Pandemic update (Day 100)

As my country continues to resume business and life as normal other countries are not faring so good. The US just got their highest one day cases of more than 40000 a day. That is after that ease on the social distancing. Whereas states like New York are handling the virus bette. I think people are just entitled and wanting just do what they please. Brazil is slowly catching up to the US with 1.3 million infected. There are going to open the borders soon to our neighbouring country which is scary and yet it is a must. 

As of 8:21am. 

Total number of cases: 8634 8529 (↑ 105)

Recovered: 8318 (↑ 318)

Deaths: 121 (↑ 4)

Total world cases: 10254948 (↑ 1675807)

Recovered 4495917 (↑1 068835)
Deaths: 504375 (↑ 47433)

Men in Black International

It's an okay movie. Nothing special 

What is it about?

The continuation of the Men in Black series but this time they are worldwide 

The Good

The story is simple enough

The characters are fun and very entertaining 

The first action scene is awesome 

The Bad

The story is not that interesting. I mean they try to follow the formula of the normal men in black but it not that fun 

There are not many aliens as the first one 

The Ugly

Nothing much 

After Credits: No

Verdict: It's in a ok movie. You can miss it 

The Last of Us Part II

This game does give you the feels 

Game no: 369
Genre: Action 
Platform: PS4
Release Date: 2020

Forewarning that this review will be spoiler heavy so if you haven't played this game yet please do so. But the short version the review is that the game is an awesome game. Or just scroll down and read the last sentence of the review 

What it is about?

The continuation of the first game and the consequences of the events that transpired from the first game

What I liked?

The gameplay is stellar. The stealth mechanics are well improved from the first game. You will want to try to escape the zone as quietly as possible. I found myself trying t restart each encounter every time I failed a run

The weapons variety is good. You have a choice of from handguns to rifles and everything in between. Each weapons can be upgraded which awesome animations

The traversal sections are a nice break from the stressful action scene 

There are a lot of accessibility options which is good if you need the game to be easier 

There is a working guitar complete with different chords you can play. You can check videos on YouTube of people playing different covers to songs. 

There are some on the rail scene such as riding a horse and car which are awesome and intense 

There is a boat where we can use but just for a chapter 

An open world that is only on the first chapter and it just a contained open world which I liked. Since it's not that big 

Rope physics are awesome. Too bad we can use it all the time 

Safe cracking. It turns out you can do it manually using some headphones. I just use a guide 

There is a working psvita 

<spoiler>

Both Ellie and Abby controls the same with slight variations on their gameplay styles. I prefer Ellie in a sense that she can execute stealth kills on anyone and I prefer abby due to her better weapon types. 

And that's all the gameplay parts I liked. Now onto the story. This is going to be heavy on spoilers 

Story 

I can say the story is a mixed bag. 

I liked Ellie's motivation on why she is trying to hunt down Abby but when we get to Abby part I can helped feel for her for taking revenge on Joel for killing his dad. I think the person who is at fault here is Marlene and the fireflies. I think this game has too many levels since everyone is at fault on how small it is. It's a big chain reaction that just snowballs in effect. 

I loved the side characters in the game. Dina provides a certain humanity in Ellie as well as Lev shows a different side of Abby.

I loved the flashback moments where it shows what happened between Joel and Ellie between the 4 years before the game kicks off. I particularly like the part where they went to the dinosaur museum.

I like Abby and Lev relationship where it's like big sister and brother. 

I don't really mind all the sexual orientation each character has but I wish they showed more of it. There is a scene with Abby that is weird but hot in it's own way. 

The amount of detail if you stop and look at the surroundings weather is the town of Jackson or the WLF headquarters.I wish we could explore more 

The ending where you think it's the end but it turns out that there is still 2 more chapters ahead. I wish that was the real ending where Ellie and Dina lived happily ever after with their baby but it turns out no.. .

What I didn't liked?

The infected scene are really not my cup of tea. I mean I could handle them but I really rather fight humans than infected.

Some areas you can actually get lost on where to go 

There is this one infected boss there is so difficult that I manage to empty all my bullets and it's still not enough 

The game is design for you to explore everywhere and once you miss it, it's gone.

Nothing else I didn't like about the gameplay. The game is solid. If I had to give it a score (which I don't) on gameplay it will be a solid 9/10 

Now onto the story and the parts I don't like about it 

Story 

Ellie motivation of avenging Joel is noble but she didn't even want to talk to Abby about why she killer Joel in the first place which I really didn't liked 

The act of getting revenge and hate for something. I mean no matter how you put it. A story needs to have it upbeat moment. Or at least a moment where you can see that things are going to be better in the future. But this game is just a crap on top of a crap between a different type of crap. Just when you think that it could end on a high note (i.e the farm) It went all dark again and this time it was even worse. 

I really really didn't enjoy the last scene. This was actually the tipping point of the game for me. The game as you to fight with Abby again but I really didn't want to. Not as Ellie but as myself. I really couldn't stomach to hit a person while she is already down and the game seems to not give that option. So in my opinion is more like torture porn. Or this game enjoys making the gamer suffer. I mean it's all good but why... Why give Ellie such a bad motivation where she can't learn to forgive for her mistakes after Abby spared her life twice I might add. This game would have been game of the year for me if they ended it like this:-

Ellie found Abby in the last scene which in turn made her changed her mind in killing her since Abby had suffered enough in the hands of the Rattlers. She cuts her down and helped her escaped. After that there is a scene in the boat where both of them talk their feelings out and each of them forgive each other for what has happened. They both become friends due to the bond of loss. That would make much more of an interesting ending than what we got in the end. I mean in the end the real loser in this game besides us the player is Ellie. She lost everything all in the pursuit of revenge and for what. 

Didn't liked Tommy in this game 

I hated the fact that we are invested in the Seraphites and WLF war that there was no payoff or at least tell us what happened in the end as a small epilogue. I mean there are a lot of plot points that are left unresolved. 

Plot points that are left unresolved 

- What happened to dina?

- How did the war in Seattle ended?

- What happen to the people in Jackson

- Did Abby survived after that.

- Did Abby found the fireflies?

- Where did Ellie go at the end?

- What was the motivation of the Seraphites and who controls them 

I know they would want us to draw our own conclusion but this sucks. There is no ending.  I mean since they already write the whole story might as well tie all the other plot points together. 

Status: Finish the game until the end credits 

Fun Factor: Don't get me wrong the only gripe I have with this game is the ending and reading comments from other people online is either you'll like the story or you don't. You can't just give a game a masterpiece just because it is made by the best game studio in the world. But I have to say the gameplay is amazing and really if you are here for the gameplay you won't be disappointed. The story is not everyone cup of tea. Its either you like it or you don't as for me I enjoyed it until a certain point. My main criteria of a game is simple, you can have the best graphics, gameplay and story but in the end is it fun. The answer is yes. The last of us part II is a fun game but in order to make my game of the year list it needs to give me the feeling of satisfaction in the end. That is not the games goal because after the end I felt beaten. I mean I felt sad and anger for Ellie on what she did to lose everything. So yeah... one of naughtydog worse game but still a marvel to play.

Amendment 7th July 2020

Fun Factor Revisited: There has never been a game that requires me to do another review after I finish playing. Usually a game is done and dusted after the initial playthrough. All I can say that The Last of Us Part 2 is not that kind of game. I think it's the fault of my own of trying to finish the game as fast as possible that I forget to take a moment and understand the story even more. But after more a week this game is still fresh in my mind with the decision that was given to me. First of all I would like to apologize to naughtydog. This is not their worst game in fact this is one of their best game ever. The storyline was design that way to make you feel something, and I did feel something. I now understand what is Ellie and Abby's motivation behind the things that they do. The problem is you can do the things they do without consequences. The final showdown where Ellie wants to fight Abby and I as a player struggle to complete it really shows that in order for Ellie to escape his demons she needs to do it. In the end she finally realise that that all her revenge has brought her nothing back. This made me think of the first game where Joel was the bad guy by not letting Ellie safe the world. I mean this game has a lot of layers in it. In the end this is how they want to tell the story and I have to accept it. I am okay with it. I know it is not the happy ending I wanted but the ending is satisfying nonetheless. It sets out to tell a story that eventually hate will eat you alive. So my final remarks is that this is one of the game of the year of me. Probably in the top 3. This game really you can't play it as fast as possible. You need to take your time and understand each moment as slow as possible. I would love another playthrough of this. But probably not anytime soon  

Fun factor short version: Gameplay great... storyline is not for everyone 

Lion

A heartwarming true story 

What is it about?

A true story about a boy who was lost and trying to search where he comes from ( A true story) 

The Good

You really get to feel for the character. 

It shows how he got lost in the first place

The Bad

The part where he went to posttraumatic stress looking for his family wasn't fun

The girlfriend I think was not part of the true story 

It his actual adoptive brother really like that?

The Ugly 

Nothing much 

After Credits: No

Verdict: A worth watch 

Law Abiding Citizen

I like this movie 

What is it about?

A guy who lost his family tries to go over the system to get revenge 

The good 

The storyline is interesting. Really interesting 

The way he gets his revenge is really satisfying 

The ending is great. It's like justice well served

The Bad

Nothing much. It is non stop action

The Ugly 

Nothing 

After Credits: No

Verdict: The old movie but a goodie. Must watch  

Pandemic update (Day 90)

So it's been 10 days since we are allowed some freedom. Everything is okay. Cases are below 30 a day. Some days it's only like 1.-5. The government said that if we are case free for 28 days we are going to be declared covid free. Everyone is accepting the new norm. I'm liking it since everyone finally knows how to queue. 

In world news 

- There is a new drug (well it's an old drug) but it help is curing coronavirus patients that are already on the ventilators.  

- India, Indonesia and Brazil are getting more and more cases each day. Brazil is close to be 1 million case in the next couple of days

- The United States is getting far than before. With the protests and states wanting to open up. It's going to be a shit show.

As of 7:06am. 

Total number of cases: 8529 (↑ 200)

Recovered: 8000 (↑ 1306)

Deaths: 117 (↑ 4)

Total world cases: 8579141 (↑ 1366210)

Recovered: 4495917 (↑ 995670)
Deaths: 456942 (↑ 47228)

Godzilla King of Monsters

Man this movie is dumb 

What is it about?

The sequel after the first movie. More monsters and Godzilla has to stop it all 

The Good 

I can't say....

The Bad

For a movie title Godzilla he only shows himself for like 10 minutes

It a lot of brown and blue and dark 

The humans really are the problem of the movie 

The fight scene is all over the place 

The Ugly 

I think without the kid it's going to be a better movie 

This movie is boring.I think the key to a monster movie is just let monsters fight monster 

After credits: Yes

Verdict: Can be skipped. This movie is boring                                               

X-Men Dark Phoenix

An unsatisfying ending in my book 

What is it about?

X-men in the 90s and part of the Phoenix saga

The Good 

Cyclops has a lot of screentime 

It starts of good

The ending was okay I guess

The Bad

The storyline is boring 

The action scenes are few and far between 

Quicksilver sucks

Mystique sucks

Basically the storyline doesn't grip you well enough 

The Ugly

It really hard to make a good X-Men movie 

After Credits: No

Verdict: Can be avoided 

Brightburn

What is a superman was evil

What is it about?

A boy with super power uses it for evil. And he is really a dick 

The Good 

The story is simple enough 

We know the fact going in that everyone is screwed 

The deaths are brutal 

The Bad

It ends with a setup for a sequel but how they are going to do it 

The Ugly

The boy is a great at being a dick. He is really a super dick 

After credits: Yes

Verdict: It's an okay movie. But superheroes are suppose to be a feel good not this. 

Aladdin

The reimagine of a classic 

What is it about?

A man discovered that a man is more than what he looks from the outside 

The Good

The rearrange the movie so it's not the same as the cartoon

Even the songs are sung differently  

Will Smith is a different genie but I like him 

The extra song is also not bad

The Bad

The Sultan is different from the cartoon 

Jafar doesn't look menacing

I like the final act of the cartoon. The movie did it differently 

The Ugly 

Can this movie set up for a sequel since it looks like it really ends

After credits: No

Verdict: A fun movie to watch  

Us

It's not a scary as the trailers put it 

What is it about?

A family went on vacation and then got some unwanted guests

The Good

The story is very interesting

It will leave you on the edge of your seat until the end 

The scary part is the unknown

The Bad

They don't really explain how do they become what they become.

Really where is everyone? Like they did show it in the news..

The Ugly

Nothing much 

After Credits: No

Verdict: Worth a watch. A second watch if you want to have the ah-ha moment 

Team Sonic Racing

The game has promise but it lacks on everything else 

Genre: Racing

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Release Date: 2019

What is it about?

A racing game where Sonic and friends (enemies as well) race in a team to be number one

What I liked?

The tracks are long and challenging 

Ultimate mode helps even the race odds

Each car has their own unique ability such as speed, technique and power

The ability to ask for a team mates power up

What I didn't like?

The story mode seems a bit forced. 

Power ups are boring 

The racing mechanics seems a bit floaty. It's doesn't feel to precise 

The races are so long. One race could last up to 7 minutes 

Status: Played the game until I lost a long grand prix. Ain't doing that again

Fun Factor: There are other better arcade racing games. This game is probably fun playing in a group 

Quarantine Day 80

Yesterday ate out again. Spend having an outing with the wife. It was a public holiday 

So tomorrow everything is going to be open and today will probably the last time I am going to blog daily about the events. What I am going to say is that, my government is awesome. It took them 80 days (give or take) to get everything under control. From now I'll be posting it in a weekly basis. Easier to keep track I guess 

As of 6:48am 

Total number of cases: 8329

Recovered: 6694

Deaths: 117

Total world cases: 721293

Recovered: 3500247
Deaths: 409714

Quarantine Day 79

Yesterday I ate out. Left the kids at moms house

So they just announce that the lockdown is over. Now it’s the exit stage. Starting on the10th June everything is going to be open. So on the 10th will be the last day I do a daily blog. Next will be a monthly blog or until things change. So welcome to the new normal 

Quarantine Day 78

Yesterday had shepherds pie for lunch and KFC for dinner

Well it’s almost over. I think. The country is back on track and I think we will open back this 9th June. My mom is coming over next 3 weeks... so that’s something. Other than that everybody is used to the new status quo. Not sure if it’s a good thing or not... if it was up to me. They will be in lockdown for another month just to be safe 

The Princess Bride

I love this movie 

What is it about?

A boy whose grandfather reads him a story about a princess bride

The good 

Everything about this movie is awesome

Characters, storyline, humour and even the bad guy 

Seriously it's a children's movie but they made it special 

Some famous actors are here before they were famous 

The Bad

Nothing

The Ugly 

Nothing 

After Credits: No it's an 1987 movie

Verdict: Must watch. 

The Hustle

It a fun comedy but not sure it stuck the landing 

What is it about?

A con artist meets another con artist and they pull a job together

The Good

Anne Hathaway is beautiful

There are some funny moments

The Bad

Rebel Wilson is annoying. I still wonder how can she be this popular in hollywood

Some bits are annoying

The con is just a list of funny bits that doesn't stick the landing

The Ugly

The movie isn't that great to begin with 

After Credit: Yes

Verdict: Can be avoided but watch it for Anne Hathaway

Quarantine Day 77

Yesterday ate leftovers for lunch but had Korean for dinner. 

We finally brought the girls shopping . The malls were not as packed during the weekend and they practice good social distancing skills. One of my best friends is currently having an issue in handling all of this. This couple with the race war that is going on in the states. It really looks like the end of the world is coming over at the states. I try my best to be a good friend. But sometimes I feel that this is never enough.

Quarantine Day 76

Yesterday I made mashed potatoes with breaded chicken. First curry with garlic flatbread. Yummy 

Cases are still going up and down... another 5 days they are going to decide to end the lockdown or not. My bet is they are going to continue it for another month. Since the first thing that people will do if they lifted it is interstate travel. In other news school is going to start soon. So that’s something..

Quarantine Day 75

Yesterday I didn't cook. So we just bought food from the outside. But then my mom in law gave us lots of food.... So I think we went overboard 

So there is a couple things I want to talk about. First of all is boredom. Yesterday I watch a video on how we as adults get bored pretty easily. The reason is because we experience a lot of things so we nothing is special anymore. The thing is we can't experience a lot of new things since everything is always new. I think people who are bored are actually suffering from lack of hobbies. They should pick a couple and do it. Like me I only have two hobbies right now which I enjoy doing so much which is watching shows/movies and playing games. I do believe that I can fill a lifetime of doing that and it still won't never end. It the experience. If you don't like it move on. But that's just me I guess

Another thing that I want to talk about is what is currently happening in the states right now. The senseless killing of an innocent black man. There are really a lot of racism everywhere you go. I really hope all the protest that the people in the states are doing is going to help change things. The thing is will they? I mean unless they are going to do something massive like reform the whole police system. I don't see this happens. It almost close to 1 year the people of Hong Kong are protesting and that shows perseverance. I just wonder how long that they people over at the states can last. 

Well my two cents for the day. This is getting harder and harder to write. 

Shazam

This is the most fun DC movie I've ever watched. 

What is it about?

Billy Batson inherited a power of a wizard and learns what it takes to be a hero 

The Good

The characters shine in this movie. The kids and the adults 

A lot of funny scenes. This is what happens if you don't know how to be a superhero

Action scene are great.

There are even feeling moments. This movie has it all 

The Bad

Which there is more Shazam but I am not complaining 

The Ugly 

Nothing much 

After Credits: Yes

Verdict: A must watch DC movie even if you don't know who is the character is 

Birds of Prey

This movie is probably the lowest rated DC movie for me 

What is it about?

Harley Quinn broke up with the Joker and a lot of people are after her

The Good

There are some funny moments

The action scene are good

A lot of slow motion. It's probably an artistic choice.

The Bad

The story sucks. 

The characters all have their own motivation but really I didn't root for them

The bad guy is very unforgettable 

The Ugly

I think if they didn't put the DC logo in it. This movie will flop. Wait it did 

After Credits: More like a voice cameo 

Verdict: Skip if you have something else to watch 

Quarantine Day 74

Yesterday cooked butter chicken but ate Korean and soup.. for dinner

Nothing much to report but we still have a lot of cases everyday. It’s mostly due to the foreigners. Which is troubling since next week it’s going to be a month since they will open the country. In other news cases are close to 6 million infected. It’s getting higher and faster everyday. Scary

Quarantine day 73

This is behind two days. So the day before yesterday we ate out... 

So today I’m going to tell about the current situation at the states. They are riots against police brutality. It gotten so bad and the whole country is participating in it. The reason is because of the pandemic and there are people with no jobs and there is no sight of this ending. This thing was just a powder keg waiting to blow up... really I’m worried for my friends who are over there