The Strain Season One Review

"Want to see what's under my hood?"

Here is a show I so wanted to do episode reviews but never got round to it, a Vampire/Horror TV series based on the novel by Guillermo del Toro. I immensely enjoyed Season One and the biggest pull for me was how it portrayed vampires; dark and disturbing, none of that Twilight s**t. I am a massive fan of vampire fiction in film and I find Twilight to be the biggest insult to it, in my opinion the best vampires are Bela Lugsoi, Gary Oldman and Christopher Lee - they did a good job of portraying Dracula has a tragic, mysterious figure yet still scary and powerful. Examples of really great modern telling's of vampires are Stakeland (one of my favourite films), John Carpenter's Vampires, Underworld and Blade to name a few. I am glad that The Strain decided to take the Blade route because I enjoyed Blade's version that Vampires are like a disease yet they are intelligent and have their own secret society. SPOILERS BELOW!

I just wanted to make this quick so to save time I will just list some of the good points and bad points of Season One and give an overall score at the end. I admit I am probably going to miss a lot of stuff that I want to mention, especially for the good points.

Good

The Characters: I honestly don't think there is a single character or casting that I dislike in this entire series, everyone from Eph to Nora, Eichhorst to Gus; they have just been  freaking awesome. A real standout goes to David Bradley as Abraham; the guy is the oldest character but he is such a badass with his silver sword and everyone turns to him for wisdom.

Doesn't hold back on the violence and gore: Either when it's fight the vampires or slicing them open we enjoy a gore fest! Anything lower than what they shown and I would have been disappointed.  

Character Deaths: Maybe not on the same level as Game of Thrones but this series isn't afraid to kill off some of it's characters even though most of them I admit aren't the main cast but are well developed secondary characters.

"The Creatures of the Night" episode: Probably the best episode of the season, it was when most of the main cast where trapped in a gas station surrounded by vampires. We got some great action and tension but what made this episode stand out was that it only focused on this setting and characters and didn't change to any other subplot. It is refreshing when a TV show does this, for example Game of Thrones ninth episode of a season does it because it gives it a chance to focus on one particular event.

The pacing/settings: I liked how we got to see NY slowly descend into chaos because of the outbreak and lack of phones/internet. It was portrayed really well and I liked how messed up the city got shown by the homeless, broken down streets, looting etc.   

Bad

Some characters where underdeveloped while others weren't compelling enough: I feel that some of the characters deserved a lot more screen time and backstory; for example the Ancients and their commandos where awesome but only served as a teaser for Season two. Then there is Palmer and his head of security Cross, I wanted to know more of the relationship between those two and maybe more of Palmer's history of how here turned to vampires to save his life. Then there where some characters who had too much screen time to develop their stories but they weren't that interesting like Nora and her mother or Eph's wife and the problems with they had and with her boyfriend, I still liked them though.

Some storylines didn't go anywhere or could have been expanded: I think the four survivor's on the plane where going to turn into Masters but instead they just turned into regular vampires. It was great seeing four from different walks of life deal with their symptoms but three of them just die shortly after. For example the wife of one of the survivors killed someone to feed her husband and I thought she would continue to do that for a awhile until she had to be stopped by the group but then she killed herself next episode.

There you have it, just a quick review of the first season because it's Easter Sunday and I'm mostly just relaxing. Only two for the bad list but that is because The Strain is a great TV series and I am looking forward to Season Two. I would have really liked to review each episode of Season One but with everything else I have to review now I just can't fit it in, luckily I think Season Two is airing when Arrow and Flash are on break so plenty of time for that. 

SCORE: 8/10 

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/ 

Game Review: Silent Hill 2

Been a while since I reviewed a game and I thought I would review one of the most classic horror genres; Silent Hill. Thought I'd start off with 2 because I admit I haven't played 1 in years and years and I was going to review some of the Resident Evil games but I'm currently reviewing the films of them now.

What better place to start a journey than in a dirty public bathroom

Silent Hill 2 is not a direct squeal to the first because while it is set in Silent Hill it has it's own original plot and uses no characters or events of the first game (that is a job for 3). Instead this game follows the protagonist James Sunderland who lost his wife to a fatal disease three years ago but mysteriously receives a letter from her. The letter tells James to go to their special place in Silent Hill; a town they have been to before and that his wife loved very much. So we follow the story of James as he makes his way through the dangers of Silent Hill, meeting characters who are also drawn to the town while evading the stalking Pyramid Head.

"You killed him, who is the real monster here!?"

The story of Silent Hill 2 is probably one of the best and well thought out ones that I have come across but that is to be expected when published by Konami; Metal Gear series anyone? But what really is great is the psychological horror aspect that leaves you questioning everything you come across. The game starts out kind of simple; a man searching for a supposedly dead wife but as the game processes there is a deeper story to it. Subtle hints are thrown in, in cut scenes and during game play, either written on walls, in notes, trivial examines you might find etc. It is not a game you can just pick up and play, you really, really have to pay attention to what is around you and you have to invest yourself in to the story to appreciate it.

My god Pyramid Head

We also have a great assembled cast here that really compliment the story; James works well as the main character because a first you think that he might be just some regular joe but that is far from the truth. As he develops over the course of the game and we get to understand him better and at the end form a definitive opinion of him; while he is a determined character in finding his wife he does hold secrets you might not have expected. We also have the seductive Maria who tags along with James for a portion of the game and has a mysterious connection with his wife which is interesting to figure out. Then there is the three side characters, Angela, Eddie and Laura; each have their own reasons for being in town and blends in to the main story nicely, none feel like they are just shoved in there.



"James, I think those monster nurses are either trying to kill us or coming on to us"

As for the monsters they all have some great designs which are scary and down right disturbing, like Pyramid Head who follows you with an over size sword while making some weird grunting noises and who also likes to rape monsters during the cut scenes. They are also a part of the story as well and I liked how most are all a representation of James. For example the Bubble Head Nurse and Mannequin represents James's sexual desires and frustration while Lying Figure represents him being trapped. Each one also has their own strategy and weaknesses to defeat them and they can be rather aggressive in combat (like a whole group of Bubble Head Nurse!).

Pretty disturbing; constantly trapped in your own skin

The game also has typical survival horror elements such as collecting guns, ammo and melee weapons to fight the monsters while collecting health packs to heal your injures. It also has puzzles to solves for keys and passageways however none of them are really hard on any of the puzzle levels. This is the type of elements that makes a horror game a horror game something more recent games have been forgetting. However I must admit that the gameplays lets it down slightly and that is because the controls do feel a bit clunky and stiff (especially in melee combat). Also whether it inside or out monster can be easily out run so you can avoid fighting them for most of the game and even if you do fight them you do find a awfully lot of ammo and supplies.



"Should be OK as long as I shot anywhere by the helmet"

For the graphics in the game they are some of the best for the PS2 at the time however some of it looked a little grainy and the fog might have been a bit too thick and hid away too much environment. The soundtrack for this is absolutely awesome, creates a really dark and suspenseful atmosphere and the voice acting is some of the best I have heard. That's the thing about games in late nineties - early two thousand, you haven't really heard of any of the voice actor before and you never really hear from them again.

A box that protected must have something unbelievable inside 

Silent Hill 2 is defiantly for mature audiences only and earns that rating because of its dark themes such as murder, rape, sex and violence but I highly recommend anyone who doesn't mind that to play this game at least once in their lives. Overall this is a classic survival horror game and one of the most influential of its time that is let down slightly by its gameplay.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Story/Characters
                    Monster design
                    Soundtrack

Let-downs: Controls
                    Easy Puzzles
                     

There screenshots you see here where provided by;

http://www.silenthillmemories.net/main/main_en.html

Manga Review: Gantz



Back again with another review, been awhile but I have been really busy. This time however I have decided to review and entire manga series, so unlike my Bleach fight reviews I will be talking about the whole story. Also thought I'd say that I won't be reviewing the Gantz anime because even though I do like it and got it on DVD it does not even compare to the manga because of its low animation quality and just terrible original arc they added in the end. I will try and keep this spoiler free for you because going in to too much depth would just take forever to cover.

The story of Gantz follows the main protagonist Kei Kurono who, while waiting for the train, runs in to his old childhood friend Masaru Kato. However while trying to save a homeless person who fell in to the train tracks they are both run over and seemingly killed but they suddenly awaken in a small apartment overlooking Tokyo Tower. There are several other individuals in this apartment who also claim to have died or been killed but the most strange things that are going on is that they cannot leave the apartment and there is a mysterious black ball in the centre of the room called Gantz. After some time this ball plays old exercise music and shows them an imagine of an alien they have to defeat, it then opens up to reveal futuristic weapons and combat suits and sends them on their mission to various places in Japan. We now follow Kei as he battles numerous aliens and deals with the dangers during these missions and its strict rules and still trying to live a life as a high school student.

What really drew me in to this series is its really violent and serious tones compared to other manga. You see I am a massive Horror/Sci - Fi fan (Alien, Predator, Event Horizon; to name a few) and I am also a big anime/manga fan so I really wanted to find a series that is like the films I watched. That is when I found Gantz, it is exactly what I was looking for and it has not disappointed me at all.

Now I have to say that this series is not for everyone because it is really not for the faint of heart, when I said it was violent I mean it is VIOLENT. The aliens that the characters face are serious monsters who kill them in some pretty gruesome ways and vise versa because they are also being hunted by the characters, from humans and aliens alike you will see guts flying, severed limbs and even some rapes. But it is not just the violence there is also a high level of sex and nudity throughout it (95% of it from the female characters) not just some simple fan service you get in other manga. However do not take this as me trying to put you off the series because like I mentioned earlier this is something I had been trying to find.

I love the story structure in this manga because the story arcs is basically the missions the characters get from Gantz and they can be either short or very long depending on how many aliens they face and their difficulty. It is always interesting to see what design Hiroya Oku (the writer and artist of Gantz) can come up with next, so you look forward to every mission. But the down time between the missions are just as good as we see the characters try and cope with their normal lives. Thought I'd mention that my favourite story arcs in this the Osaka arc and the final Katastrophe arc.

This manga also deals a lot with the theme of death because this like Game of Thrones anyone, even the main characters, can die. Death will claim characters you were even not expecting so there is always the impending threat that your favourite character could be next on the chopping block. I find this really refreshing in a manga series because even though I am a huge fan of the Bleach and Naruto manga you don't feel any threat to the main characters at all because it seems their creators don't want to part with them and sometimes come up with ridiculous ways to keep them from dying.

As for the characters there is a wide array of them each with their own personalities and stories that can appeal to everyone. Take Kei for example he is not like other main protagonists from manga; he is a self - centred, uncaring, sex obsessed high school student which doesn't seem typical for main character traits in my experience. However as the series goes own we see his personality mature and he does find it in him to care about other (though he still is obsessed with sex and girls). There are many more to choose from such as Kato the natural leader, Izumi the sword wielding murderer, Nishi the loner who cares only for himself and many others. Now I have read some criticism before that the majority of the female characters in Gantz are only there to have sex, be naked and fall in love with male ones too easily and while this is a fair view I don't 100% agree with it. Take the two main females Kishimoto and Reika, yes they do have a lot of fan service scenes (Kishimoto for example arrives in chapter three completely nude and that is not the only time as the series progresses) however they are still their own characters with interesting story arcs and they are still badass when it comes to the fighting.

The art in this is also something that really makes it stand out from other manga because it is done using 3D imagining, especially for the backgrounds. It also has a really realistic art style for the character and alien designs which really helps with the horror and goriness of it.

This serious has thirty seven volumes so it is not too short and not too long and it is well worth you reading everyone of them. Overall I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes science fiction, horror and thriller and doesn't mind high levels of gore and sex. While this is a series that may not be for everyone it is definitely one of my favourites and is so unique that I am giving it a perfect score.

SCORE: 10/10

On another note I really hope this series is made in to a live action series for film, I know it has two Japanese live action films but I am talking about American films. Now before you argue against it I already know that America has so far mostly been bloody terrible at adapting manga (Dragon Ball and Last Airbender) however I truly feel like Gantz is something that could work if done right and I am not saying this lightly.