My DLC rant

My DLC rant 

 

Intro: I'm kind of embarrassed that I'm talking about this now because I had a feeling that this was going to happen. That's the reason why I waited, because I didn't think the video game industry would really go in this direction, but I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Before I get into this topic, I want to talk about two other things the video game industry does that annoy me. I usually get one game console; if I want to get another one, I wait until the next-gen console comes out. That becomes difficult because Microsoft and Sony release different versions of their consoles, I don't enjoy spending money on the same thing. Movies can get away with rerelease because they are affordable. This is why I buy from Nintendo first because they don't pull this crap. Well, they kind of did with the Wii, but I don't hear people talking about that. Also, doing this sends mixed messages. I mean, is the latest model better or worse than the previous one? The other thing is multiplayer, I mean, there was a time where you could play multiplayer with the game's A.I. Now that's not the case, you can only play multiplayer online, depending on which game you have. Do I really have to explain why this is an issue for me? 

For those of you who are not gamers, DLC is short for downloadable content. It's basically mini parts of the main game, and it adds new features to the game. Sometimes it's free if you pre-order certain games, and sometimes it's not. We had DLC in the past, but now it's growing. I wasn't against it at first because it's not a part of the main game, and it didn't cost much at first. What ruins DLC is the micro-transaction; DLC costs 15 dollars or more. Plus, the creators make new DLC every few months. Instead of DLC's adding more content to the games, they are used to divide the game into parts. For example, how would you feel if Goku was a DLC in the Jump Force game? Would you be outraged if the story mode for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid was a DLC that cost 30 dollars? Speaking of Battle of the Grid, that game could foreshadow how they are going to do DLC from now on. I mean, why make us pay full price for an incomplete game?  

I know the gaming industry is trying to find a new way to make money; however, it should not come at the expense of ripping off the consumers. They don't make enough money with people paying to play online? What incentive do I have to buy games if the developers are going to be lazy with making them? How is this any different if I paid 11 dollars to watch a movie, but I only see ten minutes of the movie? There was a time where if you want to unlock new skins, story modes, maps, or characters, you beat the game or perform a difficult task in the game. We still have that, but it's been reduced to Achievement awards. What's the point of that if there's no payoff to completing them? Also, if you buy a game four years later, you will miss out on the extra content because the creators will shut down the online server. How is this better than having the extra content already installed in the game? I blame the consumers for this because we are encouraging them to use DLCs to split the game into pieces. 

Overall, this is not good business practice. We need to let the gaming industry know that this is not OK, we can't do that if we keep supporting them. We teach people to treat us by what we tolerate.  

My Lego movie 2 the second part review

My Lego movie 2 the second part review

Intro: OK it's bad enough that Batman got a lot of screen time in the last movie, but did you have to throw shade at the comic book Aquaman over the Roman Reigns Aquaman?

The Lego Movie 2 the second part: This movie takes place five years after the first movie and the citizens of Bricksburg are at war with Duplo Legos. The war reaches its turning point when Lucy, Batman and the others are abducted and gone into outer space. So, Emmet has to put his creativity to the test in order to end this war. 

This movie wasn't as well received as the first film. I can understand why because of how the last movie ended. At the same time that's a shame because this movie feels like a Lego movie more than the first film. I like how this movie references other films because it was done in a way that expresses the imagination of what's behind the Lego. The movie has more songs that are catchy and the humor is fine give or take. I like the batman song because that was funnier than the batman Lego movie. 

The theme of this movie is maturity and being true to yourself. This movie deals with what is considered childish? That leads to the second theme because of that kids have to hide something about themselves or risk being alienated by everyone. You have to be honest with yourself regretless of what people think. We all know what it's like to hide something about ourselves that most people frown upon. (You have no idea how often I was called retarded for watching WWE and Power Rangers, but I digress.) This is my issue with men in general, they look disingenuous whenever they confront or challenge each other. Unless you enjoy going to Rikers Island you're not though in my eyes, but I digress. 

Emmet may be Mr. Sunshine in this movie but he has to learn if there is a time and a place for it?  

Lucy is the same tough girl as before. That's what bugs me about her this movie I thought we were going to get her backstory in this movie, but it's treated as a joke. 

Rex Dangervest is a satire of the voice actor who's voicing him. 

General Sweet Mayhem is like Lucy to the point where they parallel each other.

There isn't much to say about Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (leader of the Duplo) because of how ambiguous she is.  

One of the problems I have with this movie is Batman plays a big part in the story by default. The story was the best way to compliant the themes of this movie. Most of the characters add nothing to the story. I'm annoyed that Bionicle is not in this movie because that would help with the movie's themes considering they were made for teens. There are plot holes with what the Legos can or can't do. 

Overall, this movie may not be as good as the first, but it was a good addition to this franchise.  

Rating = Average            

My thoughts on Boom Comics Power Rangers

My thoughts on Boom Comics Power Rangers 

 

Before you ask, no! I'm not going to review comic books because they keep getting rebooted and retconned. Since one of the writers is leaving and both comic book series are starting to connect with each other, it's time for me to give my thoughts on them. 

Boom Comics created two comic book series called GO! GO! Power Rangers and Mighty Morphing Power Rangers. GO GO takes place after the first episode and before you know who showed up. MMPR takes place after Mr. Overrated shows up. Plus, Boom Studios did other Power Rangers comics like annuals, Pink, and Soul of the Dragon. Pink tells the story of Kimberly after she left the Rangers in season three, annuals deals with the everyday life of the Rangers, other characters, and gives us a backstory on the villains. Soul of the Dragon is the old man Logan's version of Power Rangers.  

These comic book series capture the potential I saw in this show! The Original MMPR show could have been this good if it wasn't tied down by the sentia footage. This comic book series did something that the Clone Wars series failed to do with the prequels, that is, make it better. It answered some unanswered questions like what happened to the astronaut who freed Rita, and why Rita's monsters are so dumb? The reason why I'm fond of this series of comics is that it tells silly and mature stories without losing its lighthearted tone. I also like how the writers are creative with this franchise; it almost feels like I'm watching kids writing these comics.  

The Lord Drakkon story is a what-if tale for Tommy. If you wonder what would have happened if Tommy stayed evil after being free from Rita's spell, then this is for you. I'm not crazy about this story, I'll explain later. Shattered Grid is about Lord Drakkon manipulating the morphing grid. This story makes me mad not because I think it's bad or that it turns Lord Drakkon into Thanos. It's because this is what Neo-Saban should have done for the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers. 

I'm impressed with what the writers have done with these characters, for the most part, because they made the rangers feel like real teens, and their parents are in their lives. 

This comic focuses on Jason/the red ranger being a hothead, and we get his backstory on why he's like that. I'm surprised that he asked Zordon to break one of his rules to help him. 

Zack/the black ranger is more of a people person in this comic. I don't buy his subplot in the comics; the writers should have given this to Billy/the blue ranger. 

Speaking of Billy, sadly, these comics didn't do anything new with this character. That annoys me for reasons I'll get into that later. I'm not crazy about his past with Skull.  

Trini/the yellow is the same as she was in the show, minus her being an environmentalist. That's a shame because she's underdeveloped in the show. We learn that she moves around a lot, and she wants to be a doctor. I don't like that these comics made her promiscuous instead of her being with Billy. This wouldn't anger me so much if the writers of these comics didn't grow up watching Power Rangers.  

Kimberly/the pink ranger, is Ms. Princess. The comics focus on her family problems, and she has a boyfriend. She did something to Skull that's messed up. Thankfully, he saw what she was trying to do. Her spin-off story addresses the Dear John letter; however, we don't know why she wrote it. Plus, it makes Kimberly look like a jerk.    

I'm disappointed that the writers didn't do anything to justify Tommy/the green ranger's popularity. They could have if they gave him the same character traits as Lord Drakkon. 

Bulk and Skull are comic relief characters in these comics. 

Matthew Cook (Kimberly's boyfriend) is friendly. 

Zordon feels like a mentor in this series. We learn something about him that adds a plothole to the first episode of MMPR.  

Alpha 5 is less aggravating. 

the Ranger Slayer is the Sarah Connor of Power Rangers. 

Rita is a huge improvement from the original show; she's more menacing in these comics. 

Goldar is a bloodthirsty warrior. 

Sadly, the writers didn't do much with Scorpina. 

Finster is a mad scientist. 

Lord Drakkon is ruthless and egotistical. However, in Shattered Grid, we see that there's more to him than that. 

One of the many problems I have with these comics is that I don't know how the morphing grid works in this world. What bugs me about the Lord Drakkon story is that it made Tommy more popular than he already is. This is why I enjoy reading GO GO more, because I don't want the writers to think they can't make a good story without Tommy. Because of this, I didn't want to read Soul of the Dragon.

My Gripe with the Shattered Grid story is that this should have been an evil Billy story, I mean, isn't this something evil Billy would do? (I'm still waiting for an evil Billy story.)  This could have been the sci-fi version of Revenge of the Nerds, but no, you have to kiss Tommy's butt. Boom Studios, I better get a Billy spin-off story in the future. I mean it! I'll get a lawyer, there'll be blood to pay! Issue 17 of GO GO is coming out next week. I don't see the need to read it, besides tying up some loose ends. I don't see what story the writers can tell from here. (If I'm wrong, then I stand corrected.)  

These comics are a good example of fans adding something new to a franchise that they love! I would recommend these comics to fans and non-fans.