Fresh Take - Ms Marvel Ep 3 (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

The one thing I have to say about this show is that it has been consistent. The best parts of the show to me happen when Kamala is interacting with her family and friends. It has an overall heartwarming atmosphere. This episode, entitled Destined, mainly revolves around learning a little more about the bangle and what power Kamala has that she has unlocked. The episode picks up right where episode 2 left off with Kamran and his mother explaining to Kamala who they are and what the bangle is. It is a very interesting reveal that takes place in the first ten minutes of the episode that to be completely honest I was not expecting to see. The big event happening in this episode is Kamala's brother, Aamir's wedding, which was hype by the way. There were a lot of good family moments in this episode as Kamala's father Yusuf gives some advice to Aamir. It's those moments that make this show stand out to me over the other MCU shows. This is the episode where we get introduced to the big bad of the series and it is very predictable as to who it is and I think that is my problem with the series. It follows a couple of tropes that I just find annoying at this point and there has to be a better way to write some of these tropes to at least make it a little less predictable. Another issue I have with the episode is Kamala not telling her parents what's going in when it is clear they can probably help with some information as it has been hinted at in the previous two episodes. I mean we're at the midway point now, just say something. It is nice to see Kamala while wanting to be a hero, clearly needs to work on some things. She doesn't have a mentor and it shows but I do like that, I just don't know how this is going to work out for her in these next episodes as things are starting to get very interesting. Have you seen this week's episode of Ms. Marvel? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Check out the YouTube channel for Fangirl Review and my spoiler-filled review of the episode.

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Fresh Take - Obi-Wan Kenobi Ep 6 Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

We made it to the season finale peeps. Not going to lie the season in its entirety has been up and down but the last three episodes have been good in my opinion. It lends to the notion that when Star Wars is good it's really good and when it's bad, well you know. The episode picks up where the previous one left off and Vader still ain't playing around. He wants Kenobi and will massacre anyone he has to, to accomplish the goal of essentially ripping him apart. The best part of the episode is the rematch between Vader and Kenobi. It's just the two of them one-on-one and it is very fun to see. Watching Vader overpower him at first and seeing Kenobi come back with renewed strength was great to see. The dialogue during this fight was great as well. James Earl Jones doesn't get enough credit in my opinion, some of those lines don't work if it isn't coming from him. His voice is just to iconic and I am so glad he was able to do this. The only thing I really had an issue with in this episode is the same issue I have had with the series and that is the character of Third Sister aka Reva. I'm not blaming the actress for this I just think the character was badly written and could probably have benefitted from a couple more episodes of development. Her character arc was hella predictable due to the fact that we know certain things happen in the cannon that makes her motivations not work. I like Moses Ingram I think she is a very good actress and I would love to see her in more things, I just think the nature of this show and them only having a limited number of episodes didn't help her character in the long run.

On the whole, I thought the season wasn't bad. I liked how they dealt with the fallout of Episode 3 and the trauma that Kenobi was going through. I liked that we got a truly raged-filled Darth Vader that really didn't care about anything except getting Obi-Wan. The Vader scenes felt like a horror show at times due to how it was shot and that worked for me as Vader is one of my favorite villains in all of fiction. The series has its ups and downs but I think that is due to them only doing six episodes. This is one of those series that I believe would have benefited from a couple extra episodes to help the story. As much as I like Leia in this I do think sometimes the focus was on her a little to much. I liked how they tried to make this fit with the original trilogy and there are a lot of easter eggs and cameos in this show. What did you think of the season finale of Kenobi? What are your thoughts on the season as a whole? Please leave a comment and let's talk about it. As always thanks for your support feel free to share this blog with your friends.

Trailer

Image via Wallpaper Access

Video via YouTube

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct 06-22-2022 Thoughts

 Coming to Nintendo Switch on July 29, 2022

Thoughts

For a 24-minute presentation, we got a lot of information. To say that I was hyped going in would be an understatement, though I try to keep my expectations in check. I love the Xenoblade series and XC2 was amazing, in my opinion. There was a lot to like about the presentation. The visuals look great and have that Monolith Soft open world look to them. If you have played Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 you will notice some things that look familiar. I don't know if they are easter eggs or what but there were a lot of little things that I did notice throughout the presentation that had me feeling pretty good and happy that I preordered the game. Also, the gem system from Xenoblade Chronicles and the camp rest system from Torna the Golden Country is back. I do love a good chain attack and I like the way they look in this game. From being able to change classes, the addition of a 7th team member, and the Ouroboros system; there was so much information that was dropped that you need to watch the presentation to fully understand. For people who have played the entirety of the series so far, I think the story of this game will probably be the most emotional. I thought the ending to Torna The Golden Country was especially emotional I have a feeling this game may just outdo that one based on what we learned in the direct. 

The game is close to release and a part of the presentation talked about amiibo support. Apparently, any amiibo can be used to get in-game items but the Shulk amiibo will give the Sword class character the Monado from the first Xenoblade Chronicles game.  There is also DLC that you can pre-order as well and will be available for $29.99. It will function just like the DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (which I thought was excellent). If you missed the presentation check out the link below. Are you looking forward to Xenoblade Chronicles 3? What are you most looking forward to when the game drops next month? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Thanks for checking out the blog. If you like the content please feel free to share.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Direct

Images via Nintendo SwitchShare

Video via YouTube

Fire Emblem Three Hopes Demo Thoughts

 Available on Nintendo Switch

The latest musou game from Koei Tecmo is based on the Fire Emblem Three Houses game. This game appears to be a side story and I say appears because if you played Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity then you know that game was a giant "What If" game. To be completely honest, I don't play the mainline Fire Emblem games as I don't enjoy the gameplay, however, I do love the lore of the series. Fire Emblem Warriors is the perfect game for me as I love the musou style and I think it works best for this game. The demo takes you up to Chapter 4 and will transfer over to the main game if you choose to purchase it. 

The game begins with you choosing a protagonist either male or female and from there the game throws you into a battle. There is a tutorial in the demo and you can turn it off if you so choose. Personally, I kept it on because while this game keeps in line with Omega Force's musou style there are a few new gameplay tweaks that they added. I also feel, and it may just be me, that the order system is better than what they had in Age of Calamity. For some reason, it feels better and you can do more with it. From a gameplay perspective, it's pretty much par for the course. If you played the first Fire Emblem Warriors game that was released in 2017 then you know what to expect for the most part. The gameplay in the demo is smooth but like all musou games, there are the usual issues when there are a lot of enemies on the screen. Granted that only happened once in my playthrough when there was a giant monster on the battlefield and there was some stuttering and the camera got "stuck". Other than that though it was a pretty fun and smooth experience. 

The story setup is an interesting one and the way the demo ends I will probably pick this game up and some point down the road. I won't be picking this up on day one simply because there are too many other games that are coming out and something had to give. I like the new protagonist and will be looking forward to how he fits into the grand scheme of things. I do love the cel shade visuals of the Fire Emblem series (please give us an anime) it works well for the series and at this point if it ain't broke don't fix it.  The music is pretty good as well. Koei Tecmo always does a great job with the music in these style games and I am digging this soundtrack as well. Have you played the demo yet? What do you think about it? Will you be picking this one up at some point? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

Gameplay Vid

Images via Switch Share

Gameplay Vid via YouTube

Fresh Take - Ms Marvel Episode 2 (Spoiler Free Thoughts)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

I just want to start this one off by saying Iman Velleni is doing an amazing job as Kamala Khan. This episode kicks off with her having more confidence as she starts her day at school. There are a couple of montages' in this episode and while they are done well they won't ever reach the heights of the 80's movie montage. This episode mostly deals with Kamala trying to learn more about the bangle that seemingly gives her powers and her training for said powers. We get to see more of Kamala's life in this episode and that of her two closest friends, Bruno and Nakia.  I love the overall tone of the show so far and I think that it is giving viewers a chance to get to know Kamala as there is nothing to really reference her that has been in the MCU so far. In the other Disney+ shows outside of Moon Knight there was a frame of reference for the character or viewers have seen them somewhere before, Ms. Marvel and Moon Knight didn't have that so I think that getting to spend time with Kamala and her family and showing how her life is, is a good decision.  This does bring up a problem that I am having with the series and that is there is no clear villain.  There are only six episodes and I still have no idea where the conflict will come in or from.  I am starting to think that this series maybe should be a couple episodes longer.  The high point of this episode is Kamala performs her first heroic deed and it doesn't exactly go as planned. Also, the story of her family and their estrangement from her grandmother brings up a few more twists.  I am really enjoying the story and wish this series would get more love as I feel that it will wind up being one of those cult classic shows in the future. The cliffhanger has me excited for next week.

What did you think of the episode? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. Check out the video below for me and Fangirl Reviews' spoiler-filled thoughts. 

Fresh Take

Image via Wallpaper Access

Video via YouTube

Fresh Take - Obi-Wan Kenobi Ep 5 (Spoiler free Thoughts)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

This is the episode where we get Hayden Christensen's return as Anakin. I always wondered how they were going to add him to the series when it was revealed that he was joining the cast, and I think they handled it perfectly. This episode, in my opinion, does a good job of balancing and mirroring the present and flashback sequences with the story they are telling throughout the episode. This week's episode was heavy on the action with a notable death but an expected one all the same. The dialog was better in this episode than in previous episodes and the action was pretty good. The visuals were stellar as there is a sequence where they have Vader using the force and it was great to see just how powerful and rage-filled his actions seemed. If there was one thing that I didn't like about the episode and this is a problem I have with the entirety of the Star Wars universe/lore is how horrible the Stormtroopers are at shooting. It is laughable that anyone would be afraid of the troopers in all honesty. It really is nonsensical that they are so bad at shooting. Sometimes I think directors and writers put it in as a joke at this point. Overall I enjoyed this episode, I think it is the best episode of the season. The cliffhanger for the next episode makes me wonder how they will wrap this season up. 

What did you think of this week's episode? Please leave a comment and let's talk about it. If you want to see me and Fangirl Reviews' spoiler-filled thoughts, check out this week's Fresh Take podcast.

Fresh Take

Image via Wallpaper Access

Video via YouTube

Fresh Take - Ms Marvel Ep 1 Generation Why Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

 Available on Disney Plus

Thoughts

This is a very interesting series. While I know the character of Kamala Khan from the comics they made some changes to her origin which I think work a little better for the MCU seeing as how the Inhuman side of the MCU did not work. The thing that stands out to me about this episode is the cinematography. It is really well shot and I love how they 'Scott Pilgrim' it so to speak. You have to pay attention to the background to see what's going on. One of the things that work well with this series is adapting Kamala's fangirl tendencies as well as her imagination. I liked the dynamic with her family as you can tell they love her but don't really understand her likes all that much. The family dynamic also felt real and not forced which I appreciate. Another thing I found enjoyable with this episode was how her plans are kind of like Michael Pena's stories from Ant-Man. They are hilarious and well done, you know they're not going to go like that but it's nice to see her plans are thought out to an extent. 

The only problem I had with the episode is that there wasn't a clear villain setup. They had something during a post-credit scene but I don't have any clue who those people were so I'm at a loss. The reason I bring this up is that there are only 6 episodes and this may present a problem later on. I'll admit I never read her solo book so I have no idea where they could go with this and I'm along for the ride. That being said I enjoyed the first episode. The pacing was good and it didn't drag to me at all. The characters are portrayed well, especially Kamala's father and brother they are awesome. I'm interested in seeing where this may go as I'm pretty sure at this point that they are setting up Young Avengers. Did you watch the first episode of Ms. Marvel? What did you think? Leave a comment and let's talk about it.

Trailer

Image via Wallpaper Access

Fresh Take - Obi-Wan Kenobi Ep 4 Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

 Available on Disney +

Thoughts

This is going to be a short one. The episode itself is short and to the point which is not a bad thing. This episode picks up where three left off with Kenobi in a Bacta Tank getting his burns tended to. This episode revolves around a rescue mission for young Leia from the Inquisitor's stronghold. The standout portions of this episode to me were seeing that Kenobi is starting to get his feel for the force back. Like the previous episode, there are a lot of moments that are incredibly intense. Leia and Reva, the 3rd Sister, are having a battle of wits and these are the moments that I like with young Leia. Leia has a mouth on her and Reva gets appropriately frustrated. The action in the episode is well choreographed in my opinion and keeps in line with the episode's intensity. The one thing that I have noticed about all Star Wars stuff that involves the Empire is it must truly suck to be a grunt/low-level employee. They get the short end of the stick in a lot of situations. Overall, I enjoyed the episode because it falls in line with the story that started in episode one. Kenobi still battling his PTSD, Vader, and the Inquisitors being completely ruthless and terrifying is what is working for me. There are two more episodes left in this season and I am interested in seeing how this wraps up. What did you think about the episode? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. 

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Sony's State of Play Presentation 06-02-2022 Thoughts

 Available on Sony's YouTube Channel

Thoughts

Yesterday Sony held one of the State of Play Presentations. I didn't know how to feel about it yesterday after I did the live reaction but after thinking about it and watching it again, I don't think it was that bad. They showed some titles that I am genuinely interested in and I think the 30-minute runtime was perfect. Normally around this time of the year gamers would be gearing up for e3 but there won't be one this year. Gamers will have the Summer of Games presentation that is hosted by Geoff Keighley. While the VR games didn't really pique my interest there were some games that I think I will add to the library at some point. 

• Resident Evil 4 Remake: This game had been rumored but we actually got to see a trailer for it and not gonna lie it looks pretty good. One of my favorite RE games I may have to jump back in this one. There is a release date for this one 03.24.2023.
• Eternights: I am a fan of anime and this game's trailer screams anime-style action. However, this is another game that is scheduled to come out in 2023.
• Street Fighter 6: I am a fan of the series. I don't do the Tournament scene but I do like the game and the lore behind it. Looking forward to hearing more in the future about this one.
• Final Fantasy 16: This trailer looked interesting but to be fair I've been fooled before by Square Enix when it comes to Final Fantasy. However, this does look good and the trailer was hype in my humble opinion.

What did you think about the presentation? Are there any games you are looking forward to learning more about? Leave a comment and let's talk about it.

State of Play Presentation

Wingin IT Podcast Reaction

Fresh Take - Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3 Thoughts

 Available on Disney+

Thoughts

So this discussion is going to be a little bit spoilery because Darth Vader is here and he is pissed. Remember Empire Strikes Back, well let's just dial that up to 11 because he ain't playing around. This episode pretty much begins with the foreshadowing of Vader. I honestly, didn't think he was going to show up and do anything simply because that's normally how it happens. Also, James Earl Jones is back voicing him and as expected he kills it. There are little small things that I like about the episode one of which is the troopers that are stationed on the planet, their armor is dirty like they have been there for a while and don't have time to clean it. The episode also shows that not everybody hates the Empire. As one character notes, they did bring a measure of stability to the galaxy. As viewers, we know what a colossal douche Emperor Palpatine is, but for the average joe just working on a planet on the outer rim, they would be thankful for not getting raided by bandits and whatnot. I never really thought of it like that before and it makes for an interesting dynamic. That's one of the reasons I enjoy these Disney Plus series and this one is keeping in line with that. Now as far as 3rd Sister and the inquisitors, I am liking what they are doing with her. I did think in the first episode it was a little too heavy on the angry black woman trope but now I am liking how her character is progressing. Now back to Darth Vader, the scenes with him have a horror feel to them especially since we have seen how weak in the force Kenobi has gotten due to his PTSD. There was a moment when I was wondering how Obi-Wan was going to get out of his predicament. The ending makes sense and the cliffhanger is very interesting as well.

It goes without saying that this episode is a little more violent than the previous two. Look Darth Vader don't miss and he's not taking prisoners that aren't named Kenobi. There is also a scene where a stormtrooper gets cut in half. Just so you know it is their parents so you may want to watch this episode before letting the little ones just in case. Overall I enjoyed the episode. I am very interested in seeing where this goes I am also looking forward to seeing Kenobi get his groove back.

Have seen this week's episode? What did you think about it? Leave a comment and let's talk about it. I am looking forward to talking about it on the podcast on Sunday. Check out the link on the top right-hand side of the blog if you want to catch any of the Fresh Take podcast discussions. Thanks for reading the blog. Please share it if you like the content. 

Image via Wallpaper Access