The sequel to Sonic's first movie starts playing on April 8th and it looks jammed packed with action and references to the game series. Tails and Knuckles have become co-stars. Knuckles is working with Dr. Robotnic who's returned but has found out about the Chaos emerald. There are many bits that anyone who's played the Sonic games would be able to pretty much pick up right away. Sonic and Tails perform a CGI/live-action version of their biplane scene. Sonic sliding down a snowy mountain reminded me of the game as well.

I remember when Sonic's movie came out. There Internet lost it's mind when the first trailer came out. After much pressure from fans, Sonic was redesigned. I don't remember how that Sonic looked, but I didn't have much of a problem with it. I do like this Sonic, though. I wouldn't be surprised if we get a sequel to this introducing Shadow.

What do you think? Did you like the first movie? Are you going to go see this one?

We now have a trailer for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series streaming on Disney+ starting on May 25. The biggest thing I took away from the trailer was the presences of Inquisitors, especially the Grand one. It's nice to see how they're bringing animated characters to live action. The Book of Boba Fett was so surprising and awesome that I'm sure this will be very similar. Haden Christensen is returning, I assume he's going to be in the Darth Vadar suit, perhaps it's just in flash backs.

Let me know what you think. Is this something you're looking forward to, too?

Monster Hunter Rise arrived on the Switch almost one year ago. I didn’t pay attention to it, being a Switch exclusive, since I don’t have a Switch. However, it arrived on PC last month and I decided to pick it up. This version comes with many graphical upgrades including high-res textures (up to 4K) and HDR among others. I recently dived into 1440p with a new monitor, but I found out I could actually play the game at my max (not native) resolution of 4Kx2K. I found a comparison video of the version from both systems. It actually doesn’t appear to look or perform badly on the Switch.

I played MH World, so the game play isn’t new to me. That was my first MH game and I really enjoyed it, until difficulty made me very angry and I stopped playing. I did make it far enough to where I was playing the Iceborne expansion, which added Master Rank to the game, which is the highest difficulty. This time, MHR didn’t make me angry much, but I reached a point where the difficulty increased and I decided to take a break from it. I played a lot of it and now I’m feeling a bit burned out on it. Still, it’s good.

If you’re not familiar with MH, basically it’s a game where you’re a hunter and you go about hunting monsters. It’s really that simple. You hunt them and get parts to make new weapons and armor to hunt new monsters and repeat. There are 14 different weapon classes to choose from like the Sword & Shield (my choice), Dual Blades, and Heavy Bowgun just to name a few. Combat mostly involves two-button combos. Basically, you go to the village, you check in with whoever is giving out quests, pick one, and then you’re transported to the area to hunt one or more monsters. Monsters are often very big and powerful. There are a lot of fantasy elements to them. Some look like dinosaurs! Elements and status effects are in this, too.

As you complete quests, your Hunter Rank will increase thus enabling you to take on tougher quests and more difficult monsters. The game has a big multiplayer focus, but it has a single player side, too. You can do pretty much everything solo, but there are quests in which you can join a few other players to do. You can even send out a help request, getting a random person from the Internet to join in your hunt. I’ve read that monster difficulty will scale with the number of players. I haven’t tried multiplayer, so I can’t speak on this feature.

The game play may be simple, but it can be fun and even very frustrating. Monsters aren’t easy to take down, even the weak ones can take a beating. Monsters are HP sponges, so a monster typically runs away eventually and you’ll have to catch up to it to continue fighting it. This will happen multiple times during a hunt. They get weak after a long battle and eventually tire, which is noticeable when they quit attacking and just stand there like they’re trying to rest a bit. In the end, you can hunt them to death, or you can capture them, which is supposed to give more rewards. Trapping them is often a good strategy for winning, because monsters will tire after a certain point and it will become obvious when you can trap them, which will finish the fight earlier than normal.

MHR has some new game play features, as does every evolving game series. I probably won’t cover them all here, but I’d like to point some out. One of my favorite features is that even though I’m playing solo, I’m not fighting alone. In MHW, you have a palico, which is pretty much a cat companion. It’s not like a IRL cat, it can walk, talk, fight, gather, and generally help. There are now different types which signifies it’s specialty. There are healers, warriors, and bombardiers just do name a few. MHR also gives us a palamute, which is a dog. You can ride palamutes, which makes map traversing much easier and more fun. It also helps perform actions which would make you stop in place and thus vulnerable. Now, instead of sharpening your weapon in this way, you can hop on your palamute and do it and run out of the way when a monster attacks. While not riding, your palamute will join you and your palico in battle. However, you can choose to have two palicos or two palamutes with you instead of one of each.

There’s also an owl, but you don’t usually see it and it doesn’t do much. It’s explained that we can see the map we’re on and where the monsters are, because of it. There is an icon for each monster on the map and undiscovered monsters are seen with a question mark. Each map is rather big and there are no loading transitions, which is something the game did long ago. Everything moves fluidly. In fact, load times in the game were just not really there. Loading the game up took the most time, but that was mostly through logos. The load between quests is extremely small, too. It’s so short that I don’t get enough time to read the text in those screens (it’s not important anyway). It's possibly due to running the game on a NVME SSD.

I remember in MHW, there was a tool we could use like a slingshot. There were different things we could do with it. It’s not in MHR, but is instead replaced by what’s called a “wirebug.” You get to shoot these wires out vertically and horizontally. You can also explore the environments much easier with it. You can also use it for an attack. You can use it to get into the air to attack a monster on your descent. It does a certain kind of damage that air attacks do. This damage can bee seen with a brief blue background to identify the type of damage. When a monster receives enough of this damage, it can be ridden.

“Wyvern riding” is a new feature where you can actually jump on to and control a monster with the wirebug. Often when other monsters start to fight each other, one will take enough damage and you’ll be able to ride it. From here you can have it use a strong or light attack, evade, or launch it into another monster or a wall for damage. You’re in control of it, but it won’t last very long and it doesn’t happen very often.

One game play addition happens to be Rampage Quests. In these quests, a horde of monsters will attack the stronghold and you have to keep it defended, making sure the final wall doesn’t come down. It’s a bit like a tower defense game. There are multiple platforms on which you can install various kinds of weapons. These are mostly turrets. You have a limited number of these you can install. Some are automatic and some require you to use manually. You’ll shoot the monsters with these installations mostly, but there will be a “counter signal,” which means your attack and defense are boosted and it’s time to fight monsters like you normally would. There are limited installations, too. These are usually a character from the village. They don’t last the whole rampage, so it’s better to save them.

There are a few types of monsters in a rampage quest. There are icons on each representing what they do. The worst, I think, are the big gate crashers. You want to get rid of these ASAP. There are flying monsters that will target you. If you get hit while using turret, you’ll get knocked off of it if you’re not pressing the defend button. There are a few waves and during this time your stronghold will level up, which will give you access to more and better installations. At the end is a kind of boss-like monster that needs to be defeated.

I wasn’t particularly fond of rampage quests and didn’t like them much. The one introducing you to the quest type is easy, but the ones after that are a bit more difficult. I failed the second one maybe twice, but I did some searching with Google and YouTube and managed to finally succeed. These are the quests done with multiplayer. However, I’d strongly advise making sure everyone’s chatting together so that the defense can be well coordinated.

I’ve enjoyed the game and I’m really glad it gave me the opportunity to test out my new monitor features. At first, I was afraid it was going to make me very angry again like MHW did, but it didn’t. It did get frustrating and I did get tired of it, so I am taking a break from it now. There’s an expansion that’s supposed to be out perhaps this spring, so I may jump back into it. If you like MH, even if MHW was your first, I think you’ll enjoy this. If this sounds interesting to you and you’d like to see it or try it out for yourself first, there’s a demo for it both for Steam and Switch I believe.

For the most comprehensive MH content see Arekkz Gaming on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArekkzGaming

Let me know what you think about this game. Have you played it? Have you played MHW or another MH game?

I just found out about Dune: Spice wars and thought I'd share the video. It's in Early Access on Steam and expected to be released this year according to it's store page. It's described as a 4X RTS. It looks to me like a a cross between Civilization and Command & Conquer. The first C&C came out after Dune 2 and I loved both games. Dune 2 also got a remake with Dune 2000, though I haven't really played it much. Spice Wars looks interesting to me. I'm curious about how it all comes together.

Let me know what you think about this. Are you interested? Do you know the history of Dune and C&C games?

There's a hot new trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and it's awesome! The movie comes out on May 6th. There's a lot in it and I don't want to spoil it, but there is a significant cameo. You only get to hear is voice, but I can't wait to see him! It seems a certain Marvel group will be shown. There's another Marvel character, I can point her out later who she might be.

It looks like this movie is going to tie to WandaVision and What If. I'm not looking forward to one part of it (I can explain later again). The overall look seems to be from what I think is one of the most dramatic episodes. This one should be more obvious.

What are your thoughts? Let me know what you think so I can reveal what I think I saw.

News source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/did-the-doctor-strange-trailer-just-bring-patrick-stewarts-professor-x-to-the-mcu/1100-6500634/

I just wanted to share a bit of news real quick. The sequel to Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross (from the PS1 days) is getting remastered as Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition. It's coming to consoles (all three current gen) and Steam on April 7th. Steam has it listed for $20, which I think is great.

I'm pretty much looking forward to this. I played Chrono Cross about two decades ago. It's a Square-Enix (or Squaresoft originally) JRPG with a lot of playable characters. I can't think of much else to say about it, but I did enjoy it.

Check out this link for more info: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/chrono-cross-remaster-the-radical-dreamers-edition-revealed-for-nintendo-switch/1100-6500522/

I remember seeing the box I had of X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter long ago around ‘95-’96. That’s what I remember most. What I don’t remember is actually playing it. I think I did, but not for long. In those days I was more into Star Trek and Star Wars wasn’t something I had gotten into yet. However, it’s my understanding that the game is very popular, which is great news for those fans who want to play something just like it with modern graphics.

If you’re unfamiliar, both of these games are star ship shooters. Basically, you fly around in a ship and shoot down others. There are missions, of course, in which you take out certain targets, some easier than others.

Squadrons is interesting in that you get to play both sides of the war. Once you start the story, you start out as an Imperial pilot, but after some time, you (not your character) are a pilot for the New Republic. It goes back and forth like this after a few missions, until the end.

The game isn’t very long. I think the embedded YouTube video I watched said that the story missions take about 10 hours to complete. However, that’s there’s more to this game. Multiplayer is another component of the game. I don’t have much to say about this since there are very few games that I play multiplayer. Apparently you can earn in-game currency and get things for your ship such as paint jobs.

The game does feature HDR and turning it off requires an edit in it’s config file. I just got a new monitor and I’ve tested color/gradient banding and it passed. However, this game is slightly disappointing, because parts of it look terrible, particularly the loading screen. I noticed other players found this issue as well, even an EA ticket is unresolved. I noticed this banding and I tried to resolve the issue, but was unable to. I think the issues I saw were in pre-rendered videos and graphics, thus the banding could be due to compression and possibly the resolution I was playing with (2K I think). The rest of the game looked fine, but a 4K video I saw made it look very beautiful.

I don’t have much to say about this game, perhaps because I played through the relatively short story mode. I did enjoy it although even though it was frustrating at times. I did finally complete it, so I’m done with it (I’m planning to move on to another game in the next day or two).

If you like Star Wars, this is definitely something you’ll probably be interested in. Fans get to finally experience what it’s like to fly an X-Wing or TIE Fighter, but there are other ships, too. You can also fly an A-Wing and TIE Bomber among others. Each ship has it’s purpose. For example, U-Wings serve as support ships, which can fire a projectile at a friendly target to give it a temporary shield. There’s more to them than that, though. Personally, I like the X-Wing and TIE Fighter best, probably because they seem to have the best hull and defense is a priority to me.

One more thing to point out is energy allocation. You can specifically choose to prioritize energy to engine, weapons, and shields. The engine helps improve maneuverability, which is important in not only getting through tight spaces, but also helps give a speed boost. Focusing energy on one of these parts also allows it to recharge faster. However, you can also select a balance, which is the default setting. You can also direct shields to cover a certain side of the ship. So, if you’re running straight into enemy fire, you can focus shields on the front where you need them most.

There are a variety of weapons and weapon types and each ship has two or three components. Lasers are the main one and there are variations to choose from. This also applies to auxiliary weapons like a lock-on missile and also defense against missiles locked on to your ship. However, sharp turns are also effective at dodging missiles.

I'd also like to note there are a couple cameos and a name drop, so I hope you notice them. They aren't main Star Wars characters though.

I managed to get the game for free, I think it was a freebie for Origin at one time. Normally, the game costs $40, which is a bit of a relief since these days games normally cost $60. I’m glad I got it for free, but it might be worth the $40 price tag.

Well, let me know if you’ve played this or if it’s something you’re interested in. Feel free to add me as a friend on Origin. My user name is GregoPeck (big surprise, right? LOL). I’m embedding a good “Before You Buy” video, which gives it a good review. You can play this game in VR as well. The game is available on Origin, Steam, and consoles.

There's an official trailer for Moon Knight. It premiers on 3/30 on Disney+.

I really don't know anything about Moon Knight that I haven't learned from watching New Rockstars on YouTube. Erik Voss has a good video reacting to this trailer and he gives us an introduction to the Moon Knight vigilante. You can watch that video here: https://youtu.be/6XvTE2PYsaI

Marc Spector aka "Moon Knight" suffers from dissociative identity disorder. He has multiple personalities and he doesn't know what he's done once the switch occurs.

I did some quick Google searches to learn more about him and share it with you.

Supernatural abilities: "Over his years as Moon Knight, Spector has also exhibited periodic demonstrations of supernatural powers such as enhanced strength during nights with full moons, prophetic visions and dreams, and the ability to drain another person’s life energies through physical contact." (See https://www.marvel.com/characters/moon-knight-marc-spector/in-comics)

A more detailed look at his abilities can be found here: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Marc_Spector_(Earth-616)#Powers_and_Abilities

He was a mercenary on a mission and nearly died. He made it all the way to an idol of the moon god named Khonshu, who gave him his newfound abilities. You can learn more about him here: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Marc_Spector_(Earth-616)

I'm looking forward to this as I've become obsessed w/ the MCU. I'm only disappointed and surprised that it seems we have to wait almost two whole months for MCU Disney+ content.

What do you think about this show? Are you familiar with Moon Knight? Let me know!

If you haven't seen Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, this trailer won't make sense to you, so go watch it, it's good. It's sequel now has a trailer, although the release date is October 7, 2022. It's a long way out, so this trailer comes as a surprise, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

I think it's interesting that Sony is exploring the Spider-Verse, which they introduced in Into the Spider-Verse. I didn't think much of it then, because the MCU had barely mentioned the multi-verse, but it's more interesting now that the MCU has gone full blown into the multi-verse. I think it leaves open a great opportunity for the Sony/MCU Spider-Man universe to collide with this Spider-Verse. I think many people are hoping to see a live-action Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. Sony producer Amy Pascal recently broke the news that Tom Holland is returning as Spider-Man (after No Way Home) for what they're thinking is going to be another three movies. So, maybe the chance for these two universes to meet is possible. There's a deleted scene in Homecoming where Spider-Man interrogates Donald Glover, the Prowler, who mentions his nephew. His nephew is Miles Morales. If you want to see the scene, you'll likely find it easily on YouTube.

I think the "(Part One)" part of this title is interesting, because it clearly means there is going to be a least another part after it. I also found out in the source that Oscar Isaac is going to be playing Spider-Man 2099.

Let me know what you think. Have you seen Into the Spider-Verse? What did you think about it? Is this something you're interested in?

Source: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-part-one-trailer-revealed/1100-6498609/

I've known about this for a while. I've seen other trailers or teasers, but haven't posted anything yet. I'm not sure why, but now's a good time since there's a new trailer with an official release date. Peacemaker streams on HBOMax on 1/13. Peacemaker, played by John Cena, was a character in this year's Suicide Squad movie, which I enjoyed. He's an interesting character and I think this show is going to be interesting. There was a post-credits scene in SS that pointed to this, so this isn't much of a surprise. Well, apparently I don't have much to say about this. I'm interesting in watching it, what about you?