Greetings, readers! It is I, William Lowery, here with an update, because some of you might be wondering where all the reviews and commentaries are.
Don't worry I haven't had another bout of writer's block due to the stresses of work and a terrible boss, far from it. On the contrary, I left my job at Little Caesar's at the beginning of July after four years of working there. Afterwards, I took a trip to Missouri to attend the Crypticon convention and had a blast there.
I met a lot of guests, helped out the folks at Revival House, and got a slew of merchandise. Since my return from Missouri, though, I've been on the hunt for a job, which is why none of my regular content has been published.
Make no mistake, it's been difficult finding work, but the odds seem to be turning in my favor and I should have a job soon, hopefully.
Rest assured, I'll be back in the swing of things when August rolls around. Wolfenstein Youngblood releases tomorrow, and I plan on writing a review on it in the weeks to come. Though I haven't published any reviews, I have been playing games and watching movies that I plan on covering in the next few months, especially those related to Drive-In of Terror.
Whereas previous Drive-In of Terrors have been haphazard affairs, this year I've stepped up my game and have knocked out a bunch of titles that I'll be covering in the next few months. I can't say much on this year's roster, but what I will say is that if you remember the DOT I did in 2017, I only covered one Evil Dead game from the three released back in the 2000's. Suffice to say, I have unfinished business.
This summer has been pretty hectic. From discovering I won't be graduating till next May instead of this December to leaving my first job, one which I had been at for four years, it's been all over the place. Yet, I've kept my head up since I know everything will be fine in the end.
Also, I'm going to attempt to commit to a schedule starting next month. I drafted one out back in June but haven't really followed it. If I want to be consistent with my publications and setting time off to the side to write or record audio, scheduling out my days will go a long way towards consistency.
I thank those who have stuck out through these tipsy-turvy times. My website hit 7,000 views a few weeks ago, which is nuts. It may not seem like much to some, but it means a lot to me. It shows I can pull this off and make GamerGuy's Reviews something I do for a living, rather than just a hobby.
Your regularly scheduled content will resume promptly in August. Stay tuned.
P.S. Destroy All Humans is coming back? FINALLY!!!
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Sunday, July 7, 2019
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!! Yours truly will be traveling to Kansas City, MO this Thursday to attend Crypticon, a sci-fi/horror/fantasy convention. This is truly a time to be alive!
This is something I've been planning behind the scenes, and to go to an event such as this, to me, is an ambitious move. This is the first time I've traveled out of state by myself, but I feel this would be the perfect opportunity to get out and spread the word about GamerGuy's Reviews.
Crypticon is a big event, drawing in all sorts of people from the entertainment industry. Guests scheduled to be there include Tom Savini, Joe Bob Briggs, Bill Moseley, Keith David, Kane Hodder, Heather Langenkamp, Dee Wallace, and many more. Even better, podcasting channel/partner-in-crime Revival House will be there as well, so who knows what we'll get up to.
Ironically, them announcing they would be at Crypticon motivated me to take this trip. I've been saving up as much money as possible from work and whatever change I find lying around, and attending this convention will give me some stories to share when summer winds down and I'm back in school.
I'm excited to meet a lot of the guests they have scheduled to appear, and who knows, maybe I can try to secure a quick interview with one or two of these individuals, we'll see. Expect plenty of pictures and B-roll, though!
Hold on to your hats, Kansas City, I'm coming to town!
Thursday, July 4, 2019
CTR: Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled (PS4) Review
In the winter of 2000, our family got a PlayStation One and with the system came Crash Team Racing, the first game I ever played. At the time I had no idea who Crash Bandicoot was or that the game was a spin-off. All I knew was that the game let me drive a race-car and go fast, which was perfect. Funnily enough, CTR was the only Crash Bandicoot game I had played for many years, up until a few years ago when I found a copy of Crash Bandicoot 2 at a convention. After the success of the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro remakes, it seemed inevitable CTR would receive the same treatment, and lo and behold, it did.
Nitrous Oxide, the galaxy's fastest racer, parks his spaceship outside Earth and delivers a video message to the planet's inhabitants. He warns the planet will be turned into a gigantic parking lot if no one chooses to race him. Hearing this message, all of the Crash Bandicoot characters, good and bad, begin building their own vehicles with the hopes one of them will be able to race against the extraterrestrial visitor and save Earth from its impending doom.
CTR's set-up isn't too different from previous Crash Bandicoot adventures. The only difference is instead of being a platformer, it's a racer. It's a simplistic plot, but it gets the job done. Each world features a boss for the character to race against. The remaster overhauls cinematics, so instead of the opponents speaking to the driver in front of the garage like in the original; here, there's a lot more interactivity between the two characters, which makes things more livelier than before. Story isn't the reason to play a racing game, no, the point is to go fast and get first place, and in that departmnt, CTR: Nitro-Fueled excels.
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Get really good at drifting, and you'll be able to achieve LUDICROUS SPEED!!! |
No matter which option is selected, the goal of Adventure mode is to defeat Nitrous Oxide, which involves traveling from one hub world to the next, beating the races and later the time trials to collect all the trophies and time relics, which are necessary for defeating Oxide for good. The three variations of racing include the standard race, time trial, and CTR races. The basic race involves beating the other opponents to win first place. Time trial tests the player's skill with drifting and power sliding in an effort to get the lowest time possible. Finally, CTR races are like normal races, except hidden across each track are the letters C, T, and R, which have to be collected to earn a token.
To become the fastest racer alive, one must master the art of drifting. At first glance, CTR: Nitro-Fueled has all of the tropes associated with kart racers, such as colorful environments and characters, plus an eclectic assortment of items to use against the competition. It's when you get into power-sliding that the game opens up. Holding the hop buttons causes a vehicle to slide, and when the exhaust turns black, pressing the opposite shoulder button results in a boost, which can be done up to three times. A meter in the lower right-hand corner indicates when the right time to boost is.
Driving is tight and responsive, so the game is easy to pick up and play, but for those looking to skillfully master drifting, the choice is available. Getting good at gathering speed is important as the story mode can get quite challenging. Opponents put up a fair fight and will gladly leave you and the others in the dust. Part of it is due to cheap rubber-banding. It doesn't always occur, but when it does, get ready to hit the restart button. To keep rivals at bay, there are items. Breaking a question mark crate provides the racer with a random weapon, be it bowling bombs, heat-seeking missiles, TNT crates, or chemical vials.
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Stages such as Tiny Arena or Crash Cove are more lively than ever before. |
Each hub world features four race tracks, a boss, and a purple token challenge. Token challenges involve racing around an arena to collect twenty purple crystals before time runs out. In addition to winning trophies, time relics, or tokens, racers are rewarded coins, as well as new skins, characters, and vehicles. Coins can be used at the Pit Stop to purchase more of the aforementioned items. The good news is there are no real-world dollar fees attached to these goods, the catch is the amount of grinding it will take to acquire coins. The game encourages people to play online matches, since more coins are earned there than in Adventure mode, but what it boils down to is a lack of proper balancing, and such a pay scheme calls to mind mobile games with pay-to-win options.
CTR: Nitro-Fueled features all of the content from the original Crash Team Racing, yes, even Penta Penguin, but there are also characters and stages from the sequel, Crash Nitro Kart. The game is meaty enough as it is, so the bonus content from its follow-up is a welcome addition. Unfortunately, the race tracks from Nitro Kart are only available in the other solo and multiplayer modes, not Adventure, which is a shame, because it would have been interesting to see this content incorporated into the story mode, possibly as an end-game reward. Also, Crash Nitro Kart characters are only obtainable via the Pit Stop, so if you want to play as Crunch, better start saving up.
Aesthetically and artistically, CTR: Nitro-Fueled is leaps and bounds better than the basic, polygonal visuals of the PS1 game, which were impressive in their own right. Every track is bright, vibrant, and incredibly detailed. There's a lot of background action going on in each stage and in the hub worlds, but you'll hardly be able to stop and marvel the little touches since you'll be focused on winning first place. Look closely in some levels, and there are nods to later Crash Bandicoot games, such as Crash Tag Team Racing and Crash Twinsanity. Voice acting is minimal, but what's there is good, and the soundtrack takes the original tunes and enhances them, making each one sound more full-fledged than ever.
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You thought I was joking about Penta Penguin being in the game, did you? |
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
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