Review: Paramore by Paramore

Remember when Paramore was alive back in 2009? Neither do I but I needed a seguey that shows how irrelevant they were for the past four years. Well, I messed up this part of the sequey so I'll just continue, Paramore is back with their new self titled album and I gotta that it's really.... and I mean really... well, different. That's not to say that it's bad, it's actually really good and I recommend it to any Paramore fan. Meldal-Johnsen said it best; "the album [sounds] very visceral and a little bit less locked down and computerized, more 1981 than 2012, with a nod to 2016. "Well, let's not delay and do what I do best, make fun of people and still be awesome. Now, let's really get into the  music.

You hear that? That's the sound of Fast In My Car, or specifically, the sound of electronics and good old fashioned Hayley Williams doing her Hayley Williams vocals. Ah, it's good to hear her voice again but in such a forgettable song. I mean, the song really shows off what you're getting into but you probably won't remember anything except the chorus.

Oh look, it's their first single Now. You may not know it, but there was a pun in there. Anyway, I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it, it reminds me a bit of Misery Business and Ignorance with the way Hayley Williams sings the verses and chorus. The instruments in the song are actually pretty trippy and that's not a bad thing. I admit, it takes a few listens to get use the song but you'll like it soon enough. They all do. Heheheh...

Grow Up sounds like something off of Bruno Mars' Unorthadox Jukebox  (Note to self: Review that album in 2023 when Youtube goes back up or at least when someone gets that reference). As I was saying, Grow Up sounds a bit like something from The Police or Bruno Mars but with Paramore's own unique spin. I like this song, I honestly do but "for the most part" (it's a line from the song, get it?) it takes some time getting use to but soon enough you'll be humming that chorus to yourself.

If there's something about Paramore I like it would be the catchy choruses and Daydreaming isn't "the only exception" (I love it when you groan at my puns, it increases my power level). Daydreaming sounds really nice and smooth, almost as if it could be used for a movie soundtrack... Oh wait.

There are three interludes in this album, a bit overkill but they're about a minute long so whatever. Moving On is the first of these interludes and it's a change of pace from the beginning of the album. It's a short and simple song that is quite enjoyable. Now, let's "move on" to the next part of the album.

Yo dawg, I heard you like Paramore and the 1980's so they put some 1980's in Paramore to make Ain't It Fun. It's a nice song with a catchy guitar riff and Hayley William's voice sure sounds like something that came from the 1980's (that was a lie, I meant 2009).
Part II is a good song. No doubt about it, this is one of my favorites, I don't know if it's the odd guitar effects, Hayley's vocals, or the teenager inside of me stating that it understands the song. Or the angst.

Last Hope is forgettable minus the "let it happen" part. Next.

Now this is probably my number one song of the album, Still Into You has that right blend of teenage angst, feeling, and decent sounding instruments accompanied by a pretty catchy hook. Good thing this song is a single (place light-hearted happiness here).

Anklebiters is a pretty catchy song and it's really fun to listen to.

The next interlude is basically the same as Moving On. Holiday still has that ukulele/ Hayley solo thing going on; the interlude is pretty "meh".

Hate to See Your Heart Break is also pretty forgettable.

(One of Those) Pretty Girls is a pretty nice song, at least at first. This song's crescendo just doesn't work at that well, it's pretty distracting if anything but the rest of the song is pretty good.

Now for the last interlude, I'm Not Angry Anymore is probably the weakest of the interludes but it does it's job well; it's the last interlude and it's just there to mark the end.

Be Alone should have been placed somewhere else in the album but as a song, it's alright, I guess. After listening to Paramore for so long, I just start to lose interest. But when I do want to listen to Paramore, I make sure to put this song somewhere in a playlist if not for that hook.

Oh boy, Future is a doozy. For one, it's almost eight freaking minutes long which wouldn't be a bad thing but the song really overstays it's welcome even if it is the last song. The intro bores me and about three minutes in, I start to just waste away but it does start to pick up. The song just feels powerful, I'm not exactly sure how to word it but it feels like an epiphany for your ear... then you realize that it's just an annoying neighbor trying to tell you how it feels to chew an old piece of 5Gum.

Paramore's self titled is good... for the most part; the album could have done without a few songs while other songs really freaking over stay their welcome but when a song is good, it's really good. Although I do have to say that if you weren't a fan of Paramore before this album then it probably won't win you over but there are a few songs that might be worth a listen.

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Review: DmC: Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry, a series known for their cocky, sword swinging protagonist Dante is back. It's a whole new game and a complete reboot of the series. Instead of continuing the franchise with a sequel, Capcom decided to start completely fresh. With a new look for Dante, and a new campaign, DmC: Devil May Cry hopes to take hack and slash genre to a whole new level.

It was heard on the various gaming websites, before the game was officially released, that fans weren't too happy about the new visualization of Dante. Nostalgia perhaps (most definitely), but his style does somewhat fit his character. Dante's a man with a douche attitude at first, with no real regard for others. It's not really explained why during the game, but it's the same old personality that Dante in the original series had. He soon meets a girl with unnaturally big eyes, and later on, he meets his brother and old nemesis, Vergil. Well, old in the sense that he was in the older Devil May Cry series. There's a big baddie causing havoc in town, and it's up to them to stop the big baddie and save the world. It's a pretty generic story, with a generic twist and a predictable ending, but it is to be expected since it's a reboot. Devil May Cry is not for the faint of heart, as there will be f bombs dropped everywhere. It also doesn't help that the dialogue is corny as well. There are some moments where Dante just needs to shut up instead of spitting out his terrible one liners. Then there are other times where he does some amusing stuff. Some things just never change.

Dante does most of his fighting in Limbo, in Limbo City. The city is secretly run by vile demons, controlling the humans who populate the area. With the help of Kat, Dante fights his way through Limbo, slashing and cutting his way for the better of humanity. Dante has quite a bit of toys at his disposal, and it's where the game is really great. Dante can switch weapons on the fly. His sword behaves as his normal weapon, which is balanced by his demonic and angelic weapons. It's suits Dante's half-angel half-demon breed. These unique weapons can be used at any time, even while you're comboing with Dante's regular sword. The red, demon weapons are slow and powerful, while the blue weapons are quick and great for crowd control. The simple transition from one weapon to the next is beautiful. I've really come to love the big, open areas of the game, because you know demons will be about, and their heads just need to be smashed.

There's a simple score on the top right corner of the screen that notes how well you're doing in combat. It's dependent on how well you transition between your weapons, and rewards you for varying your attacks. The length of your combos also play a great factor to the score. The nice, satisfying bark of the announcer let's you know if you're keeping it stylish. If you want more of a challenge, you can find secret doors hidden intricately inside a level, as long as you find the key to the room. These rooms offer a variety of challenges. Some may involve killing enemies in a certain way, or under a time limit, while others are a race from one point to the other. DmC: Devil May Cry gradually adds new weapons for your arsenal as you play through the game. You can upgrade these weapons and add new combos during the start or end of each mission, or at statues during the break of combat. Although at first the upgrade list seems pretty long, if you you play the game well enough, you'll have more than enough upgrade points to spend on whatever you want. The red orbs collected off enemies, or from the lost souls gasping from the walls, are used for buying items, whether they be for health, or for a quick revival should you die in battle.

The campaign is quite short, at just under the 7 hour mark on the normal difficulty. As a result, there are a number of difficulty modes to extend the length of the game. There are also rewards for doing a number of achievements or tasks. They reward you with concept art. Completing the game on the normal difficulty unlocks new costumes and hairdos for Dante, as well as preserving your equipment and upgrades if you wish to complete the campaign again. For the first play through, it's kind of an annoyance not having these abilities available, because there are some items in certain levels that are unreachable. Not to mention, you may accidentally advance the story when you're exploring the area for secret gems, and will be unable to go back unless you redo the whole mission.

This has to be one of the most optimized games for the PC. Kudos to Ninja Theory and QLOC. The game can be run at frame per seconds well exceeding 60, even for the much lower end graphics cards. Fortunately, the game still looks great. Each setting in limbo is a demonic, demented depiction of something you would see in real life. The opening level, with Dante traversing through the haunted house in the carnival was awesome. And it only gets better. The boss fights, although a little too simple, with their easily recognizable patters, are still epic. The environment moves and shakes along with the demonic world, with the music rocking in the background, along with some of the most creative boss scenes. All around just a great experience technically wise.

I honestly didn't know if Capcom was going to pull this off. The doubts about rebooting the series with a completely new look for Dante was troubling, but Capcom and Ninja Theory pulled through. The story isn't that special, and the characters can be a little obnoxious, but the game shines where it's supposed to shine, during the combat. Slicing through enemies has never been easier or more satisfying, and Limbo invokes such a spooky yet intriguing platform to base the entire game on. As a result, DmC: Devil May Cry gets a 4/5 from me.

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Is Coming To PCs & Next-Gen Consoles In 2014

It's funny, still to this day, Game Informer's cover reveals outdo every online gaming website. Still. 


This has been a pretty big month for news, huh? We finally learned GTA's release date, we get to see the PS4 in 15 days, we got The Last of Us gameplay videos and we're getting closer and closer to E3. Looks like this confirms that next-gen consoles will be revealed this year and most likely launching in the fall/winter.

But I digress, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the final Witcher game and is the end of a trilogy. From the sound of it, CD Projekt RED is ending the series with a bang. Not only is the world 40 times larger than The Witcher 2; it's 20% larger than Skyrim (with no loading screens!), each land will have their own storyline and weather will play a big part in the game. The last part is something I'm interested about because very few titles have been able to incorporate weather into something more than a static effect.

One of the more interesting features is the ability to read up on enemies, learn their weak points and perform critical attacks on them. It finally gives notes, books, etc. more meaning than just expanding lore.

You can look for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt next year on whatever Sony/Microsoft decides to name their next systems and PC. more.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Came Out Today

Because I'm sure very few of you remember.

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Review: Warm Bodies

I thought this was going to be "Twilight" but with zombies, boy, was I wrong. Sure, there are plot elements of love and all that mushy stuff but this movie is more than that. Warm Bodies is funny (funnier than most "comedies"), it's emotional, it's intense, and it's certainly worth paying full price to see.

It stars a zombie (we'll call him Rrrr to avoid spoilers and it's what most of the zombies say) that just wants to find his place in the world because zombies are capable of having at least a little bit of thought. It also stars a girl named Julie that goes off to find cures with her group of friends until they run into the undead. Rrrr suddenly likes Julie for some odd reason that isn't explained very well, and so the rest of the movie is what happens when Rrrr tries to form a relationship with Julie. The story gets so much better as the movie goes on but there are some elements like these evil zombie type creatures that don't really get much attention but that's alright because this movie is about Rrrr and Julie.

The CGI is cool, too bad they're not that important.

The characters themselves are great, Rrrr is a terrific zombie actor and Julie is alright, just alright. Yeah, some of the acting is odd but overall, it's not terrible. The supporting cast though, oh man, they're great. Rrrr's best zombie friend is genuinely funny and a great perfomer, the same can go for Julie's friends.

The sound track in Warm Bodies actually sets the mood perfectly even though the music mostly boils down to old love songs from the 80's. Although, some of the mixing is weird and it can even be distracting when some of the music gets louder than the characters.

Warm Bodies is a great movie with great characters, witty dialogue, and it knows what it wants to be. It never takes itself too seriously and new abilities given to the zombies makes for some great zombie lore. The movie is definitely worth watching.

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Review: "good kid, m.A.A.d city" by Kendrick Lamar

Ah, rap, my old friend, you have returned from your journey. Let's welcome Compton native, Kendrick Lamar's album, "good kid, m.A.A.d city". Released on the 22nd of October 2012, the album has received great reviews and is an album that can kinda bring you back to the 90s with some gangsta rap vibes. The two singles off the album are "Swimming Pools (Drank)" and "The Recipe" featuring legendary producer and rapper, Dr. Dre. So let's not waste anymore time talking about background, let's get into this album.

 The album covers a variety of topics that most rappers would cover; girls, violence, and real world problems. The core to any rapper, but that isn't meant to be a slam against rappers, it's just a common thing. I guess I'm really going into this album blind, I've never listened much of Kendrick prior to this album, all of his mixtapes are just unheard by me.

One of the things I love about this album are the beats, a lot of the songs feature some catchy beats that will probably get stuck in your head for awhile. When I first heard Lamar about a year or so ago, I wasn't really crazy about him, which is why I never explored any of his mixtapes, and the main reason for that was that I didn't like his voice a whole lot. Listening through this album has changed my perspective of his voice and it really has grown on me a bit.

As for the songs themselves, there are a lot of hits on the album. Personally, my favorite might be "Backseat Freestyle" or "Swimming Pools." I've given this album a lot of playing time on Spotify and I wound up listening to it on repeat many times. The album has really grown on me over time and I truly enjoy it, something I can't say for a lot of newer rap albums nowadays. There are a few songs that I could do without on the album, but that is bound to happen with just about anything.The entire album really takes me back to 90s rap, I can't say that's gonna happen with everyone who listens to the album, but that's just how I feel about it.

Like I said in the previous paragraph, there are a few songs that don't really do it for me, but the good ones really outweigh the not-so-good ones. I do enjoy every track on the album, but there are the less memorable ones that get played less compared to others. Lamar really put out a solid album and I am pretty excited to see what else he can do. He's still young and has nothing, but time ahead of him. Personally, I'd love to see his stuff get played on the radio all the time compared to some of the other music that gets blasted on the radio. Kendrick's album seems like another big step forward in quality rap and I hope he can continue dropping tracks.

I'll say that this album may not be for everyone and I'd suggest at least giving the album a couple listens before you really judge it. If you truly like it, go out and buy the deluxe album, I promise you won't regret it. I'll leave you with my rating and I'll catch you guys later...

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Review: FTL: Faster Than Light

 

 FTL: Faster Than Light is a spaceship RTS game developed by Subset Games that was released in September 2012. Faster Than Light is a magical game that starts out loving and fun then quickly jumps to making you want to rip apart your computer, start to burn it all while cursing the Mantis race. Now, the last portion of that sentence probably made no sense once so ever. You'd have to play the game to understand I suppose. 

While the game can look very basic, I can reassure you, it isn't. It isn't a hard game to pick up, but it can be pretty difficult to play at times. Once you start to figure out how to play, the game truly becomes rewarding as you learn from your mistakes, jumping sector to sector. As you journey through space, you encounter different kind of people, some good, some bad, some completely horrible monsters that should never exist.

One of the most painful features in the game is that when you die, you die for good, there is no going back, no fixing your mistakes, just plain, simple death. If you make a jump thinking you're going to help people when really it's just an ambush, there's no going back from that, you have to fight your way out or die trying. Though, there are some encounters that will give you supplies such as fuel, missiles, scraps, droids, and other parts, sometimes even crew members.

As you progress through the game, you unlock various ships that have their own special abilities or crew members. If that isn't enough to make you keep playing, then the music will surely do that. The soundtrack for FTL is really one of the main reasons I keep playing. It's just perfectly chill and calm, it can pick up during your epic space battles, then go back down to really making you feel like you're in space. If you really think about it, it can be quite sad, to know you're basically alone in space, running from the Federation as you fight pirates and try to upgrade your ship for whatever onslaught awaits you.

I haven't really covered everything this game has to offer, but I feel that if I do, it will ruin some of the surprise and fun. That being said, I absolutely love this game, and I really wish I was smarter when I played it, but I make terrible mistakes over and over again that ends up getting everyone killed because I'm a bad space captain. Needless to say, I would recommend picking this game up, even if the idea doesn't appeal to you, at least give the soundtrack a listen. FTL ranks pretty high up in my favorite indie games and my favorite games of all time. If you're interested in buying this game, it's only $10 at the official website here and the same on Steam. The soundtrack is an extra 4 bucks on Steam and $5 on the artist's bandcamp here. After writing this, I feel like playing some FTL, but I don't feel like staying up till 5 am playing it...but I probably will. Until next time, I'll leave you guys with the rating

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