Game Reviewer: 'Double Dragon Revive'

 

Double Dragon Revive marks the franchise's bold leap into a fully 3D environment while attempting to retain the classic, side-scrolling beat 'em up formula that made the Lee brothers legends. The result is an experience that is deeply respectful of its lineage and often thrilling in its combat design, though held back by a few fundamental missteps that prevent it from achieving true greatness.

Visually, Revive is a treat for long-time fans. The game leans into a slightly grittier, post-apocalyptic aesthetic, telling a new story set 15 years after a nuclear war. The character models for Billy, Jimmy, and Marian are stylishly updated, blending modern flair with their iconic silhouettes. More importantly, the action design, supervised by Arc System Works staff, is excellent. This isn't just a mindless button-mashing brawler; it’s a strategic fighter. The introduction of the Dragon Orb Gauge, combined with environmental takedowns and weapon use, encourages players to string together creative combos. Breaking enemy armor at the right moment is deeply satisfying, turning routine encounters into rewarding displays of martial arts mastery. When the combat clicks, especially in local co-op, Double Dragon Revive delivers that perfect arcade rush of clearing out a screen of thugs with synchronized strikes.

The game also deserves credit for its structure. Beyond the main story, the Extra Mode is packed with challenges and character-specific missions, providing significant replay value for those who want to master the deeper mechanics. This gives the game more longevity than many other titles in the genre. The soundtrack, which features a solid mix of riffy original tracks and modernized remixes of classic themes, does a great job of keeping the energy high during the long street fights.

However, the major drawback—and the reason the review remains mixed—lies squarely in the movement. While the developers aimed for refined controls, the transition to eight-directional 3D movement in a belt-scrolling context often feels disappointingly floaty. Characters lack the immediate, grounded responsiveness necessary for precision brawling. Punches and kicks can feel slightly delayed or imprecise, leading to frustrating moments where attacks seemingly "miss" due to an enemy shifting slightly on the plane. Furthermore, the platforming sections, which are thankfully rare, are clunky and painful because of this lack of satisfying weight and precision. This floatiness creates a constant tension between the game's excellent strategic combat design and its slightly clumsy execution.

Ultimately, Double Dragon Revive is a solid, enjoyable beat 'em up that offers a compelling story and genuinely deep combat options. While its floaty movement and occasional lack of polish mean it doesn't quite live up to the standard set by recent genre titans, the heart, challenge, and co-op thrills of the Dragon brothers’ return are certainly enough to make it worth a punch or two.

Publisher provided review code.

Game Review: 'Painkiller'

 Painkiller: Requiem isn’t here to tell you a grand, emotional tale or revolutionize the FPS genre. It’s here to remind you, loudly and aggressively, what it feels like to obliterate the forces of Hell with a six-barrel chain gun and a rocket-launcher/grenade combo. This 2025 successor, built on the blinding fidelity of Unreal Engine 5, delivers on the franchise’s core promise: unadulterated, old-school arena shooting, but often struggles to justify its return in a crowded modern market. It’s a flawless homage that is simultaneously its own greatest weakness.

The combat experience is, without question, peak adrenaline. Developer Black Gate Studio has perfectly recreated the visceral dance of survival that made the original 2004 game a cult hit. The movement speed is frantic, the weapon feedback is meaty, and the monsters—a grotesque and wonderfully varied roster of demons and undead—dissolve into satisfying showers of pixelated gore. Every arena feels like a survival puzzle where the clock is measured by the rapidly depleting demon population. The iconic arsenal, particularly the Stakes Gun, remains brutally satisfying, turning enemies into wall ornaments with a terrifying thunk. Paired with a relentlessly pounding heavy metal score, Requiem achieves a transcendental state of chaotic perfection. If you judge a shooter purely on its ability to deliver pure, kinetic fun, this game is a ten out of ten.

However, the perfection of the action is often betrayed by the simplicity of the design. The game's campaign is linear to a fault, following a strict formula: long, aesthetically moody corridor leads to a large, often breathtaking arena; lock the doors, kill everything, repeat. This lack of structural innovation feels jarring in 2025. While the environments are visually stunning—from gothic cathedrals bathed in neon light to snowy, abandoned psychiatric wards—they rarely offer the lateral complexity or secret-filled paths expected of a modern Metroidvania-adjacent shooter.

Furthermore, the narrative is utterly forgettable. Daniel Garner’s continuing purgatorial quest is merely an excuse to string together monster closets, offering little emotional anchor for new players. The game also shipped with several technical flaws; many users reported inconsistent frame pacing, particularly in the later, dense arenas, and a smattering of collision-detection bugs that occasionally broke the rhythm of the otherwise fluid combat.

In conclusion, Painkiller: Requiem is a polarizing effort. For long-time fans craving the exact same glorious, twitch-based brutality of the early 2000s, this is a beautiful and necessary upgrade. For newcomers, it’s a brilliant but fundamentally repetitive shooter weighed down by an anemic story and launch-day technical woes. It’s the perfect demon-slaying arcade machine, but sometimes you wish it had a little more story to tell between the boss fights.

Publisher provided review code.

Broadway in Tucson Review: '& Juliet'

 

"& Juliet" imagines a brainstorming session between William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, in which Juliet manages to stave off her suicidal urge and begin life anew after the death of her beloved beau. What happens next, naturally, is a cavalcade of N Sync, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Bon Jovi and Kelly Clarkson song-and-dance numbers.

At its worst, the show is a train wreck of mixed metaphors and nonsensical non sequiturs. And that is also the show at its best. Penned with Masters-degree level knowledge of the Bard's breadth of work and personal demons, as well as PhD-level literary analysis of boy band lyrics, the result is a fantastic fever dream that combines two pieces of subject matter that belong together precisely because they don't.

The rollicking musical, which originated on the West End in 2019 and migrated to Broadway in 2022, plays like a "Now That's What I Call Music" of pop empowerment anthems of the early aughts. Numbers pop off the stage like concert show stoppers, with explosions of lasers, oversized set pieces, booming projections and a coup de grace confetti drop. Rarely does a musical so effortlessly get the audience bopping out of their seats, waving their hands and screaming in glee.

The writing leans heavily into Shakespeare's far-ahead-of-his-time gender-bending proclivities, while also exposing his chauvinistic tendencies. Sassy CJ Eldred owns the stage as Shakespeare, bickering and collaborating with his beloved, distant better half, Anne (Crystal Kellogg). The actors harmonize as a Greek chorus for the antics of the heroine, Juliette (silk-voiced Fabiola Caraballo Quijada), who sheds her lovelorn archetype in search of empowerment that aces the Bechdel test.

Bustling with an energetic and versatile ensemble, the cast soars to life, singing and dancing to songs that they probably grew up jamming out to on their hand-me-down iPods. The musical rights must have been a nightmare to collect, but the producers did such a thoroughly excellent job that its omissions stand out all the more. It's a shame, for instance, that Taylor Swift's "Love Story" wasn't somehow wedged into the tapestry.

I adored every moment of "& Juliet" as it shook up the entirety of Centennial Hall. I heard, and took part in, screams of delight that rivaled what the original artists might have been able to muster had they been on stage instead. A delightful indulgence for Shakespeare devotees and shameless afficionados of overplayed guilty pleasure hits from a couple decades ago, "& Juliet" is the musical you didn't know you needed until you had it.

"& Juliet" plays through Nov. 2 at Centennial Hall. Buy tickets here.

Game Review: 'The Good Old Days'

The Good Old Days is far more than just a nostalgic pixel romp; it's a heartfelt, expertly crafted Metroidvania that successfully bottles the lightning of a classic 1980s adventure. Taking on the role of young Sean in the fictional, vaguely 19XX-era town of Arostia, players are tasked with an impossible mission: pay off his missing father’s debt to a loan shark by the end of the day. To do this, Sean must venture into the vast underground, rescue his three captured friends, and find money through exploration, minigames, and courage.

The game shines brightest in its storytelling and character work. It immediately evokes the spirit of The Goonies, trading the search for One-Eyed Willy’s treasure for a desperate, time-sensitive quest for cash. Like Mikey and his crew, Sean and his friends—Foodie, Bruce, and Doc (collectively known as "The Noogies")—are resourceful underdogs fighting an insurmountable adult problem. As you rescue them, they become playable, each possessing a unique ability essential for navigating Arostia's labyrinthine sewers and hidden zones. This mandatory character-swapping mechanic perfectly captures the "we’re all in this together" teamwork that defined the 80s young-adult adventure genre.

Where the game truly surpasses simple imitation is in its unexpected structural influence from the classic JRPG EarthBound. While it retains a Metroidvania platforming core, the overall atmosphere is pure Mother series eccentricity. The vibrant, expressive 16-bit pixel art, the small-town setting facing hidden dangers, and the refusal to lean on traditional fantasy tropes all feel like a direct homage to Ness and his friends. Like EarthBound, the threats here are often bizarre and grounded in a subversion of Americana, making the adventure feel intensely personal and quirky. The bosses aren't dragons or wizards, but strange, memorable figures or mechanical oddities, tying back to the game’s core theme: the biggest adventures happen right in your own backyard.

The gameplay, which encourages exploration and gives the player the freedom to choose whether to engage in combat, pay debts through simple quests, or try their luck at a lottery, is genius. The multiple ending system, which evolves with each subsequent playthrough, transforms the game from a one-shot experience into a cyclical narrative of growing up.

Ultimately, The Good Old Days is a monumental success. It expertly marries the high-stakes, group-focused exploration of The Goonies with the warm, bizarrely humorous small-town setting and emotional resonance of EarthBound. It’s a rewarding, beautiful game that doesn't just celebrate nostalgia, but uses it as a foundation for something new and brilliant.

Publisher provided review code.

Hot on Home Video: The Back to the Future 40th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Trilogy,' 'Robot Chicken: The Complete Series'

BACK TO THE FUTURE; 40TH ANNIVERSARY 4K ULTRA HD TRILOGY

The Back to the Future 40th Anniversary Trilogy in 4K Ultra HD is the definitive way to experience one of cinema’s greatest adventures. While the films themselves are timeless masterpieces of witty scripting, charming performances by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, and perfectly structured plotting, this new edition truly makes them shine.

The visual upgrade is striking. The native 4K masters, complete with Dolby Vision/HDR, breathe new life into Hill Valley, offering exceptional detail, vibrant colors, and deep black levels far superior to previous Blu-ray releases. The DeLorean's iconic time-travel sequences have never looked sharper, and the accompanying Dolby Atmos soundtrack ensures Alan Silvestri's score is dynamically presented.

The main draw for long-time fans is the wealth of supplemental material, including nearly ninety minutes of brand-new extras that provide fresh, untold stories from the set. This set is a lovingly crafted tribute that honors the franchise’s legacy, making it a mandatory purchase for nostalgic fans and first-time viewers alike. It’s a flawless presentation of a perfect trilogy.

ROBOT CHICKEN: THE COMPLETE SERIES

Robot Chicken: The Complete Series on DVD is the definitive brick of irreverent comedy. Spanning 20 years and over 220 episodes, this massive collection celebrates the pioneering genius of Seth Green and Matthew Senreich’s rapid-fire stop-motion sketch show.

What makes this set essential is the sheer volume of chaotic creativity. Every episode is a non-stop barrage of hilariously dark pop culture parodies, from beloved cartoons and movies to celebrity culture, all brought to life by deeply disturbed toys. The jokes land with shocking speed, ensuring that even if one sketch misses, the next five will hit.

Beyond the core series, this set is packed with legendary, full-length specials, including the iconic Star Wars, DC Comics, and Walking Dead themed adventures. With 24 discs featuring all the episodes and an exclusive 20th-anniversary bonus feature, this collection is a lovingly preserved archive of Adult Swim’s most anarchic, Emmy-winning humor. It is the ultimate testament to the show’s legacy and a mandatory purchase for any fan of subversive comedy.

Phil on Film: 'Blue Moon'

"Blue Moon" shows that The Richard Linklater-Ethan Hawke partnership was just getting started after the watershed "Before" trilogy wrapped up.

Just as the phenomenally talented director and actor did with "Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight," as well as "Boyhood," "Tape" and "Waking Life," they harmonize their artistic visions for a riveting chamber drama that features almost all talk and no action.

The dialogue, performances and understated narrative carry "Blue Moon," a somber, intensely introspective look at musical songwriter Lorenz Hart at the beginning of the end of his career. Set at the opening of "Oklahoma!" the hugely successful musical that marked Hart's breaking with Richard Rodgers, who went on to forge an immortal partnership with Oscar Hammerstein, Hart is in a drunken, rambling mood, alone with a bartender and a stack of nagging what-ifs and what-might-have-beens.

Hawke brings Hart to life as a tortured artist who is being eaten alive by his own demons. He simmers with desperation to recapture a sliver of the fame and romance he once knew, channeling his obsession on Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), a college girl trying to break into Broadway. He delves into the dark recesses of his mind in a running conversation with a half-listening bartender named Eddie (Bobby Canavale).

A tapestry of characters, including Elizabeth, Rodgers (Andrew Scott), Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) Stephen Sondheim (Cillian Sullivan) and E. B. White (Patrick Kennedy) weave their way through Hart's despair, treating him with interchanging revery, pity and bemusement, but do little to alter the runaway freight train inside of his head.

Linklater thrives on orchestrating Hawke's master class, unleashing the actor to unleash a stream of consciousness of hilarity. If Hart only set pen to paper to record his thoughts, he would have had his grand comeback in the form of a one-man show that would have been a few decades ahead of its time. He enthuses the Fellinian line of an artist who has nothing to say, but wants to say it anyway.

"Blue Moon" is a staggering film that I could rewatch again and again. Along with dalliances in horror and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawke continues to demonstrate his incredible range. The man is due another Oscar nomination, and this is the film to make that happen. If it doesn't, though, it will somehow fit the film's narrative all too well.

Game Review: 'NASCAR 25'

Look, we all know the deal with licensed racers: they exist in a state of perpetually disappointing mediocrity, a sad, dusty shelf full of annualized releases where the only thing that changes is the driver roster. So when a new NASCAR game rolls off the hauler, you’re usually pre-loading the cynicism.

But listen up, grease monkeys: NASCAR 25 is the real deal. It’s messy, it’s beautiful, and it understands that the fun part of NASCAR isn't the tire pressures—it’s the pure, kinetic terror of 35 cars fighting for the same square inch of asphalt at 200 mph.

The Gen-7 Beast is Finally Untamed

The most crucial thing iRacing needed to deliver on its console debut was the feel. And damn, did they deliver. The Gen-7 car in this game is a glorious, sliding beast. It’s neither an inaccessible, hyper-sensitive sim nor a brain-dead arcade bumper car. It lives right in that golden 'sim-cade' sweet spot. On a controller—and let’s be real, 95% of us are on a controller—it feels weighty and responsive, forcing you to respect the dirty air and the high groove without needing a $1,500 force feedback rig just to navigate pit road.

The laser-scanned tracks feel incredible, too. You can feel the grip fall off as you transition to the top lane at Darlington, and trying to hold the bottom at Martinsville is a nerve-wracking exercise in patience that often ends with a polite-to-aggressive bump-draft from the AI. Speaking of the AI, it’s genuinely great. They make human mistakes—they overshoot the corner entry, they get greedy on the restarts, and they will absolutely wreck themselves trying to hold the lead, turning a seemingly dull single-file stint into instant, white-knuckle chaos.

Custom Careers and Killer Sound

Sure, the career mode is still a bit of a spreadsheet simulator. You start in the ARCA series with a paint scheme that looks like a cheap energy drink, and your “rivalries” are mostly delivered through oddly polite in-game Twitter posts. It’s bare-bones, but it functions. You chase sponsorships, you upgrade parts, and you watch the crowd size tick up as you move from the Craftsman Truck Series to the promised land of the Cup Series. It’s the framework of a career, and honestly, that’s all I needed. The racing does the heavy lifting.

What really sells the atmosphere, besides the stunning lighting on the laser-scanned pavement, is the sound. The Next Gen engine note is throaty and aggressive, and when you’re stacked up three-wide at Daytona, the glorious, deafening sound of an entire pack bouncing off the rev limiter is pure aural adrenaline. Throw in a surprisingly solid alt-rock soundtrack that perfectly captures the "tailgate at the track" vibe, and you’ve got a racer that looks and sounds phenomenal.

Is the multiplayer a complete dumpster fire of menus and ancient server browsers? Yeah, absolutely. But that’s the price of admission for NASCAR multiplayer, and the core racing is so fundamentally solid that the bones are there for a genuinely fantastic ranked experience once iRacing sorts out the lobby structure (which, fingers crossed, they will).

NASCAR 25 isn't just a good NASCAR game; it's a genuinely great, high-stakes racing game that finally respects the raw speed and drama of the sport. If you’re a fan who has been burned by every attempt since 2006, this is the one. Go get messy.

Hot on Home Video: 'F1: The Movie,' 'Weapons,' 'Peanuts: 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection,' 'Nobody 2'

F1: THE MOVIE

The Blu-ray release of Joseph Kosinski's high-octane feature, F1: The Movie, is a technical powerhouse designed to maximize the motorsport spectacle. The 4K transfer delivers a stunning visual experience, showcasing the sport’s modern digital clarity. Detail is razor-sharp, making every minute component on the cars and the vibrant trackside banners stand out with remarkable precision. This presentation expertly captures the vivid colors and high contrast of a modern Formula 1 race weekend.

However, the true champion of this disc is the spectacular Dolby Atmos soundtrack. This mix is engineered for maximum immersion, transforming your living room into a grandstand. Engines roar and purr with visceral low-frequency effects (LFE), utilizing every channel to convey the sheer speed and directionality of the race cars. The sound design is a masterclass in spatial audio, guaranteeing a serious workout for any home theater system.

While the film's narrative has its predictable moments, the technical presentation alone makes this release a must-own. The solid package includes deep-dive special features, covering everything from the intricate in-car camera innovations developed by the production team to Lewis Hamilton’s crucial role as a producer. It’s an essential release for both F1 enthusiasts and AV perfectionists.

WEAPONS

The 4K Ultra HD release of Zach Cregger’s supernatural horror-thriller, Weapons, delivers an outstanding technical experience, making it an essential package for genre fans. The 2160p transfer, enhanced with Dolby Vision/HDR10, faithfully captures the film’s intended aesthetic. It’s important to note that this is not a disc designed for traditional "pop"; the image utilizes a subdued, gloomy color palette, a creative choice that occasionally results in slightly elevated blacks but effectively amplifies the movie’s unsettling atmosphere. Detail, however, remains sharp and filmic, offering a noticeable upgrade over standard HD versions.

The true star of this release is the reference-quality Dolby Atmos soundtrack. Cited by many as one of the year’s most effective horror mixes, the audio design excels in crafting palpable dread. Subtle, atmospheric effects creep convincingly into the surround channels, while the LFE (low-frequency effects) channel provides a killer, rumbling bass response that adds profound weight to the movie’s most shocking moments.

The disc is rounded out by a solid trio of special features, including a look at Cregger's personal inspirations and detailed cast and production featurettes. A technically robust release that perfectly preserves one of 2025’s most talked-about horrors.

PEANUTS: 75TH ANNIVERSARY ULTIMATE TV SPECIALS COLLECTION

The Peanuts 75th Anniversary Ultimate TV Specials Collection is a nostalgic treasure trove, gathering 40 animated specials from 1965 to 2011 across five Blu-ray discs. This set serves as the definitive compilation for fans of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the gang, finally housing all the foundational classics—including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown—in one cohesive package.

The remastered 1080p transfers offer a bright, colorful presentation, breathing new life into the traditional cel animation. While video quality occasionally varies, especially for some of the later, video-sourced specials, the key 60s and 70s favorites shine, showing off the iconic pen strokes of Charles M. Schulz’s characters with impressive clarity. Crucially, the collection features the timeless jazz scores of Vince Guaraldi in crisp Dolby Digital 5.1, making the soundtrack an absolute highlight.

The inclusion of an anniversary booklet is a nice touch for collectors. Though the "Ultimate" title is slightly misleading—a few specials and bonus features are still missing—this set is a monumental celebration of Peanuts television history. It's an essential purchase for holiday viewing traditions and for introducing the gentle melancholy and heartfelt humor of the Peanuts world to a new generation.

NOBODY 2

The Blu-ray release of Nobody 2 is the definitive way to experience Hutch Mansell’s bloodier, cheekier return. While the sequel wisely keeps the action running at a brisk 89 minutes, director Timo Tjahjanto delivers relentless, inventive mayhem that grounds itself in Bob Odenkirk’s thoroughly committed performance as the exasperated, lethal dad. If the element of surprise is gone, the commitment to bone-crunching fun is amplified.

The technical presentation is outstanding and a worthy upgrade for collectors. Both the Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs feature a thunderous Dolby Atmos audio track that uses every channel to make the film's frenetic shootouts and close-quarters brawls pop. The native 4K master on the UHD disc provides sharp detail and stable HDR, showcasing the stylized color grading beautifully.

Universal's Collector's Edition packs valuable special features, including over 30 minutes of bonus content. The two standout featurettes, Nobody Does Stunts Like Us and Nobody 2: The Fight Continues, grant genuine insight into Odenkirk's intensive training and the choreography design. The addition of eight deleted scenes is the final touch on a complete package. For action enthusiasts and fans of the first film, this disc is a mandatory pickup.

Studios provided screeners for review./

Early Game Review: 'Just Dance: 2026 Edition'

Ubisoft has refined the dance floor ritual to near-perfection. For years, the Just Dance series has stood as the premier rhythm-action experience, but it often felt like an annual content drop housed in a static platform. Just Dance 2026 Edition, due out Wednesday, finally pivots the franchise toward true evolution, delivering not just a stellar tracklist, but a suite of quality-of-life improvements and meaningful new modes that elevate the entire package from a party essential to a truly superb gaming experience.

The 2026 edition ships with the familiar 40-song roster, and the curation this year is immaculate. It manages the nearly impossible task of balancing current global pop dominance (like the immediate standout "Neon Echoes" by NovaWave) with essential throwback tracks that haven’t been featured before. More importantly, the choreographers leaned into the higher difficulty settings, offering Extreme maps that feel less like punitive wrist-flips and more like genuine masterclasses in expressive movement. The ability to switch between Easy, Medium, and Extreme coaches mid-song—a feature refined from last year—is now seamlessly integrated, making it easier than ever to tailor the challenge to the skill level of everyone in the room.

The most significant changes, however, lie beneath the neon surface. Previous iterations struggled with sluggish menu navigation and occasional lag when streaming Just Dance+ content, even with a strong connection. 2026 Edition resolves these critical issues with a complete overhaul of the UI, which is now blazingly fast and intuitive. Jumping from a curated workout playlist to a new song on the main roster takes mere seconds. Furthermore, the new Cloud Sync Architecture addresses the buffering headache; tracks from the massive subscription library load instantly, finally making Just Dance+ feel like a true, integrated platform rather than a separate streaming service tacked onto the base game.

Ubisoft also managed to inject fresh life into the surprisingly elaborate Just Dance lore (yes, it has lore). The new Ascension Story Mode is a welcome addition, turning the typically disjointed song compilation into a genuine progression track. Players unlock new choreographies and avatar customization pieces by completing narrative arcs tied to the colorful on-screen coaches. This not only gives solo players a reason to boot up the game outside of high-score chasing but also subtly teaches advanced moves necessary for the harder tracks, improving overall player ability in a way previous tutorial systems never could.

Just Dance 2026 Edition is an exercise in mechanical polish. The dance tracking is the tightest it has ever been, particularly when utilizing the phone-as-controller system, which exhibits almost zero noticeable latency. The dedication to making the base game feel complete while simultaneously polishing the Just Dance+ integration makes this the definitive entry in the modern era of the franchise. It’s vibrant, mechanically sound, and endlessly fun, making it a must-buy for both newcomers and seasoned dancers looking for the biggest leap forward in years.

Publisher provided review code.