Fallout 76 Review
The premise of the game – you are among the first to leave the vaults to wander the wasteland after a nuclear fallout that has wiped the planet clean. It actually takes place before the other versions of the game.
I was on the fence about this game. I’m a huge fan of the series, but multi-player online games are not my thing. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised!
The game certainly feels like Fallout. It builds upon the ideas brought forth in Fallout 4 of establishing a base camp that you can build up. (It’s where all of your junk is protected.) There are objectives you must complete which help you level up. But the true joy lies in the ability to wander anywhere and find new things.
The game has no more than twenty-four players in one map area. The world is so big though that it’s rare I run across anyone else.
The weirdest thing - no human NPC. (Non Player Characters) Everything you encounter is either robots, super mutants, or computers.
The West Virginia scenery is spectacular. It’s detailed and complete – in an abandoned town, you can enter any open building and explore.
There have been some glitches. The server has kicked me off a few times. Higher level players traveling through the map spawn higher level creatures. (Translation – run away!) And after a player visits an area, it’s wiped clean of creatures and junk rather than restocked.
Minor problems aside, this game has received a lot of flack and I don’t understand the haters. I’ve enjoyed my time wandering the wasteland. If you’ve enjoyed the other games in the series, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this one.
Highly recommended! Now, pass the Nuka Cola.
The Haunting of Hill House Review
From the IMDB - Flashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
Just finished watching this series on NetFlix. And it’s probably one of the most unconventional horror stories I’ve ever seen. It works just as well as a drama as it does a horror series.
Each episode shines the focus on one particular character, revealing the scarring effect Hill House took on their lives. The actors do a fantastic job portraying a family fractured and broken. I enjoyed the series, although it was difficult watching people struggle and deal with deep, emotional pain.
While the horror aspects are creepy and disturbing, this is more of a series for people who like deep family drama. Think Ordinary People meets Poltergeist and you have a good idea about the type of ride you’re in for.
The house setting is amazing. It has a life of its own, almost like the house in del Toro’s Crimson Peaks. And indeed, the house is alive, and hungry…
Highly recommended
Movie News
Aquaman's worldwide grosses were $940 million as of Sunday morning - and it's still number one at the box office!
It will easily sail over one billion in the next day or so, becoming the number one DC movie ever made, overtaking The Dark Knight.
Take that, haters!
Watch for an extended trailer of Captain Marvel during the College Football National Championship game on ESPN on January 7. Considering who is playing (yet again!) it’s the only reason to watch the game…
There will be a sequel to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan all return to reprise their roles. Jake Kasdan also returns as the director. Plus Danny DeVito will join the cast – read more at JoBlo’s Site.
JoBlo also posted his Top Ten Best Movies of 2018 list. A couple I haven’t seen, but he has some great picks.
IWSG News
You have a week – don’t miss it.
Here are the prompts for January over at the IWSG Insgram:
Best of 2018 - Movies
Lists are popping up everywhere. Everyone has an opinion. Some go with favorites, some with Oscar quality, and some use the box office to guide them. I’m going to give you a list of what I thought were some of the best films of 2018 and also some of my personal favorites. Let’s start the countdown…
10 – Black Panther – Black Panther was cool but it’s the two female leads who steal the show.
9 – Deadpool 2 – Very funny sequel – I so want Domino’s super powers. 8 – Solo – Crap on it all you want, this was an incredibly fun and entertaining movie!
7 – Bumblebee – My favorite 80’s film that came out in 2018 – so much fun.
6 – A Quiet Place – Tense, powerful, and surprising. 5 – Ant Man and the Wasp – The fun factor in this one was turned up to eleven.
4 – Mission Impossible: Fallout – I was literally on the edge of my seat for the last thirty minutes of this film!
3 – Aquaman – This is the film the ten-year-old in me always wanted to see about my favorite superhero! 2 – SpiderMan: Into the SpiderVerse – The most surprising entry on this list – this film is incredible with ground breaking animation.
1 – Avengers: Infinity War – What else can be said about the most spectacular ensemble of superheroes and set pieces ever put together?
Anyone else playing Fallout 76? Watched The Haunting of Hill House? Ready for #IWSGPit? And what are your favorite movies of 2018?
Next week – another best of list, board games, and some trivia!
