Hey guys, this will be my first of many upcoming montage reviews. Montages will be graded in 2 categories, gameplay and editing. There will also be some "extra thoughts" after these 2 categories which also affect the montage's overall grade. Anyways, I've decided to start off with one of the top Conduit montages so far, A Beast At Heart
Here's a link to A Beast At Heart if you haven't seen it or simply would like to watch it once more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0lhyjh4Jo
Gameplay B+
From the start of the montage you can easily see that Mexman (Crash123) is a very good player. Throughout this montage the clips are filled with plenty of great shots and kills. Let's start with the upsides to the gameplay. This is a social gameplay montage featuring plenty of public matches all with some great clips. There's plenty variety and some really good clips like the shotgun double kill on streets and the strike rifle double on Pentagon. Another great thing about the gameplay was that there were some incredibly clutch kills. One thing that really sttod out to me, was the fact that Mexman included his deaths in the montage. That's never something you usually see because montages mainly show kills but it showed Mexman doesn't think he's the best but he knows he's very good. He eaven got a few names in the clips like the Sanctum kill on Magster but even with all this the gameplay has its flaws. The montage was great but a lot of the kills weren't too major. Most of them were merely doubles and headshots not really showing off any sprees or "amazing" moments in the gameplay.
Another thing that really got to me in the gameplay was a lot of the clips just seemed thrown in. There were some great kills but some of them felt like they could've been done without. Aside from a few great shotgun kills and snipes and a bit of Scar beauty, some of this montage just felt unfinished. Personally I think just a few extra clips going all the way up to a massacre or killfest would be great additions.
Aside from the few lackluster clips a lot of this montage shows great gameplay with amazing kills and truly shows Mexman as a player. The clips are nice and plenty are easily memorable at points throughout. So if your looking for a montage with great social kills and headshots then this montage will keep you entertained.
Editing: B
The editing in A Beast At Heart isn't exactly the most amazing or engaging, but it does compliment the gameplay in the video very well. In the first half of the montage you don't get much except for some mild zooms here and there like in the Warehouse clips. However this is not the same for the second half of the montage. There the editing definitely picks up with better used zoom effects and a nice flash that synced well with the song choice. The song choice mimicked that of the Str8 tage not making it the most original but definitely a great choice. The color effects at the end definitely was a nice touch as well.
Now in terms of the song choice I only have two problems; It didn't seem to fit the gameplay feel and overall mood, and the gameplay didn't sync as well until the second half of the montage. Music in your montage can tell a lot about what your montage will be. Whether its laid back, epic, or just hardcore. I feel that the gameplay fit more of a laid back feel since there weren't too many insanely memorable moments. Given the time frame tho the generic rock songs chosen that did so well in Str8's tage wasn't too bad of an idea I just think more insane clips should have been added to better flow with the music.
Despite that tho my other gripe is just with the syncing i feel like the first song was just thrown in to play in the background not really fitting at all (like most Conduit montages). This led me to not be as into the first have as many would be in say the No Scopers tage. Now where it all came together for me was in the second half with Shinedown where all the syncing came in like the flash before the across the map snipe on Streets. The music better flowed with the gameplay and Mexman's editing shined through there. with the transition to the second half. It almost betters the first half by suggesting that the beginning was just a lead up to the stellar kills followed in the second half. It in a way told a story of Mexman's evolution as a player and that stood out to me after watching it a few times.
Extra Thoughts:
-Video is in beautiful 720p HD
- Gameplay is mixed nicely giving clean variety
- Song choice isn't most original
Overall Grade: B
A Beast At Heart is an interesting montage. While it's not the most amazing it does show Mexman as a player and through the second half you can say he is a beast at heart. I didn't quite understand until i watched it a few times but the montage itself shows the evolution of one of Conduits better known players. It sticks to basics and simplicity but still shows some amazing footage and is definitely worth the look.
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