Jarret Mock
Battlefield 3 Review
Written by Jarret Mock, Fanboy Comics Guest Contributor
Tuesday, 01 November 2011 06:05
Most contemporary game franchises have taken an “every other year” approach to releases. Call of Duty is the biggest first-person shooter today that demonstrates how successful this habit can be. Every other year we’re treated to a Modern Warfare title, interspersed by Treyarch’s even-numbered year offerings. So, when Battlefield 3 comes along five years after its sci-fi predecessor Battlefield 2142, there’s a natural expectation that something special is in store for gamers. The Bad Company spinoffs have ensured that the franchise hasn’t been entirely devoid of new blood in the meantime, but they’ve explored different play styles as opposed to the main series and aren’t comparable. Surely, the logic goes, Battlefield 3 has great things in store for its loyal fanbase.
I was still enthusiastic even after Electronic Arts became more involved than they have been in the past. EA has a notorious reputation amongst gamers that’s mostly deserved as a result of interfering with game development out of short-sighted marketing plots. The major claim to fame for the Battlefield franchise has always been its deep multiplayer and primary focus on its PC-based users. EA has decided to cash in on that fact.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Review
Written by Jarret Mock, Fanboy Comics Guest Contributor
Sunday, 25 September 2011 22:23
I’ll come right out with it: if you care about good writing in games and you’re one of the few that seems to know that the Warhammer 40K universe did space marines and chainsaw weapons first, Space Marine deserves serious consideration. The rich Warhammer 40,000 (that’d be 40,000 A.D.) dystopia—a mix of Starship Troopers, the Cthulhu mythos, and George Orwell’s 1984, complete with a Big Brother equivalent—and its titular marines brought to bear in the story of a strategic industrial planet that’s under siege by marauding space Orks. You read that correctly. There’s also a space Sauron, but that comes later and really, really shouldn’t be a spoiler if you’ve read any of the advertising (or know anything about the 40K setting).
Burn Notice Season 5.0
Written by Jarret Mock, Fanboy Comics Guest Contributor
Monday, 19 September 2011 21:27
The first half of Burn Notice’s latest season wrapped up for its fall break recently, and a retrospective of where the show’s been and where it’s going is in order. USA Network’s latest brace of shows that have been advertised and produced in a style similar to Burn Notice have caused some to unfairly overlook the escapades of renegade spy Michael Weston and his compatriots. On the surface Burn Notice is reminiscent of The A-Team, from the special ops charity of its main characters to its status quo “nothing ever changes” reset button that comes into play at the end of most episodes. When consumed an episode a week, it’s a devilishly clever show.
Centurion: A Film Review
Written by Jarret Mock, Fanboy Comics Guest Contributor
Friday, 19 August 2011 00:00
Fanboy Comics is excited to bring you the first of many reviews from its newest Contributor, Jarret Mock!
Here’s a movie you may have missed: Neil Marshall’s largely ignored 2010 effort, Centurion. Set during the Roman occupation of England, it received barely any attention at all in the United States upon its release. Marshall has written and directed cult action-horror movies like Dog Soldiers and Doomsday in the past, always bringing along a gory style that’s refreshing in the presence of PG-13 summer blockbusters. American viewers have probably heard of The Descent, the one Marshall horror flick I really didn’t enjoy. But, when the geeky director who I remember for gleefully mashing up werewolves with foul-mouthed SAS troops or Mad Max with Braveheart decides to try out a straight-laced, historical epic, I have to wonder what he’s thinking.