The Snake Cult in Conan the Barbarian

What really intrigued me in the Conan movie (and the only one I consider good compared to the other two more to follow) was the movement that the movie Thulsa founded known as the Snake Cult.  What was known of Thulsa was that he was a warlord and the ruler of some civilization that ravaged one village of the other in his quest for steel in the conquest of the world for the serpent god Set.  However years later, he ended up creating the notorious Snake Cult which had moved in power.  He built his base at the Mountain of Power that became his fortress and his empire began to expand according to King Osric in Nemedia, Koth, Aquilonia and Stygia.  Another subplot that wasn't elaborated was to why he brainwashed King Osric's daughter who was named Yasimina in the novels.


What we discover is that Rexor had become the High Priest of the movement, second only to Thulsa Doom. So he still wields power and he had challenged King Osric.  It was said that Aldo Sambrell was supposedly cast as Yaro the "black priest".  In fact, the scene of the king's murder could have still been carried out with Rexor going to the king to ask to approve of the hellish union between Thulsa and the princess to create Zamora into the Kingdom of Set and when the king disapproved, he was immediately murdered so Thulsa Doom can claim the throne.


So Thulsa Doom was basically a king who lured the wayward to serve him and to die in his service.  What we know from the film is that they are deceivers, the members murder people in the night.  WHat can be seen is that one of the cult members in the Tower of Set was about to be sacrificed at her own free will to one of Set's serpents.  Later the cult shows the members are willing to die in the service of Thulsa Doom at HIS VERY COMMAND and the finale scene suggested the fate of many members is death by immolation. What is later discovered is that the cult members actually have made stew out of their murder victims.  Thulsa Doom for some reason kept feeding his followers all that revolting human soup that drugged them into his mindless slaves to the point they would do ANYTHING he asks them to do.


Later Thulsa Doom can be seen talking to his followers in what would be an immolation ceremony hinted by the language, "This flame will burn away the darkness, burn you the way to Paradise."  In actuality, it looked like the whole cult was based on a doomsday belief and how Thulsa Doom used his followers was to expand his empire, yet in the end Conan beheaded him with the broken sword he used to kill Conan's mother. =P

Conan Adaptations and BAAAAAD Sequels

Well here's a list of some series in America that started out good but suffered from really bad sequels.  They are...


Conan the Barbarian was a successful, really plot intense film.  Yup talk about the coming of the age of the Snake Cult where the evil snake sorcerer Thulsa Doom had begun to lure people into the worship of Set involved in many sinister activities like orgies and eating their murder victims.  However it was succeeded by the bad sequel called "Conan the Destroyer" which really destroyed hopes of ever having a third film.  The second film was really lame... so we have Malak who is useless and it suffered from one bad review to another.  The same mistake happened in the Conan cartoon adaptation.


Conan the Adventurer was so good it lasted up to 65 episodes in Conan's quest to liberate his parents from the spell of living stone that the high priest Wrath-Amon placed upon them.  In fact, the engaging plots where Wrath-Amon seeks to free the snake god Set from the abyss so the serpent men can rule the world was one of the best engaging thrillers ever.  However it was followed up by the horrible Conan and the Young Warriors series which was a very BAD series it didn't last long... yup and I was hoping Mesmira would get more focused like her counterpart in the films Taramis.

What I Thought of Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition's Events

The story of Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (or MK9) was this... it happens after the events of Armageddon and Shao Kahn got too powerful after Taven defeats Blaze.  So everybody kills each other and Armageddon wasn't prevented.  Shao Kahn even defeats his former emperor Onaga and then finally defeats Raiden who is weakened because the latter wasn't in Earthrealm.  Shao Kahn defeats Raiden but before Raiden defeats Shao Kahn, he utters the words "He must win..." sending a vague message.  Presumably after Shao Kahn descends into madness, a reincarnation cycle occurs to where Raiden sends memories of his past life into his next life to prevent Shao Kahn from ever conquering the realms again.  However in the next life, Raiden has become idiotic to where one mistake after the other kills people.  The events made me think this game should have been called "Mortal Kombat Reincarnation".

So we are taken to a different turn of events where everybody is either reincarnated or it's an alternate dimension but more of reincarnation.  So maybe after a couple of reincarnations, everything goes back to the first tournament which happens different probably the solution to stop Armageddon.  However Raiden just doesn't figure out who "he must win" is thanks to a vague message.  For one, the events have brought in characters that weren't supposed to appear in the first or second tournament, not to mention Quan Chi.  So everything gets altered like Kung Lao fighting Scorpion in their next lives.  So poor them...  most of them don't improve or are usually repetitively altered.  Take for instance Scorpion in both his past life and his next life, he still basically loses his family again.  Ouch... talk about being allowed to reunite with his family and clan yet only to see them murdered again.  How cruel can reincarnation be?  So one event after the other is altered and some repeat themselves both the past life and the next life.  However in the next life, some events do alter drastically like Mileena is awakened much later making her childlike compared to her past life where she was really cunning and deadly.

I had my thoughts on it that Raiden still hasn't figured out who he must win is but in the series of hot flashes from his past life, he ends up committing one mistake after the other.  So all he did was change events between two major tournaments.  The first tournament was where Earthrealm was saved from Shao Kahn by breaking the streak.  The second tournament was supposedly a replacement of the rule of ten but it was fouled up but at the highest of costs.  So we do realize that events have been altered like Kintaro faces Kung Lao in this life compared to him facing against Liu Kang in his past life.  The many events having been altered even results to Smoke not being cybernized but in his place, Sub-Zero becomes the new cyborg.  Raiden was able to prevent one event but the rest didn't like Bi Han the original Sub-Zero is again reincarnated into Noob Sabot in the next life.  Everything goes from bad to worse in Raiden's quest to stop Armageddon from occurring again which brought tragedy upon tragedy.  Kung Lao is killed by Shao Kahn causing Liu Kang to win.  So by allowing Liu Kang to win, the events more or less follow the events of the previous life.

Eventually like in his past life, Shao Kahn tries invasion... again.  So maybe after he won Armageddon, he decided to reboot everything out of boredom or what?  Regardless, Quan Chi tricked Shao Kahn into his own doom as we'll find out.  So Shao Kahn commits the transgression of invasion and Raiden reveals how idiotic he has become.  While he sought an audience with the Elder Gods begging Shao Kahn's transgression to be punished, he is already told that only when Shao Kahn will merge the realms then can the Elder Gods intervene.  Doesn't Raiden read his dictionary when he says that there's no difference between merging and invading?  So it goes from bad to worse when a resurrected Sindel kills everyone but for some reason, Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade still lives.  So we realize Liu Kang has really lost faith in Raiden which is normal considering Raiden had become so idiotic.  Proof of Raiden's stupidity is when he decides to try and ally with the Netherrealm... and offer EVERY SOUL that perishes?  Wow it's only when he descends into the Netherrealm does he figure out that "he must win" is Shao Kahn that if the latter is allowed to merge realms without a tournament victory, the latter will be punished but it's too late as Liu Kang had lost faith.  In fact, Raiden's stupidity was something that made this game sometimes hilarious.

So we have Liu Kang really losing faith in Raiden and fighting him.  I can't blame Liu Kang for his actions- Raiden has one blunder after the other.  And to prove how stupid Raiden had become, he ended up killing Liu Kang which may have added another phantom warrior into Shinnok's army in the process.  And he deserved all the condemnation of the dead warriors in the Netherrealm when they said, "You have condemned us all Raiden."  So Raiden well discovers too late or not, regardless he finally allows Shao Kahn to do the ultimate transgression that is to fully merge Outworld and Earthrealm without Mortal Kombat.  In the process, Shao Kahn's claim to being the king of the universe has caused the Elder Gods to finally intervene.  So the law of karma hits Shao Kahn after Raiden is empowered by the Elder Gods.  After the battle, the Elder Gods finally destroy Shao Kahn and Armageddon is prevented (for now).  Raiden picks up Liu Kang's body maybe trying to revive him but he may soon lose the latter's body during Shinnok's invasion.

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition vs. Tekken 6: A Comparison

Well I felt like it's time to weigh which party game kicks ass.  So now I'd do a comparison on the more touchy areas than just the graphics and music because both game rock in those areas.   Now here's my comparison:

Fighting System:

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (as well as its previous version Mortal Kombat 2011) goes back to the realm of 2D style fighting meaning no nonsense sidestepping, it has a button for each limb quite similar to Tekken plus it has really accessible gameplay.  Tekken 6 on the other hand retains the 3D movement which can sometimes be great but can also get annoying for some.  However I do have a hard time judging which is better since they both have very different approaches- Tekken focuses on REAL martial arts and projectiles (if any) are NOT a spammer which makes Tekken 6 a little more accessible than Mortal Kombat 2011.  For me, I'd give this a tie.  But I would say both games are very accessible to noobs while having a deep playing system, not too deep as not to frustrate players while keeping it simple enough for beginners but not too simple to become a boring gameplay.

Story Mode:

Both feature their story modes.  So here's where I think I'm getting mixed.  Tekken 6 features the seldom frustrating Scenario Campaign to which I wish was like MK Armageddon.  In Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, the story mode features an interactive movie but sadly you CANNOT skip the cutscenes which forces you to watch unlike in Tekken- however it focuses on purely kombat compared to that of MK Armageddon's story mode.  For me, I definitely am mixed on both of them but I prefer MK Komplete Edition's story mode than Tekken 6's Scenario Campaign.

One Player Mode and VS. Mode:

So I'd focus on the one player mode between games.  So as usual, MK does not have a story mode per character and it's pretty regularized.  I would say that MK Komplete Edition does have a lot of coolness in the one player modes or the Konquest Tower which can be fun and frustrating.  But I'd start to talk about the coming of the Arcade Mode which has the nostalgic value.  So you fight seven random characters, an ultra cheap version of Shang Tsung (the old version) who morphs into any of the characters which the regular Shang Tsung can't, then either Goro or Kintaro before you fight the main man Shao Kahn.  So pretty much, they're not playable which makes it fair considering how powerful the four cheap bosses are.

For the VS. Mode, you definitely will and will have the return of the Kombat Kodes.  However to select a stage to fight in, you don't require yourself to enter a Kombat Kode to do so.  There's a button to select and if you select each stage with Start except for a few, you get to hear the classic music.  The VS Mode can be pretty entertaining in itself as well.

In one or two players, there is the Tag Team Mode which is sort of like Tekken Tag except you must beat both characters than just one of the characters.  What I don't like with the Tag Team Mode is that you don't get Tekken's type of victory poses if you don't decide to do a fatality nor do you get to fight a tag team of Shang Tsung/Quan Chi then Goro/Kintaro then Shao Kahn with a random partner.  To be honest, you are better off playing Tag Team Mode in VS. Mode.

Endings:

I would readily admit Tekken 6's endings are better but I freaking hate having to play through Scenario Campaign to unlock them.  What in the world is Namco thinking?  Tekken 5 was better for me.  For MK Komplete Edition, the endings are an animated narrative which kind of mimics Killer Instinct's endings with cell-shaded graphics.  Tekken 6 still wins the quality of the endings but the Scenario Campaign is freaking painful.  MK Komplete Edition still follows the traditional way of getting endings.

Tekken 6 for PS3

Well here's one game I'm pretty mixed- while it's still a fun game but I just had a thought Namco's TQM or Total Quality Management hasn't been done very properly here.  So here's my thoughts:

Plot:

Tekken 6 features a very intense story.  So after Jin Kazama beats his zombified great-grandfather Jinpachi Mishima, he goes berserk and basically throws the whole world into chaos.  When Kazuya who currently controls G Corporation battles his son Jin Kazama for control of the world, the two evil stars (devil gene holders) trigger the resurrection of Namco's most badass unplayable boss Azazel.  Woohoo!  So the whole world is in chaos and Jin Kazama declares the sixth Tekken tournament which much will be talked about.

Gameplay: 

This is very important indeed.  I did think while I was playing Tekken in the past, Tekken had its crown firmly held due to his accessibility that goes down to deep gameplay.  It still keeps smooth controls that makes it a fun game.

However here's been a problem to total quality management when it came to the game.  I really freaking have a couple of complaints for an otherwise fun game.  So here they are: First, why do I have to PLAY through Scenario Campaign just to get the freaking endings for the characters?  That wasn't the problem of previous Tekken games.  It's freaking stupid.  Okay I'm having some fun in Scenario Campaign but I do have my problems with it.  For me, I really wished that the gameplay would change between sidescrolling to fight mode like it does with Mortal Kombat Armageddon's Konquest Mode.  Also, another complain of mine is that Scenario Campaign can be very frustrating and takes a lot getting used to.  Also Arena Mode is TOO SHORT and if you want to a little longer gameplay to Azazel, play Arcade Mode and then no ending?!  Really.  For me, that's a very big downside of the game.  Otherwise, I have already beaten Kazuya and I am using Devil Jin to try and beat the Scenario Campaign as cheaply as possible.  Another problem I freaking hate are the the lag times the game suffers which wasn't a problem in Tekken 5.

For Azazel, I'd say he's one incredibly challenging boss character.  Why is that?  First he's freaking huge and two, you need to master combos to beat him easier.  Worse, Azazel has a lot of unblockable moves that will force you to dodge a lot.  I would say that he basically has to be Tekken's most challenging boss and it's just fair he's never playable due to him being too powerful.

Graphics and audio: Not much to comment, they're still very good.

Overall: 

You should still get this game if you're a true Tekken fan.  If you find what I say about Scenario Campaign painful, avert.  But if you want the challenge, pick it up!

Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition for the PS3

Well I guess it's time for me to review Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition komprehensively now I'll be writing everything Kombat-style in this review.  So this is the PS3 version, komplete edition to which you can already play with Freddie Kruger, Skarlet, Kenshin, Rain and Cyber Sub-Zero from the start (while the Story Mode still erroneously says you unlocked Cyber Sub-Zero and Quan Chi when you achieved something. =P  So I'd like to give my komprehensive review.

Plot: 

The story is after Armageddon and it is an alternate dimension or perhaps a cycle of rebirth.  So everybody died in Armageddon, Raiden seeks to strike Shao Kahn at the past or is it?  It's more like a cycle of reincarnation later, the MK timeline was reborn and things re-occur differently.  Much has changed like for example, some characters who were supposed to be in MK2-3 were in the MK1 part, Sub-Zero becomes a cyborg instead of Smoke in his next life, Kung Lao got to fight Kintaro in the place of Liu Kang, Liu Kang meets Kitana earlier in his next life, etc. to which is komplicated.  So Raiden after being destroyed in Armageddon says, "He must win." reverting back to the past or maybe the cycle of rebirth, remembering everything and his next life to which he is the thunder god again got that message only to keep screwing up.  Really Raiden?  So he was a wise thunder god in his past life and a stupid one in the present?  I thought that he made one mistake after the other in the reborn continuity to prevent another Armageddon (or to prevent Armageddon).  Pretty much, the story has even reverted some stuff like Mileena was only awakened later compared to that in her past life where she and Kitana grew up together.  Play the story mode to find out how the events have been altered after the cycle of reincarnation continues.

Gameplay:

Unlike the previous 3D Mortal Kombat games where they had the turning around in circles (MKDA, MK Deception and MK Armageddon), this game goes back the 2D plane to where the rather awful MK vs. DC failed.  What makes this game easier to access is that it actually has a semi-Tekken feel with its one button for each corresponding limb, easy to use kombos and even a beginner can learn faster.  Meanwhile there's much kontent to look up to in this game which can be found in the Krypt.  So you might as well start playing to start earning bonus items such as costumes.

So what do I think of the gameplay in fighting?  So with the fighting, it's very interesting to go with easier, accessible while going to deep gameplay like Tekken 6 does.  So you get the button for each limb learning to combo in with special moves, it creates such a sensation. The 2D plane makes it easier with a more focused kombat.  For Kombat, I do like the Enhanced Moves to the super risky X-Ray Moves.  For X-Ray moves, I find them VERY violent but at the same time funny.  The X-Ray Move is when you're at a FULL METER and then you execute the move, you cause a brutal attack that causes a lot of internal damage that could have easily killed your opponent or severe damage yet even after some teeth fly off, ribs break, etc. they still survive and have a complete set of teeth?  Hmmm... while it's a cool feature but I would rather prefer an Ultra Combo similar to Killer Instinct instead.

I had a thought with fighting bosses they can get very annoying and challenging at the same time.  While it's fair enough that Shang Tsung CANNOT morph into anybody at will except his opponent (he has to do the soul steal move) the CPU Shang Tsung can morph giving the nostalgic feel of MK1-2 at the same time making him an annoying boss- feels nice to finish him after that!  For Kintaro/Goro my complaint is that why Kintaro's battle doesn't happen at Kahn's Arena instead.  For Shao Kahn while he is definitely easier than MK Trilogy Shao Kahn but he has that super duper annoying UNBLOCKABLE hammer that when hit, it gives him the chance to be ultra cheap.  I just thought I had my complaint is that I can't play as the bosses without a hack which is a downside for me.

Just Started Playing Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition

Well I started playing Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition.  One way or another, it's really a fresh new game- back to the 2D plane, follows a Tekken-like gameplay but only more accessible imo and perhaps a real fresh start for MK in itself.  So yeah, I would agree that Raiden's very stupid in the game, made me want to kill him everytime.  So what am I currently doing right now?  Made me think...

1.) Learning to use some characters.  Liu Kang is still my all time favorite and I LOVE beating up Raiden using him for the stupidity Raiden is in the rebirth timelime.

2.) Babalities are back.  Made me want for Friendships instead. =(

3.) Woohoo!  Living Forest fatality!  Why didn't that come so soon?! XD

4.) It definitely is entertaining as Angry Joe said.  I started playing Story Mode and man the reboot is entertaining but I wish I could skip the cinematic scenes though. =(

5.) Finished one level of arcade mode.  It's very smooth.  In fact fighting Goro/Kintaro and Shao Kahn is NOT as difficult as previous MK games.  Nope the cheating CPU is not much of a problem if you ask me.  I just thought though fighting a non-playable Shang Tsung who can morph into anyone is hard but not as hard as the MK1 Shang Tsung! =P

6.) So pretty much, I am starting to unlock a few hot items.

7.) Pretty much, Fatalities are easier to execute but I wish the Fatality stance was still available.

8.) When will Mortal Kombat get rid of that Block Button?! XD

9.) Having a partial Tekken-like combo is nice but I wish it had more moves.

Well just a few thoughts.  Definitely it's a great game... now only if I can bash Raiden a lot of times!