tyggfqxcm Reviews

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014 Video Game)

ME:SOM Review

[7/10 · 28 March 2023]

Shadow of Mordor holds up well by modern standards with intuitive controls and consistently-paced gameplay. The stealth mechanics feel well-integrated and unforced. Instead of feature bloating like many modern games it finds what works and sticks to it. (+1) It does suffer somewhat being a product of its time graphically. The style isn't particularly distinct and the environment can be bland and monotonous. (0) Where other medias of LotR failing to interest me, I did find learning the lore and background of these characters to be interesting, though the main character is somewhat 2-dimensional (this could be intentional give the overall theme of the game). (+1) The music brought fourth the visceral and brutal nature of the gameplay and story, with voice performances that were serviceable. Being an early PS4 game it has to rely on the controller sound which could become repetitive but was overall one of the better uses of it during combat. (0) An easy game to trophy hunt and the collectibles aren't gratingly long, but I don't think there is much reason to return to this title after one finishes the story. (-1) It was refreshing to play a game where things weren't breaking or crashing constantly. Easy win for this game to create a simple and stable game. (+1)

Overall, while not pushing the envelope and borrowing from some established franchises, the Nemesis System made for a unique experience in both difficulty and gameplay, but seems like it could be expanded upon. (0)

Slow Horses: Work Drinks (2022) Season 1, Episode 2

Tighter Vision

[9/10 · 11 December 2022]

The reveals in this episode are not as clever as it thinks it is, but the overall mystery definitely keeps the intrigue going. Like most second episodes, this feels like what the writers should have been doing before the grand pilot was thought of. The ensemble cast is tiring, especially trying to keep up with the interpersonal drama suite we've heard little about nd been given no real reason to care about. Strong episode that supports the overall premise with better editing and musical cues to allow the show to explore its themes without the overbearing view of the old guard. The mystery continues and the intrigue is impossible to ignore.

Slow Horses: Failure's Contagious (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Entertaining

[7/10 · 11 December 2022]

The issue of the opening scene and its scope is quite immersion breaking, and it seems the show may have blown its budget this episode as much as MI5 would to rent out spaces of this magnitude. The sequence was uninspired, though tried and true entertaining in the way it's put together. The rest of the show trudges along, I imagine purposefully, to match the pace of the protagonist's new reality. The dialogue is sometimes outright awful, but the performances are decent enough to save it. Overall, the premise doesn't have me quite hooked, but it is entertaining enough to continue forward and see what the next episode will reveal.

Wednesday: Woe What a Night (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

Who is this for?

[4/10 · 8 December 2022]

This is the rich kid high school dance episode. Really driving home the have-nots the Outcasts are. Drama abound with pointless webbing caught up in the corners of "if they would just have one conversation this plot would be resolved." I don't care about the relationships of any of these characters and I have a hard time believing the protagonist does either. At least Wednesday being caught off guard and not being clever enough to figure a way out of it addresses the elephant in the room: This is not Wednesday Addams, and I'm not sure who this show is for. The middle school edgy kid dialogue is becoming grating, did one of the not-like-other-girls outcast actually say a "I grew up with brothers" line, and sprinklers don't work that way.

Wednesday: Friend or Woe (2022) Season 1, Episode 3

Stay the course

[8/10 · 8 December 2022]

The show finally stops picking at the thread and begins to present us with what it promised in premise and setup. Everyone is giving it their all with what they're given and the this ultimately provides for an entertaining episode setting up multiple threads at once. That said, the dialogue is humiliating and seems to be written by a 40-year-old teen. Normies is used in-universe with a straight face, one hundo, and mansplaining. Soundtrack is becoming grating at this point as the music smothers dialogue and one can only take so many string covers. The show, like the characters, wears its intentions on its sleeve but is ultimately saved by technical execution.

Wednesday: Woe Is the Loneliest Number (2022) Season 1, Episode 2

Here we woe again

[5/10 · 7 December 2022]

Some Degrassi mixed now with Harry Potter. I get that it's planted itself with the high school drama genre, but it's not as unique as it seems to think of itself. The dialogue continues to be flat so I guess this is the way Ortega has either chosen or been directed to be for the series and we're stuck with it. No, it's not just her dialogue. Yes, I get that hers is purposefully straightforward, it just doesn't work with the lack of wit or brevity where this kind of delivery tends to shine. Again, marks for competent execution but some of the actors were distractingly bad in this one. It needs to improve fast and I now realize I was too harsh on the opening episode.

Wednesday: Wednesday's Child Is Full of Woe (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Lukewarm Start

[6/10 · 7 December 2022]

Most series premiere are off to a rough start, especially when they're trying to rush you on a tour of characters, setting, and premise. It's an interesting idea with an entertaining enough story, however the themes fall flat when the characters and script just keep saying out loud what they represent. Wednesday's non-sequiturs are a bit charming in the beginning, but tire fast as the characters have the same reaction we do (roll eyes, say, "o...kay. Anyway...). Maybe I'm missing the point that this is the point. The actors, much like the writing, are flat. Unfortunately, deadpan only goes so far without any interesting dialogue. Still, the set pieces, music, and competent technical skill make for a tight experience and I think provide for entertaining fodder in the background. Hopefully the second episode stands stronger.