat. He admits to her that yes, this whole thing was a strike against her. You see, someone wants her, and the Reaper was sent to bring her to the man that hired him. Madame Masque then spots Iron Man and states this to her.

"She still loves you, Iron Man. And she needs your help."

With a clench of her jaw, Madame Masque explodes.

And with that, Madame Masque is seemingly dead. The Grim Reaper takes advantage of the Avengers' confusion to escape. Despite that, the night isn't a complete loss. Three Maggia chieftains have been captured, so a big blow has been dealt to the organized crime syndicate.

There is one final thing to touch on in the story. You see, Vision had left the team due to some emotional issues that he had with who he is. He's been taking stock of his life, and he's realized that for much of it, he's been seeking validation for his existence in other people, but he really has to find it within himself. He has come to realize over the weeks he's spent in Chicago.

This little character moment is interrupted by Iron Man. This whole thing has left him with a ton of questions: Who was the Grim Reaper working for? What was up with the fake Madame Masque? Why did she say what she said? Who was she talking about?

Well, the Armored Avenger wants some friggin' answers! So the Avengers are going to get them!

As I have said in the past, this era of the Avengers is some of my favorite comic books of all time, and this issue is no exception. The only real issue I have with it, is I feel it can't really be read as a standalone. But that's not really the comic's fault, it's serialized storytelling. Busiek is clearly fond of the whole Vision/Wonder Man/Scarlet Witch love triangle saga, as he's explored it a bit in his run. We got some great action with the Avengers battling the Dreadnoughts, and an intriguing mystery with the fake Madame Masque.

My favorite scene is She-Hulk and Triathlon playing Handball on Steroids. Downtime is always a great device for showing character development, and we see here that Triathlon is starting to gel with his new teammates and is letting his hair down a bit. And of course, George Perez turns in spectacular art.

You know, maybe next time, we should explore the mystery of Madame Masque. So yeah, let's do that. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2012 trade paperback Avengers Assemble Vol. 3. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay home, and wash your hands often!

Road Redemption Review

In 2017, EQ-Games and Pixel Dash Studios released the game Road Redemption. A combat racing game, the game was intended to be a spiritual successor to the classic Road Rash games from Electronic Arts. Back in November 2018, I gave my thoughts on the game's launch trailer here. The game was originally released for computers in 2017, but 2018 saw it come to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch.

I remember being very excited for the game. I bought it on the Switch eShop when it was offered at a discount, and I thought I'd give my thoughts on the game, so here we go.

In the game, you play as a member of a motorcycle gang in a post-apocalyptic Western United States, and you fight other bikers in a race to...well, the plot is just an excuse for bashing bikers.

The first thing I have to say is that the game is surprisingly addicting. It's one of those games that in my experience, I could not put down. Seriously. It was a ton of fun whacking people off their bikes. And thanks to the XP system, you could purchase permanent upgrades to your rider so they can hit harder, take more of a beating, earn more money, etc. It's a fantastic way to entice players to keep on playing.

The races also aren't time-consumers. If you get good enough, you can get pretty far in the game pretty fast. There are multiple goals for races. Some involve you getting a certain position or higher, others require you to eliminate a certain biker or group of bikers, and still others just require you to make it through the race alive.

If you make it, or achieve the objective of the race, you get money that you can spend on temporary enhancements for the next one. Spend it wisely.

Road Redemption is a fun little racing game, and I recommend it if you are looking to add a racing game to your collection. The levels can feel repetitive, but with the game being so addicting, you won't worry about it.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! Take care of yourselves, and each other. Stay healthy, stay safe, stay home, and wash your hands often! See you next time!

Burnout Paradise Remastered Announcement Trailer, My Thoughts

Welcome to Paradise City, where the grass is green, the girls are pretty, and you can drive pretty much wherever you want. This place is the setting of the 2008 racing game Burnout Paradise, developed by Criterion Games and released by Electronic Arts. This game was the seventh in the Burnout racing game series.

Originally released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows (the first Burnout game to come to that platform), the game received much positive praise, and even won several awards. Also, like many old games, a new Remastered version has come to the Nintendo Switch! Let's take a look!

Paradise City wants to be Hollywood so bad...

VROOM VROOM VROOM!

I like the black car with the flames on it. I'd repaint it red, though.

Yeah, I admit, I'm not a nut for framerates, but I think 60 is pretty good.

My dad likes cars, maybe I can get him to play this game with me.

"Oh don't mind us. We're just racing through, totally not being a nuisance..."

Up the ramp! WHEEEEEEEEEEE!

That'll hurt!

All the old DLC? Awesome! I want to play the one with the 80s-inspired cars. Yeah, I'm an 80s nut, if you can't tell.

I love that all these old games are being remastered for the Switch. I can see why many companies are doing it. The Nintendo Switch is a console that is made to be playable on the go. I can imagine that many of these companies look at that and think, "Hey! Our classic games, originally made for big ol' boxes that are not really portable, can be put on this, and they can play them in their cars, on a plane, on a train! That's awesome!" And it truly is.

Come on, folks! You guys are not going to get anywhere if you keep crashing into each other! Not to mention the repair bills...

This game looks like it's a ton of fun! It's something I'll have to add to my Switch game library in the future. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you enjoyed it, spread it around! See you next time! Take care of yourself and each other, stay safe and healthy, and wash your hands often!

Wonder Woman #215 (January 1975)

It's that time again! Time to join the Amazing Amazon, Wonder Woman, as she undergoes another one of her Twelve Labors! Over the last three months, we saw the Amazing Amazon's adventures being monitored by the Justice League as she wanted to prove she was worthy of rejoining the League. This time, she's monitored by the Sea King, Aquaman. And appropriately enough, Wonder Woman's latest labor involves her dealing with a potential war between her and Arthur's people. Can she stop this tragedy from happening? Let's take a look at Wonder Woman #215!

The cover is...interesting. It's a Bob Oksner piece, depicting Mars, the Roman God of War, dragging Wonder Woman out of the water by her hair like he's a stereotypical caveman. That's not how you fish, buddy. Aquaman is just standing there looking like a bad actor in a play. It's funny that he's also depicted showing the scene like it's on a screen or it's a poster. He asks what can two superheroes do against a god?

"Amazon Attack Against Atlantis!"
Writer: Cary Bates
Penciler: John Rosenberger
Inker: Vince Colletta
Colorist: Unknown
Letterer: Unknown
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The story begins on board the Justice League Satellite. The Justice League is holding a special hearing for a unique criminal. One who is not a man, even though he looks like one. He is not an extraterrestrial, as Earth is his homeworld...in a sense. Wonder Woman is in the role of prosecutor, and she just gave her testimony, one that she hopes will prove this being is guilty of the crimes he has been accused of.

The man claims that this hearing is unfair. It's his word against hers, and since Wonder Woman is a Justice Leaguer, they'll automatically be biased in her favor. Aquaman stands up, saying he can verify the Amazon Princess's story. He points out that the accused was unaware that Diana has spent the last few months being observed by members of the League as she underwent her metaphorical "twelve labors" to prove that she was worthy of rejoining the team. Her character has been proven by Superman, the Flash, and Green Lantern.

This time, Arthur Curry has been observing her as she underwent her fourth trial, and he intends to show that Diana's testimony is accurate. The accused is a liar, and he's going to show that. Flashback time!

Three days earlier, the King of the Seas was swimming up New York City's East River to meet Diana at the UN Crisis Bureau. While there, he laments about the level of pollution in the water.

He notices the Amazing Amazon gliding overhead to deal with a waterspout that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Despite the spout smacking Diana and dragging her in the water, she's able to deal with it by using her lasso to spin the clockwise-rotating waterspout in the opposite direction.

Since he wasn't needed to help after all, Arthur continues on his way. Unbeknownst to either of the heroes, an shimmering human shape was left in the waterspouts wake. Diana heads back to meet her boss, Morgan Tracy, at the Crisis Bureau. He wants her to join him at a dinner he's having with a diplomat. He needs the moral support because said diplomat is not in the best of moods. Getting rotten fruit thrown at you will do that.

While on the way, Diana thinks about her own troubles. She hasn't been able to contact her fellow Amazons in Themyscira (or "Paradise Island", as it was called at the time) lately on her mental radio. Maybe they're doing maintenance on their end, she thinks. A shrouded figure hides in a nearby alley, and causes a group of dogs to become an angry large wolfpack, siccing them on Diana and Morgan.

Diana is able to use some martial arts to take the dogs down without exposing her secret identity. Aquaman was observing this in civilian clothing, when he finds himself talking to a strange old man.

The old man surmises Diana and Wonder Woman are the same person. Arthur tries to convince him otherwise. Meanwhile, the attacking dogs mysteriously turned back to normal. At that moment, Arthur received an aquatic SOS about a problem in the Atlantic Ocean. But before Arthur could learn more, the accused his powers to mess with the fish, rendering them unable to communicate.

Back in her apartment, Diana trying to contact her fellow Amazons, but is having no luck. This got her worried. Maybe something bad is going down on Themyscira. Arthur is observing her leave when he starts feeling weak. You see, in the Silver and Bronze Ages, Aquaman needed to keep contact with water every hour or else he'd...well...die. Yeah. He spots a fountain. You know Artie, keeping a few water bottles handy would have been helpful for you here.

Arthur goes to splash his face, but the accused turns the water to oil. The oil catches the robot plane, and then turns to coal, trapping it. Wonder Woman uses her Herculean strength to rip the coal pile off the fountain and take it high in the sky. The coal pile shatters thanks to the cold of the stratosphere, and Diana heads back on her way. Back on the ground, Arthur is dying, and he's attracting a small crowd. In one last act of desperation, he kicks a soda bottle out of a boy's hand. The soda spills over him. It's not water, but it is able to restore some of his strength. And he gave the kid a dollar for his drink. It was 1975.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman flies on towards Themyscira. But she discovers exactly why she hasn't been able to contact them.

The island has gone the way of the dodo. It's vanished, disappeared, vamoosed, gone bye-bye. Keep in mind, it was only recently that the Amazons themselves pulled a disappearing act. Read my review of Wonder Woman #212 (July 1974) to learn more. Meanwhile, in New York, Aquaman is alerted to something by a fish in the sewers. Must be one tough and brave fish to go through the New York City sewer system, with all the crocodiles.

It's the DC Universe, there likely would be crocodiles in the New York City sewers. Meanwhile, the Greek Goddess Hera has pointed out to Wondy where the then-Paradise Island is located. All she has to do is follow not the Yellow Brick Road, but the Red Watery Path. Aquaman heads back up to Atlantis, and finds a surprise.

"Hi ho, hi ho, It's off to war we go!"

The Atlanteans are gearing up for war. And they have brought their indestructible legs. Why are they gearing up for war? Well, evidently Themyscira has placed itself right above Atlantis, and the Amazons are on the attack. Hey, wait...I just realized something. The 2011 crossover Flashpoint created an alternate world that had a war between the Amazons and Atlantis. Could...could that have been inspired by this comic?

Anyway, Diana pleads with her mother Hippolyta to stop the attack. However, the Amazon queen's got out her lucky mace, and she wants to bash some brains with it. Diana tries to use her magic lasso to calm her mother, but it's no use. But what could make the Amazons so aggressive? So bloodthirsty that even the magic lasso can't calm them? Well, it's not a what, but a who.

"FE FI FO FON, I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN AMAZON!"

Say hello to Mars, everybody! And I'm not talking about the candy bar, I'm talking about the Roman god of war. And in case you're wondering, this is the being undergoing the hearing that Wonder Woman is prosecuting. Mars claims the story is bull as Wonder Woman was the only Justice League member that was actually there. As far as Mars knows, Aquaman was nowhere around, so he couldn't possibly have known about this. However, Arthur was there. In the waters near Themyscira, but he was there. The King of the Seas produces a small aquarium that contains a lungfish in it. He claims this species of lungfish can repeat words it hears like a parrot. Yeah, I looked it up, and lungfish can't do that.

The lungfish repeats Mars's words. Mars was the one who kept the fish in the Atlantic Ocean from alerting Arthur. You'd think Neptune would not be happy with Mars messing with denizens of his domain, Neptune being the Roman sea god and all. He was also the reason why Wonder Woman was being attacked by the waterspout and the dogs. Diana wonders why Mars is trying to start a war between the Amazons and Atlantis. It's 1975! The Cold War is a thing! Well, Mars is hungry.

He's seen wars from Trojan to Vietnam. Vietnam was long and bloody, but conventional warfare has started to bore him. Ater all, he's seen thousands of years of it. He then basically thought, "Hey, those Amazons are pretty tough, and so are those Atlanteans. I'll have them duke it out! They've never fought each other before! Something different and exciting!" Yup, all this bloodshed because the God of War is freakin' bored and hungry. Get a hobby and a Snickers, man!

Arthur observes the two armies about to face off. Wonder Woman has a plan. She has Arthur summon some whales to play barrier between the two armies. Yeah, because a bunch of blood-crazed warrior women and fish people are totally not going to hack through those whales to get their hands on each other! While this is going down, Wonder Woman engages Mars in combat. The gigantic god is able to get a grip on the Amazon, but he starts to shrink. Mars is confused. The war should be replenishing his power. What's going on?

Well, since Aquaman stopped the war, Mars ran out of power. And now in his weakened state, it's easy for Wonder Woman to nail him with a Mighty Judo Chop.

With that, the spell is broken, the Amazons and Atlanteans are back to normal, and some whales may have been killed. The League finds Mars guilty, and he sentences them to an interplanetary prison. The planet is unnamed, but I like to imagine it's Takron-Galtos, the prison planet from the Legion of Super-Heroes mythos.

This was...likely one of the better stories we got so far. But honestly, out of all the Labors we've seen so far, I feel this story had the most potential to be really good. Think about it, Diana and Arthur racing to stop the God of War from trying to cause a war between their two nations? There's potential there! A real political thriller of a story here! A shame, really.

The strongest thing about this issue was the artwork. John Rosenberger is a name that is new to me, and his artwork has a bit of a cartoony style to it in my opinion. His rendition of Wonder Woman is gorgeous and his Aquaman is quite handsome, a holdover form his days doing romance comics for DC in the 1960s. Sadly, Rosenberger died of cancer in 1977. He is most-known at DC for co-creating (alongside Robert Kanigher) Liza Warner, aka Lady Cop. She who would appear in the Arrow television series (portrayed by Rutina Wesley) as a member of an anti-vigilante task force that went rogue. He's a good artist, and I felt he was a bit wasted here.

If you really want to read this for yourself, as I said before, track down the 2012 trade paperback Wonder Woman: The Twelve Labors. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, tell your friends! Stay safe, stay healthy, wash your hands often, and take care of yourself and each other! Join me next time, when I take a look at a comic from my favorite era of the Avengers...