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My favorite movies from Netflix in 2020 - With all that’s happened in the last year there’s one thing that I thought was complete crap, but turns out it is actually valuable: Marketing reminding for movies. That is movie trailers, new screenshots or posters, released daily or weekly to remind people that movies are still coming out; in 2019 if you asked meContinue reading "My favorite movies from Netflix in 2020"
Movies that I should have liked more in 2020 (Netflix Edition) - Netflix has become synonymous with a lot of things over the years, but the one that hurts them the most is the average and forgettable quality of a lot of their Original movies’ offerings. This year, although it had a lot of good movies, had some bad ones as well, but mostly it was moviesContinue reading "Movies that I should have liked more in 2020 (Netflix Edition)"
My favorite games of the year 2020 - Will it finally end or does 2020 have another surprise for us?! In this modern era, there are increasingly less things people can definitely agree on, but if there are some stuff that everyone should agree on are: a) BLACK LIVES MATTER b) this year can suck a bag of dicks c) it was anContinue reading "My favorite games of the year 2020"
Going Under review - For as rotten as a year 2020 has been IRL, it has been as outstanding in video game releases; this is especially true for the rogue-like genre. From personal favorites like Neon Abyss to 1.0 releases of games like Risk of Rain 2 and everything in between, you could make a top 5 rogue-likes listContinue reading "Going Under review"
The most recent run based games I’ve played: West of Dead and Bloodroots - One of the things I enjoy most about entertainment in general, is how “genre pieces” can be so different from each other even by working/adhering to the same conventions as each other; take run-based games for instance. There are the obvious rogue-lites and rogue-likes, but beyond those there are score-based games, MetroidVania inspired games –Continue reading "The most recent run based games I’ve played: West of Dead and Bloodroots"
Tell me why review - Representation in media matters. All art forms are expressions of the human condition and representing our complex nature and society through art will always have an invaluable place in our lives. This discussion is key to reviewing and talking about Tell me why, the newest game from DONTNOD. All formats have been terrible in representationContinue reading "Tell me why review"
Games I wished I liked more in 2020 - This is always the hardest list to make for me, because I really do not want to play bad games or play games that I know I won’t like for a list. However, there is a lot of value for both consumers and developers in acknowledging the mistakes and – hopefully – acting on themContinue reading "Games I wished I liked more in 2020"
Seven casual games I really liked in 2020 - Everyone knows I am the most hardcore player that ever existed; in fact, I’m so hardcore, I needed to play a few casual games (yuck) to tone myself down and be relatable to other people. Here are some games I really enjoyed that were casual and released in 2020; there will be one honorable mentionContinue reading "Seven casual games I really liked in 2020"
The 1 to 5 on games: Call of the sea - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Call of the sea"
Haven review - Back in July, when the demos festival was taking place on Xbox, I had a few highlighted games I was on the lookout for and Haven was one of them. Focusing on a couple of young runaways taking refuge in an alien planet, the game had clear inspirations from a wide array of points likeContinue reading "Haven review"
If found…review - I first heard of “if found” due to the various awards it won or was nominated for and, since it had a good discount during that time, I decided to take a swing at it, not knowing what it was actually about. Turns out it is brilliant and another game I played in December thatContinue reading "If found…review"
End of the year catch up: Neversong and Coffee talk - Tis the time of the season where lists are being made, arguments are had, and I look at my backlog and say “why haven’t I played that yet?!” Two relatively short experience that I was able to knock out fairly quickly from that list were Neversong and Coffee talk, which are two indie games fromContinue reading "End of the year catch up: Neversong and Coffee talk"
An attempt to talk about Kentucky Route Zero - It’s been almost 4 months since the final installment of Kentucky Route Zero, ACT V, was released, and since I was a huge fan, I decided to replay each act again to lead me into the last one; it has been over a month since I have done that, and since then I’ve written thisContinue reading "An attempt to talk about Kentucky Route Zero"
Spiritfarer review - Marketing is a tricky thing, especially in video games and with me being skeptical about everything a company/publisher tries to sell, with all the overhyping and ‘buzzwords’ they throw at you to get your attention. However, I was never sold as quickly and as efficiently with a simple description as I was with Spiritfarer, whichContinue reading "Spiritfarer review"
Seven Game awards event demos that I tried - As far as award shows go, I’m not a fan, but The Game Awards are, admittedly, fun to watch; I don’t really care about the actual awards, but Geoff Keighley has managed to always put together a surprising and entertaining show with reveals and premieres. He’s also doing some great work “digitalizing” industry events withContinue reading "Seven Game awards event demos that I tried"
His house review - A movie’s premise is important in obvious ways, more so for me, because there is nothing, I hate more than a great premise being squandered on an average or bad movie; likewise, there’s nothing that will get me as excited as a great premise being done justice by a great movie. Thankfully, His house isContinue reading "His house review"
The 1 to 5 on games: Raji: An ancient epic - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Raji: An ancient epic"
Roki review - As if 2020 wasn’t dark and twisted enough, indie games have decided to keep beating the drum of “dark versions of fairy tales” for their styles; from Neversong to The Last Campfire, and now Roki. Nevertheless, this style is one I don’t think I will tire of anytime soon, if the offerings end up beingContinue reading "Roki review"
The 1 to 5 on games: Chicken Police - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Chicken Police"
The 1 to 5 on games: Bugsnax - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Bugsnax"
The 1 to 5 on movies: Veronica - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Veronica"
The rotting city - Editor’s note: Corrected a few grammatical errors that slipped through on December 7th 2020 “Why are you the right person for this job?” Truth be told, I’m not; bears are stronger and more imposing than me, a dog will follow orders and be loyal, a chimpanzee appeals to those VIP human clients. They already knowContinue reading "The rotting city"
The 1 to 5 on games: The Last Campfire - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: The Last Campfire"
Hades review - What makes a Supergiant game so unique? Many different players will have their own preferences, but the common factor between all of those answers is the insistence and focus of the studio to completely merge narrative and gameplay into one; no element exists without a narrative explanation, no narrative beat exists without serving the gameplayContinue reading "Hades review"
The 1 to 5 on games: I am dead - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: I am dead"
The 1 to 5 on movies: Rogue City - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Rogue City"
Borderlands 3: How to make a better sequel frustrating - I’ve put hundreds of hours into Borderlands 2 and as I finally started my journey with the long awaited sequel, I started thinking back on it and remembering my time with it; the memorable characters and solid jokes, the interesting villain that was Handsome Jack, and the fantastic, loot-oriented gameplay loop that had me hooked,Continue reading "Borderlands 3: How to make a better sequel frustrating"
The 1 to 5 on games: The Solitaire Conspiracy - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: The Solitaire Conspiracy"
Welcome to Elk review - Welcome to Elk was one of my most anticipated games of the year; its mixture of a novel art style with some unique ragdoll effects for the characters, alongside a personal and more artistic story with some fun and weird mini-games, as well as FMV segments to tell a quirkier narrative, was something that appealedContinue reading "Welcome to Elk review"
The 1 to 5 on games: Ancient Enemy - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Ancient Enemy"
The 1 to 5 on games: When the past was around - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: When the past was around"
Kunai review - Kunai is an action platformer with an eye-catching art-style, and it’s beyond just great; it feels excellent to play, it has great enemy variety and boss design, a great soundtrack, and an engaging world to explore and traverse through, partly because its traversal mechanics are so good and partly because the Metroidvania aspect of theContinue reading "Kunai review"
The 1 to 5 on games: Observation - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Observation"
The 1 to 5 on movies: #Alive - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: #Alive"
The 1 to 5 on games: Battletoads (2020) - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Battletoads (2020)"
Paper Mario: The Origami King Review - When we look back at 2020 as a year in video games, besides the release of next gen, it is going to be remembered as a year of many standout titles, controversial sequels and re-imaginings, public feuds between companies, and the year where everybody collectively tried to decrease the length of their backlog but prettyContinue reading "Paper Mario: The Origami King Review"
The 1 to 5 on movies: Drug King - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Drug King"
The sequel to Her Story is bigger, better, and worst as a whole - Video game sequels are usually all about doing what you liked from the original bigger and better; Halo, Gears of War, Uncharted, DOOM Eternal, etc. A lot of the time this works and it is why most successful sequels are generally regarded as better games than their predecessors, but there are the exceptions to thisContinue reading "The sequel to Her Story is bigger, better, and worst as a whole"
The 1 to 5 on movies: Project Power - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Project Power"
Neon Abyss is my Michael Bay of rogue-likes. - When you enjoy something very much and consider it your hobby, you usually start considering why you enjoy it, so that you can make more informed decision about how to spend your time in a more satisfying and entertaining way; I love most forms of entertainment and my time is very limited, which means IContinue reading "Neon Abyss is my Michael Bay of rogue-likes."
The 1 to 5 on movies: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga"
A great idea stretched thin, but was there any other way? - If you read any of my articles, you would have understood that I have a lot of love for AA and indie studios. I often excuse and forgive many negatives from their offerings, because they are often overshadowed by many of their inherent positives. For a while now, I’ve been meaning to talk about aContinue reading "A great idea stretched thin, but was there any other way?"
Summer Game Fest Demo event: Here are the 15 games I tried. - Back in July, Xbox held a week-long event showcasing some upcoming games through demos and I tried 15 of them. Then the event ended, but I still wanted to talk about them, so I wrote a quick summary of what each game is and what I though about the demos. Hopefully if you missed theContinue reading "Summer Game Fest Demo event: Here are the 15 games I tried."
The 1 to 5 on movies: The Old Guard - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: The Old Guard"
Summer in Mara and polish in video games - I do the joke three times and I’m not sorry 2020 is full of great life/farming sim experiences; Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Ooblets being the standout two for my liking, but Story of Seasons is also out this year, and Atomicorps is a unique-looking game that uses farming sim elements, yet those are theContinue reading "Summer in Mara and polish in video games"
The 1 to 5 on movies: Lost Bullet - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: Lost Bullet"
The 1 to 5 on games: Shakedown Hawaii - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on games: Shakedown Hawaii"
The 1 to 5 on movies: The Lovebirds - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "The 1 to 5 on movies: The Lovebirds"
Picross S4 - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "Picross S4"
Extraction - This format is a shorter, more to the point, off-shot of the normal review/op-eds I normally do. A ranking will be given at the end from a scale that starts at (from the lowest to the highest): Bad – meh – fine – good – great. Anything not appropriate for these “scores” will likely warrantContinue reading "Extraction"
Terminator: Resistance review - Why smaller is better. Terminator: Resistance is a known quantity by now; released last year, it has received general praise and was generally considered a pleasant surprise, due to it being a movie tie-in game, but also due to the developers track record – primarily, the fact that they developed the famously terrible, on-rail shooterContinue reading "Terminator: Resistance review"
A couple of great concepts and bad executions: The platform and In the shadow of the moon - A movie’s quality can range from perfect to trash, in my opinion, those two extremes are the most compelling; a perfect movie can change your life, your outlook on certain things, and provide an experience that you won’t forget and will stay with you for the rest of your days; a trash movie can shapeContinue reading "A couple of great concepts and bad executions: The platform and In the shadow of the moon"
Ori and the will of the wisps review - How often do you 100% games? As a question, this seems to be an inquiry towards the qualities of the game, rather than the individual’s preferences and playstyle, however as anyone who plays games regularly knows, that’s not actually true; lots of amazing games have optional content that most people will not experience, and certainlyContinue reading "Ori and the will of the wisps review"
Case study: Uncut Gems - Uncut Gems is known for its sensory overload, but the most poignant point is found in its absence A lot has been said about Uncut gems since it has come out; Sandler’s Oscar worthy performance, Julia Fox’s incredible portrayal considering this is her first role as an actress, Darius Khondji’s vivid cinematography, Daniel Lopatin’s score,Continue reading "Case study: Uncut Gems"
Casual games part 2: Inbento and Murder by Numbers - One of my favorite genres of games is the casual puzzle variety and I’ve played two such games recently on the Nintendo Switch, which I would like to discuss. The first one is Inbento developed by 7levels, creators of Golf Peaks – a game I really liked about using specific moves to move a ballContinue reading "Casual games part 2: Inbento and Murder by Numbers"
The Invisible Man - Traditionally, movies that release in the first months of the year are worrisome because this is usually the time a studio that wants to cut their losses on projects decides to “dump” movies on relatively inactive months and hopefully profit from hungry moviegoers who don’t have anything exciting to see; so, when I saw thatContinue reading "The Invisible Man"
Casual games part 1: Wattam and Tangle Tower - To a lot of people casual games are something to be mocked or a bad use of the medium to appeal to the common denominator; in a lot of cases, that is something that happens in order to lure people into an exploitative system that hooks them on a simple and addictive loop, so thatContinue reading "Casual games part 1: Wattam and Tangle Tower"
Games of 2019 in 2020: Children of Morta and Gato Roboto - Let’s start with Gato Roboto, because this is the simplest to talk about from the two; it’s a metroidvania, action-platformer, about a cat that controls a robot. That sold me instantly and thankfully the game backs the expectations it sets up with that tagline; from the start, the two features that will stay with youContinue reading "Games of 2019 in 2020: Children of Morta and Gato Roboto"
DOOM Eternal - Devil’s in the details When DOOM Eternal was announced and shown throughout various events, I only had one question: How do you follow up a game that was nearly perfect? DOOM 2016 is one of my favorite shooters of all time, not because as a game it is perfect, but as an experience there’s nothingContinue reading "DOOM Eternal"
Katana Zero and Stone - Before starting this brief review, I just wanted to say that I hope everyone is staying at home playing video games and watching movies, following their countries’ health and safety guidelines; stay safe and healthy. I always want to like any entertainment I consume, however a lot of the time something that should appeal toContinue reading "Katana Zero and Stone"
Eastshade - Open world RPGs have become a major trend in the gaming industry over the past decade; they are constantly evolving and merging with new experiences and genres, mostly trying to bring something new and/or refined to the table. I think its pretty safe to say that Skyrim is a highly influential title and taking aContinue reading "Eastshade"
Why I love Jojo rabbit and how irreverent comedies are not dead. - When I left the theater after the Jojo rabbit screening, I couldn’t help but think about several stuff regarding the movie, but one struck me as odd; this quote from Joker director Todd Phillips about “woke” culture destroying comedies for him. I couldn’t stop thinking about it because I kind of agreed with him atContinue reading "Why I love Jojo rabbit and how irreverent comedies are not dead."
The first 2020 games of 2020 - So far, this year has been really slow on releases I care about and have been using that time to catch up on older games I haven’t gotten around to playing yet. But some games have released recently that I did play and wanted to offer some of my thoughts on them. First, the BleedingContinue reading "The first 2020 games of 2020"
The first 2020 movies of 2020 - 2019 was a great year for movies and there are so many movies I still want to watch, but before I get to those I have seen a couple 2020 movies I wanted to talk about that wouldn’t normally warrant a full article, so I’m copying myself and doing the same concept for movies thatContinue reading "The first 2020 movies of 2020"
The one thing I particularly enjoyed about the campaign of The Division 2 - As the modern game industry keeps making and adopting the “live service” model for most, “big” AAA games, I’ve found it harder and harder to talk about them consistently or, in some cases, passionately; even as I write this, Massive Entertainment, the studio behind The Division franchise, have come out with news about a paidContinue reading "The one thing I particularly enjoyed about the campaign of The Division 2"
Bad Boys for life is the best Bad Boys movie, but also the least memorable - Michael Bay is, undeniably, one of the most discussed directors of our time; whether it’s because people think he is a hack or how his movies are usually considered trash by critics, but still manage to be multi-million-dollar box-office hits, Bay is a subject of heated discussion amongst film fans. For me, Michael Bay isContinue reading "Bad Boys for life is the best Bad Boys movie, but also the least memorable"
2019 games in 2020: Valfaris and Afterparty - 2020 is off to a slow start, regarding new releases, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to sit down and finish off some of the games I missed last year. One of those games is Valfaris, a side-scrolling action game that’s Contra-esque and metal as hell! You play as a dude withContinue reading "2019 games in 2020: Valfaris and Afterparty"
1917 movie review - One of my favorite movies of the 2000s was 2008’s Tropic Thunder and specifically its satire of Hollywood and the modern movie industry; that movie touches on a lot of topics like Robert Downing Jr’s character literally becoming black so he can play the black character, but the one that always stuck out to meContinue reading "1917 movie review"
A short review of A Star is born and a lengthy, spoiler-filled discussion about my one issue with the ending. - A Star is Born is an adaptation of the 1937, 1954, and 1976 versions of the A Star is Born movie. It is directed, co-written and co-starred by Bradley Cooper, but the lead is Lady Gaga as Ally, a young musician helped by Jackson Mein (Bradley Cooper) to find fame, recognition, and her own specialContinue reading "A short review of A Star is born and a lengthy, spoiler-filled discussion about my one issue with the ending."
A supply drop in the middle of Harran - The first memorable thing that happens in Dying Light, for me, is that in this fictional universe the best idea a humanitarian group had for distributing lifesaving medication and supplies, is a supply drop in the middle of Harran. Let that sink in for little while; the best way a humanitarian organization thought of toContinue reading "A supply drop in the middle of Harran"
Alita: Battle Angel Review - It seems like every year audiences are treated to big, CGI-heavy productions of fairly obscure properties; last year’s “Ready Player One” was a fun blockbuster that due to the caliber of its director (Steven Spielberg), I found to be kind of underwhelming. This year’s offering, Alita: Battle Angel, is a better movie but suffers fromContinue reading "Alita: Battle Angel Review"
Extinction spoiler review - If you read the premise of Extinction and watch the trailer for the new Netflix original movie, you’ll probably think that this is sci-fi “Take Shelter”. It shares a lot of common threads with Jeff Nichols’ 2011 drama: A father has nightmares/visions of an impending catastrophe that impacts his sanity, family and job; nobody believesContinue reading "Extinction spoiler review"
Annihilation and the cost of making movies in 2018 - After concluding my viewing of Annihilation on Netflix last night, I was left with a few thoughts; most where about the movie and dissecting its many themes and questions, but the main one was in my mind since it was announced, late last year. Obviously, I am referring to the controversial deal between Paramount andContinue reading "Annihilation and the cost of making movies in 2018"
Annihilation review - Annihilation is a horror, sci-fi movie written and directed by Alex Garland (most known for Ex Machina) and stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Oscar Isaac. The movie follows Natalie Portman’s character as she travels into a mysterious zone, where weird stuff happens; as always this is what little I knew before watching theContinue reading "Annihilation review"
Apex Legends and Tetris 99 - Ever since “PUBG” exploded into the scene, I was pretty disinterested in the genre; Kinji Fukasaku’s “Battle Royale” is one of my favorite movies, not only because of the concept, but of what he explores through that concept, such as the brutal competition bred into younger generations by older ones who have seen and doneContinue reading "Apex Legends and Tetris 99"
Aquaman review - If I were to sum up Aquaman with one word, it would be “mediocre”; not because it’s a mediocre movie, but it is a movie that is 20 years late. Similar to Shane Black’s 2018 The Predator, it is a 90s property but where Black wanted to give us the most 90s action movie notContinue reading "Aquaman review"
Are AA games back on the rise? - In yesteryears, I used to be able to categorize a game in 3, simple groups: Indie, AAA and AA games. As the years went by and the industry matured and got more vicious and unforgiving, while we, the people playing games, got more and more demanding of games, more informed and less inclined to takeContinue reading "Are AA games back on the rise?"
Avengers: End Game spoiler discussion - End game is a movie like none other; not in terms of quality, but in terms of scope and what it tries to achieve. It tries to satisfyingly wrap up the 21(?!) movies that preceded it, pay homage to them, and set up the next phase of the MCU; at the same time, it hasContinue reading "Avengers: End Game spoiler discussion"
Games I’ll never finish: Away: Journey to the Unexpected and SIMULACRA - February is a weird month this year for me; there are a lot of highly anticipated games out this year, but none of them “forced” me to pull the trigger on them. Anthem looks like something I’m not interested in (regardless of quality), Far Cry: New Dawn looks like more of Far Cry 5 andContinue reading "Games I’ll never finish: Away: Journey to the Unexpected and SIMULACRA"
Battle Chef Brigade - 2017 was a heck of a year for video games; while the business side was pushing unsavory practices to the point where it backfired badly, in terms of games, there were a plethora of amazing experiences released and adored by fans. Each person you ask will say a different title for their game of the year. SoContinue reading "Battle Chef Brigade"
Below - Day 1: Just shipwrecked on this isle. Found a few resources on the beach and then climbed this hill; found this weird lantern that uses unnatural energy orbs and open up pathways, while lighting my way, as I descent further and further into this cave…found a way back to the beach so I’m going toContinue reading "Below"
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch - As 2018 was—thankfully—reaching its end, Netflix decided that it was going to give people a farewell gift: A new Black Mirror standalone movie/interactive experience. As a fan of the series and video games, I could not be more excited, and having seen/played through it twice, I am glad this experiment was made and released forContinue reading "Black Mirror: Bandersnatch"
Can music carry a game? A look at The Bard’s Tale IV - When people talk about a game being “carried” by something, it is usually an element that is more “directly” involved with that game’s core appeal or premise, such as gameplay feel and/or mechanics, story, graphics, etc. But, rarely if ever I’ve heard of a game that is “carried” by music and there’s a good reasonContinue reading "Can music carry a game? A look at The Bard’s Tale IV"
Captain Marvel Review - For a long while, comic book movies were centered around men; male superheroes learning to use their powers, grizzled dudes dealing with the responsibilities of being a hero, etc. But in 2016 Wonder Woman struck a core that Hollywood was seemingly unaware of: Trying something new, with finesse, precision, and passion is more than enoughContinue reading "Captain Marvel Review"
Case Study: Velvet Buzzsaw - Case Study: Velvet Buzzsaw and “bold” movies As I go back to previous articles, scanning and looking for ways to improve, I’ve often found a common error that I keep doing due to inexperience or lack of ability: When I don’t like a movie or find it more disappointing than fulfilling, yet I still findContinue reading "Case Study: Velvet Buzzsaw"
Chill puzzle games (Picross S3, ISLANDERS, Golf Peaks) - All video games are puzzle games, if you see them from a certain perspective; my definition of a puzzle is that you’re presented with a clearly defined set of rules which are meant to be followed—or broken in an equally defined and predictable way—in order to reach a valid or acceptable end state. They areContinue reading "Chill puzzle games (Picross S3, ISLANDERS, Golf Peaks)"
Control - Remedy entered 2019 in a weird place; after middling reviews on their last major projects (Alan Wake’s stand-alone expansion American Nightmare and Quantum Break), the highly regarded studio no longer possessed the automatic buzz its projects used to have. Control was highly-anticipated with trailers and showcases of the game gathering momentum and hype, but thereContinue reading "Control"
Deadpool 2 - Deadpool 2 is the sequel to the incredibly successful 2016 hit Deadpool, directed by David Leitch (known for his work on John Wick and Atomic Blonde) and stars Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin and Julian Dennilson. The movie follows Deadpool and a crew of misfits, as they attempt to protect a kid from Cable,Continue reading "Deadpool 2"
Detective Pikachu review - When the initial announcement for a Detective Pikachu movie adaptation came, I was initially skeptical; Japanese material brought over to Western productions and specifically adapted from Hollywood haven’t always delivered on the original’s quality or captured its spirit. However, as more of the cast got announced and more promotional material got released, I was givenContinue reading "Detective Pikachu review"
Devolver Digital Double Switch Feature - Throughout the years of its existence, Devolver Digital has gained a reputation as a publisher and a brand; they don’t play by the same rules as everyone else. They take risks on niche games, they promote their games in unique and PR-less ways, and they even have a yearly press conference at E3 where theyContinue reading "Devolver Digital Double Switch Feature"
Exploring three mediocre sequels to see if they are worth playing - As a Game Pass subscriber, I’m always excited to see which new games are added each month for me to sink my teeth in. Over the past few months, there were several games added that I always wanted to try, but never really intrigued me enough to take the monetary plunge on them; whether thatContinue reading "Exploring three mediocre sequels to see if they are worth playing"
Gears 5 - If I had to summarize Gears 5 in one sentence it would go something like this: You know that buddy we all have, who says he’s going to change and then starts to do some things differently where you see some difference, but stops halfway through? That’s Gears 5 in a nutshell; it realizes itContinue reading "Gears 5"
Glass - Heavy spoilers for Split and some light spoilers for Glass When Split released in 2016, a lot of fans and critics alike, hailed it as the comeback of M. Night Shyamalan, and in many ways it was; it was a well-made, well-written, well-acted, and well-shot psychological drama about dealing with abuse, as well as havingContinue reading "Glass"
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus - There are many adjectives one can use to describe Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus; excellent, bombastic, poignant, funny, bat-shit insane, flamboyant, pulpy, gory… the list goes on. But whatever adjective one chooses to assign Wolfenstein with, it is going to undersell the experience of playing it; for me it’s going to be extremely difficult toContinue reading "Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus"
Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice - In the featured documentary on the process of the creation of Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, director Tameem Antoniades said something that stuck with me; in regards to his research on mental illness, and more specifically psychosis, he said: “I didn’t have to look far to discover my own ignorance of the subject.” That’s how I feltContinue reading "Hellblade: Senuas Sacrifice"
GRIS and Return of the Obra Dinn - For the last O.D. of the year, ROW checks out one of the standout games of the year for him: GRIS, from newly formed NOMADA studio, published by Devolver Digital. GRIS is just one of those games. An artistic vision that some people will just love its particular art style, story, and mechanics, which willContinue reading "GRIS and Return of the Obra Dinn"
Hobbs and Shaw movie review - I’ve had a weird relationship with the Fast and Furious franchise: I was a fan of the first three films, because at the time I was a ‘car nut’, but ever since the franchise took a more action-oriented approach and I started caring less about cars, angsty-teen me thought that the Fast and Furious moviesContinue reading "Hobbs and Shaw movie review"
Holmes and Watson - While watching Holmes& Watson, I was trying to come up with a suitable analogy to best describe this movie; what’s one thing that has such immense talent surrounding it, was very fun to produce and create, but turned out to be an impressive waste of everyone’s time and a steaming pile of dog turd? IContinue reading "Holmes and Watson"
IT: Chapter Two - Another 3 hour, long-anticipated, September release to discuss; this time it’s the 2nd and final chapter of the modern IT adaptation. When the first one released, it surprised fans with how creepy, faithful, and compelling the end result was, but can the 2nd chapter live up to its predecessor (spoiler alert: It can and itContinue reading "IT: Chapter Two"
John Wick Chapter Three is a great movie, but it loses what made the franchise exceptional. - The original 2014 John Wick is one of the best action movies of the 2000s—if not ever. For me, that comes down to three core pillars: The neo-noir style, the mysterious and fascinating world of the movie as well as its simple and perfectly executed story, and it’s exhilarating ‘gun-fu’ action. With the success ofContinue reading "John Wick Chapter Three is a great movie, but it loses what made the franchise exceptional."

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