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Nier: Automata Is a Cool, Cyberpunk JRPG Experience

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It has been a long time since we last saw the Drakenguard series on Playstation 2. Equally, it feels like a long time since we played Nier on last-gen consoles. Well, its time to dust off some of that JRPG knowledge and get yourself ready and excited for Nier: Automata.

This entry takes place following the events of Drakenguard and Nier (depending on which ending you got) and puts you into the android heels of 2B. This is long after humans were exiled from earth by a hostile alien species and forced to live (and ready for battle) on the moon. The aliens stay just outside of Earth’s orbit and reportedly still send in machines to continue reeking havoc on Earth surface.

Humans have sent their own forces down to Earth in an attempt to force the enemy off out. The tides are changing. Resistance forces have set up camp, plus animals and plant life have began sporadically popping up again. Some of the alien’s machines have started acting strangely and in some cases don’t attack unless attacked.

The RPG hack and slash, allows you to customize weaponry and attacks by trading out chips that give you abilities that include, stronger attacks, health regeneration among others, while different two handed weapon combos lead to varied attack speeds and strengths. Pairing different weapons together gives the game a longevity in terms of reinvigorated interest in gameplay.

The overall design of the post apocalyptic world is very pretty. Lush hyper colors paint the landscape from deserts to empty cityscapes. Most games of the post apolalyptic nature tend to go for the heavy blue and purple doom and gloom pallet, this one sticks to some eye popping colors that sets it apart.

2B is constantly faced with existential elements throughout the story. The machines that remain on earth have long since been left behind by their alien creators, leaving them to wander aimlessly and without purpose. The tone of those story beats, hit have a lot of weight with social commentary and speak greatly about the human condition and our current social climate. I love when games and films do this kind of thing. I like all the action and RPG stuff but added details like this really put the icing on the cake. 2B’s mission and straight faced machine certainty start to come unraveled as she uncovers the truth.

The open world is vast and ever-changing. The world is set up in different arenas each with their own look and enemies. The vastness isn’t without monotony. After a while of exploring the world begins to look very much the same for long periods of time. You aren’t able to fast-travel on the map right away either. The game forces you to become familiar with its world before granting you the fast-travel option, which you will find yourself using a lot.

2B and her sidekick are androids fitted with black box recorders that allow them to transfer consciousness and memory upon death. This opens the game up for a permadeath scenario that borrows from the Dark Souls series. Following your death, you only have a limited amount of time to find your corpse and recover your gear. Along the way you will also see other fallen androids from online players. Encountering those corpses gives you the option of praying for them and recovering all their equipment to keep for yourself or to bring them back to life and let them fight along side you for a short while. It’s a strange system that I didn’t explore very much, but I do like them trying to expand on the Dead Souls system.

Central story missions are fantastic, they propel the plot forward with big reveals and intrigue, while also offering cool boss fights against equally cool character designs. It’s sad that the side missions become a nuisance so early in the game. The monotony of the side missions are obviously there to help you farm for XP, but almost entirely ruin the experience in the process. The game is aware of its crappy side missions too. 2B’s sidekick is constantly telling 2B how ridiculous it is that they have to do certain mundane tasks, and mentions how these silly missions get in the way of the bigger picture. 2B plays the voice of the XP farmer by reminding him that these missions are terrible but that they are necessary. I do enjoy that this game pokes fun of itself but I would have rather just have had them make the side missions interesting instead.

Controls are exactly what you would expect from a hack and slash JRPG game. Response is satisfying enough to perform combos and new weapons keep you learning different combat methods as you go.

Nier : Automata is a cool game, the aesthetics of the world go a long way to keep you involved, even through the before mentioned, painful side-missions. The greatest thing –and the thing that will keep you coming back- is how the main story is constantly expanding and changing the motive and landscape. I am a fan of big boss battles and Nier has plenty of satisfying ones. At a time that I was bored of games looking the same Nier went a long way to keep things fresh and interesting in both design, creativity and execution.

 

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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