The Ink N' Paint Club Podcast - Episode 21 - What We're Watching #2

Transformers: Devastation Review

Made of Stern Stuff

By Andy V.

When Transformers:Devastation was announced seemingly as an afterthought with all the big releases at E3 this year people rightfully lost their minds. The game looked gorgeous, it utilized the classic Generation 1 designs that most Transformers fans consider the only true versions of the iconic alien warrior robots that ruled the 80's and have remained a pop culture fixture to this day. Throw in the fact that you have veteran action game developer Platinum Games, formerly Clover Studios, the team behind highly recommended games such as “Bayonetta”, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” and going even further back when they were Clover Studios, “Viewtiful Joe”. If those names mean nothing to you I'll summarize, these guy know action. They know how to make fun, fast paced beat'em up games that have both style and substance. So the idea of them behind the helm of a Generation 1 Transformers game with no ties to the Bayformers series is simply the icing on a cake made of nostalgic memories.

Devastation doesn't shy away from invoking memories of the original 80's cartoon, it embraces it with any surviving members of the original cast they could get their hands on and a plot that comes straight out of the cartoon. Megatron is up to his old schemes of trying to turn Earth into a new Cybertron with ancient Cybertronian tech underneath a major city and it's up to Optimus Prime and a selection of four other fan-favorite Autobots (Bumblebee, who can talk unlike most modern versions of the character, Wheeljack, Sideswipe and the mighty Dinobot warrior Grimlock) to stop him by battling their way through an army of Decepticons which besides a variety of grunt bots meant for smashing includes the Constructicons, Soundwave and of course Starscream, whose as conniving as always as he questions Megatron's plans. This sounds like a dream come true, but none of this production value would do any good if the game itself wasn't fun to play...but thankfully Platinum comes through with flying colors on that side.

The game keeps it simple with a combat system focused on combo's, using various weapons and of course transforming into the vehicle mode of whichever Autobot you chose. It's fast, it's fluid, the hits have weight to them and succeed in making you feel like an awesome force of robot justice but keeps the acrobatics and over the top style Platinum has made themselves known for. You can switch between various melee and ranged weapons you collect and buy via the Ark, which is where you can also upgrade your equipment to become an even more destructive force. While the differences between the Autobots feels more cosmetic than gameplay changing it at least makes it easier to pick between your character. A lot of people on first glance would assume the game is just a mindless button masher but enemy encounters require you to be fast and think on your feet, or wheels. Some enemies have shields, some fly, they try to overwhelm you and they never make it feel easy to plow through them. The camera can get a little hard to keep track of when you find yourself knee deep in Decepticon resistance but overall it's very manageable allows you to keep a good idea of where your opponents are. The boss fights are the major showcase like in any action game. You fight the likes of Devastator who towers over you, Soundwave utilizes his iconic cassette tape cronies such as Ravage and Laserbeak to keep you at bay. It almost feels like being a kid again playing with the toys but you don't have to make the sound effects yourself and you don't have to take the five to ten minutes to fumble with the figure to transform them.

Despite a questionable length, the game can be beat in roughly five to six hours according to most other review sites, and the lack of any sort of cooperative mode Transformers Devastation is definitely a game that deserves attention from action game fanatics and of course Transformers fans. It treats the original franchise with respect without shying away from the overall cheesiness of it and it does this while looking and sounding absolutely beautiful. If you aren't the kind of person who demands their games to have over 100 hours of extra content and side quests Transformers: Devastation is an incredibly fun bit of nostalgia that doesn't rely on the franchise to get by with shoddy game design.  

"Last Days of Coney Island" Review

Don't Call it a Comeback

by Andy V.

Ralph Bakshi is a polarizing name to many who consider themselves savvy about animation. As far as I can tell you either love him or hate him and his works. He's worked on numerous television products such as "Mighty Mouse" but what people usually talk about when he comes up is his many animated features which range from adaptations such as the animated version of Robert Crumb's "Fritz the Cat" (which Crumb himself hated so much he chose to kill the character off for good in the comics to prevent a sequel, which didn't work) to the more iconic "The Lord of the Rings" which many consider one of the best adaptations of Tolkien's magnum opus to his original works such as the anti-war fantasy epic "Wizards" and his cooperative effort with the legendary Frank Frazetta "Fire and Ice". Needless to say I'm glossing over some of the highlights, the guy has done a lot that is worth checking out due to how he would just constantly push boundaries in how to use animation. He is one of the first names thought of when you think of "adult" animation, his works featuring copious amounts of sex, blood, violence and biting social commentary. If you couldn't tell I'm a fan myself, "Fire and Ice" is a treat to watch to this day due to it's high use of rotoscoping and Frazetta designs, "Fritz the Cat" for it's flat out bizarre story line and characters.

Which is why it pains me to say that his newest work "Last Days of Coney Island", his first work since 1992's "Cool World" can be summarized as an incoherent mess that lacks any of the spark and ambition that Bakshi's animation used to have.

Make no mistake about it, it's great to see Bakshi back at the helm considering how long it's been. It's also great to see a Kickstarter project actually come to fruition but "LDCI" just fails to deliver in my eyes. I've seen some people declare it a major return to form and I wonder if they are just hardcore Bakshi fans who feel the guy can do no wrong or if they just see something I don't. The story is actually really interesting for the most part. It follows the intertwining lives of several ne'er-do-wells who inhabit the amusement park section of Coney Island in the 60's. It's trying to make an attempt at commentary of how social norms and society changed, the film makes ample use of the JFK assassination complete with footage of the tragic occurence and even Oswald's demise at the hands of Jack Ruby, but it just falls flat and I feel a major part of that is due to the poor animation.

The whole thing looks like an undone animatic. Something that was meant to be the framework for the movie until the actual animation team came in and did their work. Lots of animation looks re-used which would be fine if it wasn't so glaringly obvious. The character designs are classic Bakshi, grotesque caricatures but with a unique charm to them that fits the grim and gritty world they inhabit, but the way they move is just awful. The way background characters are hastily sketched and coloring in with maybe one feature on them, such as their eyes or mouth, looks terrible. It just looks like a hastily slapped together mess...which when you consider the amount of time it took for this movie to come out is rather sad.

Animation has changed a lot in the last decade, people are making full blown cartoons on their own in their free time with just a single computer and a tablet. Harry Partridge, the Chapman Brothers, Chris O'Neill are just a few of the names that come to mind. Their using the same tools Bakshi had for "LDCI" if not less, which makes it sad to see just how unfinished and sloppy the final product looks. I know Bakshi can do better, if he decides to do another film he should tap the new generation of "underground" animators who work outside of the industry, he could possibly make something special.

"Last Day's of Coney Island" is available to rent on Vimeo currently for 3.99

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