Story:G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout is a joint-production of Chilean developer Iguanabee and Costa Rican studio Fair Play Labs. A third-person action-adventure with hero shooter elements, Operation Blackout is the first licensed G.I. Joe title since 2009.
Operation Blackout consists of two distinct modes: six-hour story campaign and local co-op and versus play. The story campaign allows players to be both members of the G.I. Joe squad, as well as their villainous rivals COBRA.
A violent attack on G.I. Joe headquarters results in the scattering and disbanding of the Real American Heroes, which leads to the vile Starscream Cobra Commander becoming President of the United States.
While scattered across the globe, it is up to the player to reunite the members of G.I. Joe, before launching a series of covert missions to free the United States from COBRA's control. It's a plot straight out of the TV show, delightfully over-the-top and filled with amusingly welcomed holes and contrivances. The story is told through some nicely laid out comic-book style art, which makes up for the static nature of the cinematics. If there's one thing Operation Blackout does very well, it captures the feel and atmosphere of the G.I. Joe universe well.
Fun Factor: While I can give it credit for maintaining the same high energy that some of the other 3rd person shooters have (such as Gears of War), the wave of enemies feels repetitive with nothing really interesting about them outside of the change of skins and some abilities.
The sensitivity and controls don't help matters, and there should definitely be a way to hone sensitivity or make it easier to control aiming if you choose to take off aim assist.
Replay Value: A plus in the game is the ability to unlock custom skins for multiple characters modifiers in a classic comic book of the Cobra commanders Destro, Duke, Roadblock, and more.
Multiplayer delivers the usual game modes like capture the flag, skirmishes, and King of the Hill but hit breaks because the con about this game is that there isn't an online mode. It's only local play which is okay if you have a group of friends or a house full of gamers to partake in those game modes, but with a pandemic going on, friends are out of the question if you had enough to game in the first place.
"What?! That makes... zero sense! They could have focused on making the best single-player experience possible if there wasn't going to be an online multiplayer option. They could have even worked with another studio to collab on making that possible. I guess... it's an okay addition for a full house, but..." - Blu
Price: The price feels like it should be around $24.99, not $39.99. It needs to be competitive beyond the G.I. Joe branding.
Overall, I give G.I. Joe Operation Blackout a 6 out of 10 definitely something for the younger generation to play around the house as an alternative to Fortnite.
Games for Love hosts Super Smash tournament with cash prize pool
Compete for up to $1,000 in cash prizes
Lynnwood, Wash. - Nov. 5, 2020 - Non-profit organization Games for Love is hosting a free-to-enter online Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament on Friday, November 6th with up to $1,000 in cash prizes for winners. This is the first event in the Champions for Charity tournament series benefiting Games For Love, who works with hospitals, clinics, and child-well-being facilities in 2 countries to bring all things distraction therapy.
The event, in partnership with Softgiving, HyperX, GamerSupps, Community Gaming, and powered by Facebook Gaming, will begin at 6 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) and involve hundreds of players competing online. The tournament is available and free for everyone. A suggested donation of $10 is recommended upon registration. Additionally, giveaways of products from sponsors will be raffled off with donations during the allotted giveaway time frame counting as entries into the raffle.
“We’re grateful for the support of our partners and everyone involved in the event to benefit our mission at Games for Love,” said Nathan Blair, CEO of Games for Love. “We’re going to continue expanding our global efforts of making change with children everywhere. We want gaming to provide sustainable opportunities and enjoyment for everyone.”
Any gamers interested in registering for Champions for Charity can visit the Facebook page and click the register button. Donations are accepted at Softgiving’s website.
I don't know about anyone else, but I can't wait for COVID to GTFOH... seriously! I miss getting together with family and friends. I guess they have more food and snacks as a result, but 2020 put a halt on life and memories. It's still a plus to be among the living because you can continue to live on to make more memories, but man... this sucks.
Top 10... let's go!
The USA is taking on close calls like Afro Samurai!
Before I get started, I want to give a shout out to Sony + Funimation for giving me access to this film for review. That said... let's jump in!
If you aren't familiar with My Hero Academia, let's just say it's a huge anime based on a world chock-full of superheroes and supervillains. Their abilities are known as quirks, and though I never read the manga... the show got my attention because I wanted to see the main character make his way from the bottom.
The thing about the main character Izuku Midoriya (aka Deku) that grabbed my attention is the fact that he was a super fan of the legendary All Might, but no matter how much love he had for the #1 hero... he didn't have a quirk of his own (unless you count his heart as one). Fast forward, All Might actually passed on his One For All quirk to Izuku... who had to improvise in order to make his way through hero training, battles, and competitions... so it really got my attention. Check out the show here... after checking out the review of this film (of course).
Here's the trailer for My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
Story: Anyway... My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising... starts off with an action-packed car chase with the heroes going after the League of Villains as they transport a mysterious baddie by the name of Nine. Nine, believes that the key to achieving his ideal world is on an island called... Nabu. By the way, Nine is able to steal quirks like the infamous... All For One.
Nine, isn't alone in his mission, he has some powerful villains at his side:
Mummy, is a henchmen with the ability to control inanimate objects that he wraps up in his bandages.
Slice, is also a villain on team Nine and she's also his aide. Her quirk turns her hair into blades.
Chimera, is a villain seeking revenge on society, and his quirk let's him use various animal abilities.
This was an action-packed film... and I can't even think of a dull moment. They had some downtime tucked in there like when they were at the U.A. Hero Agency... but even then it was lively and prepared you for the hard stuff as class 1-A set off to find a lost boy. The team didn't have the Pros backing them up on this one... they were thrown in the deep end as a way to help them grow without the reassurance of a safety net being on deck. Even if they're still learning... the situation with All Might requires more heroes ASAP.
One thing I appreciate about the film (which is something I find appealing about select anime) is that it makes sense, it's not over the top to the point where you can't connect the dots. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising flows well... and you aren't just getting the story from class 1-A's end, you're also getting a dose of detective action featuring Hawks... which allows for variety. While Hawks was gathering clues on an occurrence on the mainland... it actually connected to the one on Nabu Island as the freaky four (mentioned above) crashed a ship onto shore and began to raise hell immediately. I'm telling you... the action didn't stop (this is a 104-minute movie).
There was one part that sort of annoyed me where the children in the story just wouldn't run away. I know they're little kids so they're going to do what scared children do... but I was like "OMG... would you run like you were told, please?".
Anyway, they wrapped this film in a bow, it's a full adventure (that proved satisfying)... with an additional gift covered in question marks attached to the package as a twist... because it opens the door for more villainous action at a later time. I won't spoil it for you.
Visuals: As far as visuals go, they don't skip a beat on the quality. The characters look great and those final fights are awesome (the final fight is expected to be)... and will have some of you on the edge of your seat. The villains went hard, especially Chimera and Nine. One thing I wouldn't have minded seeing was more hand to hand action to really admire the work of the animators more, but there was enough to be pleased to an extent.
Audio + Extras: I loved the film, and it wasn't just the visuals... the audio was just as sweet. I kicked back (when I wasn't on the edge of my seat) crunk up the surround sound and enjoyed the quakes conjured by the explosions and the gusts of air added to the action coming from the subs. I watched this film twice, using a surround sound system first... followed by (the 1More True Wireless ANC In-Ear) THX Certified Headphones but I didn't have to watch it twice to give the audio two thumbs up. Good stuff and I can't forget the sound of those laser beams (now I want one as a text notification).
Price: Pricewise... you can get the Blu-Ray + DVD + Digital for $24.99. You get three options here to enjoy your movie, but I'd still prefer this at $19.99. If there was a manga bundled in... that would make the price even sweeter, add in a statue for collectors or bundle it with an existing toyline (where the buyer can select which hero they want) and the price could be even more. Just thinking of ways to increase the reason to buy physical copies when there aren't a lot of extras. $24.99 is okay, but $19.99 is the sweet spot in my opinion. Get the exclusive steelbook version for $27.99 here.
Overall, My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising is... a great film and I definitely recommend checking it out for yourself.
Wearing masks stops the spread, so imagine COVID-19 if everyone acted accordingly and wore their masks. People are dying, people are losing their jobs, people are being evicted, companies are losing business, essential workers are getting sick, and that only increases the scarcity of everything when you think about it. It doesn't require you to wear it in your car, just wear it in stores and public buildings around others, and when you're in crowded spaces and areas where you will interact with things where the public, in general, will go (i.e. gas stations).
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.
