Outside the Game is the chance for Player2’s writers to inform our readers on what is happening with video game properties in the world of movies, TV, books and music. If it is game-related in a different form of media, you will find it here.
Outside the Game - An Arcane Convert, Cult of the Lamb Goes Metal and Raiding More Tombs
Arcane: Season 1 Blu-ray Review
In the last edition of Outside the Game, I talked about the release of Arcane’s first season on Blu-ray, well thanks to the local distributor, I have gotten my hands on that Blu-ray and have given it the attention it deserves. Let me make this clear from the outset here. I am in now way any sort of League of Legends expert. In fact, I have never played LoL in my life. I have dabbled in the side projects, but never the main game so I was coming into this completely blind.
But you know what? That didn’t matter in the slightest. I am sure there are Easter eggs and subtle nods for fans of the game to pick up on during the show, but for me, a complete newbie, this was the perfect introduction to this amazingly detailed and well-realised world that Riot has created. The basics of the story are that two orphaned sisters, adopted by a respected figure in the slums, are part of a small gang of thieves who accidentally detonate a magical object during a heist in the uptown section of the city. This then causes a chain reaction that separates the two of them, with one becoming the right-hand man for a drug lord with ambitions of grandeur and the other being imprisoned for many years before being let out by a policewoman investigating the drugs. The two sisters find themselves on the opposite side of things and conflict ensues. Meanwhile, scientists are working on a way to meld science and magic and maybe opening Pandora’s box in the process.
The whole thing is wonderfully detailed without ever feeling like it is speaking in jargon, which often is a trap these sorts of shows fall into. What helps to sell the whole concept however is the high-quality voice acting from the entire cast. The lead roles are especially wonderful with everyone giving a tip-top performance. Special mention has to go to both Hailee Steinfeld as Vi and Fallout’s Ella Purnell as the adult Pepper/Jinx, as they manage to standout even among the amazing performances put in by everyone else.
On the animation side of things, I was also suitably impressed. The animation style is crisp and clean, but it is interjected with some visually stunning moments that take the animation in an almost “Spider-verse” direction. There are some really interesting techniques on display and every time they were used it enhanced what was happening on screen and never felt like the animators were just doing it because they could. As for the rest of the show, the fight scenes, while not happening often, are worth a special mention because they were just beautiful in motion. Very violent, but beautiful all the same.
There are a couple of issues I have with the show though and they mainly sit in the story side of things. Look away now if you want to avoid some light spoilers. I feel like the romantic thread between Vi and Caitlyn was rushed and not really earned. There was much made about the two from either side of the tracks falling for each other but I don’t think the story really highlighted why or how it happened, one minute they are fighting together, and the next it is unrequited love. The other problem I had was the cliffhanger ending, which thankfully gets resolved in a few days. It isn’t that I have an issue with cliffhangers (though with the way Netflix just happily cancels stuff, it was a risky call) they still need to have some resolutions at the end of the season and I just don’t think there was enough here. It just felt like the end of another episode with story threads open everywhere.
Those niggles are very minor when put into context because with Arcane, viewers are getting 9 tip-top episodes of smashing animation that is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. The Blu-ray release comes with a host of extras, including making-of docos, featurettes and a host of scene breakdowns that are all worth watching. It is also worth noting that the transfer is great and there is a noticeable difference in quality between Netflix in 1080 and the the Blu-ray quality. I can only imagine the 4k version really takes this to the next level. Frankly, Arcane is a must watch and it easily gets a recommendation from me.
Head Bang with the Cult of the Lamb
The Cult of the Lamb success story just keeps on keeping on as it now looks to take on the world of heavy metal with an album put together by some serious metal musicians. A six-track EP called Hymns of the Unholy has been released and it features tracks by some pretty big names including Matthew Heafy from Trivium and Howard Jones from Killswitch Engage.
The album can be listened to on your favourite streaming app or if you are a Vinyl head like me, can be purchased from the Devolver Digital Merch store. The full tracklisting is below along with the video for the first song off the album, Cult. I suggest everyone who likes to bang their head now and then should check it out.
Track List:
- “CULT” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Howard Jones (Light The Torch, Sion, ex-Killswitch Engage), Scott LePage (Polyphia) & Mike Malyan (ex-Monuments)
- “CHAOS” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Matthew K. Heafy (Trivium) & Mike Malyan
- “FAMINE” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Howard Jones, Scott LePage & Mike Malyan
- “PESTILENCE” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Matthew K. Heafy, Javier Reyes (Animals As Leaders) & Mike Malyan
- “CONQUEST” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Howard Jones, Josh Baines (Malevolence), Clay Gober (Polyphia) & Mike Malyan
“DEATH” – Performed by Pick Up Goliath feat. Matthew K. Heafy, Sean Long (While She Sleeps) & Mike Malyan
More Tombs Ahead for Lara on Netflix
In a recent blog published by Netflix, they announced that Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is coming back for a second season. I find this to be a bit of a surprise really because while the first season was pretty solid, it wasn’t at the same level as Netflix’s other Anime productions like Castlevania or Arcane and it never seemed to generate the same buzz. But it is clear the name Lara Croft still carries some weight and I will be happy to see how they expand on the solid platform laid down by the first season.
In the blog, Showrunner Tasha Huo teased her vision for Lara’s character evolution in Season 2: “So Season 1, thematically, is about Lara embracing how her dad dealt with grief, which was isolating. When we meet Lara, she’s very isolated … As we get into Season 2, we’re trying to build Lara’s team over the course of the show, so she goes from isolated hero, who only wants to do things on her own — a lone wolf — to realizing, ‘Actually, I have this really cool team behind me.’ ”
It’s a cool concept and I am looking forward to how it plays out. In the meantime, season one is available to watch in its entirety on Netflix right now.
