films d'hier: The Pianist

By: Kevin (@prufesuroak)

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films d'hier is a new column we’re introducing to pretty much be a place where my love letters to films can live. These are more opinion and personal taste pieces for the most part. But a massive chunk of my favorites are the undeniable classics if you’ve seen them. Relive them, and if you haven’t and don’t mind spoilers, read on.

The Pianist (2002) is Roman Polanski’s masterpiece, the movie he’d want on his tombstone, the film he would be buried with. The Pianist is based on the book which bears the same title, chronicling the true account of Polish musician Władysław Szpilman, during the Holocaust.

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Deadly Tower of Monsters Review

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By: Omar (@siegarettes​)

  • The Deadly Tower of Monsters
  • Developer - ACE Team 
  • Publisher - Atlus
  • PS4, PC (Steam)

If there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to ACE Team games, it’s their ability to channel aesthetics from all kinds of places into eye catching locations for digital violence. That’s still true in The Deadly Tower of Monsters, a top down action game that takes inspiration from B-movie special effects. It’s a fitting tribute; ACE Team games seem to occupy similar spaces among their peers, banking on the appeal of their art and design while leaving certain seams revealed. 

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The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human Review

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By: Omar (@siegarettes​)

With so many apocalypses going on in videogames, we’ve become friendly with the fall of humanity. It’s almost comforting to know the world’s end has come before you arrived. It takes the pressure off, what with all the times we’re asked to save it. Still, we rarely languish in the beautiful ruins, there’s always something urgent to pull you along. So that’s where The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human appears. 

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@siegarettes talks about one of his favorite rhythm games, and stories, of last year in his video on Persona 4: Dancing All Night.

@siegarettes looks back on 2015, in which he learned to appreciated Dynasty Warriors, more as a genre than a series. 

Yakuza 5 Review

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by Omar (@siegarettes)

  • Yakuza 5
  • Developer - SEGA
  • Publisher - SEGA
  • PS3
  • Rating - M

Yakuza is probably the only series that can remain tonally coherent while moving between taxi driving, prison brawls, idol performances and detailed hunting games. Soaked in absolute melodrama, Yakuza 5 is just as much a soap opera as every game before it. And like those it has cities full of miniature stories, distractions and a sheer sense of density that makes it stand out in a year overrun with open world games. 

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Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours Review: Taito brings Darius to its series termination.

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by Omar (@siegarettes)

  • Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours
  • Developer - Taito
  • Publisher - Degica 
  • PC (Steam), PS4, PSVita

Dariusburst Chronicle Saviors is a game so wrapped up in the history of the series, that it’s impossible to start comprehending what it even is before taking in some of that history. The finale to the long running Darius shoot-em-up series, Chronicle Saviors is the fourth revision of the PSP entry Dariusburst. Dariusburst returns with it’s series trademarks of giant robot fish and an absolutely MASSIVE soundtrack by Taito house band ZUNTATA. Although coming off the dramatic changes introduced in Darius Gaiden and G-Darius, I was underwhelmed. Particularly missed were the opportunities to turn mid level bosses to your side, or capture enemies to use as weapons. 

With that in mind, Chronicle Saviors operates as a dramatic remix of the original Dariusburst. Or rather, if the first revision was a remix, this one is a multi-disc set of remixes that has you reevaluating the original Dariusburst and puts it in line with the history of the series.

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