Frayed Branches

  Devil May Cry 2 : The Denial of Challenge Note: If you have yet to read my initial review of the first Devil May Cry game, I implore you to do so, as this review will contain spoilers for the first Devil May Cry. This review of its less-than-stellar sequel expands on the ideas of challenge in video games as explored in my previous review. Please click here if you have not read my review of the first game yet. In its early days, the Devil May Cry franchise was still attempting to find its footing and root itself into a brand of uniqueness that would make it stand out among other games at the time. This was understandable given the series' origins. First intended to be a spin-off of the popular survival horror franchise Resident Evil , the first Devil May Cry game invokes a more action-adventure style than the other series at the time, something that made it stand out right away. Unfortunately, the direction of the series was muddled at the time, as the company that owned the rig...

  Midnight Mass : What Happens When We Die? It's a question that's plagued humanity since the dawn of civilization: What happens when we die? While this inquiry into our reality can be framed in sociological or philosophical ways, religion tends to be where most people float to for answers. The afterlife has been a mainstay of human culture for thousands of years, with every civilization to have existed in recorded history believing that, in one way or another, we live long after the "us" on Earth has died. Sometimes this idea is met with exuberance, the promise of an afterlife unalterable to those who believe it exists. Other times, however, death can be rooted in the fear that, one day, everyone will traverse into the great unknown that lays beyond mortality. And sometimes, that fear of not being certain about what happens when you die can lead you to take drastic measures in order to preserve life. This idea is explored with tact and tremendous production value in ...

  Devil May Cry : The Importance of Challenge I am not very good at video games, but I love a challenge. It's especially refreshing when the game doing the challenging doesn't stop to hold your hand during some of its more difficult sections. Some of the best times I've had playing video games have involved seeing a challenging obstacle in my way, getting frustrated at it, and then calming my mind to analyze the situation and see what I can do to succeed. That's what made the Uncharted franchise so appealing to me and why I was able to get through the whole series in a rather short amount of time. The challenge is what makes games viable, because they expect you to work your mind--and the controller--in a way that amplifies your skills as a gamer. Sometimes this can be incredibly difficult, especially if you have very little skill in a certain genre. Enter Devil May Cry. Created and directed by Hideki Kamiya, and also developed and published by Capcom, Devil May Cry is ...

  The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 8: "For Blood" Review [WARNING: Major spoilers for  The Walking Dead  seasons 1-10, spoilers for season 11.] After eight weeks of buildup, The Walking Dead has finally shambled its way to the Part One Finale of its final season. Yes, this is real. And no, the show is not over, which means these posts won't be finished after this one either. But I digress. This episode features two stories from our characters who are still located in the DC area, namely the head-on confrontation built up last week between Maggie's group and the Reapers, as well as the survivors back at Alexandria. Seeing as the Alexandrian side of things wasn't as important to the overall plot of the show, we can discuss that sub-plot first before heading into the real meat of the episode. A storm has passed over Alexandria, the torrential downpours giving cause for a group of Alexandrians--who just so happen to be important characters in our ever-expanding cast...

  The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 7: "Promises Broken" Review [WARNING: Major spoilers for  The Walking Dead  seasons 1-10, spoilers for season 11.] The seventh episode of The Walking Dead 's first third of its supersized final season managed to encompass everything both good and bad about the series since the start of this latest season. It managed to somehow strike a perfect balance between some of the best scenes the show's had all season, and some of its most contrived plots reliant on convenience for convenience's sake. I don't even know whether or not to call this a "good" or "bad" episode because of just how balanced everything was. But, for the sake of not wanting to leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth about the series after this post, let's start with the bad and work our way up to the good. The worst--though in terms of quality "mediocre" would be the best descriptor--plot of "Promises Broken" in...

  The Walking Dead  Season 11 Episode 6: "On the Inside" Review [WARNING: Major spoilers for  The Walking Dead  seasons 1-10, spoilers for season 11.] The Walking Dead is no stranger to throwing a curve ball at its audience every once in a while. Sometimes this is for the better, offering a new take on the old world by introducing some long-standing stakes like a new group or different location our heroes have to contend with. Other times, however, the show has a tendency to introduce interesting concepts that, while possibly sticking around for more than a single episode, instead take up only a single outing of the viewer's time. In this latest episode--well, by the time you're reading this it's more the second latest episode--the show does the latter, introducing some interesting and well-crafted ideas that I fear we aren't going to see much of after this episode. The episode opens with something of a shock, as it's revealed Connie--a member of the group...