The Walking Dead: Season Two & A New Frontier (games, not the show)

I first played the first season of The Walking Dead a few years ago. I thought I’d played the second season as well, only to learn (by the time they were available on PS4) that I hadn’t. Being the trophy whore that I am, I decided to play the first season again on PS4 and play seasons two and three (A New Frontier) as well.

I haven’t watched the show, I can’t give a reason why, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I love the games though, and if they represent the show in any way, I’m certain I’ll love the show too. Ever since Indigo Prophecy (at least, gaming wise, book wise, it was the Goosebumps: Choose Your Own Adventure), I’ve been a fan of stories that allow you to alter it by the choices you make.

With The Walking Dead those choices were typically life and death, and even the smallest of choices could lead to a life or death decision. I cared about the characters, especially Lee and Clementine. Clementine is my favorite child character from any video game.

Right after the first season, I went right into the second season. I really enjoyed the updates to the graphics and the gameplay, but most important, I loved the character development of Clementine. In season one, she was a little girl who didn’t understand what was happening and there were many heartbreaking moments where she was forced to understand for her own survive.

The Clementine you see in season two is wiser and more self-sufficient and she continues on that path as the season progresses, and more difficult choices are thrown your way. By the time you encounter Clementine in A New Frontier, she is miles away from that little girl she was in season one. She is a hardened survivor, but every now and again, you’d see bits of that little girl underneath. It was an amazing story, and she is set to come back for the final season next year, I’m so excited. Also, you can have your decisions from one season carry over to the next, which I love.

Though I tend to favor vampires of all the fantasy creatures, I do have an interest in zombie games, stories, movies. Playing through The Walking Dead even inspired a story idea of my own. I’m currently fleshing out the outline (which is always the easiest part for me) and hopefully I’ll write the script some time next year.

If you’re a gamer and like TellTale games, or point and click games in general, I highly recommend giving The Walking Dead a try. If you are more about gameplay than story, these might not be the games for you.

All I Want for Christmas is not the Flu

I’ll be 30 August 30th 2018 (my golden birthday). Like clockwork, every year, around Christmas time, I get sick, usually the flu. This started around the time I moved to Phoenix, which was in 2006, and has followed me through my move to Los Angeles. One would think, a man in his late twenties, at this point, would realize it may be smart to get a flu shot to avoid all this… but not me.

So, I’ve been in bed the past two days, downing orange juice and sleeping in hopes my body will stop betraying me and recover. Next year I am getting a flu shot. I HATE being sick. I’m a rather independent person and being sick just reminds me that I don’t have anyone to take care of me or look after me, and I don’t like to think of that.

I haven’t been writing here lately, so I figured I’d give a bit of an update on Los Angeles life. I started a second job at the end of Nov. I had been looking for a while, and nothing panned out. I could survive of the income I was making at my full time job, but I want to live a bit more comfortably, so I found a second job. It’s been fun, though more hard work than I expected, which may or may not have contributed to me getting sick this year.

I wish I had a side job or side hustle that worked towards my ultimate goal of being a writer, but at this time, I don’t know how to make that happen, so I’ll write on the side for fear, and collect this extra income.

For a while, I lost my motivation to write at all, even journal, which I’ve also started to get back into. But it is coming back, and oddly enough, the second job is starting to light a fire in me. I think, these five hours I spend here three to four times a week could be spent writing. I’m feeling inspired to write more in my few time, now that I can let go of some stress about money, and I’m also thinking more about other ways to increase my income, such as find an audience for this blog and monetize it. Time will tell. In the meantime, I’m going to keep busting my ass and I’m also going to keep cultivating script ideas.

There are times when I have my doubts about moving here. Granted, it has only been about two years, but I feel, hell, I know, I haven’t been doing enough to get me where I want to be, or even put me on the path to where I want to be and I come down on myself pretty hard about that. I have a lot of insecurities and fears that hold me back and I’m trying to work through them, as I know once I do, the sky’s the limit.

Sorry Not Sorry

I’ll start this by saying I’m not a religious person. I don’t necessarily believe in destiny, but I do believe in the Universe and each of us having an optimal path in life that we can achieve if we work hard enough.

That being said, I’ve been focusing on myself a lot more these days. That may sound funny coming for a self-proclaimed selfish person, but I’ve been thinking more about bettering myself and putting myself on that optimal path. I believe when you open yourself to the Universe, saying you are open and ready for change and the next step, It will deliver.

I’ve started getting back into writing and I’ve started reading again, which has been great. Growing up, if I wasn’t playing video games, I either had my nose buried in a book, or I was writing. It feels good to get back to that place, as I’d lost my way for a while. Typically, I’d read fiction, but I have been stumbling upon non-fiction these days. The most recent, which I just finished a few minutes ago (and started Wednesday or Thursday) as Sorry Not Sorry by Naya Rivera.

Glee was not my thing… at first. I am a rather contrary person. I will not like something solely because it is popular at the current moment. Back when Glee first was on the air, my friends were obsessed. My twenty-something friends. In the show’s defense, I hadn’t given it the time of day, I just knew if there was a bandwagon, I didn’t want to be on it.

The first song I heard from Glee that made me rethink things was “Rumour Has It / Someone Like You.” I loved it and I loved Naya Rivera. A short time later, I was sick around Christmas time (Christmas time tends to be the time of the year I get sick for some reason), and had nothing better to do, so I watched my roommate’s copy of Glee season one. By the time I got to “I Say A Little Prayer,” I was hooked. Santana was naturally my favorite character, as she reminded me of me. By the time I started watching, I believe the show was in season three (if not further), so a bit of the hype had died down, making me more comfortable to become a fan.

Watching Glee always hit some spark in me, as I wish I had the talent to sing and dance as everyone displayed on the show. In another life, with another skill set, I would imagine myself coming on the show to play Santana’s equally sassy, younger brother, or cousin or something (Naya is ever so slightly older than I).

Naya sings a majority of my favorite songs from the show and I instantly became a fan. When I heard she was writing a book, I knew I would read it… some day. Well, that day came this week.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it found its way to me in a time when I’m going through my own journey of transformation (again, I believe you Universe provides to you what you put out to It.) I remember a time when I started to see more of Naya in things, such as interviews, rather than playing Santana, and I began to wonder if it was just Santana I liked, or if I liked the actress as well. Reading the book helped me realize I liked them both.

Reading about someone’s struggles and triumphs is quite inspirational, as it makes me feel I can do it too. Maybe one day someone will be writing a blog about how my memoir made the feel?

She talks about so many things. Love, childhood, marriage, work. It was entertaining and informative. I recommend it, especially if you are/were a fan of Naya’s. Reading it is yet another push I need towards chasing after my own dreams. One day I want my own version of Sorry Not Sorry. One day.

Big Brother S19 Episode 28

I’m losing interest in this show. I was so excited to get back into it, but seeing Paul control everything isn’t interesting to me.

The past few weeks, it has been the same thing. Someone wins HOH and they say they are ready to make “big moves” and then they vote out their target, who just so happens to be Paul’s preferred target. The annoying thing about it is, other than Jessica and Cody, these targets haven’t even been a threat to the HOH. Rather than strategically voting people out to strengthen their game, the HOHs are voting people out to strength Paul’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up winning, as if he were to go up to someone and tell them he was putting them up for eviction and they were leaving, at this point, I feel they would gladly go along with it.

The only reason I may continue to watch is to see the house finally implode when they have no more outsiders to target. I wish someone had decided to go after the biggest threat (Paul) rather than the weakest targets, as the more I watch, the less interesting it gets, as it feels Paul is being groomed to win.

One last note, I did get a bit emotional when Mark talked about being introduced to Big Brother by his mother, and how she passed away (much as I did when Jessica talked about her dad’s passing and him introducing her to Big Brother), as my mom introduced me to the show (she passed almost a year and a half ago) and watching reminds me of her.

Defenders

I powered through Iron Fist so I could watch Defenders and have it make sense. I’m glad I did, as a lot of what happened in Defenders picked up where Iron Fist left off. Again, I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but this is all stream of conscious, so, there may be some.

First of all, I commend the writers, as I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to blend these four different heroes, all with their own shows that had their own styles. I thought it was done really well.

Second, ELEKTRA!!!! I was very excited for her return. Those who know me know she is my favorite Daredevil character, favorite Marvel character, favorite comic book character, hell, she is one of my favorite fictional characters. I loved the homage to her original costume. I also really enjoyed the Jill Valentine tease (Resident Evil 5) they did with her… and I’m already searching for a black trenchcoat with red lining.

It was interesting to see the characters interact with one another. Up until this point, Claire was the only one (I believe) that knew them all. It felt a little exposition-y at times, them explaining powers and all, (and maybe I just felt a certain way as I had just watched Iron Fist and did not need/want to hear him tell his damn story again) but I was able to live with it.

This is likely my bias, but I felt Elektra stole the show. I couldn’t help but compare her to Harld Meachum. Had she lost part of her soul upon resurrection as he had? I also felt a bit of Illyria tease with her as well. She was a vessel, a weapon. Black Sky was now inhabiting Elektra’s body, much like Illyria infected and took over Fred’s in Angel. I felt so bad for Matt when he realizes she was brought back to life and his efforts to get her to remember him were endearing.

I also really enjoyed her kicking Iron Fist’s ass multiple times.

Some people had issues with the pacing, but I felt it moved well, especially considering it was only eight episodes. It brought the characters together and got them fighting (something I wish Iron Fist had done more efficiently).

I was a bit confused by The Hand. Their goal didn’t make sense, the more I think about it, and reminded me too much of Buffy, which Dawn being the Key Glory needed to get back home. I wanted to see them do more, as a majority of the time, they just stood around while Elektra kicked ass.

Defenders ending with me wanting more. It’s a catch 22, I enjoyed the series and binged it quickly, but now I have to wait for the next entry, be it Daredevil, Punisher, etc. I’m also excited to see if there will be any other shows, perhaps Daughters of Dragon? I read somewhere that Defenders is looking to big Netflix’s biggest premier, so only time will tell.

Iron Fist

I’ll make this short and sweet. I was not a fan of Iron Fist. It is hard to pinpoint one specific thing, I just wasn’t able to really get into it. I didn’t like Danny, I didn’t like Colleen, for most of the show I didn’t like the Meachums. The characters I liked were characters from the other shows, like Claire and Hogarth (Hogarth’s one liners slayed me), though I really loved Davos and Ward Meachum became my favorite character. I’ll try my best not to put in any spoilers.

It felt like there was a lot of story crammed into one season. Maybe it is my love of Buffy that clouds my judgement, but I like the formula where a big bad is introduced in the beginning of the season and the gang works their way towards the big showdown at the end of the season. In Iron Fist, I couldn’t tell who was meant to be the main adversary, the Meachums? Gao? Bakuto?

I found it hard to relate to Danny or care about what he was going through. A lot of people describe him as whiny, and I don’t know if that’s what I saw. He just seemed juvenile for someone who studied under monks for 15 years. At the beginning, it seemed the season would be about his fight against the Meachums to prove his identity and get his company back, but that was quickly resolved (I’ll dive a bit more into that later). I really, really did not like when Danny was in the hospital. It slowed the pacing down way too much for my tastes.

The season was enjoyable when Danny had purpose, which was to stop Gao. I started to really get invested in the show, and dare I say, start to like Danny and Colleen… and then her sensei, Bakuto, popped up, and I started not liking the show again. It was a sudden change in direction, which made it difficult to determine, ok, who is the real threat here? Things became interesting when Davos hit the scene (his personality is what I expected and wanted from Danny), but at that point, I really just wanted the show to be over so I could watch Defenders and have it all make sense.

The evolution of Ward and Harold Meachum fascinated me. Ward is my favorite character of this series, as he is so complex and I felt he had a great story arc. Harold was interesting because you know he is a villain from the beginning, but the whole thing about coming back from the dead and each time losing a piece of one’s soul was intriguing to me, it made it interesting to watch him interact with other characters, especially those close to him (poor Kyle), as there was so much tension. Would he snap? And if so, how far would he go?

A lot of the character motivations felt confusing, especially Joy’s. She was very back and forth, and it seemed to be for the sake of moving the story forward rather than from her character’s own doing. Example, towards the beginning, there is a scene where Danny confronts her and her brother, she tells him they are not his family and they do not want him there. They are trying to keep the company from him, despite him being the rightful heir. Everything that connects him is gone, except one clay creation Joy has… and she gives it to him… WHY?!? Another time, later in the season, she sides with her father over her brother, which makes absolutely no sense, especially considering the previous episode, she is begging her brother to let her in on what’s going on.

The other three shows had a nice flow to them, and I may not have liked all the characters, but I at least liked the main one. That being said, I’m always willing to give a show a chance, so if there is a second season, I’d be open to watching it.

Big Brother

I recently started watching Big Brother again. The last time I devoted myself to this show, I was in high school. My mom introduced me to the show, as she introduced me to others, like Alias. That was at least 10 years ago.

I was reintroduced to the show while in San Diego visiting some friends. We watched two episodes, and I was hooked all over again, plus it reminded me of my mom, which was nice. With the wonders of the internet, I rarely watch TV shows while they are airing, I’m a Netflix kinda guy, but I came out of my room every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday to watch Big Brother.

I was team Jody. I’m more a fan of Jessica than Cody, but he won my vote by association. I was sad to see Jessica leave last week and Cody leave this week (as well as Elena, as she was my second favorite in the house). Now I am rooting for Mark, because he is the only one left that isn’t in the Paul alliance.

Granted, I haven’t watched in about a decade, but it seems odd that the whole house created an alliance so quickly, and it also makes the show less interesting, as each week, Paul seems to decide who is going home, and that person goes home. I’m hoping things will be more interesting once the alliance has to turn on each other, but even then, I wouldn’t be surprised if Paul just said X, you’re going up and you’re going home, and they just said, OK.

That being said, I already sunk my teeth in, so I’ll continue to watch because I want to know how it ends.

The Gift

I’ve been trying to refocus my energy and efforts lately. It has been a little over a year and a half since my move to Los Angeles, and I haven’t spent much time writing but it is something I constantly think about. The more time I spend wondering what is keeping me from moving forward, the more I think about Buffy (as many of life’s lessons were taught to me by that show).

Much like Buffy in the earlier seasons, I feel I have been running from my destiny, trying to be anything else but what I’m meant to be. In her case, it was being the Slayer, in mine, it is being a writer. Writing has always made me the happiest. It is my way of bleeding all my emotions that I bottle up and keep inside.

Back in high school, and for the first few years in Arizona, I wrote at least once a day. A pen and paper were attached to me like lifelines. Somehow I fell away from that. I’ve always been a lonely person and there has always been a void I’ve tried to fill, I’ve tried filling it with different things. Different friends, material things, food, drinks, but I’m only at peace when I’m writing. I’m not lonely when I’m writing as I have my characters and their worlds to keep me company.

As I began to write less and less, I needed more of those things to fill that bigger void, and it never seemed to be enough. And now I wonder, why have I been avoiding writing when it makes me the happiest? Though I switched my major a few times while in university, I’ve known since childhood that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, it was just the medium I was uncertain about.

When I’m honest with myself, fear is what has kept me stagnant. Fear of failure, and oddly enough a fear of success as well. I am working through those fears now as there is no substitution for the way writing makes me feel. The only thing that comes remotely close is music.

I’ve been re-reading my screenwriting books and I am also preparing to re-write some scripts I wrote for school and I’m also working on some new script ideas. When I was 17 years old, I made the decision to move to Arizona on my own with little money, and everyone tried to talk me out of it, but I was fearless and knew it was where I needed to be. I want to be that fearless again when it comes to writing and chasing my dreams. I mean, I did make the bold move to Los Angeles, it would be a shame to come so far and not continue to fight.

Sometimes I wish I’d come to this realization earlier, but I do believe the Universe has a path for us, for whenever we are willing and able to take it. So, this is a way of making an oath to myself to devote to myself and my craft. As death was Buffy’s gift, writing is mine.

Resident Evil 5

Resident Evil 5 for PS4 arrived on my doorstep on July 12^th (thankfully, I have Tuesdays off) and I immediately dove in.

It is easily my favorite game of the series. It’s safe to say it one of my favorite co-op games as well.

Years ago, a buddy and I platinumed the game on PS3. It was so much fun. He had played with a friend of his, who helped him beat the game under five hours and get the unlimited rocket launcher ammo. In turn, he played through with me so I could get it as well. Then we played through on Professional Mode, and unlocked that Platinum trophy.

We planned to platinum the game again, this time on PS4. Most of my PS4 RE5 play experience has been with him. I read an article the other day talking about what made RE5 such a great game was the co-op. After a few hours of struggling to play Professional Mode on my own, I can’t help but agree. The AI is incredibly annoying when you play single player. Co-op allows you to get things done much faster, whereas playing single player felt more like leading Chris (I always play as Sheva) around, which only slowed me down. Not to mention, for whatever reason, he won’t use the rocket launcher at all. He tends to go for guns that have limited ammo, rather than using the ones I give him that have unlimited. My buddy and I beat Veteran Mode together in a little over three hours.

In three hours, I am just entering Chapter 3 of the game, which is about the halfway point, playing solo on Professional.

I’ve yet to play RE6, despite owning it, but, from what I recall, the reviews weren’t favorable. Nonetheless, if it has a co-op experience like RE5, I’m sure I will enjoy it. And all this Resident Evil play just makes me excited for RE7.

E3 2016

E3 has been the new Christmas for me as an adult. Once upon a time, I was subscribed to GameInformer and that was how I heard about all the E3 news. However, all that changed when I moved to Arizona.

By E3 2007, I was friends with Adam. At the time, we lived together and shared a room. He introduced me to so much and one of those things was watching the E3 conferences.Now, almost 10 years later, I look forward to watching them each year, especially Sony’s.

I was pleasantly surprised this year, though it will be pretty hard to top last year’s announcement of the FFVII Remake. My favorite is a game called Bound. I love the art style and the movement of the character. It looks like a game I would almost enjoy more watching someone else play.

Of course, I am in love with Detroit: Becoming Human. I’ll play anything by Quantic Dream because I already know it will have an amazing story. Speaking of, I was happy to hear their first game, Indigo Prophecy, will be making its way to PS4. I also own the HD remakes of Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls on PS4.

A lot of people are excited about the new God of War. It looks really great, but I have yet to finish any of the original games, so I couldn’t get too excited about it. Another big one was Resident Evil 7. I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. It felt a bit too much like Silent Hill to me and I like that the two horror series had such distinct styles. I do like that it seems to be going back to its horror roots. Overall, I’m cautiously curious about it.

I’m also very happy about the Skyrim remaster coming to PS4, because I never got around to playing it when it first came out. I also almost screamed at work when I heard about the Crash Bandicoot remakes. A lot of people have negative feelings about remasters, but I love them. If I can help the developers put funding towards new projects by repurchasing games I want to replay, but don’t want to play on older systems, it feels like a win-win to me.

Overall, this year I haven’t been as excited about games as I have been in the past. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am constantly researching games, so by the time I watch E3 conferences, I already know what to expect.