Friday, December 12, 2014

My Top 5 Movies Of 2014

Hey there fellow Otaku & Metal Heads!

With Christmas rapidly coming towards us, I wanted to pump out one last post. Like the title says, these are the five movies of 2014 that I thought were the best out of everything else that was released. This also might be the strangest “Top 5 Movies” post anyone has ever put up on the internet. I won’t delay things any further, so here are what I consider to be my top 5 movies of 2014. Enjoy!

5) The Boxtrolls
Far in a way one of the darker kids movies to have been released this year, The Boxtrolls was released to theaters on September 26, 2014 to wide praise, and rightly so. The creators of this movie were also the creators of ParaNorman, which was an equally big hit just two years prior. The Boxtrolls has that movie’s look, feel, charm, and overall fun nature. Sadly, I didn’t like this movie as much as ParaNorman: don’t get me wrong, The Boxtrolls is not a bad movie. Far from it, this happens to be one of the best kids films released in 2014! What I didn’t like was that this movie was somewhat darker than ParaNorman. The mood of the film had a grimmer nature than it’s 2012 predecessor, and there were far more scarier moments involved. At one point, there’s a scene where it looks like the trolls in question were mercilessly crushed by the villains of the film. Despite this, I cannot hate The Boxtrolls. I had a lot of fun watching the movie, and I’d be more than willing to watch it again on DVD if the circumstances were right.

4) Big Hero 6

Perhaps the most recent movie to appear on this list, Big Hero 6 was released to the United States on November 7, 2014, but was first shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23, 2014. Loosely adapted from the comic of the same, Big Hero 6 is in a world on it’s own. Taking place in the fictional city of San Fransokyo (My only “Quasi-Gripe” of the film), Big Hero 6 is one of the most colorful films I’ve seen this year. The world that’s made for this feature has familiar elements of both San Francisco & Tokyo (Hence the combined name), but when put together it is easily one of the most funky & enchanting places to observe. Couple with the interesting & quirky characters, not to mention a story that both kids & adults can easily get into, and you have a movie that’s perfect for all ages.

3) Transformers: Age Of Extinction
Yeah yeah, I know what most of you are probably gonna say: “Booo, Michael Bay sucks! Transformers movies are a piece of shit! Booo!”. To which I say......you’re not necessarily wrong.

I for one, do not think that this franchise is the be-all-end-all series of movies that the hardcore fans say/think it is. Each of these movies have some series, especially the highly reviled Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Age Of Extinction, however, is a little different. Premiering in Hong Kong on June 19, 2014, the movie was fully released in China and the United States just a few days later on June 27th. Despite the criticism directed towards the film, the movie raked in 1 billion dollars worldwide, and a 5th movie is scheduled to be released in 2016. Looking back, this is easily the most improved of the Transformers films. Gone was Shia LaBeouf and any of the previous human actors/characters, and instead were replaced with an entire new set of actors/characters, headlined by the far more charismatic Mark Wahlberg. He brings much more action star credibility that Shia ever did in the first 3 movies combined, and is far more likable than any one that was in any of the previous films. Other charismatic actors appear in Age Of Extinction as well, such as Kelsey Grammar & Stanley Tucci, and were actually considered to be some of the positive aspects of the movie. On top of that, the whole movie felt darker & grittier than any of the others, almost to the point where it looked like Michael Bay realized he goofed up, and decided to take things a little more seriously. If you’re still hanging onto this franchise, and want something a little bit different, Age Of Extinction will satisfy any cravings you have.

2) Fury
Perhaps the most grim & powerful movie I’ve seen not just in 2014, but in all of my movie going experience, Fury was put in theaters on October 17, 2014 and received high praise. With a budget of 68 million dollars, the film raked in far more money. 154.2 million dollars, to be exact. The movie actually had a lot going for it: it was one of only a few World War 2 movies to focus exclusively on tank warfare. Most focus exclusively on the infantry, air force, or navy, so a movie that centers around tanks is a rarity. There were actual tanks brought in as well, not to mention the fact that it showcased the only German Tiger tank (Tiger 131) that is still functioning today. The violence in this movie is absolutely brutal: there are men lit on fire, limbs ripped off because of explosions & gunfire, and headshots so bloody you’d swear that they were real. Coupled with a ragtag yet perfect cast (Brad Pitt as the lead, and Shia LaBeouf is surprisingly believable in his role as a grizzled tank operator), and Fury is the most authentic modern World War 2 movie to date.

1) The Lego Movie
If you don’t love legos, you have no soul. There’s no way of saying it softly: if you didn’t enjoy playing with legos when you were a child, then you simply had no childhood. Even if you’re an adult, and legos still don’t make you smile, you are beyond all hope & redemption!

With that said, The Lego Movie is not only my favorite movie of the year, but has raised the bar for all kids movies. Released on February 7, 2014, The Lego Movie has some of the best things going for it: an animation style that mixed traditional CGI with stop-motion, high quality voice acting, humor that will have you laughing out loud, and a message that is both sincere & profound. Not only that, but the movie had a 60 million dollar budget, and brought in 468 million in profit (257 million in North America, and 210 million in other territories). An awful kids movie wouldn’t generate a fourth of this immense profit.

Simply put: watch this movie. Seriously, go find this!

So these were my top 5 movies of 2014. I hope you liked it, and Happy Holidays! See you in 2015!

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

My Top 10 Christmas Specials of All Time

Merry Christmahanakwanza fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

With the holidays getting closer & closer, our thoughts turn to the Christmas specials of yore. The classic films that previous generations have enjoyed, and newer features that my generation likes. This post compiles what I consider to be the top 10 greatest Christmas specials of all time. There are certainly some of the classics on here, but some of the more recent features, appear as well. There’s even some holiday twists & turns as well! Anyways, here are the top 10 Christmas specials of all time. Enjoy the magic!

(Note: In the time that this has been around, some links have deactivated, and my writing in 2014 was necessarily the greatest in hindsight. I'm updating this list with new links & grammar corrections, not to mention expanding the list to 12 instead of 10. I'll post up 12 & 11 in a week or so.)

12) Die Hard (Link)

Let's get this out of the way: this is one of the best action movies to have come out of the 1980s! It cemented the legacy of Bruce Willis as a top star, and paved the way for many imitators (Some good, some not) to grace the silver screen. It also happens to be one of the most iconic Christmas films ever made. Granted, it's connection to the holiday it tenuous at best, but it's still a seasonal classic. Regardless, Die Hard is over the top, filled with plenty of one-liners & explosions, and I always look forward to watching it every December. 

11) A Nightmare Before Christmas (Link)

If Die Hard stretched the Christmas connection, A Nightmare Before Christmas pulls it until it nearly tears apart. That's not to say that I don't see why people watch this around this time of year, cause I most certainly do. My big issues is that it's not just a Christmas movie, but it's a Halloween movie at the same time. This bipolar feeling I get from watching the saga of the Pumpkin King just leaves me confused by the time I'm done, but at the same time I leave my seat strangely fulfilled. I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. You just have to watch A Nightmare Before Christmas, and see for yourself!

10) Duke: Nuclear Winter (Link)

I wanted to include games on this list, and for the longest time, I actually had two at this spot: Nuclear Winter, and the “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day” Headhunter Pack from Borderlands 2. I decided to not make this a tie, because while the Headhunter Pack was fun, it was essentially just a bite-sized holiday treat (It also doesn't help that it goes by really quick). Duke: Nuclear Winter isn’t necessarily much better: the only game made by the apparently short lived Simply Silly Software (Eye-Catching name, isn’t it?), this is easily the weakest of the Duke Nukem 3d expansion packs released back in 1997. It was shoddily put together, level designs were lackluster (The first two levels are just levels from Duke Nukem 3d, only backwards & given a holiday coat of paint), and is the quickest of the 3 packs. What gets Nuclear Winter on this list is the sheer absurdity of it all!

Basically, Duke gets a telegraph from Herbie (Of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer fame) saying that aliens have taken the North Pole. They’ve captured Santa, and enlisted help of the Feminist Elven Militia to assist them. Hell, there’s even a snowman at the beginning that narrates the story in the opening cutscene. Did I mention that said snowman has skeleton arms? Any case, for a quick but goofy time, give Duke: Nuclear Winter a shot. Just be sure to be nice while you play, or Santa might shove a lump of coal up your ass!

9) The Grinch (2000 Live Version)(Link)

Easily one of the more polarizing specials on this list, the 2000 live version of The Grinch is equally as infamous. Extending the running time, replacing the clever writing for more childish, rude, and rather crude jokes, and all in all somewhat destroying the legacy that the original movie wrote. At the same time, however, there are some bright points. In the original feature you didn’t know much about the Grinch, but in this you get his background, including why he hates the Whos & Christmas. It’s actually kind of sad, and because of that, you felt a little bit of sympathy for ol’ green. Secondly, I think that the “Christmas Isn’t About Presents” message within this edition is stronger. While I appreciate the fact that the Whos in the original knew it already, I thought that they had to learn it in this movie creates more of an emotional impact.

Yes, the live action The Grinch has a host of problems, but there’s silver linings in this dark cloud. If you want something more basic & juvenile, this is a special for you.

8) Love Hina: Christmas Special (Link)

Once again, the anime franchise that you either love or loathe makes a return to the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, and just in time for the Holiday season! Unlike the original show, it’s harder to find this movie (Not to mention the Spring Special, or the Love Hina 3-episode special). Funimation never picked this up, and thus has become something of a commodity. Despite that, this special is a charming little feature. If you’ve ever watch Love Hina the TV series, then you’ll immediately recognize the formula. If you’ve never seen, or if you aren’t an anime fan, you won’t need to learn much about the formula for what’s going on. Just a quick glance or two at the main show’s background (And maybe a glance at the manga) is all you really need to understand things.

To conclude simply: if you like Love Hina, you’ll like this. If you don’t like Love Hina, then you won’t like this.

7) Rankin Bass Christmas Specials (All)(Link)

It might look cheap to lump all of the Rankin Bass Christmas movies into one post, and truth be told you’re right. Some of the later specials delved into some pretty strange territories, enough to the point where you think you’ve might have taken a hit of Acid. Some really strong Acid, mind you. With that point beside, you can’t deny that the Holiday features that Rankin Bass produces are some of the most timeless around. Just mentioning titles like Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town, The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus, and Jack Frost will brings smiles out of people. Hell, I think it’s damn near impossible to find someone who hasn’t seen Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, much less hasn’t heard of. Yeah, lumping these special together onto one spot might seem lazy, but the magic that these films have says so otherwise.

6) Scrooged (Link)

There have been plenty of various on A Christmas Carol over the decades. There’s a version that took place in the old west, there’s one with the Muppets (I was close to putting it here. So friggen close), and there’s even a version that replaced Oprah for Scrooge. However, the one that triumphed over them all was the 1986 classic, Scrooged. Forgoing the English money exchange for a Television Network in New York City, you have Bill Murray as the angry network president. His performance in this is top notch, as he lays out the humor, and says some of the funniest one-liners you can ever hear in a Christmas Movie, much less a comedy. The other factor that makes this movie such a big hit are the other actors involved: there’s Karen Allen, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Robert Mitchum bringing up the rear in some surprisingly good support roles. Coupled with rather colorful interpretations of the three ghosts (Dexter Poindexter as a taxi driver.....do I need to say anything else!?), and you have a Christmas movie you can’t avert your eyes from.

5) Jeff Dunham: A Very Special Christmas Special (Link)

Despite some controversy surrounding him, I’ve always found Jeff Dunham to be one of the funnier comedians out there. His humor isn’t the deepest or most complex, but it is clever, and coupled with the ventriloquism routine he uses, creates a unique comedy act. Every single special of his that I watched I’ve laughed at, but my favorite is his Christmas special from 2008. You’ve got backgrounds for each of the characters, each of said characters has their own view on Christmas. Some of them good, and some that are bad (Bad in the funny way, mind you). There’s even a bit where Jeff slips up a joke, and puts the blunder into the show. During this screw-up, the entire theater is laughing. Even Guitar Guy, as Achmed calls him, is doing the best he can to lost fall to the floor. If a blunder can get people to laugh as much as an actual joke, then you definitely deserve some respect!   

4) The Grinch (Original Animated Edition)(Link)

While I did harp on this special when I was talking about the live movie, I certainly cannot disrespect the original The Grinch film. Coming in at just a half hour, this is one of the most classic animated Christmas movies around. Boris Karloff provides an incredible amount of voice & personality to this feature, as he both narrates the story, and plays the Grinch himself. Accompanied by his loyal, kind, but slightly ditzy dog Max, the classic tale unfold right in front of you, and in the end the Grinch learns what it’s really all about. Sure, the Whos already knowing what the message of Christmas is all isn’t quite as deep as learning it, but considering the legacy that the story & movie created, I can’t judge it in the end.

3) A Twisted Christmas: Live (Link)

When one thinks of Twisted Sister, you think of songs like We’re Not Gonna Take It or I Wanna Rock. What you don’t typically think of in association with the twisted ones is Christmas music, much less a Christmas special. However, in 2006, in Las Vegas Nevada, a full-blown Christmas concert/show was put on. The music that was performed was actually well-done: they put their own spin on classic jingles, and there were classic Twisted Sister songs done as well. Everybody that was on stage were performing pretty damn well for their age, and the crowd was loving every single second of the spectacle. Dee Snider is always a hoot, and this show was not a disappointment. If you want a Christmas concert with a twist (Pun totally intended), then A Twisted Christmas: Live is a gem!

2) The Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek (Link)

Everybody has a Christmas special that they cry too. For my Mother, it’s It’s a Wonderful Life. For my Father, it’s.....well, I’m actually not sure. For me, it’s the unusually positive Night of the Meek. While I’m not the biggest Twilight Zone fan, I most definitely respect it, due in no small part how it mastered Science Fiction back in the day. Night of the Meek is one of the few times that the show went in a more.....happy direction.

The story tells of a disillusioned store Santa, filled with booze & sorrow, lamenting how Christmas has become commercial (Predicting the future, now aren’t we?). He stumbles into an alleyway, when he comes across what he thinks is a dirty sack filled with cans & other garbage. In fact, it’s a magic sack that can give out any gift that nearby people desire. This newly invigorated Santa (Played by Art Carney of The Honeymooners fame) now wander around town, giving people gifts that they desire. Even the cops who arrest him on pretense that he’s handing out stolen goods, are given their heart’s desire. At the end, Art Carney has given everything out of the sack, and as soon as it looks like he loses hope, fate throws him one last surprise. To spoil it would ruin the entire thing, but if you’ve ever seen Night of the Meek, then you know.

Oh, and if anyone was curious, the 80s Twilight Zone did a good remake of Night of the Meek. It has just as much emotion & heart as the original. Trust me!

1) A Christmas Story (Link)

An early 80s movie about Christmas in the early 1950s midwest, A Christmas Story is easily the best Christmas special that’s ever been. I’m not going to deny it: I’m rather impartial to this film. I see a lot of my younger self in Ralphie, the lead character of the movie: kind, mischievous, and ravenously desires the ultimate Christmas gift. Not only that, but if you were a kid, and you wanted a gift that badly, you had to be as good as possible. Otherwise, that gift you wanted will more than likely never ever cross your path. A Christmas Story reflects this period in our lives perfectly, as well as the ups & downs of the Holiday season. Often, it’s not just that goes through this phase: we’ve got family, friends, and even bullies who go through this with us. No other Christmas special (That I’ve seen, at least) has ever been able to replicate this, and A Christmas Story takes the number 1 spot because of this.

So these are what I consider to be the top 10 Christmas special of all time. I hope that curiosity causes you to seek out some of these titles, and enjoy them. See you later this week, when I’ll put up the final post of the year. See you soon!



***
If you're curious about the 80s edition of Night of the Meek, here's a link:

Twilight Zone: Night of the Meek (80s Version)

Fair warning: It repeats halfway through.

12 & 11 (Updated on December 5, 2018/10:14 A.M./Eastern Standard Time)

Saturday, December 6, 2014

My Top 5 Games Of 2014

Merry Christmahanakwanzaa fellow Otaku & metal heads!

With the year fast approaching it’s end, geeks like me often look back on the games that were released in recent times, and reflect on what they offered to the gaming community. Sometimes it was their quality, other times is was the fun factor, and on a few occasions the reactions they induced in people. 2014 was certainly an interesting year: Old classics came back, surprises were rampant, and powerhouse franchises continued dominance in the mark. I play some fun games this go around, a few of which I didn’t expect to pop up. With that said, here are my top 5 games of 2014. Hope you like it!

5) Call of Duty: Ghosts

Right now, most of you that are looking at this spot, are probably lighting some torches and sharpening a pitchfork or two. Truth be told, I understand your anger. Ghosts is by far a dark stain on the Call of Duty series, and everything that Black Ops 2 did right, this game did the exact opposite. Boring story, uninteresting characters, a multiplayer that was filled with hackers, and so forth (I didn’t even finish the singleplayer, cause I hated this game so much). So, with all of the problems that the game has, why would I put it on a “top 5 games of the year” list? Well....

Because there are at least pieces of the game I enjoy! Despite the story’s blandness, I definitely find the setting interesting (Dystopian America is always something that catches my fancy). I’m always interested in the weapons that a Call of Duty will use, and this was definitely one of the more unique weapon selections. The new Extinction mode is an interesting alternative to the Zombies mode that Treyarch provides, as the alien menace can be quite threatening. Even the DLC isn’t bad, as it provides some much needed lifeblood for the game, and the added multiplayer/Extinction levels have some personality to them. Yeah, Ghosts is not that good of a Call of Duty entry, but there’s definitely parts of it that aren’t horrendous.

4) Wolf Pack/Doom 3: BFG Edition/Blood: One Unit Whole Blood

I got the both of these during the Steam Sale this summer for a pretty penny. Now I hadn’t played any of the games within the Wolf Pack for quite a while. I certainly played Spear of Destiny many times on my Laptop (Thanks to a Dos emulator), but I hadn’t touched Wolfenstein 3d in years! Wolf3d is definitely a breath of fresh air, as the twitch-style of gameplay is a rarity in the modern age of first-person-shooters. 4 weapons are all you need to mow down an army of Nazis, not to mention vicious guard dogs, and horrifying mutants. Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a nice treat, as I hadn’t played that game in almost 3 years! I can’t say much about the game, other than it definitely needs to go into a first-person-shooter vault, and dug up when future generations find it.

Now, onto the BFG Edition of Doom 3. I’ve played Doom 3 plus the expansion plenty of times, and I’ve never ever gotten sick of playing it. With this edition on sale. I just had to jump on the chance to buy grab it. Not only did it include Doom 3 & it’s expansion, but there was also the original Doom and Doom 2 included. Now Doom 2 I had played over & over due to one of the independent Doom platforms, but the original game I hadn’t touched in eons, so that was really something.

Perhaps the most surprising game I found this year was Blood on steam. It was on sale this past Halloween for just $2.49, but what I didn’t realize was that it had been on the service platform since July, when it was available for the still inexpensive $4.99 dollars. If you were a fan of Duke Nukem 3d and it’s contemporaries (Shadow Warrior & Redneck Rampage), you’ll find that Blood shares a lot of things in common with then. Basic story, quirky character, interesting setting, and a overall good time. Instead of parodying alien & action movies, Blood relies on gothic horror & horror movies for it’s inspiration & comedy. The main character still likes to be crude from time to time, but his humor is more sophisticated when compared to characters like Duke Nukem or Lo Wang. If you want a 90s shooter with a darker edge, then Blood is perfect for your needs.

3) Putt Putt: Goes to the Moon/Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

When I first saw that the Putt Putt franchise was coming to Steam, I was downright baffled. Being over a decade old (The first game came out back in 1992), it’s strange that the series would make a return in this modern age. Getting some childhood nostalgia running through me, I figured “What the Hell”, and decided to buy it.......I don’t regret every single cent that went into the purchase!

Sometimes you don’t need something educational for a children’s video game. Sometimes, all you need for a kids game is a goofy premise & wacky characters, point & click mechanics, and cute visuals to keep them glued to the screen. It’s not the deepest kids game, nor is it one of the more complex games for kids, but honestly you can’t ask for much sometimes. Sometimes, fun is all you need.

As for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, I didn’t want to put it here. I really didn’t! I found that it was just as much fun as Borderlands 2, sometimes more so. It has the great “Shoot N’ Loot” mentality of the previous game, not to mention a flavorful world filled with quirky characters. What bothered me, however, was the overalls state of The Pre-Sequel. It felt shorter, moved along faster, and wasn’t quite as polished as B2 was. Coupled with possibly a weaker season pass (Especially when compared to Borderlands 2's season pass), and you have a product that might not have as much oomph. Despite the problems, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel continues one of the more bizarre yet recognizable game franchises available.

2) Skyrim

Of all the games on this list, Skyrim is the one that was the most surprising to me. My only experiences with anything in the Elder Scrolls universe were Daggerfall, which I barely remember, and Morrowind I thought was slow & dull (Not to mention buggy). For the longest time, I wasn’t interested in the game, simply because of the above reasons. In wasn’t until this past June when I saw that Skyrim was on sale. The deal included the main game, along will all of it’s dlc, for a summer sale price of just 14 dollars. I finally said “Screw It”, and decided to buy the game...man I can’t believe it took me so long to hop on the bandwagon!!!

If there was one thing I could complain about the game, it would be that sometimes, there’s too much to do. I’ve had a horde of quests (Primary/Secondary) in my journal, and it’s taken me forever to trim it down. With that said, Skyrim has been nothing short of pure, unadulterated fun. There is a horde of things to do: work for the Thieves Guild, joining a royal vampire house, becoming a archmage of a wizard college, and so much more. Not only that, but there is a bevy of Elder Scrolls lore, weapons, and spells spread out over a variety of schools. With the threat of dragons coming back, you will have a lot on your hands.

Before I show my number 1 game of the year, I wanted to show you some honorable mentions. Games that are certainly fantastic, but they didn’t quite make the cut for some reason. Maybe it was because it wasn’t quite as fulfilling, maybe because I didn’t play the whole thing, or whatever other reason I can’t think of. Anyways, take a look!

HM1) Five Nights At Freddy’s
- Words can’t describe how utterly frightening this game is! Despite being made by just one person (Scott Cawthon), the sheer quality puts this game up in the higher tier of horror titles. Taking an incredibly minimalistic approach, Five Nights At Freddy’s puts you in a small security office, and has you watch the cameras for signs of the “Child-Friendly” animatronics. You can’t move, but you’ve got lights & doors as your only defense. You must use them wisely, as they drain what little power you have. Once it’s gone, then you’re at the mercy of the murderous robots. Trust me, the outcome isn’t pretty if they catch you.

HM2) The Evil Within (Demo) 
- If I didn’t have to spend money on Christmas gifts (Or at the very least spend less), chances are I would have picked up The Evil Within in a heartbeat. Getting back to survival horror’s roots, the atmosphere with just the demo is impressive. Running around like Rambo will get you killed half of the time: instead, your best bet is to sneak around & scavenge supplies, picking off targets one by one in the process. Three levels was all it took to get me hooked to this well-crafted horror game. Whether it’s console or PC, you would be doing a disservice to the horror genre if you didn’t pick up The Evil Within!

HM3) Tomb Raider 2013
- This is the most recently purchased game on the list, having come off of the cyber sale that was going on Steam a few days ago. It only cost $3.99, so immediately I decided to buy it. I had grown up with the franchise when the original came out in 1996, so I had some pre-conceived notions of what was going to happen. I played the first few minutes, and those notions were immediately tossed out the window. Throwing out the sex object for a more “Human” kind of girl, the whole experience felt far more believable than any of the other games in the franchise, good or bad. If this game was on sale earlier in the year (Halfway through 2014), then it’s entirely possible that Tomb Raider 2013 would have made this list. It wouldn’t have been placed past 5, but it would have made it.

1) Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls

It’s a safe bet to say that when Diablo 3 launched, it didn’t live up to the expectations of hardcore Diablo fans. In particular was the Auction House, which many players (Rightly so in most cases) believe that it made the game easier because you can buy items instead of farming for them the old-fashioned way. Coupled with a required internet connection to play the game, and you have a game that while fun, didn’t have as much oomph as what we were hoping for. When Reaper of Souls was first announced, and the subsequent information that came out afterwards, it looks like we got the game we wanted.

Even before Reaper of Souls was released, Blizzard put out a host of changes, most of which brought in massive changes for Diablo 3. Most of the Skill Runes received a overhall, Legendary and Set Items were built once again from the ground up, and the revised difficulty system are the most notable of the changes. Then when Reaper of Souls finally came out back in March, things came full circle, and the game finally felt like the Diablo of old. There were still some small issues (Notably the internet connection issue), but now Diablo 3 has risen above it’s early fumbles. This “Rise Like A Phoenix” mentality, coupled with the incredible changes that were brought to the table, and you have a game that is more than worthy to take the number one spot!

Well, these were my top 5 games of 2014. I hoped you enjoyed this, and check back early next week, when I’ll post up my top 10 Christmas specials. See you soon!




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Sorry about the delay. I was busy Friday, so I didn’t have the time to get this up. Hope you don’t mind.

Monday, December 1, 2014

My Top 5 Albums of 2014

Hey everybody!

Well, 2014 has been an interesting year for me. On the negative side of things, I’ve lost my Grandfather of 80 years of age, as well as a host of deaths & issues. Fortunately, there were far more positives. Making the Heavy Metal Otaku blog (It was rocky at first, but I think things improved), going to my 5th Genericon & Connecticon, meeting wonderful new people at said conventions, signing up to Facebook, and simply enjoying time with those that I love & know. That sounds sappy, but it’s true!

In any case, I wanted to put out some content before my Christmas break. Nothing too big, but definitely some stuff to tide you over until we begin 2015. With a lot of great music coming out this year, I think it would be appropriate to show off what I thought the top 5 albums of the year were. Some legends returned to continue their legacy, while newcomers have appeared to cement their own positions in music history. In any case, I hope you enjoy what I’ve put here.

5) Black Light Discipline: Death By A Thousand Cuts (Sample song: “Link”)
We begin this list with a relatively unknown band here in the United States. Coming from the brutal & metal land of Finland, Black Light Discipline has only been around since 2008, making them the youngest band to be on this list. Death By A Thousand Cuts marks their 3rd album to be released by the band, and it’s a nice album. It’s not necessarily sparkling or dazzling, but the music on here is fun, and it’s just as good at a metal concert as well as a dance club. There’s good instrumentation, nice usage of sound effects, and the vocals, while not remarkable, are quite respectable. Death By A Thousand Cuts isn’t an album that you’ll want to speed towards your local music store to buy, but if you manage to listen to it online through some sort of livestream, then you might be entertained by what you’ll hear. 

4) Judas Priest: Redeemer of Souls (Sample song: “Link”)
From a unknown group to one of the most iconic metal bands around, Judas Priest has been kicking ass for 40 years. Releasing some classic albums, not to mention to infamous ones, they have created a legacy that is deserved to a T! Redeemer of Souls, their 17th album, is yet another step on their journey. Despite getting some flak thrown at them because of this release (Not to mention some flak thrown at them because of Nostradamus), Redeemer of Souls is a return to their older form, but with modern music technology at their disposal. Many of the songs on here sound like pieces taken from albums like British Steel, Defenders of the Faith, and Painkiller: there’s the old-school vibes coming off of many of the songs on ROS, where things felt raw & edgy, and when Heavy Metal was more treasured than it is now. Thanks to newer recording methods & tools, the songs on this release sound crisp, clean, and fresh.

Despite some of the hate that they’ve received from this album & Nostradamus, Judas Priest are now more powerful than they’ve ever been. When they come to a city, their presence is immediately felt. If you hold Priest close to your metallic heart, you owe it to yourself to buy this album, and redeem your soul!.....Pun intended.

3) Weird Al Yankovic: Mandatory Fun (Sample song: “Link”)
If a comedy album reaches number 1 on the Billboard 200, then you know it does something right. Taking influence from older & newer singers/bands, Weird Al has created another comedic masterpiece for the ages! Setting the music against the background of some equally parodied communist/socialist propaganda posters, and you have an atmosphere that’s equal parts funny & WTF. You really won’t find any bad music on Mandatory Fun: every song on this release is chock full of goofy humor, clever puns, and plenty of juvenile groaners (Smart juvenile groaners, that is). Simply put, if you like to laugh, then this album is most certainly mandatory!

2) Devin Townsend: Casualties of Cool (Sample song: “Link”) & Z2 (Sample song: “Link”)
A tie might appear to be something of a cop-out on a “Top 5” list, but it was hard to decide which of these two albums I enjoyed the most. In the end, I couldn’t decide, and chose to put these two together at number 2. Casualties of Cool & Z2 actually share something in common with the Deconstruction & Ghost releases back in 2011. Casualties of Cool is the calmer & atmospheric of the two albums. It’s artistic, full of vibrant energy, and peaceful. It calms your soul, and has the power to open your Third Eye if you let it. Z2 is the exact opposite: it’s loud, bombastic, and incredibly heavy. It’s a metallic tour-de-force that comes at you with the fury of 20 Mach trucks, and once it hits you, you won’t feel the same. You won’t be disappointed if you pick either one, as they’re both wonderfully produced albums. If you happen to get both releases, then you’ll be in music bliss for quite some time!

1) Septicflesh: Titan (Sample song: “Link”)
With maybe the exception of Death By A Thousand Cuts (Emphasis on the word maybe), the one thing that each of these albums have in common with one another is that I knew I was going to like them. Redeemer Of Souls, I liked. Mandatory Fun, I Liked. Casualties of Cool & Z2, I liked. With Titan, I did not expect to like it!

Let me explain why. I’m not a fan of Death Metal, and Black Metal by extension. I’ve always found them to be cheap forms of Heavy Metal music, that only people with minimal talent try to perform. I’ve also found Death Metal to be crude, poorly done, and overall not a well evolved form of music. There have been exceptions here & there, but these exceptions have only applied to songs. Titan marks the first time I’ve straight up loved a Death Metal album. When they released Order of Dracul, Burn, and Prototype as singles, for some strange reason I enjoyed them. Come time for the album to see release, I jumped on the chance to acquire it. I didn’t not regret it!

Despite being Death Metal, this is Death Metal with style. It’s got a accompanying symphony, boys & girls choirs, and a production value that is out of this world! Every song on here is an absolute blast to listen to, and each of them are dripping with a epic, gothic-like atmosphere. I can describe things any further, as it would ruin the experience. Suffice it to say, if you had to buy just one album of 2014, make sure that Titan is your first!

Well, these are the top 5 albums of 2014. See you later this week, when I’ll show you my top 5 games. See you soon!