The Scruffy Nerdherder

I am going to begin my getting on an old man soapbox. Growing up in the 80's and 90's was a  very different experience. Obviously this was over 30 years ago (checks math...yep 30 years...shit) so childhood memories are from a different world. When you grew up a comic book  fan you were ostracized to say it lightly. There is a reason movies like Revenge of the Nerds were made after all, unlike now when everyone and their aunts, cousins and mild acquaintances  are fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now this leads to the reason I began with that. When I would get off the bus after school I would  rush home if it was close to 4:30 because that is when Batman: The Animated Series came on.  Of course I wouldnt tell others that is why I was trying to get home because I was already a fat  nerd and didn't want to give people another reason to say something to me. When the show started in September 1992 I was 12 years old and had watched Batman  ...

  40th anniversary Excalibur Still the apex of King Arthur movies. Keep an eye out for young Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson. Porky’s  Before American Pie there was Porky’s. Random trivia: director Bob Clark followed up Porky’s with a very similar film...A Christmas Story. The Howling Dee Wallace Stone spent the year before E.T. as a reporter that goes to a retreat for treatment from being hunted by a serial killer. Her husband Tom Atkins comes along and find that marriage is difficult with werewolves. Escape from New York Snake Plissken saves President Dr. Loomis in the way off future of 1997 New York.  Stripes Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and John Candy. Three legends in the military slapstick comedy that was the obvious inspiration for Police Academy. The Evil Dead Weird that it has been 40 years since we were introduced to the character of Ash Williams. How many characters remain popular for that long? Chainsaw hand, boomsticks and shop smart. Clash of the Titans Harry H...

Game of the Year Ghost of Tsushima When you have Japanese developers wondering why they have not made a game on this scale about Japanese culture you know you are doing something right. Sucker Punch took a chance after helping launch the PS4 with Infamous: Second Son by closing out the PS4 era with this truly exceptional game. Jin Sakai after one game is on the Mt. Rushmore of Sony first party characters. The island of Tsushima is lush and colorful with vibrant colors ranging from amber to pink and white depending on what part of the island you are on. Combat is engaging with the choice of stealth and straight up swordplay making every encounter feel new. The first time you use Jin's ghost ability and behead a lieutenant and watch soldiers flee in terror is one of the most memorable moments in gaming. Swapping between four fighting styles depending on the enemy type as you block incoming attacks makes you put more thought into encounters than other games where you might be able to ...

Game of the Year The Outer Worlds The Outer Worlds did more than show that Obsidian is still great at their craft, it showed that video games can be alright without Bethesda. While Bethesda is losing player trust, Obsidian comes along and releases a better Fallout game than Bethesda...again. The aesthetic of every planet you visit works in every way. Some complained about the games length, but I thought it worked better being a shorter playthrough. It took me about 35 hours to complete the game and get just about every side story done. I would prefer a great game be that length than have a game stretched too thin with menial side missions to make it meet some 80 hour RPG requirement. Your companions are memorable and the weapon selection and looting is exactly what you want from this kind of game. The ending was satisfying with a narrated video of how all your choices affected the characters and the worlds you went to. It left you wanting more in the best way.  ...

I grew up with a single mother. She worked hard and we were not left wanting for much or at least that is how I remember it and she hid our money problems well. Now that I am an adult (word used loosely) I think it was the latter. As a summer treat she let me and my best friend pick one movie a month that we would go see in the theater. June, July and August. 3 whole movies. We got to go to the movies 3 times during the summer. Seems quaint now but to an 8 year old in the late 80's that was so much. Our local newspaper would run a summer movie special and would let you know what were the big movies coming. There was only one movie in June I wanted to see. That would be Batman. Growing up a comic book nerd is not what it is today. Avengers: Endgame has been seen by everyone on the planet...twice. You are not cool today if you have not seen a comic book movie. In the 80's you would get beat up for wearing a Joker shirt and reading a comic in front of the wrong people. ...

*spoilers for Far Cry 5* When we last left Hope County, Montana it was set ablaze by the nuclear holocaust that Joseph Seed somehow orchestrated. Our character was trapped in the same bunker that was our salvation at the beginning of the game bringing the story full circle. The only problem was that we were trapped in it with Joseph and handcuffed to a bed. So we get to guess what kind of fun that would be listening to a raving, religious lunatic for years with no escape. I imagine it being like you were locked in a room with Franklin Graham and you couldn't shove a towel down his throat or kneecap him with a crowbar. Far Cry: New Dawn does what Far Cry: Primal did with Far Cry 4. It takes the existing map and gives it a makeover for a quicker release. This has not proved to be a bad thing since Far Cry: Primal was superior to 4 and New Dawn is a smaller, fun entry that wraps up the tales of Joseph Seed and the population of Hope County. Did you play Far Cry 3? Far Cry 4?...

Game of the Year God of War I mean...what else could be it? Well, yeah Red Dead Redemption 2 or Spider-Man, but that is how big an achievement God of War is on so many levels. Masterful storytelling, intuitive combat, voice acting that makes you feel inadequate as a person that can barely speak in real life and certainly one of the best looking games ever made. From my review: " Now the series has done something that many of its fans have done. It grew up.  The testosterone filled teenagers that began playing God of War in 2005 are now 13 years older, in their mid to late 20's, or older, possibly with families of their own and trying to navigate the overwhelming world of parenting. Now Kratos is back and instead of the chain swinging, dick laying masculinity god, he is a humbled, soft spoken father helping navigate his son through danger." God of War basically told all other games what to do if they want to raise the bar with one bit of dialogue between Kra...