1-2 Switch First Impressions - Part 1

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to try out Nintendo's new Switch console over my brother's place. He waited in line for over 12 hours with a group of his friends and fellow Nintendo fanatics just to be one of the first people to experience the new console. He picked up The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild (duh!) and 1-2 Switch, a collection of 28 party games meant to show off what the Switch is capable of with its Joy-Con controllers and HD rumble. We played through all 28 mini-games that 1-2 Switch had to offer. I'll post about 7 games each day and tell you what I think of each.

Quick Draw and Fake Draw

I'm grouping these two games together since they're essentially the same experience with a minor twist. Quick Draw pits two players against each other in an Old Western type of duel. Staring into each other's eyes each player holds a Joy-Con on their side like a gun in a holster. When given the command to fire, whoever is quickest to point their Joy-Con at their opponent and press the trigger wins! Based solely on reaction time, I had fun with this one and even beat my brother twice in a row before he got a shot in before me. Fake Draw is the same game except it takes place at nighttime and tries to throw the players off by shouting words besides Fire, like Floor, Fly and File. A disqualification occurs if a gun is drawn on any of these words.

Baseball

When the Wii first came out with Wii Sports, Baseball was one of the games offered on the disc and the same goes for 1-2 Switch. Unfortunately this time around the experience isn't too fun. Just like Quick Draw, Baseball has the two players facing each other as one pitches the ball and the other attempts to hit it. The pitcher simply does a throwing motion while holding one of two buttons on the Joy-Con (ZR or R) to throw either a Fastball or a Change-up. As the ball is thrown the batter will have to listen to the sound of the throw through their Joy-Con speaker to try to figure out when to swing. It's difficult to know exactly when to swing and is a bit frustrating at times. It also seems pretty inconsistent with how some swings warrant a home run while others result in an instant out, as they go right into the hands of an imaginary player on the field that isn't there. Overall Baseball on 1-2 Switch is forgettable, especially with how much deeper the Wii Sports version was, and that came out 10 years ago!

    After playing Baseball once, you'll more than likely not want to play again

Gorilla

This game came as a surprise to me as I didn't know it was in 1-2 Switch! Gorilla has the two players compete for the affection of a female gorilla (with a bow on her head!) that's shyly hiding in the bushes. Players listen to the sound cues that the female gorilla chants and must move their arms in time to the rhythm in a chest-pounding motion. The player who most closely matches the rhythm is declared the winner. This was one of my favorite games to play and had everyone watching laughing as kisses were blown to both me and my brother as we did our best Donkey Kong impersonations.

Treasure Chest

These game feels the most Mario Party esque and is just like a mini-game you would find while partying with your favorite plumber and his friends. The object is to unwind a chain from your treasure chest and open it quicker than your opponent. To do this you must rotate the Joy-Con in the direction the chain is going. We had a lot of fun with this one and glad we were given a break from staring into each other's eyes. 

Copy Dance

This game had my brother and I busting out dance moves while the other person had to copy said moves. It was funny to do the most outlandish dance moves we could and watch as the other person tried to copy them. We had a blast!

  Copy Dance will have you smiling the whole time you play it!

Zen

Zen challenges both players to match an on-screen pose and hold their position as long as they can. Every time you move a little too much the candle on your side will go down. Whoever's candle goes out first loses! This was both fun and difficult as you needed to remain steady and keep your balance with some of these. Pro Tip: Never attempt to play this after leg day at the gym!

Have you tried 1-2 Switch yet? If so let me know your thoughts in the comment section below! I will post Part 2 tomorrow describing my impressions of 7 more games from 1-2 Switch.
 

Book Review - Wizardex I: The North Country

Today I'm stepping into new territory by reviewing a book I recently read. The title is Wizardex I: The North Country and it's written by Michael Perry, a dear friend of mine who I first met in college orientation during the summer of 2005 at SUNY Oneonta. Thanks for sharing your book with me Mike!

In what I hope is the first book in a series of many, Wizardex I: The North Country follows the story of six friends who are granted magical powers by objects known as lesser stones. An evil plot is underfoot to upset the peaceful balance that has existed among humans, elves and dwarves for many years and it's up to Rudgaf the red wizard, his wizard friends and the beautiful elf Ramona to stop it from happening.

The tale starts with Rudgaf receiving a letter from the dwarven king Moldof asking him to investigate an attack that occurred on the elven city of Behnon. Rudgaf begins his journey south and eventually meets the quick witted female elf Ramona who accompanies him. Along the way they are met with great challenges and deadly foes, but luckily Rudgaf and Ramona are no strangers to fighting. Rudgaf is a master of fire-based magic, while Ramona has an expert dexterity when it comes to daggers.

As I read through the story I couldn't help but fall in love with the personalities of both Rudgaf and Ramona and the dynamic that exists between them. Rudgaf, while being wise and cautious, can also be quick to act and compassionate. Ramona on the other hand is sarcastic and playful as well as someone who cares too much and lets her feelings get the best of her at times. The other wizards, notably Danagan, Lord of the Grey and Joem, Lord of the Yellow also captivated me with their thief-like and voice of reason personas respectively.

The encounters that Ramona and Rudgaf have with both a horrifying Hydra and other menacing foes are the most exciting aspects of the book and always had me at the edge of my seat. Without revealing too much about the plot, the main antagonist reminded me of a Voldemort-like fellow who could do great damage to the lesser stone wizards, both physically and psychologically and I can't wait to see what he's planning next. The character development in Wizardex I: The North Country is Mr. Perry's greatest strength and what will have me coming back for future installments in the Wizardex series.

The settings he paints are also imaginative and I could see them vividly while reading as he goes in great depth of detail to describe them in his writing. The 264 page length of the story can be finished in a handful of sittings and while I enjoyed it immensely, I was left wanting to read more about happens next in the intricate story that Mr. Perry has created.

Well done my friend, I only hope that my reunion with Rudgaf and Ramona comes sooner, rather than later.

My review: 4.5/5 Cheese Steaks

Wizardex I: The North Country was released on November 14, 2016 and can be found in both a Kindle and paperback version on Amazon here. The Kindle version is $2.99, while the paperback version is $24.99. 

 

7 Games in 2017 that I'm excited for

2017 marks a new year filled with new games to play. My resolution this year?...Play a lot more games than I did in 2016. Lucky for me, 2017 is shaping up to be a huge year of must-play games being released. Below you will find the 7 games that I am most excited to get my hands on this year.

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Microsoft Windows)
Release Date: January 24, 2017

Resident Evil is a series that will always be close to my heart (mostly for making it beat faster) and with RE 7 coming out next week I can't help but get that feeling of dread and helplessness within me once more. After playing the Beginning Hour demo I'm certain that this will be the scariest RE title that I have ever experienced. The newly implemented 1st person perspective provides a whole new layer of fear of not knowing what's in the room with you and with headphones on it will be even more heart wrenching. I can't even imagine how scary it will be to play this one in VR on the PS4! After the less than satisfactory Resident Evil 6, Capcom is bound to bounce back and impress us with this new must-experience title for horror game fans. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Wii U  
Release Date: March 3, 2017

The Legend of Zelda has always been a staple of Nintendo consoles and is one of the most played game series among Nintendo fans. From all the footage I have seen of the game, Breath of the Wild looks astonishing on both the Wii U and the Switch. This time around an open world environment exists and allows the player to explore any of the game's dungeons in whichever order they see fit. The combat also looks intuitive and the voice acting (a series first!) and music seem top-notch. This is the first time I have been genuinely excited for a Zelda game since Wind Waker on the Gamecube and once March comes around you can expect to see me playing this on my Wii U.

Yooka-Laylee
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Windows), Mac, Linux, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: April 11, 2017

Way back when the Nintendo 64 was at the height of its popularity there came a game called Banjo-Kazooie created by the company Rare. It had tight platforming, inventive puzzles, catchy music and a slew of memorable characters. A sequel titled Banjo-Tooie came out a couple years later and continued to build on what made the first game so great with new levels to explore. Unfortunately after Tooie, Rare was bought out by Microsoft and the series wasn't utilized to its fullest after that. Fast forward to now and we are about to be met by its spiritual successor Yooka-Laylee, a game made by ex-members of Rare in the newly formed Playtonic Games. Everything about the game looks to be on par with what fans of the Banjo-Kazooie series were hoping for. This will be a day one purchase for me and a dream come true after waiting for 16 years!

    
Cuphead
Platforms: Xbox One, PC (Microsoft Windows)
Release Date: Mid-2017

New run and gun games are hard to come by, but lucky for us Canadian brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer had the vision of Cuphead in their minds. Inspired by old-timey cartoons (specifically the 1930s), Cuphead follows the story of Cuphead and his friend Mugman as they must repay a debt to the devil after losing a bet. With gameplay reminiscent of Contra and Gunstar Heroes, Cuphead looks like it will be an absolute blast to play. Its art style is also something that hasn't really been done before in a game and the hand-drawn animations and painted backgrounds look great. If you ever wanted to experience a run and gun game starring characters that look like they came out of a classic Disney cartoon than look no further than Cuphead.

Splatoon 2
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Summer 2017

Just a week ago Nintendo had their Switch presentation revealing all sorts of new games for their new home console/portable hybrid. One of these was Splatoon 2, the sequel to 2015's Splatoon and it looks awesome! Splatoon in a way redefined Nintendo and their online community by providing a competitive shooter on the Wii U console that was still family-friendly and a lot of fun to play. Splatoon 2 adds new weapons, specials, gear and stages to the mix, all while keeping the fast-paced strategic gameplay and team battles intact. While I may not be getting a Switch on day one, Splatoon 2 might be the reason I pick one up when the game launches this summer.

Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC (Windows), Mac, Linux
Release Date: TBD 2017

Crowdfunded on Kickstarter back in 2015, Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove is finally coming (fingers crossed) this year. Toejam and Earl made their first appearance on the Sega Genesis back in the early 90s and the rest is history. TJ & E are two aliens from Funkotron that crash landed on Earth and had to find the missing pieces of their spaceship so that they could go home. While on Earth they had to deal with annoying earthlings that provided trouble for them at every turn. Back in the Groove is a retelling of this story with elements of both Genesis titles thrown in as well as some new ones to be seen. Anyone who loved the funky, hip-hop duo of aliens in the original games is sure to find something to love in Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove when it hits later this year. 

Super Mario Odyssey
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release Date: Holiday 2017

Everyone loves Mario right? Sadly I have to admit that I wasn't impressed by Mario's last few console outings. While the Super Mario Galaxy titles were great in their own way, I just didn't care enough to finish either of them. With Super Mario Odyssey, Mario seems to be going back to his roots in more of an open-world level design like the ones found in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. This time around Mario visits many different locations including a New York City like area and uses his hat to jump across wide chasms and reach higher areas. The story of Odyssey also made me laugh as you must help Mario prevent a wedding between Bowser and Princess Peach from happening. I don't remember the last time I was this excited for a Mario game and you should be too when it hits stores this Holiday season!


What games are you most excited for that are coming out in 2017? Let me know in the comments section below or on Facebook!

Fran Bow Review

Fran Bow is the first game I completed in 2017. A point-and-click adventure game that throws horror and hallucinations into the mix, Fran Bow is creepy and oftentimes unsettling. You take control of the character Fran Bow Dagenhart as you try to figure out who killed your parents and left them bloody and dismembered in their bedroom. After discovering this horrific scene Fran runs into the nearby forest outside of her house with her black cat Mr. Midnight and collapses on the ground. She is later found by police and taken to a mental institute for children.

This is where the game begins as you try to figure out who butchered your parents and why you have been brought to this institute. After a recent session with your psychiatrist Dr. Deern, he gives you a new type of medicine called Duotine. The medicine is supposed to "create a door between the subconscious and conscious," and when Fran takes it she sees hallucinations of morbid scenes involving the people and objects around her. 

Taking a Duotine pill will allow Fran to see characters and items she couldn't see before and allows her to progress through the game further. After finding items you'll have to figure out what they are used for and oftentimes you will even have to combine certain items (just like the classic Resident Evil Titles) to make new items. While this can be frustrating at times, with a little bit of thought and experimentation you'll be solving Fran Bow's puzzles in no time.

 Just some of the many items you will find in Fran Bow

Without saying too much about the story, as I don't want to spoil it, Fran Bow gets progressively more frightening and unsettling as you get closer to the end. It also isn't for the faint of heart or those that don't do well with blood and horrific scenes. I love horror games, but even I found myself cringing at some of the images I was shown. The music and sound effects also do a great job of encouraging uneasiness.

If you can get past the extremely high level of creepiness, you're in for a treat. The main appeal of Fran Bow is the imaginative characters and environments you'll encounter throughout the game and their interactions with Fran. Killmonday also did a great job of including a great amount of lore and detail into the story. The illustrations and art style also made me feel like I was reading a children's storybook at times and I couldn't help but think of Alice in Wonderland as I played.

    Speaking with the many inhabitants of the world is a must to progress

The five chapters found within Fran Bow are storytelling at its finest and definitely worth the ride. Everyone who plays will likely interpret the story differently, as it's left up to your imagination and the clues left throughout the game.

Overall, Fran Bow is a game that I will remember for a long time due to the sheer shock value associated with it and the disturbing scenes I bared witness to. If you're the type of person who enjoys a good story and can handle blood and guts then I highly suggest experiencing Killmonday's game.

My Review: 8/10

 

My Top Video Games of 2016

Another year is over and we're left with more new game releases than we can count. 2016 saw many new options for us to indulge in, covering just about every genre we can think of. That being said, here are my favorite games of 2016 that I played. I'm also going to include some honorable mentions that I have not played, but games my friends loved that came out this year.

My Top 5 Games of the Year (in no particular order):
 
1)

The Witness
Available on: PC,
PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Developer: Thekla Inc
Publisher: Thekla Inc
Created by:
Jonathan Blow

Initial Release: January 26, 2016


After fully embracing the PC gaming life (and buying a capable tower), The Witness was one of the first games I downloaded to experience on my new machine. I followed the game for most of its development cycle and couldn't wait to get my hands on the creator of Braid's next game. I wasn't let down. The Witness provides a serene environment to explore with mysteries hidden at every corner. Best described as a 1st Person Puzzle/Adventure game, it left me speechless with its aesthetically pleasing surroundings, calming sounds of nature and clever puzzle design. If you love exploration games and using your brain then this one is for you.

2)

Pokémon Sun and Moon
Available on: Nintendo 3DS

Developer:
Game Freak
Publisher: The Pokémon Company

Release Date: November 18, 2016


I've been a huge Pokémon fan since I was 12 and received a copy of Pokémon Yellow as a gift to play on my Game Boy Color. Ever since that first adventure with my Pikachu by my side, I knew that Nintendo and Game Freak had something special, but little did I know how much sticking power the series would have over the years. Whether I was 12 or in college, I always found something to like about each new version of Pokémon that would come out. Pokémon Sun and Moon is no exception to this and is hands-down one of my favorite Pokémon games of all-time. Some improvements include HM moves being eliminated entirely and a reminder of what moves are effective and ineffective while in battle. Couple this in with an interesting story and the best visuals I've seen in a Pokémon game and you've got one of my top picks of 2016.

3)

Doom
Available on: PlayStation 4,
Xbox One, PC (Windows)

Developer: id Software
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks 

Release Date: May 13, 2016 






Gamers know Doom as the 1st Person Shooter where, as a space marine, you must take out all the demons of Hell in your pathway before they do the same to you. To survive you must utilize a wide variety of weapons including a chainsaw, rocket launcher, and other moddable guns such as a shotgun and assault rifle. Using quick thinking and an even quicker trigger finger, this game brings back the fond memories of the first two Doom games, while providing an updated take that includes impressive graphics and near flawless gameplay. Look no further than 2016's Doom if you're looking for a fast, satisfying and frantic shooter. Oh yeah the BFG is back too!

4)

Mario Party: Star Rush
Available on: Nintendo 3DS

Developer: Nd Cube
Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: November 4, 2016








Mario Party is one of my all time favorite game series. I loved the original games on the Nintendo 64 and even the majority of them on the Gamecube, but things started to go south in the Wii releases for Mario and his friends. Mario Party 8, 9 and 10 were all pretty lackluster and somehow lost the magic that I grew to love with the earlier games. Since then I have patiently been waiting for the next great Mario Party title and Mario Party: Star Rush is it. Gone is the traditional everyone take turns and rolls individually format, but also gone is the move as a group mechanic found within the Wii games. Instead we are given a breath of fresh air as every player rolls a dice block at the same time and moves simultaneously within the game board, collecting coins and stars to their hearts content. Mini-games are also abundant and I can happily say that their design is smart and enjoyable, making great use of the 3DS hardware. The best part of Star Rush however is that only one copy of the game is needed for 4 people to play (As long as everyone has their own 3DS!) after downloading a free guest pass. While it isn't without its issues, Mario Party: Star Rush still remains my Multiplayer Game of the Year because it reignited my love of playing games in the same room with my closest friends and family.  

5)

Inside
Available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC (Windows)

Developer: Playdead
Publisher: Playdead

Initial Release: 
June 29, 2016



Playdead, known as the guys who made Limbo, are back again with their latest effort Inside. Coming out 6 years after Limbo, the game follows the story of a young boy who breaks into a research facility for unknown reasons. Using the same two-dimensional platforming gameplay that was first seen in Limbo, you must control the boy to solve puzzles and avoid being captured by scientists. The whole game has no dialogue, but instead focuses on detailed sound effects and musical cues. One wrong step or move can lead you right to the boy's grisly death. Figuring out why you are there and the motivations of the boy make for a truly engrossing story that can be left up to interpretation. A must-play and a work of art.

Honorable Mentions

Best PS4 Exclusive: 

 

Best Xbox One Exclusive:

Best Wii U Exclusive:

Best Single Player Experiences:

Best Multiplayer Game:

Best Shooters:

Most Difficult Game:

Biggest Disappointments:

 
So there you have it, the Top Games of 2016! Do you agree with my list and the honorable mentions? Which games did I leave out that you feel deserve recognition of being great games that came out last year? Let me know in the comments!

Plants vs. Zombies Heroes Review (iOS)

Everyone knows Plants vs. Zombies. The original app/game released in 2009 and since then just about every living person has tried their hand in defending their front lawn from incessant zombies. While the game was loads of fun and involved some strategic thinking, it got old after awhile. A second PvZ title involving time travel was launched 4 years later, but contained more of the same gameplay we had grown accustomed to.

With Plants vs. Zombies Heroes we’re given a fresh experience that dives into the Collectible Card Game (CCG) genre. Gone is the tower defense formula that PvZ made itself known for and instead comes a game similar to the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh, Magic: The Gathering, the Pokemon Trading Card Game and of course Hearthstone.

Like those games, the player is encouraged to put together their best 40 card deck in hopes of defeating their opponents in a duel. To start they pick their hero from either the plant side or the zombie side. The matches will always consist of a plant team going up against a zombie team and there are 10 Heroes that can be used on either side. While there’s only a couple of heroes available from the get-go, more can be unlocked as the game is played more.

Once a hero is chosen, the player will then construct their deck based on the cards that are available to them. One thing to note is that each hero has 2 different colors associated with them and they can only use cards that share a color with them in their decks. For example the zombie hero Super Brainz has the attributes of Brainy and Sneaky so he can only use cards that are pink and black in his deck. Making decks with each hero will allow players to use other cards that may not be available to them if they only play as a specific hero like Super Brainz.

As you continue to play, more cards with different abilities can be unlocked by purchasing in-game booster packs with either in-game currency or real money. The more you play, the more currency you’ll earn allowing you to buy more packs and have more cards at your disposal to make better decks. Real money can be dished out to speed up the process, but I haven’t put a single cent into the game yet and have still unlocked a ton of new cards.

That’s a major part of what makes PvZ Heroes so great. Your deck is constantly getting better by subbing out your old cards with the new rarer cards you earn. Opening a pack to find a card that would fit perfectly in your Solar Flare Sunflower deck is rewarding and provides a great incentive to keep playing especially if you want to beat the pants, or should I say plants, off of real players.

Here’s how the gameplay works. Each battle has the same goal, deplete your opponent’s 20 life points before they depletes yours. The layout of each battle shows a top-down view of the playing field with the Zombie hero on one side and the Plant hero on the other side and is played vertically. Just like the original PvZ, there are 5 lanes in which you can place your plants or zombies, 3 of which are normal ground level lanes and then 1 elevated and 1 water lane. Some plants and zombies receive attack bonuses or have abilities that are specific to the elevated lane while others are deemed as aquatic and are the only ones that can be placed in the water lane.

Each round always plays out the same way with the zombie team playing their zombie(creature) cards first, followed by the plant team playing their plants and other cards (power-up/damage/draw cards). After the plants team plays, the zombie team is then given an opportunity to play “trick” cards that can either weaken or destroy plants, power-up and move their zombies to a better spot on the board or even allow them to draw cards. At the end of each round, plants and zombies that are in the same lane will attack each other, so strategy must be used to calculate how plants and zombies will match up given their attack power and life totals. If a lane is vacant on one side while there is a plant or zombie on the other side that creature will do damage to the opposing player’s hero. 

It makes for good fun as you’ll never know exactly what cards are in each deck you’ll face, making planning a strategy all the more enticing. That along with the seemingly endless amount of different cards that can be found in booster packs (not sure if they’ll add more as time goes on) make this a game I’ll be playing for the foreseeable future.

While the single player mode is great for learning the basics and seeing how some cards work together, the online multiplayer is where the game truly shines. Outsmarting a real opponent that put together a deck just like you is so much more rewarding and fun than defeating a computer player. Some of the matches I had with online opponents were teeth-grittingly close and had me at the edge of my seat, especially one where I only had 1 life left on my hero that I won. Another opponent who I outplayed even rage-quitted on me before I could hit his hero with the final blow. Matchmaking was also problem free as I found an opponent pretty quickly each time. At the time of this writing though there seems to be a lot more Plant players than Zombie players, so I stick with my Electric Boogaloo Zombie deck most of the time to ensure I can always find an opponent.

Plants vs. Zombies Heroes is my new favorite addiction and I can’t wait to defeat even more difficult opponents online! I just wonder how much staying power it will have and if  (and how often) new cards will be released making its lasting appeal uncertain for now.

My Rating: 8.5/10

Sum 41 - 13 Voices Review

Since the 9th grade, I've been a Sum 41 fan. When their first album All Killer No Filler was released in 2001, it was hard not to fall in love with songs like "In Too Deep," "Fat Lip" and "Motivation." As a teenager in my first year of high school, this was one of the first albums I owned and a catchy one at that.

Through the 15 years from then to now I've bought every CD put out by the band and listened religiously to each one. I still even occasionally play songs from each album on my car rides. So where does Deryck and the rest of the Sums (including Dave Brownsound!) latest offering land in the spectrum of all that is Sum 41? Does it ride with the greats like Chuck and Does This Look Infected?, or does it fall flat like the atrocity that was Underclass Hero?

The short answer...somewhere in the middle.

Sum 41 original members Steve Jocz, Cone McCaslin, Deryck Whibley and Dave Baksh

Here's a brief history lesson in Sum 41: Originally consisting of these 4 guys, Baksh (aka Brownsound) left the band in 2006 to work with his new band and was replaced with Tom Thacker on guitars. Later Jocz (Stevo 32) left the band in 2013 and was replaced with Frank Zummo on drums in 2015. It was that same year that Baksh later rejoined the band to contribute his heavy ass-kicking guitar solos and riffs to Sum 41 once more.

With Dave Baksh once again as part of the lineup, the sound found in 13 Voices has undergone a significant overhaul when compared with the two albums that came out before it, Underclass Hero and Screaming Bloody Murder.

  
That being said let's get into the songs that comprise 13 Voices, which I will divide up into chunks:

Intro (First 3 songs on the album)
Consists of: "A Murder of Crows"/"Goddamn I'm Dead Again"/"Fake My Own Death"

Wow...just wow. Easily the best part of the album is the beginning. These 3 tracks made me fall in love with Sum 41 all over again. Starting with "A Murder of Crows," the subtle lead up into the heavy guitar riffs coupled with the powerfully mesmerizing drums and Deryck once again at the helm of his band is simply breathtaking. This leads right into "Goddamn I'm Dead Again," a perfect combination of Deryck's energized lyrics and Dave's quick fingers on the guitar, an absence that was sorely missed. From there we head into "Fake My Own Death," the first single off of 13 Voices, and a great one at that. The song takes everything we have loved about Sum 41 through the years and amplifies it, but more importantly Deryck, Cone and Dave are all jamming out together in full force. Easily my favorite song off the album. It also doesn't hurt that they poke fun at popular internet memes in the video.

A still from the "Fake My Own Death" music video 

Middle (Songs 4-7)

Consists of: "Breaking the Chain"/"There Will Be Blood"/"13 Voices"/"War"

This is where 13 Voices starts to lose some steam. While I like "Breaking the Chain," it sounds a little too much like a Linkin Park song to me, both in formula and execution. Don't get me wrong I like Linkin Park, it's just that Sum 41 never had this LP sort of sound to any of their songs so it threw me off. Not the worst song on the album by any stretch, inspirational even, just not my favorite. "There Will Be Blood" takes the prize of worst song on 13 Voices. I'm not sure what to make of it. It sounds like a mashing together of multiple Pop/Punk bands into one very messy song that doesn't really know its own identity. Even Dave Baksh's guitar playing can't save this one. Next we have "13 Voices," which starts out almost as an intermission song smack-dab in the middle of the album and then quickly turns into an adrenaline fueled guitar and drum pairing followed up by Deryck's vocals. I can't help but feel this one sounds a lot like some of their previously released songs, especially from Screaming Bloody Murder. Kind of a let down when you know they can come up with more original ideas for songs. Last, but not least in this block is "War," another inspirational piece telling of how Deryck overcame Alcoholism and became a stronger, better person with his sobriety and while the message of the song is a good one, it didn't provide me with much of a spark like some of the other songs did.

 While "War" provides some insight into Deryck's struggle with Alcoholism, it's kind of boring

End (Songs 8-10)

Consists of: "God Save Us All (Death to POP)"/"The Fall and the Rise"/"Twisted by Design"

The 8th track comes in the lackluster song of "God Save Us All (Death to POP)," another song that sounds like Sum 41 is trying to copy another band's style, almost as if they worked together with Green Day on this one. Nothing too memorable about it, although I would consider it a good song to get my blood pumping on the treadmill while at the gym. Next we have "The Fall and the Rise," a joint effort by all the guys contributing their vocals along with a catchy guitar riff and drums that compliment it all nicely. Unfortunately this one also reminds me of Linkin Park and a song that appeared on Sum's Underclass Hero album. As a result it doesn't feel original and kind of like we got the short end of the stick on this one. Last we have "Twisted by Design," another one of my favorite songs. Deryck's delivery is spot on and the band plays well together on this final hurrah of 13 Voices, easily one of the better songs off the album.

While 13 Voices only has 10 tracks, the version of it sold at Target has an additional 4 bonus tracks, which I'll talk about below.

Bonus (11-14)

Consists of: "Better Days"/"Black Eyes"/"War (Acoustic)"/"Breaking the Chain (Acoustic)"

"Better Days" offers another fast-paced Sum song and is catchy. Only about 2 minutes in length, but good nonetheless. "Black Eyes" sounds a lot like "Count Your Last Blessings" from Underclass Hero, not bad though. The acoustic versions of "War" and "Breaking the Chain" on the other hand are fantastic. I always felt acoustic versions of songs had more emotion within them and Deryck succeeds in performing two songs that I feel are both better than their originals with this added realness and peaceful guitar strums accompanying them.

   

So where would I put 13 Voices in the Sum 41 catalog? Here is my list of Sum 41 albums from most to least favorite:

1. Chuck

2. Does this Look Infected

3. All Killer No Filler

4. 13 Voices

5. Screaming Bloody Murder

6. Underclass Hero

There you have it. 13 Voices is simply a good Sum 41 album that fairs better than their last two album releases due to Dave (Brownsound) Baksh's return to the band in all his guitar playing glory. The absence of Stevo on drums is a bummer though as I would have loved to have the original band all back together again.

I give 13 Voices 3 out of 5 stars