Watchmen | Vector

Lots of 'rule of cool' on display, but lacking in real substance.

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MOVIES

- To be fair to Zack Snyder, his version of Watchmen, specifically the theatrical cut here, is most likely the superhero movie most visually-faithful to the source material of all time.

- Yes, some of the VFX may be a bit more noticeable now thanks to advancing technology, but that's not really what I'm talking about anyway.

- In terms of translating panels from the original material into actual scenes playing out in live-action, this has most other comicbook movies beaten.

- The soundtrack is pretty great too, albeit clichéd as all hell, thanks to relying on some of the biggest and most well-known songs released across the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties.

- The action is also damn good too, with most of it being incredibly violent and bloody, although... I'll get into that although in a bit.

- Do you notice how I'm praising the mostly superficial stuff here?

- That's because this film runs on 'rule of cool', where everything has to look and be as amazing and... cool as possible at all times.

- If you haven't read the original Watchmen comics, you might be surprised (or not, if you're familiar with Snyder's other works) that being and looking cool really isn't what the story is or should be about.

- Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy this version of Watchmen almost an Elseworlds story (DC's equivalent to Marvel's What If...?), but that's about it.

- There are some other things to appreciate too, such as how the cataclysmic ending was altered in a manner I think it needed to be to work in live-action.

- The good thing is that the original comics are still there and available to read, which I very much recommend that you do, even if just to compare and contrast.

- To repeat, I think Snyder has done an incredible job translating the visuals of the comics, it's just a shame that his understanding of the story and characters isn't up to snuff.

- And just a quick note to point out that this really isn't like most modern superhero movies, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe having only just launched the previous year with Iron Man, so don't expect go in expecting your usual 'cape' film.

- An easy way to break down film would be this: every time this movie makes something look cool or amazing or badass (like the action scenes), the intention in the original comics is pretty much the exact opposite.

- Watchmen isn't a bad film, although I'd be hard-pressed to call it a good one; it looks and sounds amazing, but you'll need the original comics if you want a truly satisfying story. [6/10]

GAMES

- I was so looking forward to playing Vector, because a side-scrolling parkour game sounded so cool.

- Unfortunately, I played the game on PC and its mobile game roots proved far too strong to ignore in the end.

- The controls are pretty simple so anyone can really pick it up and play it, even as further controls are unlocked as you progress.

- But it's that progress which is the issue and why it doesn't really work as a PC game.

- To max out your rating on each level will take multiple attempts as there are collectables required for the top score that will take non-intuitive actions to pick up.

- Progression is 'soft' locked behind getting enough stars from your ratings and being able to unlock new levels and skills meaning repeating completed stages over and over again.

- That in itself isn't too bad, but it did make the game feel to me like I'd paid for an app to remove the ads that would normally come up between each attempt at a level.

- That feeling is intensified as the levels progress and become not only more complicated, but also slower.

- One of the things I've enjoyed about parkour-like traversal in games like the Assassin's Creed series has been how smooth and fluid your movement is, making you feel how you can always push forward.

- Vector, on the other hand, which normally progresses from left to right, will often reverse this, or slow you down as you bounce from wall to wall to wall to ascend vertically.

- Bigger budget and/or dedicated PC and console games can get away with this to an extent thanks to far superior looks and character dialogue to distract the player from how the game is deliberately slowing their progress.

- This game doesn't have those distractions, so the slower, more awkward and fiddly moments really make the gameplay suffer.

- I get that there should be an increasing challenge for players as the game progresses, but I think slowing things down was the wrong choice.

- If the levels had simply been made longer, but still always progressing left to right, and making greater use of multiple routes through a level would maintain the momentum better.

- There is a narrative here too, but it's more of a framing device to justify the game continuing rather than being anything to become invested in.

- I can't recommend Vector based on the PC version, and I think most people will quickly grow bored of the mobile version too once you hit those obstacles that really slow down parts of a level. [3/10]

TV

- No TV watched at all in the last week as I've been playing a load of games instead, but I'll get back to The West Wing's sixth season before too long.

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