Top 10... let's go!
USA (took the top spot... back!)
Hong Kong (is still swinging as they fall to #2!)
Japan (what a jump!)
Russia
Germany
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Ukraine
Australia
Brazil, United Arab Emirates, and... Israel came close!
Batwoman: The Complete First Season... Reviewed!
I want to start my review off by giving a shout out to... Warner Bros. for hooking us up with a free Blu-ray copy of Batwoman: The Complete First Season. The opinions I share are my own.
Batwoman started off... feeling a tad... cheesy. It felt like it was headed in the direction of being on the gritty side like I'm familiar with, but then... they pulled back and pursued snarky remarks and love interests. I get that they were trying to present the backstory, so I didn't trip.
Story: The story revolves around Kate Kane, aka Batwoman (aka Bruce Wayne's cousin)... an ex-soldier who got the boot and returned to Gotham and reluctantly stepped into the shoes of Batman after he went AWOL. Batman was sort of ragged on a bit, and so was his suit prior to modifications... but I let it go (woosah). When it comes to her costume in general, it wasn't bad... had no problem with it... but I was thrown off by the fact that Kate Kane in the show didn't have red hair.
I tried to get into the initial episodes but the tug of war between sibling and foe annoyed me a bit. I think the approach could've been better... but their rivalry rubbed off on me (eventually). My problem was the fact that I was wrestling with a TV show vs the films, and so... I took Batman films off the brain and just watched this as I would any new TV show.
Luckily, I was able to engage once I got a little deeper into the season, and... it began to feel like the Bat was back in some capacity. I don't know though... still sort of felt like Kate was being an interim superhero. I wouldn't just expect someone to jump into the bat's shoes and fill them with ease... but I will get back to why she should've been better (in my opinion).
After letting go of my hang-up... it stopped feeling like somewhat of a Batman tv show and started feeling like the Batwoman show (though he was mentioned more than a few times).
It still felt a tad cheesy here and there (just not as much). If it means anything... I feel that way about a lot of TV shows, which is one reason why I don't watch a lot of TV. They really have to be triple good to change that, and I have to say that Batwoman grabbed my attention 1/4th of the way into the season... that's when the grit (finally) kicked in. Even I was surprised to see that a certain villain's practice was shown in the show, but it felt like something a Gotham city villain would pull and... it worked well for the show. I'm referring to Mouse and what he's known for.
The acting performances got better for me after crossing that 1/4th mark as well, or so it felt like it. Kate was presented as this super-skilled badass before she stepped into the role of Batwoman, and I was scratching my head wondering where all that was.
I wanted to see Batwoman shine, instead of being presented like she should've been a self-conscious sidekick still learning the ropes. She's not Batgirl, she's... Batwoman, but I still tried to keep in mind that it's a TV show so the writing was also stretching things out. Even still... it didn't have to come by way of her appearing like she was a beginner sometimes. Learn the weapons and all that good stuff, get better with that... but don't leave her badassness up for debate.
Visuals: The cinematography looked good with some solid angles, and even if I wasn't crazy about the way the flashbacks looked... I really enjoyed the night scenes. Call me crazy but Elizabeth Kane had the best looking scenes, there was just more depth in my opinion... and frankly, I think she stole the show.
Here's a shot of Elizabeth Kane.
Audio: The DTS-HD Master Audio was cool, although... I couldn't get behind the theme music. It's just not that memorable, it felt... blah and the background music forced me to turn down the volume because it was louder than the standard volume at times. If I can recommend anything, it would be to update Batwoman's theme music, it should sound more heroic. I remember all sorts of theme songs from my childhood, and I'd like to hear some memorable music for the heroine. Her music doesn't come close to Buffy The Vampire Slayer's theme or even... Charmed from back in the day. Step it up.
Oh yeah, another part I really didn't care for was the Crisis On Infinite Earths... and not because it was bad.
Why bring it in at part 2 without showing crucial segments of what previously occurred in part 1? That would bring viewers of this season of Batwoman up to speed on what happened to actually wrap her up into the situation.
I really didn't care for that because it pulled me out of the story during my binge-fest before I was tossed back into Gotham, but I didn't fret about being left out of the loop too much because of the bonus disc (it was just weird). I would've preferred episode be left out other than being brought up to speed on how it impacted... Gotham. Anyway, Batwoman: The Complete First Season includes a limited-edition bonus disc with all five episodes of the DC crossover event "Crisis On Infinite Earths" + 20 episodes of Batwoman, and 6 bonus features.
DC fans get to indulge on extras like:
On The Set
The Best of DC TV's Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2019
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
In total, you're looking at almost 900 minutes of superhero action feature Batwoman, and the action is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and... Digital.
Batwoman stars Ruby Rose of John Wick: Chapter 2, Rachel Skarsten of Birds of Prey, Elizabeth Anweis of NCIS: LA, Camrus Johnson of The Sun Is Also A Star, and many more.
Price: The DVD is priced at $39.99 SRP and the Blu-ray at $44.98. There are a crapload of episodes and bonuses to justify the price of this... so no complaints here. One missed opportunity was the fact that they could've had a Collector's Edition bundle that included the Batwoman statue and a collector's comic.
Overall, I think it's a pretty decent show. The story came together and it was set up well enough for a second season. Season two should prove to be very interesting... but I won't get into the details of why.
Story 3
Visuals 5
Audio 3
Price 5
4 out of 5 Cool Points
Mask Up Mondays: NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 (Season Game 2)
Not sure what type of mask is most effective? Take a look at this lab test from June, where the Florida Atlantic University researchers developed a cough emulator lab configuration to determine what the most effective mask would be. The focus is air droplets and how effective certain masks are, and we have the most effective masks in the test available for you w/ a coupon code to save 15% off. So take a look at the video to verify for yourself, and... let's flatten the curve.
Gunfire Reborn... Reviewed!
Kinda sorta feels familiar... and I'm completely okay with that.
Shout out to Duoyi Interactive Entertainment Limited for hooking us up with a copy of the game for this review. That said... let's jump in!
Cats, Dogs, and Guns... oh my! Gunfire Reborn is an Indie multiplayer shooter, delivering a rogue-lite-RPG experience through the eyes of... heroic pets that reminds me of Borderlands.
I don't want to give you the impression that you will go into Borderlands: Pet Edition, but... it reminds me of it based on the art style and the portals. No need to worry about getting your hands on a clone, this game has its own charm, and structure.
Gameplay: When it comes to the fun factor... Gunfire Reborn delivers the fun in the heat of battle (surprisingly) when all hell is breaking loose, that's when your skill is truly put to the test. You encounter normal monsters primarily during your adventure (i.e. terracotta soldiers, bandits, primitive creatures, and more), but... you can't underestimate any of them because you can end up KO'd waiting to be revived.
In the heat of battle, sometimes you can't always expect to be revived... because a teammate can end up in the same situation as you as they stand defenseless trying to revive you. Luckily you have the ability to revive yourself (at least once)... and you can be brought back if another player has enough coin to buy your way back into the game through the Peddler (frog merchant). So it requires some level of strategy and teamwork to progress from beginning to end. If you pass up the chance to revive a fellow player to get your hands on a different weapon or something... that's one less person to actually have your back (especially during boss battles).
Battling massive bosses can also be fun, especially if you're playing with friends. The same can apply to strangers, but it's a mixed bag because you don't know what you're going to get (if you get anything at all... I'll explain it later). It's a thin line between fun and frustration in this game (sometimes) because you don't know how some players will act in the field.
Teamwork goes a long way when making your way through this level-based adventure game, but when you have someone or a few people taking off running ahead, teamwork falls apart. There is no way to escape a firefight once you're locked into a certain area, you have to eliminate the monsters. If you ran ahead and your team went into a vault, you can only rely on luck if you need to be revived at that point.
Vaults are those portals that I mentioned prior (I call them portals because they look like portals)... which are hidden areas you can access by shooting cracks in the wall in certain areas. These vaults contain a variety of challenges, whether you're taking on enemies or obstacles.
Gunfire Reborn is a level-based adventure game... so you're moving from point A to point B to point C where you fight a boss character before moving on to the next area. You take on a variety of characters like bugs, statues, cats, monsters, these snipers that remind me of a certain bounty hunter from Star Wars the Clone Wars (animated show), etc.
As far as protagonists go... you only have two to choose from right now (that I've seen), but... the game is in early access. In the full release, they need at least four characters... that compliment each other. The current options don't stand in the way of gameplay, but... more protagonists boost the replay value.
Visuals: Borderlands comes to mind with this game... although it's more linear, but... I think it's not only because of the gameplay and the portals but also the cel-shaded voxel graphics. I like the toonish toy-like look of the characters, they're memorable and I think the look of this FPS is one of the reasons why the popularity got a boost in it's early access.
Replay Value: In Gunfire Reborn, I see the replay value coming by way of building your character and unlocking various abilities for the weapons.
In-game you have a variety of elements like Wildfire which gives you the ability to affect enemies with an elemental effect between +40% to +60% for a certain amount of time, Energy Echo gives you the same element type as your current weapon, and these are 2 of 6.
Smoke gives you access to different options as well, which include Backpack Expansion that boosts your grenade capacity, and Toxic Smoke. Toxic is my fave because I put in some serious damage with lingering results. Toxic grenades give between +300% - +500% and gain 100% additional damage each second after the explosion.
The other smoke options are cool, but... toxic is the most effective in my book. The elemental shield is cool too, which gives you a +30 - +90 max shield, and gives you 6s to 20s of immunity time to elemental effects.
The Orb also gives you a good set up options, ranging from the number of times you can use them before you recharge (via the Power Source power-up), Energy Blade delivers damage to the enemy and adjacent baddies, Advanced Shield which recharges the shield after use, etc. The orb's basic use allows you to freeze the baddies, and this can help you in the long run if you make good use of it. Use the Enhancement Lasts option to boost the freeze time for an additional 2 to 6 seconds and that could have you dash out of the path of clear and present danger. These are for the Crown Prince.
Ao Bai's ascensions are mainly weapon damage, health, and explosions damage... not elemental. So you will not have the same experience between two characters.
You also have talents to unlock, like the Gemini Inscription... which allows the weapon with the Gemini Inscription to appear in the adventure. The name comes from it activating when two different weapons having the same inscription are equipped, and that's when you get access to their power. The Tyrant Leader talent gets you more Soul Essence from bosses... which gives you +10 to 50%! Soul Essence gives you the ability to revive yourself if you have enough of it.
Tip: Currently, you have 10+ talents available and I recommend going after the Dimension Pouch that allows you to keep a certain amount of Soul Essence... so that you don't lose what you have leftover, and Starting Funds, and Money Maker. This gives you the ability to level up and equip yourself with the best... earlier on.
You also have things like Occult Scrolls, but you have to be careful with these. Sure you have scrolls like the Ammo Belt that double your ammo capacity, and Snow Boots that give you immunity to slow effects and 50% less damage when it comes to traps, but... you also have bad ones. The Devil's Covenant might double copper, and all copper gain afterward is increased by 50%, but... it decreases your HP by 75% and it cannot be discarded. It cannot... be... discarded. So keep that in mind and make sure you know what you're picking up.
The Fire, Corrosion, and Lightning Enthusiast scrolls are all bad. They hurt the enemies, but... they also hurt you. So the replay value is there in an interesting way.
Price: Gunfire Reborn comes in (right now) at $11.99 (on Steam)... which is a steal for the experience (I kid you not), but I do hope they work on a few things prior to the full release.
A few things I hope to see improved in this game are the matchmaking and the aiming. You can get by with the aiming, but I would love to aim down sight with the handguns too. That's not a major problem, but the main thing I'd love to see improved... is the matchmaking. I want to see the number of people online in the matchmaking area, just show us a number of people online and a number of people in-game so that we know matchmaking will result in multiplayer action. I don't want to wait around not knowing whether a match is going to happen with other players or not.
Regardless of the fun experience, I hope to see more boss characters in the final release of the game... with updates that deliver even more enemies, etc. 3 Bosses is okay, but will it keep players coming back in the long run? That's a question the developers need to keep in mind, but they are actively working on the game and delivering updates.
A few days prior to this review an update was made with new weapons, enemies, occult scrolls, and level changes!
This is my score based on my Early Access experience.
Gameplay 5
Visuals 5
Replay Value 4
Price 5
4.75 out of 5 Cool Points
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