Marvel's Agent Carter: Time and Tide

"I wanted it to be gold"

Carter begins to close in on Stark's missing stash of weapons however things hit a snag when the SSR question Jarvis.

Been wanting an episode where we get some more background on Jarvis and of course this show delivered well. I didn't expect Jarvis to have a charge of treason in his record but of course it was for the right reason of helping his wife which helps to reinforce Jarvis as a damn likable guy on this show and sheds light on his loyalty to Stark. Then there was his interrogation scene with Thompson and I am glad that Jarvis didn't crack and that he was saved by Carter before it could get worse. It is nice watching these two help each other (because they compliment each other well as a duo), Jarvis risked being deported by keeping silent and Carter risked her career. It is a shame about the latter because the rest of the SSR are real jerks when they want to be and the stunt by Carter will make her look even more incompetent in their eyes. Of course there is another adventure with Jarvis and Carter on the boat which was awesome because we got a great fight scene (where they both helped each other out) and the effect of that Stark weapon was really cool. I have said this in my previous episode reviews of this show and I will say it again; they have done a damn find job with the partnership with Carter and Jarvis, it is a highlight watching these two work together in every episode.

Luckily for the hitman the whole street was empty 

As for everything else we got the brutal and cold killing of one of the SSR agents which does increase the threat by Leviathan in my opinion and I hope they continue to step up their game. The agent's death looks like it will have a lasting effect on everyone else and spells more trouble for Stark. I was surprised how much it affected Carter but I liked how she admitted she thought he was a jerk but is still saddened by his death, it made for a good emotional scene at the end. Then there is the typewriter in the SSR hands and I think this will probably play a big role; that they are going to use it to find out who is receiving the messages. We also got more scenes focusing on Carter's personal life with her friend and seeing what it is like at her new digs and we need these scenes because she can't be all guns blazing all the time lol.

That landlady is a real tyrant!

Overall I really don't have any complaints at all; it was a solid episode from start to finish. Quickly thought I'd point out is that while the agents still act like jerks this episode also fleshed out their characters more because a lot of focus was on them as well.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: More focus on Jarvis
                   Carter and Jarvis team up
                   The agent's death by Leviathan
                   Seeing more of Carter's personal life


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/  

The Flash Season One: Fast Enough

"I'll see you in Season Two"

With Eobard Thawne imprisoned Team Flash believes it is over however Eobard presents Barry with an offer he cannot refuse which may change the course of history.

 

Just like Arrow we have now got the finale of The Flash, unlike Arrow however The Flash ended things with one of the biggest cliff-hangers ever! Still this was such a good episode, a truly specular finale, and the main reason for this is the emotional tone with Barry confronting the biggest choice he ever made. Grant Gustin truly brought his a - game this episode; breaking down with the difficult choice of saving his mother and possibly getting a whole family but destroy the life he already made, plus the possibility of a black hole didn't help none. He sought advice from most of the characters but the two significant ones where from Joe and his father (both actors brought their a - game as well) who offered really opposite opinions. We can really see how much of a father Joe has been to Barry as he thinks about Barry's happiness above his everyone else and believes he should save his mother even though both are struggling with the idea that they won't be father and son again. Then there was Barry's father who pressures Barry to leave the past as it is because he won't risk Barry changing from the person he is today. All scenes with those three characters where just perfect; it just hits you right there and makes you really care for what these characters are going through. Of course Barry decided not to save his mother because of his future self who must believe this is the way it's got to be; I guess Barry was still struggling with the idea but it took himself to make up his mind. Still Barry got to at least say goodbye to his mother (after hearing her get stabbed) which again a damn impactful scene!

 

As for everything else it is finally great to get the reveal that Cisco actually has powers and can see the vibrations in the timeline, this is a first step to him becoming Vibe so looking forward to that. The one let down I got to say was Caitlin and Ronnie's wedding which really just felt shoved in there (plus how the hell could she not know what a black hole was?) but it was really great seeing Stein again who contributed a lot to time travel. However the second biggest standout this episode was Eddie because of the development he went through; with help from Stein he broke free of his depression but decided to sacrifice himself end The Flash's greatest foe. It is a damn shame because I really liked Eddie and he has always been just a really nice guy, always doing the right thing plus maybe he could have ended up with Iris because the newspaper is from a timeline where Barry's mother is alive. I guess I should point out his body did go into the black hole and he did wear a talisman (which the camera put a lot of focus on), so could he return sometime as Cobalt Blue or another version of him appear from the multiverse? I really hope it happens because I just really like Eddie and I don't want this to be the last we see of him. Then we have Eobard who couldn't get home but had a cool fight with Barry and I like his speech at the beginning about how he came up with his plan to finally defeat The Flash. Now I don't think for a single second this is the last of Eobard Thawne because the one I know from the comics always takes steps to prevent this kind of thing, even at one point becoming a living paradox so his fate isn't tied to Barry's anymore.

 

Now finally I got to mention the references in this and the first one is Rip Hunter who Eobard mentioned. This isn't too much of a surprise since Rip Hunter is in Legends of Tomorrow but still it is great to mention him with time travel and this again makes me hopeful to see his father; Booster Gold! Then we got to see Jay Garrick's helmet (the first Flash) which was really cool however I don't think this means there was a Flash before Barry, I don't think the show is going in that direction, what I think it is a nod to the multiverse from DC comics. What the multiverse means is that in the comics there exists many other universes where the people and events are different from each other. For example there might exist a universe where Barry did decide to save his mother or never became The Flash or there is one where Jay Garrick is the Flash, not Barry. I guess we will have to wait and see and I hope they go in this direction because maybe we could see new villains from the multiverse. Finally there was what Barry saw in the time stream; awesome to see the Flash museum but even better to see Caitlin as Killer Frost. In the comics she more looks like she is made out of ice but I'm am digging this look; her actress has already confirmed she will be Killer Frost so looking forward to that.

Overall a perfect finale for the series and just like Arrow I will upload Best and Worst and what I want from Season Two. Thought I'd say Screencapped is catching up with it's Flash and Arrow screenshots but I didn't want to wait.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Barry struggling with his decision/Joe and his Barry's father scenes
                   Eddie's sacrifice
                   Eobard's fight with Barry
                   That black hole was awesome and set up for season two

Let - Downs: Caitlin and Ronnie's wedding and those two character didn't really do anything



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/   

The Flash Season One: Rouge Time

The Woman With The Golden Gun

As Barry deals with the consequences of time travel Captain Cold and Heat Wave return to wreck havoc in Central City however this time Cold has brought along his little sister; Lisa Snart AKA Golden Glider (Peyton List).

For a whole week I have been wondering how well they where going to deal with the consequences of time travel and I think this episode proved that it was handled really well. I have read comments that some are disappointed that all of last episode's developments are gone now but I myself really didn't mind because that is how I expected time travel to work in this. Firstly I didn't mind too much that Weather Wizard was defeated in a few seconds because he is such a major member of the Rogues (and played by a well known actor) that I am sure we will see him again soon. Next Wells did a good job of explaining the dangers of time travel and I liked how similar things happened this episode but turned out differently such as Iris rejecting Barry and Wells telling Cisco he is like a son to him but not killing him in the end. Plus Barry's actions did lead to the death of Mason who uncovered more than he should of; I both liked and disliked this because it was cool we got to see Reverse Flash phase through objects (a skill Speedsters have in the comics) but I did like Mason and it is a shame he is out now when he hasn't been in it for that long. Finally this also gave Eobard Thawne a chance to remain Wells for a little bit longer now however that might not last for long with Barry now suspecting him but I doubt he is going to just come out and say something straight away. As for the other Thawne Eddie may have apologised for punching Barry but maybe there was more to it than just Iris, maybe he was affected by the change in the time line?

Always great seeing the Reverse Flash 

Now this episode also saw the return of the Rogues and it is always great to see Captain Cold and Heat Wave and I really liked the debut of Lisa. I liked the banter between her and Cold and how she tricked Cisco (can't blame him though) however if I am honest her gold gun was a bit silly which she does not have in the comics. I also liked the pact Cold made with Barry because it is similar to the way the Rogues work in the comics in that their main goal is The Flash and that they once killed a member for killing a civilian. This was also a Cisco heavy episode again and we actually got to find out more about his family which is something I wanted to learn more of for ages. I liked the rivalry that existed between Cisco and his brother and that Cisco, despite complaining about his brother a lot, still cared enough about him to reveal The Flash's identity. Who could really blame him because Cold was really damn brutal with his torture but Carlos Valdes did an awesome job of showing how much Cisco was tearing himself up over it. My only gripe with the Rogues and Cisco arc of this episode is maybe there could have been more action, the casino scene was basically the only one.

"A few more members and we can have our own biker gang; The Rogues"

Overall I think this was a great follow up to the last episode and it is always good when Cisco has the central spotlight.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Return of the Rogues and debut of Lisa
                   Showing the consequences of time travel
                   Cisco heavy episode

Let - Downs: The gold gun
                      The death of Mason
                      Could have used some more fights

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/     

The Flash Season One: Out of Time

"I am the real Weather Wizard"

Mark Mardon (Liam Mclntyre), the new Weather Wizard, comes to Central City to avenge the death of his brother who was shot by Joe. Meanwhile Cisco investigates the time Reverse Flash was temporarily captured and begins to suspect Wells and Eddie and Linda begin to feel that Barry and Iris still have feelings for each other.

Now this is what I call an episode and it probably had one of the biggest WTF moments in the Arrow and Flash universe so far, I will talk about that later though. First off I really enjoyed watching the new Weather Wizard because Mark Mardon was way better than Clyde and is supposed to be the original one anyway. The Flash has always impressed me with it's great special effects when it comes to the Meta Human powers but this one was really perfect in showing the Weather Wizard powers such as that awesome tidal wave and the speed images of Wells. I also liked the Flashback at the beginning because it added more backstory on the brothers however I really wished there was more because even though Mark explained why he was missing for a year I think more Flashbacks on that would have been interesting. There was also a lack of fights between Weather Wizard, The Flash and Joe because Mark having a personal vendetta against Joe also gave Barry a more personal stake in the fight but overall I felt it was really underutilized (however I really liked that they showed the wand). This may be because a lot of screen time was given over to a Barry and Iris subplot; see I don't really mind if they get together or not, I just mind if too much of the story is given over to it. I just feel in comparison to Weather Wizard and Wells the whole romantic subplot didn't feel too important, they just seem to address this at the wrong time.

I thought an older Barry was following him when I first say this

Now for the most important moment this episode was Harrison Wells revealing himself to be Eobard Thawne, my favourite Reverse Flash!!!! When that happened I was really like W T FREAKING F, it really took me by surprise and that is mainly because quite a few of my assumptions about Wells has been wrong. For example I really thought Wells would be an original Reverse Flash created for the show and I also thought there where two Reverse Flashes in this timeline but Cisco revealed that there isn't. The only thing I really got right was that Eddie Thawne could be the ancestor of one of the Reverse Flashes because of his name. Now the reason why Wells is stuck in this timeline is that maybe his connection to the Speed Force has been damaged in some way which would explain his fall when Piped Piper escaped, getting the device and wanting Barry to gain more speed. I have to say that Well is such a great actor as the good guy because in the comics Eobard is more of a psychopath with a strong hatred against The Flash. I also liked the moments he had with Cisco because it does seem that despite killing Cisco he regrets it because he came to think of him as a son, so this Eobard isn't all that bad in my opinion. Speaking of Cisco he has had some great material lately and I liked how it started off with him and Wells watching a film yet Cisco just felt compelled to investigate. You can really tell that Cisco was hurt when Wells was Reverse Flash because of how much he, respects and owes him.

Talk about overkill to get revenge

The other important reveal was time travelling which they did a good job of showing; Barry seeing a speed image at the beginning and then was back there at the end. I think it is a really sure guess that next episode Barry will change the timeline in a way that Weather Wizard will get captured before the tidal wave, his captain won't lose the use of his legs and Wells won't have to reveal his secret to Cisco now and be forced to kill him. If they do all of that then for a little while longer Eobard will continue to be Wells in the wheelchair and help Team Flash. Still now that they have opened the door to time travel I'm sure they will explore more of it and the people behind the show have said they are adapting a major Flash comic which it looks to be Flashpoint. I also hope that if Barry does meddle in time travel more it will even affect Staring City and Arrow and that there will be a massive crossover arc where Barry has to set things right.

"My next trick will involve a member from the audience..........Cisco"

Overall even though there are some negatives in this episode I just have to, HAVE TO, give it a perfect score for the reveal of Eobard Thawne and time travel alone. This whole episode felt like it could have also been a finale!

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: Well's identity and master plan revealed!!!!!!!!!!!
                    The new Weather Wizard/special effects
                    Great Cisco subplot

Let - Downs: Needed a bit more focus on Weather Wizard
                      Not enough Weather Wizard vs. Flash
                      The romantic subplot

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/     

 

The Flash Season One: Fallout

Finally get to see him in costume!

With Ronnie and Stein separated Team Flash believes that everything is all right now however they are in jeopardy once again when General Eiling targets Firestorm. Meanwhile Mason tells Iris that something is going on at S.T.A.R labs which leads them to investigate it and Joe tells Barry about his mother's murder.

SPOILER WARNING BELOW FOR FLASH COMICS (I don't care about holding back when referencing the comics anymore)

This Firestorm two parter was FREAKING AWESOME! Just like the three episode Brick Arc in Arrow these two episodes definitely rank as one of my favourite moments in the Arrow and Flash TV shows. First off it was really great that for the most part Ronnie and Stein where separated because we got some touching reunions between their love ones but also the realization that everything wasn't going to be fine now. It was interesting that Ronnie wanted to move away because while it is understandable it created a dilemma for Caitlin who believes she is doing good in Central City; thankfully she didn't have to make that choice but I wonder what it would have been? Their next problem was the connection that still exists between Ronnie and Stein which was really cool seeing how it got strong enough for craved words to appear on Stein's arm. Finally we got the return of Eiling which was great because he had some cool toys to take out The Flash and Firestorm but this also gave Ronnie and Stein the opportunity to perfect the Firestorm Matrix. I'm glad that we got to hear Stein's voice when Ronnie was controlling Firestorm because that is how it is supposed to be like in the comics and I enjoyed the banter between them.

That was a cool toy, I wonder if the military will keep using it or Eiling's successor?

As for everything else I liked that Joe decided to tell Barry now about the truth behind his mother's death instead of keeping it to himself and that we are learning more and more about time travel. Now Barry wanting to go back in to time to prevent his mother's death is similar to the plot of the Flashpoint comic (awesome read) however I wonder if Barry will realize he won't be The Flash if he saves his mother. Even none comic book fans can figure this out; If his mother was never murder he would never have become The Flash so Reverse Flash is right in saying his mother was destined to die that night. However I doubt Barry is really going to care about this so I am looking forward to episodes in the future where Barry creates an alternate timeline. As for the other subplot involving Iris that could have been way better because while it is interesting that she may uncover Barry's identity on her own it was barely developed this episode and felt out of place with the Firestorm plot.  Hopefully we will get more of this next episode but they should have saved this until then and gave us more of it. Finally what I wanted to mention was that we got some great comic relief between Joe and Cisco referencing Terminator and Back to the Future; those two have been great in their scenes together so far and I hope they keep it up.

"You don't want to mess with a perfect Firestorm"

Now for the major end scene at the end I just want to say first that it is a shame Eiling could be dead because I liked his character (even though I admit it was a typical army guy looking for powerful weapons) and I said when he first appeared that it would be cool if he did form a team of Meta - Humans working for him, oh well the road not taken. But at the very least we got to see Gorilla Grodd properly now and see Wells in his Reverse Flash costume. I don't know why Wells and Grodd are working together now but this is another reason to say that Wells isn't the Hunter Zolomon Reverse Flash/Professor Zoom because in the comics Grodd crippled Zolomon in the first place and Wells isn't a cripple anyway. I still think Wells is an original Reverse Flash created for the show but was heavily influenced by Hunter Zolomon because of his wheelchair and friendship with Barry. As for Grodd he is getting more epic every time he appears and I'm glad we got to see some of his mind abilities and I can't wait until he gets an entire episode as him as the villain (plus his voice was cool!).

"Not God, Grodd" Epic line!

Overall this Firestorm two parter was just so epic and I hope Firestorm isn't absent for too long.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Firestorm
                   Grodd and Wells as Reverse Flash
                   Barry investigating time travel
                   Humour from Cisco and Jow

Let - Downs: Iris's subplot could have been a lot better
                      Eiling is now most likely dead and I liked his character and actor

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/     

The Flash Season One: The Nuclear Man

"Flame on.........everyone is going to think of Marvel"

Team Flash realizes that Ronnie AKA Firestorm has become out of control and decide to stop him which leads Caitlin to continue to investigate project F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M and Dr Martin Stein (Victor Garber). Meanwhile Joe asks for Cisco's help with Nora's murder and General Eiling returns to Central City.

Finally we got an entire episode dedicated to Firestorm which actually turned out to be the first of a two parter. I admit I thought they would have brought in another Meta - Human for The Flash to deal with as a small subplot but I am really glad they didn't and the focus was just on Firestorm. The whole story round Ronnie and Stein as part of the Firestorm Matrix has been handled really well so far, especially the tragedy surrounding the two; that it is Ronnie's body yet Stein is the one in control so they are unrecognizable to the people they love. I'm glad that the Flashbacks where about Stein (his meeting with Barry and first waking as Firestorm) so we got to learn more about him and that for the later half of the episode, thanks to several drugs, we got to see him not crazy for once. Hats off to Robbie Amell (real life cousin to Arrow!) for playing a role where he was Ronnie but also not Ronnie. Caitlin also had a strong role in this episode as well such as the awkwardness to talking to Firestorm at S.T.A.R labs, standing up to Wells when he wanted to kill Ronnie to the goodbye at the very end before Firestorm blew up. Lastly while this episode wasn't too action heavy (which doesn't really matter because of the strong material of Firestorm) the small fight between The Flash and Firestorm was pretty awesome as well as the massive explosion at the end.

Good start but I wonder if he will have the rest of his costume from the comics soon

As for the rest of the episode we got a really great team up between Cisco and Joe which I wasn't expecting because the two really haven't interacted much with each other yet. They did really work well together with some great serious and comedic moments and I liked how Cisco stood up for Wells in the end but his curiosity and wiliness to help got the better of him. Of course when they first mentioned that their was two speedsters in the vortex that killed Barry's mother I knew it must have been Reverse Flash and an older Barry because this plot has been used in a Flash comic. I do find this awesome because this proves that time travel does exist in the show and that opens lots of new possibilities; hopefully this proves Booster Gold could be in the show in the future. Also unless Cisco was covering for Wells this also proves that there really is two Reverse Flashes and while Wells does do questionable thinks he doesn't seem to be a bad guy because it is all to protect people. I also don't think he is the Hunter Zolomon Reverse Flash because he seems more like an original one for the show but I still think the second one is Eobard Thawne (Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash) who is either Eddie Thawne from the future or his descendent. Lastly while we did get some nice moments between Barry and Linda I do wish they would expand Linda's character a bit because of how important she is in the comics (Wally West) and I didn't like that we have a jealous Iris now. After choosing Eddie over Barry she really has to play the jealous game here? Plus Barry was right she did interfere when she had that talk with Linda.

So which one shall be coming back to that house?

Overall this was an awesome Firestorm episode and I am looking forward to part two where we get to see General Eiling again who I really liked last time and who is played by a great actor. He obviously must be who Rush was scared of last time because of his knowledge of Firestorm so I can't wait to see what trouble he will cause now.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Strong Firestorm focused episode
                   Cisco and Joe team up
                   Time travel revealed!

Let - Downs: Linda could be fleshed out more and a jealous Iris

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: Lightning Returns

Finally, finally a review on the last entry of the XIII series.

The story of Lightning Returns is set five hundred years after the events of XIII - 2 and the old world was been completely erased and a new world now stands in it's place. The Chaos that was unleashed has stopped humans from aging and the death of Etro has stopped any new humans from ever being born. Lightning has returned from her crystal sleep after all this time by the God Bhunivelze who informs Lightning that the world has only thirteen days left before it's destruction and she must save as many souls as she can so they can be reborn in the new world the God wants to create. In return for this service Bhunivelze has promised to return Serah to her so Lightning, aided by a now young Hope, must do the God's bidding and save the human race.

Like with the other two XIII games I will first start off with my thoughts on the story and in my opinion it is stronger than XIII -2 but not as good as XIII. Overall XIII's story with Fal'Cie, artificial world and a rag - tag group of misfits trying to save it is better, this is probably to do the fact that besides the supernatural elements its was a lot simpler. What I mean by that is that in XIII - 2 they add in time travel and made the whole game feel episodic where you jump from one time to the next dealing with other problems. In this one they basically got rid of the entire world of Gran Pulse and Cocoon and included more powerful Gods etc. It just felt like the whole thing has gotten out of hand from the first entry. Many characters from the previous games return however most of the time they are against Lightning and usually serve as the final boss for one of the storylines.

Now for what makes Lightning Returns really great is the gameplay; out of the three games in the XIII series they put the most effort into the gameplay for this one. Firstly they have finally created a massive open world that the previous two entries didn't have, it was so massive that it felt like you where playing a MMO but single player (like Skyrim!). They may have had only four areas but like I just said they where just so big and I like the diversity in them because you have two cities, a grassland and a desert. There is lots to do in these areas such as finding items, fighting monsters and completing side quests. Side quests are actually more important now then they have ever been before because completing them increases your stats. The good thing about this is that it gives you a lot of things to do in the game however in my opinion I would have preferred some kind of levelling system because that is just more traditional really.

Also just like with the massive world there is now more freedom with the main quests as you can complete part of it, do something else and then comeback. This is a really enjoyable way to approach the main missions and reminded me of a lot of the older Final Fantasys however this is hampered by the 13 day rule. You only have 13 in game days to complete the main and side quests which actually seems pretty long when I was playing it and I get why they have done it because it ties with the main story however I really wished they didn't include this because it feels restrictive about what I can do. Again you have more freedom to complete the missions then any of the other XIII games however I kind of felt a bit rushed sometimes to make sure I fit in all I can.

Now for the best part of Lightning Returns and that is the battle/garb system! You may only control Lightning in the game but it is one of the best battle systems in Final Fantasy, just as good as the Dress Sphere system in X-2. I think the ability to change outfits and in to different job roles is the best way to fight in Final Fantasy because it offers so much variety and different styles of fighting the enemy. Lightning has lots of garbs in this, each one having it's own strengths and weakness and Lightning just looks great in all of them too. You can even customize them in the menu for new abilities, change their colours and even add accessories; wish the last one was a bit more flexible as you can only equip one accessory per garb. You also have a wide array of weapons and shields that offer their own abilities or stat increases and can be gain from shops or side quests.

Overall Lightning Returns certainly stands out from the previous XIII games and was a great way to end the series. This review defiantly wasn't as in depth as I would have wanted but that it because it is a quick one I wanted to do while I was writing all the Arrow reviews.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Battle system
                   Bigger map and more things to do
                   Garb system

Let - Downs: The first XIII game still has the best story
                      The 13 day time limit

Arrow Season Two: Time of Death

"Time for you to die!"

The episode begins with two thieves being guided through a robbery by William Tockman AKA Clock King (Robert Knepper) however even though they get what they came for one of the thieves kills a guard meanwhile at the Arrowcave Oliver, Sara and Diggle are comparing war scars making Felicity feeling left out and Oliver wants to throw a welcome home party for Sara. In a Flashback the group sees a plane but it is shot down and in the present Clock King kills the thief who messed up while at the party Laurel is notably absent. Quentin and Arrow later investigate the body of the thief and Quentin says he stole a skeleton key earlier, in a Flashback the group find the pilot of the plane gravely injured so Slade and Oliver go to find medical supplies. In the present Arrow and Black Canary show up at a robbery however it is done by Clock King who uses this as an opportunity to hack Felicity systems and escape however they where able to get a blood sample. Arrow and Black Canary go to Clock King's sister's address (after finding out he and his sister are both suffering from a fatal illness) however it is another hack and their computers are destroyed this time, Felicity later admits to Diggle she feels inadequate now Sara is here but Diggle reassures her she is invaluable.

"Let's finally bury the hatchet"

The Lance Family hold a dinner with Oliver (as a way to mend things between Sara and Laurel and Quentin wants to get back together with Dinah) however Dinah admits she is in another relationship and Laurel storms out after realizing Oliver and Sara are together. This is the last straw for Oliver who says Laurel needs to do a better job taking reasonability for her actions and that he is done caring about her. Arrow, Black Canary, Diggle and Felicity all go to stop Clock King and Felicity is able to knock him out by exploding his phone despite being shot in the shoulder, Oliver later reassures her that she will always be "his" girl on the team. Sara later takes a job at The Verdant and has a moment with Laurel who admits she was wrong and even goes to AA with Quentin. In a Flashback the pilot dies but not before giving Sara a picture of her daughter who is Sin. The episode ends with Oliver going home and finding Moira in a meeting with someone who turns out to be Slade Wilson.

"So where are yours two costumes?"

We got another villain from the comics the episode and that is the Clock King and those who have read my Flash review know I really like Robert Knepper as him. The guy is really similar to his comic counterpart and Knepper really portrays him as being borderline psychotic but that is because the guy has almost nothing to lose because of his disease. They also create a lot of sympathy for his character because of the disease and his sister that you almost wish that he got away with the robbery. However what was really great about him was that he was more of an intellectual opponent against Team Arrow this time who outsmarted them twice and was more of an enemy for Felicity this time. Speaking of Felicity I am glad that she was one of the main focuses this episode and that it dealt with her personal conflict of being inadequate now that Sara is here. This could have been made out to be really silly of being jealous but no, the dialogue she had with Diggle and Oliver really made it feel relevant. Plus I like that she is the one to take down Clock King because she really needs an arch - nemesis of her own sometime.

If he was able to hack Team Arrow's systems then you think he got their address?

We also got some great moments with the Lance Family again and I just thought I'd say I am really glad that Quentin is now on friendly terms with Oliver and the Queen Family now because him being a constant ass to them and Tommy annoyed me last season but he is a way better character now. However Laurel of course had to spoil parts of it again with her damn outbursts but I am really glad now that Oliver has finally had enough with her. Liked the scene when he told her so because it was one of the few times we see Oliver crack and I never liked how in season one he was so obsessed with Laurel sometimes. Luckily it looks like Laurel is finally, finally to getting out of the drinks and drugs which is about time but I didn't like the reconciliation between Laurel and Sara because that whole "I was on the boat with you" dialogue and the rest that followed sounded like a load of crap. Lastly for a quick mention I like that we got some more origin on Sin but those Flashbacks but like last episode felt really unnecessary.

"Surprise boy"

Overall I really liked the villain in this episode but it was a shame it didn't focus on him more but at least he was on The Flash after this. Oh yeah I didn't expect to see Slade at the Queen Manor but I can't wait to see how Oliver will handle it next episode.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Clock King was a strong villain
                   Felicity felt more involved this episode
                   Did like the moments with the Lance Family except with Laurel

Let - Downs: Laurel again
                      Didn't like the Flashbacks


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/               

My Top Five Favourite Video Games of all Time

Thought I'd take a break with my Arrow reviews to do something different and write another top five. As I mentioned in my last Arrow review I am trying to catch up to season three but I will try harder now to fit in some film or game reviews etc. Thought I'd add that there will be only one game per franchise or else my list will be full of Final Fantasy games.

5. Devil May Cry 3 - Still holds up today as the best hack and slash game in my opinion and the best in the Devil May Cry series. The gameplay was just so awesome in this from being able to change your class to the combos you can pull off and not to mention the enemies where quite difficult and can change battle tactics to fight you. The story was also great because we got a cocky, young Dante who was just so funny and Vergil is one of my favourite game villains of all time.

4. Kingdom Hearts 2 - This game improved absolutely everything great about the first and included so much more content that it took me ages to finish everything when I first played it. The graphics where so amazing for the time (still look better than a lot of stuff now) and the environments where so big that there was plenty of room for fighting and massive bosses. I liked how Sora can change outfits in battle and wield two keyblades and there was so many different types of enemies. Plus the game felt that it took so long to finish as well because you get revisit every world but I didn't find that repetitive because there was different things to do each time and you got to fight the Nobodies instead of the Heartless. They story in this was so gripping as well since we got to go to all those Disney worlds which also included Final Fantasy characters and Organization XIII was just awesome! 

3. Resident Evil (Remake) - This game stands as the most perfect remake that ever existed in all forms of media and I'm including films and TV as well as well as the best survival horror game. They didn't just improve the graphics and gave us better voice actors instead they included a lot of extra content that was so welcomed; we got the Crimson Heads, Lisa Trevor, new puzzles etc. It also is one of the scariest games I have ever played as well (when I was younger) because of the music, atmosphere and shadows. I know some people complain about the controls and fixed camera angles of the old Resident Evils like this one but in my opinion they add a lot to the horror element that recent Resident Evils like 4, 5 and 6 lack.

2. Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy - I loved this game after the first few minutes I played it because it was so different from any game I have played before and I play a lot of games. This game is mainly a story focused game but it is just so damn good that I could not put my controller down, I just had to keep playing. Its starts off as a murder mystery but it turns into something much more and I know some reviewers have complained about that but I loved all the twists and turns. It was also one of the first games where your decisions in conversations and gameplay affect the rest of the game; looking back I know they where not that big and it all leads to almost the same conclusion but it was still something new to me at the time and I still enjoyed it. Besides the gripping story we also have some really interesting characters that you invest a lot of yourself into and they all have some of the best voice acting I have heard. Lastly Lucas Kane is one of my favourite game protagonists of all time and this game is way better than David Cage's more recent ones like Heavy Rain.

1. Final Fantasy VII - This probably was an obvious one because I may have mentioned it before but nevertheless FFVII remains, and will always remain, my favourite game of all time and one of the best RPGs. I could talk for hours about the amazing combat system where you use Materia to grant yourself magic, the hundreds of enemies you face, the side quests that seem to take forever to finish or the story and characters that had me so addicted to this game that I would play it for hours and hours and hours at a time but I want to keep these explanations short. However what eclipses all of that is the sense of freedom and adventure you get when you play this game. This is helped by one of my most favourite moments in gaming; leaving Midgar for the first time. Who can deny that was an awesome moment; stepping out of the city, hearing the world map music for the first time, seeing the grasslands before me waiting to be explored - it was just something words can't express for me but I did know at that moment it was my favourite game. Interesting note this was also the very first game I bought for myself; got it when I was seven or eight and I haven't stopped playing it since, I admit I probably don't play it as much now because of all the next gen stuff but I always find the time to play it when I can.

Honourable Mentions: All other Final Fantasy games, Metal Gear Solid series, Silent Hill series, Tekken series, Mortal Kombat series, All other Devil May Cry and Resident Evil games, Dead or Alive series, Destiny, The Last of Us, Call of Duty series, Splinter Cell series, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and I that's all I can think of right now but I'm sure I have missed many.

There you have it my top five games, maybe I'll make some more top five or tens soon :)   

Game Review: Final Fantasy XIII - 2

Finally got round to reviewing the second game in the Final Fantasy XIII series. Thought I'd say that there will be no screenshots in this and for anime reviews because it is harder to find then for films and TV shows. SPOILERS

Final Fantasy XIII - 2 takes place three years after the fall of Cocoon and the crystal pillar still supports the artificial world. The residents of Cocoon and Gran Pulse now co - exist with each other with many of Cocoon citizens moving down to Gran Pulse. However all is not well because Serah Farron, younger sister of Lightning, believes her sister to still be alive even though everyone remembers her giving up her life along with Fang and Vanille to form the crystal pillar. She is right however as Lightning is guardian of the Goddess Etro in a world called Valhalla and is constantly defending it from a powerful man named Ciaus Ballad. One day a mysterious youth named Noel Kriess enters the world of Valhalla and Lightning tasks him with finding Serah and saving the world from Valhalla. Their journey will take them across many different times in history as Ciaus does not wish to just destroy the world but time itself.

In my previous review I said that XIII strong point was that it has such a compelling story that I can still play it over and over again despite it being mostly walking in a straight line. With its sequel however I find that to not be the case, don't get me wrong it is enjoyable but I don't find the idea of time travelling as good as Fal'Cie Gods in XIII. I didn't find the whole story of Yuel, the Guardians, Chaos and Time Paradoxes to have been as well thought out. Also despite there being a whole overarching story it feels overshadowed by events in each timeline that don't feel relevant to it. For example in one time you have to stop a giant flan and in another one spot an out of control A.I., they try to weave it into the main story but it feels poorly done. Also the game feels a lot shorter as well because take away all the side quests and optional time periods then it won't take anyone too long to finish it.

As for the settings and environment it is all nicely done however despite the maps being a lot more flexible and big it still does feel like you are moving in a straight line. When you enter another time period it really is just one big area and it never really feels all that big once you reveal the whole map. Another thing is that even though all of the areas do look really beautiful and it is interesting to travel throughout all of them they reuse a lot of the same areas in different time periods. For example the very first new time period you enter is three years in to the future to face a boss called Atlas however that exact same area is re - used three different time in later time periods and all they did was change the weather to snowy or covered in more trees.     

With the characters in this game I have no issues with them because most are returning from the previous game and I really liked them, it was one of XIII strong points. The first playable character in this game is Serah and it was interesting seeing them turn a side character, who was really only in the previous game in flashbacks, become the main protagonist. Its good seeing her start off with constantly worrying about her sister in the beginning and trying to find her but no over time she comes to realize that she can't be that selfish and wishes to create a better future for Noel. Noel is the second playable character and he was born at the end of days; in his time, 700 years in the future, Cocoon has fallen and when it did the world went to hell pretty fast. Noel and Serah make a great duo because of how they constantly help each other in the game with Noel surprisingly being the optimist and cheers Serah up a lot despite being born on a dying world. Last we have Mog who is a Moogle who guides them through the portals and is also Serah's main weapon, I like Mog because its always good to see Moogles in Final Fantasy.

Now to go one about the side characters a bit and first we have Lightning and she is a bit underused in the game because you only control her in the prologue but she's supposed to be this badass guardian now and you kind of wish it changed to her more often. Next we have Ciaus as the main antagonist and I really like him because, apart from a badass design, you kind of understand why he is doing the things he does. He does it so Yuel never has to die and be reincarnated again and again but is will to destroy everything to get it however like I said you do understand more because his more relatable than Gods from the previous game. Lastly we also have all the main characters from the previous game being used but like Lightning they feel a bit underused like Snow and Sazh and I kind of felt that Hope takes up way to much of plot.

As for gameplay it is a real strong factor in this game because once again they bring back the Paradigm Shift system of changing between roles in combat. I think I mentioned in my previous review that changing roles in battle is one of my favourite Final Fantasy combat systems, this is why the Dress Sphere Change in FFX - 2 is probably my one of my favourites, and it kind of makes me wish they can also change costume in this game. Combat is a lot more fast paced in this one and you can switch between Noel and Serah anytime you want so when one gets KO the battle still continues. An interesting feature is that you can capture monsters and use them in battle, increase their stats and they even have their own strengths and special moves. This is one of the best features in the game because I would spend a long time hunting down specifics monsters for my party and using different ones in each play through. However overall I never found the game to be all that challenging because I think you gain CP points a little bit too much and easily from enemies and side quests so you can level up really fast.

Something I really have to praise the game for is its outstanding visuals and music, even if a lot of the areas are reused they are a treat for the eyes. Some of my favourite places to visit is Noel's time (when the red sky vanishes and we get the beautiful morning) and Sunleth Waterscape. Also the music, like all Final Fantasy games, is a real strong point because I don't think there is a single one I disliked. Whether it is New Bodham, Noel's world, Ciaus's battle music or New World (my favourite) you can just listen to it again and again.

Before I finish I just want to say that the ending was something that I never really expected; the bad guy won in the end. Serah actually died, time itself was destroyed and those who got the special ending, like I have, will see that Ciaus is still alive and "free" of his curse. I do have to praise this ending because like I said Serah dies and I really thought she would find a way for her powers not to kill her and it happened when you didn't even expect it to.

Overall while this XIII -2 is not as strong story wise to XIII it makes up for it with a strong combat system and it's visuals and music being just as good.

SCORE 7/10

Highlights: Combat
                   Visuals/Music
                   Characters

Let - Downs: Reused areas for new time periods
                      Not a better story than XIII
                      Is easier to complete overall because they don't restrict stat growth this time