"NBA 2K22" Review

There is no true offseason when it comes to the life of a pro basketball player. "NBA 2K22" embraces the lifestyle aspects of the league 

A more robust MyPlayer mode is more story-oriented and RPG-like than in years' past, emerging you into the rhythms, challenges and benefits that come with the pro baller livelihood. 

Unlike in previous years, your first choice as a high school phenom is whether to commit to college or avoid that route in favor of trying out for the G League. Either way, your endgame is to become a lottery pick and get those endorsement deals rolling in. The selfish aspect could influence your play style in showcase games as you prep for your future.

On-court action has been tweaked to allow for a less arcadey feel. The camera seems to be closer to the action, providing an immediate feel that seems closer to instant replay than broadcast perspective. Changes to the stamina formula force you to be stingy with your fast breaks and flashy moves, which can lead to diminishing returns if you overuse them.

Both MYPlayer and MyTeam modes are beset with long-game rewards that require a measure of grinding, but both are more rewarding than the instant gratification aspect of years' past.

Continuing the trend of previous editions of the game, there is an ever-increasing emphasis on microtransactions for consumables, including in-game boosts and cosmetics. While options abound to tweak your style and look without shelling out extra money, the temptation to fork out dough to cut out the grind is everpresent. That's par for the course in the modern sports landscape, though. At least failing to play in the money-hungry metagame won't reduce the thrills you get on the court.

Once you're ready to embrace the next NBA season, "NBA 2K22" will sate all the needs that aren't fulfilled by highlights or fantasy leagues. A silk-smooth anf flashy product much like its cover athlete, Luca Donkic, it's a comprehensive package that fuels your hoop dreams.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: Movies Leaving Netflix in October 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "The Voyeurs"

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"DariusBurst: Another Chronicle EX+" Review

Side-scrolling space shooters were made for the Switch, and Taito has been crafting some of the best in the bunch for decades. 

While "DariusBurst: Another Chronicle EX+" may not add much to the recipe, the bones of what have long made games of this ilk so addictive remains in place.

The goal is to replicate a credit-chomping arcade experience, and "DariusBurst" accomplishes that to a harrowing degree. The difficulty level ramps up quickly then continues to pour on the pain, challenging you to hone your skillset as you power through the bullet hell. 

The array of power-ups and upgrades is satisfying, injecting momentum-shifting jolts into the flow of the game that can jolt you out of certain death.

The feeling of constantly skating by in a mix of luck and skill is intoxicating, challenging you to overcome your near-misses and celebrate your fleeting successes.

While there may not be much new in the offing for series veterans, there is plenty to enjoy for even the most devoted fans. The 1980s and 90s continue to live on on the Switch.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Cinderella" and "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"

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PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in September 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies Leaving Netflix in September 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Free Guy"

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"Wingspan" Review

An ultra-complicated, often confounding and ultimately rewarding card game, "Wingspan" is set among the world of birds.

Sounds boring, right? Not so fast. Every bit as intense and nail-biting as a game with spells, crafting and summons.

Aiming to establish the most gorgeous, diverse and thriving wildlife preserve, you gather eggs, deploy bird species and strategize ways to edge out rivals.

The dev squad at Monster Couch deploys a labyrinthine swirl of rules, guidelines and subsets that are as difficult to grasp as it is to catch a feathered friend in your hands.

Once you get the hang of it -- an extended tutorial and frequent referrals to walkthroughs don't hurt -- you'll find yourself obsessing over the permutations of diets, eggs, habitats and subspecies.

There is a lot to digest here -- too much for the armchair dilettante -- but a rich tapestry in which to delve for those who like to find themselves lost in the clouds. It may be tough to find similarly-minded avian devotees, but should you find your flock, you're experience will no doubt take flight.

Anyone else needs to be content to peck it out with the punishing A.I. That mode is for the birds.

Publisher provided review code.

"Inbento" Review

An inventive, therapeutic puzzler, "Inbento" has you mix, match, flip and remove overlaying titles in order to match a preset image. 

The devs at Afterburn milk their lighthearted concept for all it's worth, conjuring exponential ways to trick and tease your mind whenever it reaches a comfort level with a concept. 

The act of manipulating the tiles is so simplistic that it seems somewhat condescending, but the sheer depth of the permutations in which you can go wrong give the game a sometimes diabolical edge.

While I played, my wife commented that it looked like a game for 2-year-olds. That only accentuated my embarrassment when I got stuck and had to resort to online walkthroughs. I recommend against retreating to that route, because it robs you of the sheer satisfaction of the breakthrough.

The content -- which includes more than 100 bite-size levels -- is a bit thin, especially if you get a feel for the puzzle design and start plowing through each one in seconds. If you start to struggle then your playtime, as well as frustration level, can considerably increase.

"Inbento" does little to evolve past its mobile game roots, but its relaxing, methodical feel is a rare pleasure in a time of hectic shooters and trying RPGs. It takes a special magic to make failure seem fun, and that's what this game manages to achieve.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "The Suicide Squad"

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"Within the Blade" Review

Hack-and-slash ninja combat comes by the bushel in "Within the Blade," a fast-paced beat-em-up with a rapid buildup in difficulty.  

Set in 16th century Japan, you play as part of the Black Lotus ninja clan, which stands as the realm's best chance to fend off an assault from a warlord and his minions.

Hand-to-hand and projectile weapons and power-ups are around for your upgrading and crafting pleasure. A mix of stealth and daring assaults are your best bet for survival.

Speed and stealth are at a premium, with slick moves and continued momentum needed to rip through levels.

The dev team at Ametist Studio prioritized quantity over quality when it came to level design, adding marginal changeups to keep your reflexes and skills honed. There are shades of "Mark of the Ninja" here.

"Within the Blade" rarely lacks in excitement or intrigue, and those who are content with bashing through the repetitive content -- especially in NewGame+ mode, will find a trove of ninja thrills to enjoy.

Publisher provided review code.

"Roundguard" Review

Mixing chance and skill is an enthralling and often frustrating combination. "Roundguard" handles the formula with ease and skill, making average players feel as though they're better than they really are, while sobering better players with the harsh reality of bad bounces.

The Wonderbelly Games team punches up the screen with an entertaining array of sound and color. 

Proudly following the "Plinko"-style path set by "Peggle" in 2007, the game tasks you to defend the kingdom by choosing from a roster of combatants, each bestowed with a special move that lets you manipulate your tumbling ball and its targets.

Strategy comes into play when you decide when to deploy your power-ups and when it's best to keep them in your back pocket. Because instant death always lurks around the corner, it's up to you to weigh your fate and decide when to play boldly or conservatively.

While a medieval reskin of "Peggle" may well have been enough to win me over, the intricacies and story additions wielded "Roundguard" lifted it above my expectations, providing moments of exuberance along with an "I'll get 'em next time" feeling of flustered determination. 

Consider the "Peggle" formula perfected.

Publisher provided review code.

"The Forgotten City" Review

Riding a wave of hype surrounding time loop games such as "Returnal" and "Deathloop," "The Forgotten City" takes the concept and lifts it to a higher level of intellectual profundity.

Since the days of "The Majora's Mask," developers have toyed with the concept of avoiding imminent destruction with the right moves. "The Forgotten City" injects some current-gen pizzazz into the formula, presenting a dizzying array of choices that make failing the loop -- and following the permutations of the strange aberrations the failure can generate -- nearly as satisfying as completing it.

The dev team at Modern Storyteller proves to be profoundly literate, injecting sophisticated moral and ethical philosophizing. This is a deep, robust game in which story matters every bit as much as gameplay.

Set 2,000 years in the past, you find yourself in a doomed Roman city. Negotiating the local political scene and various levels of the social strata, you unravel a mystery strand by strand, gradually working your way to the "Groundhog Day"-style epiphany.

The sense of freedom and permutations of the story are entrancing, making "The Forgotten City" seem like a living, breathing world that is quickly swirling the drain.

In a sense, just about all video games are time loops, in which you can seize a modicum of control that life doesn't give you, letting you use your experience, knowledge and reflexes to right previous wrongs and succeed where you once failed. "The Forgotten City" is a time loop upon the time loop concept itself, shining a light on what can be done with the genre.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in August 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Jungle Cruise" review

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"Observer: System Redux" Review

Cyberpunk sleuths have plenty to savor in "Observer: System Redux," an amped-up version of a 2017 release.

Set in 2084, the dark, twisting psychological horror adventure always keeps you off guard. Thanks to a thought-provoking script, entrancing visuals and clever gameplay mechanics, the game captures the tone of a page-turning thriller novel

You play as a detective who hacks inside peoples' brains in order to investigate crimes.

A dystopian nightmare emerges, with a cavernous realm of secrets, lies and backstabbing emerging around the deadly conspiracy. You put your own neck on the line as you sink deeper into the investigation.

While the stealth continues to be weak -- although the segments are uniformly streamlined and overall improved in this new-gen upgrade -- the puzzle elements are superb. 

The devs at Bloober Team are clearly well-versed in the annals of cyberpunk history, making clever references and poignant observations as they unravel their fascinating tale.

A powerfully told, intricately woven deep dive into the recesses of the human condition and its corruptive qualities relating to artificial intelligence, "Observer: System Redux" continues to cast its spell on the current generation of consoles.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Playing with Sharks"

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Book Report: "Fosse"

 

Fosse by Sam Wasson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sam Wasson's intelligent, insightful biography is as captivating as the miniseries it inspired.

A probing look inside the mind and life of a tortured creative genius, "Fosse" manages to look up and down at the trend-setting choreographer, film director and promotional mastermind.

Eloquent prose digs into the interactions and intricacies that made the man. Fosse was a walking trainwreck who womanized, abused drugs and drink and -- most of all -- himself as he incessently strove to max out his creative capabilities and manifest his visions into being.

As wretched as a person as Fosse was at times, he also harbored a kind heart that drew friends and admirers into his orbit.

Ever plagued with self doubt and loathing, it seemed Fosse never had the capability of enjoying his dizzying success. Perhaps it was that inability to appreciate that kept him ever reach, ever stumbling, ever falling and ever rising.

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in August

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PHIL ON FILM: "Black Widow"

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"Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground" Review

The first venture into the strategy real for the dark fantasy spinoff of "Warhammer Age of Sigmar," "Storm Ground" is a rough-hewn experience with its share of exuberant highs as well as stagnant lows.

After the novelty of getting to play "Warhammer" on the Switch wears off, you're left with a clunky, scaled-down version of a middling PC release.

"Warhammer" superfans will no doubt relish the lore and world-building that comes in the story -- at least if they can stomach the mediocre writing and long-winded exposition.

Choosing from among three factions, you guide your forces through the gritty, unforgiving campaign, which provides ample replayability opportunities that let you view the conflict from varied perspectives. Whether you will have the patience to replay the story again is questionable.

The dev team at Gasket Games was creeping on the verge of a breakthrough to let the might of the brand be known on the underexplored territory of the Switch, but instead came up with a moribund spinoff that seems with more in common with a mobile snack than a full-fledged feast.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in July 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Clairevoyant" Review

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Weird But True: T-Mobile Serves Up Ginger Beer, Gin

 

Claiming it has "the world's largest, fastest and most reliable 5G network," the carrier is producing "5Gin" and "5Ginger Beer." 

I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind the products, but I have a theory: You can use one for drunk-dialing and the other to drown your sorrows in carbonated sugar, I guess.

T-Mobile sent product samples.

"Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection" Review

It's rare that a game holds up as well as your memory of it does. The "Ninja Gaiden" games, though, are the rare exception in which actuality trumps memory.

Slick, strategic action flows like wind, with a zen-like succession of blocks, jumps and special moves emerging from your reflexes as you face down scores of hooded enemies and imposing beasts. The franchise that was introduced on the original Xbox thrives three generations later in the form of the upgraded "Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection."

The enhanced, Sigma versions of the 2004 and 2008 games are included, and are the main event. The games hold up well, with Team Ninja devs sticking close to the ports while adding minor quality of life improvements and polish.

The QTE-riddled "Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge" (2013) is the black sheep here, but has enough bombastic moments to make it a necessity play-through for megafans.

Nearly all previously-released DLC is there, with loads of costumes, characters and other bonuses to sift through.

Although the saving system sticks to the original way, there's something to be said for the ability to trigger quick resets that autosaves would prevent to help you gear aup for particularly harrowing challenges.

Likely the introduction to many players to a franchise that had been stuck in the shadows for more than a decade, "Ninja Gaiden Master Collection" blows through the doors with brutal, rhythmic fury. It's good to have Rya Hayabusa back in the game.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Luca" Review

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies Leaving Netflix in July

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PHIL ON FILM: "Awake"

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"The Colonists" Review

Gamers waiting for the low-stress escape title that could become the "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" of 2021 should give "The Colonists" a look.

While stale and antiseptic rather than colorful and gregarious, "The Colonist" is no less wholesome and cutesy. The settlement-builder puts you in control of a gang of multiplying robots who are apparently picking up where humanity left off.

A slightly scaled-down version of the game that launched on PC in 2018, the console translates the controls and menus well to the stick-and-button format, making it relatively easy to find the flow of the build-harvest-exploration loop.

While a bit robotic in its delivery, the dev squad at Codebyfire shows an aptitude for ease of use and guidance, coaching you up with an extensive tutorial -- pieces of which stick around to help out if you mess things up too badly.

Bursting with subtle satirization of human tendencies, "The Colonists" spins its tongue-in-cheek metastory with subversive pleasure. 

"The Colonists" may not deliver the obsessive, play-everyday quality of the likes of "Animal Crossing," but has enough clever ideas of its own to stand out from the pack. Those looking for lighthearted, repetitive challenges will find satisfaction in these bots.

Publisher provided review code.

"Space Commander: War and Trade" Review

If you've ever daydreamed about a sci-fi-fueled life in the stars, "Space Commander: War and Trade" will bring those games back to Earth.

It turns out there is plenty of drudgery in the day-to-day operations of managing the interstellar military industrial complex. Expect a hefty helping of monotony building up slowly to the occasional frenzied spark.

The single-player adventure puts you at the helm of what turns out to be a day job that has you watching the clock a little too often. While the dev team at 7Levels should be applauded for crafting a solid, stable reward loop that encourages pre-planning and on-the-fly adjustments, there just isn't much sizzle to the affair.

A middling adaptation of a game that started off in the mobile realm, the gameplay pops a bit more on the Switch than on mobile devices, due to the lavish detail of the screen, which provides more real estate than most devices.

A lumbering economy and rough interface make it tough to manage your flow. While the experience is polished, it's sometimes as antiseptic as a ship's decontamination dock.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in June 2021

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"Mass Effect: Legendary Edition" Review

A groundbreaking and innovative effort that paved the way for the likes of "The Witcher" series, the "Mass Effect" trilogy gave players a hand in authorship, allowing them to shape and direct their own stories with key choices and morality-based decisions hanging in the balance.

Choices you made in the game not only affected your ending, but characters who lived or died shaped the rest of your experience in the remaining. It always seemed as though the trilogy were one, humongous interlinked game, and "Mass Effect: Legendary Edition" now brings that vision to life.

Originally released in 2007, 2010 and 2012, the trilogy had started to show some laugh lines and arthritic pains over the years. The new effort from BioWare smooths out the rough edges and combines the games into one near-seamless saga. 

The original "Mass Effect" gets the most noticeable facelift, with its rough control systems smoothed out and its laborious loading times mitigated. The other two games also get significant boosts, with the lone significant sacrifice -- the loss of multiplayer in "Mass Effect 3" -- only seeming like a minimal setback.

Crafting and shaping your Command Shepard throughout the journey is enriching, with repeated playthroughs letting you toy with various styles and permutations. You can take on the mentality of a conniving manipulator in one, a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant in another, and a meek person with pacifist leanings in a third go-round. The often devastating repercussions -- in survival of characters and entire races, romantic unions lost and fund and in side stories discovered -- is often illuminating or disheartening.

The writing craft at play in the "Mass Effect" franchise was always the rocket that lifted it to its storied heights, and now the visuals and accessibility match it. Always known as a tough RPG, the ease-of-life benefits now sometimes steer the game into easy territory. But the true rewards come in participating in the story in a way unlike any franchise before, and a nature that is in many ways still unmatched.

While the trilogy's follow-up, "Mass Effect: Andromeda," left some players yearning for the olden days, this revamped, optimized taste of the original satisfies that nostalgic craving, while shining a promising light on the series' future.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Army of the Dead"

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PHIL ON FILM: "Spiral" and "Those Who Wish Me Dead"

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies Leaving Netflix in June 2021

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"Angels of Death" Review

 Locked away in a prison that seems to be straight out of a horror flick nightmare, you're pursued by a relentless killer who can overwhelm you with strength or speed. "Angels of Death" tasks you to use limited resources to evade and overcome the threat.

Whether or not you succeed is determined by your ingenuity, capacity for failure and -- most likely -- ability to closely follow YouTube walkthroughs.

Oddball twists and obfuscated solutions to strange puzzles abound, but the roadblocks ratchet up the sense of satisfaction as you progress in spite of the foreboding odds. "Angels of Death" is feet meeting fire.

The top-down puzzle adventure, which came out on PC in 2016 and the Switch in 2018, now makes its way to the Xbox One.

Developer Kadokawa Dwango Corporation keeps the sounds and visuals simple, giving the game the feel of a 16-bit classic. The archaic sensibilities add to the charm, making it feel as though you're playing through an otherworldly experience from a lost parallel universe.

"Angels of Death" is a rough-hewn experience, but well-polished in execution over the years. Dark and melancholic, the game offers punishment for those who are into that kind of thing.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Paper Spiders"

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"The Longing" Review

Left alone in the dark to fend for yourself, "The Longing" eschews hand-holding or even gentel guidance in favor of obtuse obfuscation. To progress, you will need to tinker, try, fail, fail again and hope for the best. 

With shades of "Limbo" and "Inside" as artistic inspiration the puzzler from developer Application Systems Heidelberg challenges you to think for yourself. Expect to spend plenty of time going nowhere, puttering about, considering the meaning of it all.

In this day and age, games that leave you stranded on your own are a welcome shakeup. The respect and challenge, however, come at a hefty price.

There is plenty of trial and error at play -- often to a frustrating degree, amounting to a brick wall of progress. The bottlenecking, combined with limited save capabilities, can make "The Longing" try your patience.

As you crawl your way through the plot -- which gives you a 400-day countdown to finish -- you are left to your own devices to tinker and tailor your ventures toward the ultimate goal.

If that sort of thing makes you smile rather than wince, this is probably the time of game for which you'll find yourself longing.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in May

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PHIL ON FILM: "Mortal Kombat" review

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"Say No! More" Review

An experimental game that actively averts gameplay, "Say No! More" centers around the whimsical absurdity of its premise. You play as an office worker whose sole purpose seems to be on turning people down. 

The dev team at Fizbin shows off its flair for humorous writing and visuals, crafting a thin but enjoyable romp that takes no skill. 

The story offers little replay value, but that's just as well, because "Say No! More" thrives on the element of surprise.

The narrative opposite of the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy "Yes Man," "Say No! More" explores the various ways in which the act of denial can be empowering and, at times, courageous.

Living vicariously through your character is a joyously aspirational experience that allows you to find strength in unlikely, brash self-determination.

With a distinct art style that makes the game a breezy, playful and surprisingly impactful experience. It's an easy one to say yes to.  

 Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: Movies Leaving Netflix in May 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Thunder Force"

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Book Report: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"

 

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Douglas Adams' trailblazing, free-wheeling, eminently quotable novel is a fun, exuberant experience that ends way too quickly. The sense of playfulness, the sharpness of the wit and satire on display, and the endless trove of imagination no doubt inspired the likes of "Futurama" and "Rick & Morty."

Sci-fi absurdity elevated beyond its extreme is the order of the day, and Adams hits his stride in the opening, never looking back and only reaching farther and getting stranger as he goes.

While his characters leave little to connect to, and his plotting is a snake eating its own tail, then puking it up and swallowing it once again, all the perceived shortcomings are mitigated by the wild, untamed nature of the storytelling. At times the story plays as though concocted by Mad Lib. There is always a sense of Adams making it seem like he's getting away with something that he shouldn't bem and you're along for the ride.

He gives you many fish for which to be thankful, and proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the answer is indeed 42.

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PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in April 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Godzilla vs. Kong" Review

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BOOK REPORT: "The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir"

 

The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a juicy, old-fashioned revenge-fueled tell-all that provides an unsettling -- if unsuprising -- peek inside the inner workings of the Trump presidency.

Bolton, a diehard GOP foot soldier who was brought into the Trump fold in order to provide experience and perspective in matters of global affairs, found himself hoofing it on a treadmill to nowhere. His exasperation is amusing, and bravery commendable.

The author's insights into Trump's scattershot approach to domestic and international crises are sharp and poignant. What emerges is a picture of a man in over his head. There was little effort to portray Trump as a sympathetic figure, but -- as Bolton sees it -- it's easy to feel some sympathy for a man unequipped to deal with the role in which he was thrust.

While there are few bombshells or juicy revelations in "The Room Where it Happened," what emerges is a steady, enthralling instant history that reads like a novel. It's a page Bolton seems relieved to have turned.

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"Explosionade DX" Review

Suiting up inside giant, overpowered mech in "Explosionade DX," you unleash destruction upon your hapless foes. The action title grants you an exuberant feeling of vigorous angst as a renegade Lieutenant who finds himself as the realm's last defense against assaulting forces.

A revamped version of the Xbox Live Indie Games release, the new version feels and plays like a modern game rather than an Xbox 360-era relic.

Inspired by the likes of "Cybernator" and "Metal Warriors," the game is a whiz-bang energy.

The Mommy's Best Games dev team packs the 60 levels with increasingly frenetic thrills. To survive, you must juggle an array of attacks, defenses and evasive maneuvers. Revamped graphics, leaderboards and new enemies amp up the package.

The two-player, local co-op mode expands the fun considerably, allowing you and a pal to team up in your torrent of destruction.

Bubbling with the exuberant passion of a project dreamed up in a garage, "Explosionade DX" bubbles with the excitement of an independent game while sparkling with the polish granted by a heftier budget and technological advances. Time has been kind to the buried gem of the past.

When life gives you explosions, make "Explosionade."

Publisher provided review code.

"Taxi Chaos" Review

A takeoff on the 1999 arcade classic "Crazy Taxi," "Taxi Chaos" sets you loose among a chaotic New York cityscape, tasking you to spirit passengers from one places to the next.

Your ride is equipped with nitro boosts and jump capability, making each fare a real-time strategy puzzle to navigate traffic, exploit shortcuts and shave seconds off your time to up your score.

The Lion Castle dev team figuratively floors it on the pick-up-and-play aspect of the concept, but stalls in neutral when it comes to the replayability side of the equation. There are nominal upgrades and advancements on deck, but most of it is just window dressing, with no tangible reason to surge ahead other than the exuberance of the gameplay, which wears thin after a bit.

A mission-based mode in the vein of "Stuntman," or a sizable multiplayer dimension would have done wonders to the base game, which -- as it stands -- is barely more than a casual touch-screen tapper.

"Taxi Chaos" is a lighthearted diversion that works as a palate cleanser between more serious enterprises. It's fun to take for a spin, though it falters over the long haul.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Zack Snyder's Justice League"

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in April 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Coming 2 America" Review

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies and TV Shows Leaving Netflix in March 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "Judas and the Black Messiah" review

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PHIL ON FILM: "More Than Miyagi: The Pat Morita Story" Review

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PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in February 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in February 2021

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"Space Invaders Forever" Review

Ever since it started rocking arcades in 1978, "Space Invaders" has been a video game staple, steadfastly refusing to evolve as other trends came and went. Its simplistic charm -- oft-copied but rarely surpassed -- has been incalculably influential.

Staying relevant has been another, tougher story.

"Space Invaders Forever" is the latest attempt to inject some new life into the old bones, rounding up three games in an effort to revitalize the ancient concept. 

The results are largely satisfying, particularly on the form of the main event, "Space Invaders Extreme," which follows the lead of "Pac-Man Championship Edition" to add new layers of strategy and playfulness to the 16-level mix, complete with boss fights and hidden surprises. By far the most entertaining and replayable of the three included modes, the fevered blast-and-dodge routine rarely goes stale.

The dev team at Taito Corporation had middling success with its other components: "Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders: and "Space Invaders Gigamax 4SE." The quick-hit, party game-style feel works best in quick hits.

The overall lack of online multiplayer is an unfortunate, if understandable omission. "Space Invaders" is decidedly old school, and that sentiment continues in its latest release. "Forever" is a mixed bag that delivers the highs and lows of the concept, content to rest in orbit rather than shoot for the stars.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "One Night in Miami"

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PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in January 2021

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Review: OnePlus 8T+5G

 As the world continues the shift to 5G, T-Mobile is intent on leading the charge with its array of devices geared to take advantage of the network.

An upgrade over the OnePlus 8, the premium OnePlus 8T+5G vies to stand alongside the likes of Samsung's flagship phones. Armed with a 120 Hz display, four rear cameras and heavy-duty battery life, the phone manages to match specs with the best of the bunch.

The real star, of course, is the network. While 5G connectivity fades outside of heavily urbanized and trafficked areas -- I couldn't get service at all during a weekend trip to Silver City, NM -- the coverage performs so well at full service that it feels like a hefty downgrade to shift to WiFi. If this is the phone you get, unlimited data is a must.

The OnePlus 8T+5G's slim form factor and vivid display makes it a joy to watch HD video or play high-performance games while on the go. It's a solid option for those looking to take advantage of PlayStation and Xbox game streaming. That's where the advantages of the network truly come into play, reducing lag and latency that too often plagues services such as PlayStation Now, Google Stadia and remote play.

The 65-watt charger -- equipped with an unwieldy white box of an adapter, pumps the phone with juice in minutes. The charger is so efficient that I find myself lining my other devices for it every morning. Using the heavy hitter makes it tough to go back to whatever dinky USB-C adapter you were using before.

The lack of induction charging is a head-scratching absence, and some awkward button placement makes it difficult to affix to tripods. The minimal downsides are far eclipsed by everything going for the device. While the move from 5G to 4G may not be as dramatic as the jump from 3G to 4G, the subtleties of the advances combine to make you so comfortable that it's tough to look back.

Review unit provided by T-Mobile.

PHIL ON FILM: 3 Movies Opening Christmas Day

For my full reviews, click here.

 

"Immortals: Fenyx Rising" Review

A spiritual successor to "Kid Icarus," "Immortals: Fenyx Rising" is steeped in ancient lore, taking a lighthearted yet thrilling approach to the material. It's the opposite side of the coin of usual super-serious takes on the mythos, including "God of War" and "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey." 

Many of the team members who worked on "Odyssey" returned to the fray for this inverted version of the mythology-themed expansion to the epic, "Fate of Atlantis." You get the feeling that "Fenyx Rising" was something of a release valve for the devs, who used the opportunity to explore visions that the "Assassin's Creed" franchise couldn't contain.

After revamping production and scrapping the generic original title "Gods and Monsters," the dev squad at Ubisoft Quebec managed to find its stride. The result was a glorious, freewheeling Greek Mythology romp with action and humor to spare.

Playing as a warrior who intercedes in the ongoing conflict between gods and titans. As you take on quests and vie for upgrades, you take on the powers and abilities of the gods you are attempting to help.

While some of the banter is corny, the breezy approach is a welcome respite from the frenetic action. This is one of the games in which you truly do yourself a disservice if you skip the cutscenes.

While the mission structure tends to be heavy on fetch quests and repetition, the momentum never dissipates, and the fun keeps flowing as you fly ever closer to the sun.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: Movies and TV Shows Leaving Netflix in January 2021

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PHIL ON FILM: "The Stand-In"

 For my full story, click here.

"The Casino" Review

Rolling in with routlette, slots, video poker, craps and baccarat, "The Casino" is just as meat-and-potatoes as its title.

Very much akin to old-fashioned shareware gambling sims that used to make their way across the nation via shareware floppy disks, "The Casino" lets each game stand on its own merits. With no money at stake, there are vastly diminishing returns to each, but all of the games offer short, arresting bursts of entertainment value, strategy and chance.

While there is little exciting about the presentation or execution of the casino standards, there is something to be said for the way it cuts through the fluff and gets right to the point. The game provides a no-risk way to scratch the gambling urge or test out some strategies.

Asymmetrical multiplayer lets you see how your earnings and skill stack up against those around the globe. Aside from that, there's not much of a compelling reason to continue to rack up pretend money.

"The Casino" may not be the most thrilling to drop this holiday season, but you may find it worthy of a tile on your Switch library. A welcome, appealing go-to that won't waste your time or cash, it's there when you feel the need to try your luck.

Publisher provided review code.

"Family Feud" Review

The new "Family Feud" game on consoles exists in a parallel universe in which the pandemic doesn't exist. That's something of a relief in terms of the escapism factor, but also oddly tone-deaf. 

Guiding happy-go-lucky clans, not socially distant in any way as they gleefully rub elbows and shake hands, is as jarring as something you'd see in a pre-2020 TV series. While it's gratifying to revisit a world in which social gatherings came without taboos, quizzes with answers that included concerts and festivals were commonplace and shortages of household items were unthinkable, it would also be welcome to have at least a touch of reality infiltrate the video game show. 

Maybe an update that included pandemic-tinted questions -- or any update with new questions, which will eventually be needed to refresh the stale original slate -- would be welcome.

At least the dev team at Ubisoft took care to make the initial release full-featured. Online play is a welcome and all-too-rare addition in the genre, and there are multiple difficulty levels, customizable characters, a helpful answer-filling system and game formats to help keep sessions from wearing out their welcomes.

The game seems to have been concocted for foreign markets, then translated haphazardly to North American English. Odd spellings and syntax errors abound, oddly adding a charm to the otherworldiness of the semi-educated guessing game.

While the game is as one-dimensional on the show on which it's based, it's also every bit as fun. If you've ever wondered how your own family would perform on the show, this is your opportunity to find out.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Black Bear"

 For my full review, click here.

"Planet Coaster: Console Edition" Review

 In a time when open amusement parks are hard to come by, "Planet Coaster" slides in as a welcome escapist fantasy. Managing, pleasing and exploiting happy-go-lucky crowds can be as much of a rush as partaking in a thrill ride, once you overcome a sluggish start to get your momentum going.

As with most management sims, most of the fun in "Planet Coaster" comes after you've put in significant time sewing your seeds. What starts off as a slog can quickly turn into a frenetic juggling affair, requiring you to zip from one area to the next, putting out fires, optimizing the finely-tuned facets of your empire while building for the future.

Developer Frontier Developments put in similarly heavy work on the console adaptation of the 2016 sim, taking care to make the menu interface flow as naturally as it would with a mouse and keyboard setup. There's also a narrated tutorial to help get you going.

A nostalgic feel pulses throughout the game. As you prop up coasters, kiddie rides, concession stands and other attractions, a certain pre-pandemic innocence and optimism pulses throughout. 

The "Minecraf"-style sense of freedom stokes players' creativity by offering ample ways to explore, innovate and spectacularly fail. There are already four years of walkthroughs online, thanks to the enthusiastic PC community, to stoke your visions.

"Planet Coaster" loses little in its transfer to consoles, moving as briskly and smoothly as a cart shifting its tracks. A tinkerer's dream, the game is limited only by the heights of your imagination.

Publisher provided review code.

"Marvel's Avengers" Review

 After a disastrous E3 2019 showing, developers Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal took the criticism to heart, using the year to smooth out the rough edges, reshape core concepts and refine the bizarre visuals.

The result is one of the more underappreciated gems of 2020.

With a sweeping story, creative multiplayer co-op integration and promise of much more to come, "Marvel's Avengers" became a game that lived up to its lofty promise. More a "Destiny"-style persistent platform than one-offs in the vein of "Spider-Man," the game nails the core of what it means to unite Earth's Mightiest Heroes and deploy their complementary powers to take on overwhelming threats.

The heart of the story is Kamala Khan, who is coming into her own as the limb-stretching dynamo Ms. Marvel. After a cataclysm disbands the Avengers, she takes it upon herself to piece them back together, helping to heal old wounds and forge new alliances. 

The balance in skill and entertainment value among the likes of Hulk, Black Widow, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America is relatable and convincing, unlike the nerfing/overpowering tactics used in the likes of "Marvel vs. Capcom" slugfests. Instead of making, say, Black Widow as powerful as Hulk, each hero is given various skills and challenges that make them roughly equally satisfying to take on. 

A lengthy tutorial introduces you to the skillsets to each, allowing you to upgrade their skills, shaping their abilities to your comfort level and tendencies.

Online options are where the game will thrive over the long run. With an ongoing slate of missions deploying, there will likely long be loot and upgrades to scoop up. Taking on the ongoing saga of the comic book world, rather than telling a distinct tale, you feel like a part of the ongoing operatic journey.

Rich and robust, "Marvel's Avengers" is a veritable Thanksgiving feast of a game, worthy of carrying the banner established by the comic books and lifted to new heights by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILNM: 5 Shows to Binge in December 2020

 For my full story, click here.

"Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues" Review

 "Cobra Kai," which has made the shift from YouTube to Netflix, is one of the most entertaining shows on TV. Its licensed game makes a valiant effort to live up to the legacy of the series, but falls short in subtle, gnawing ways.

There is clearly plenty of love and enthusiasm for the series involved. With eight playable characters to choose from across 28 missions, you can live out just about all of your street brawler fantasies as a member of Miyagi-Do or Cobra Kai dojos. 

The side-scroller gives you the choice between the factions, then sets you free to romp through its side of the story. The approach is wise, given the way it follows the philosophy of the writing. Unlike the righteous dogmatism of the "Karate Kid" films, the series crane-kicks its way along varying shades of grey, with both sides appearing heroic or villainous at times, despite being convinced that they are always in the right.

The story unfolds from both perspectives, allowing you to see the varied shades in which both sides, who are under the tutelage of lifelong rivalry between Danie LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence.

In the "Streets of Rage" tradition, you slug your way through armies of enemies, with massive life meter-toting minibosses and end-level bosses awaiting you.

A fun and breezy idea in concept, some quality-of-life adjustments would have made things more enjoyable. Wonky hit detection and inconsistent damage amounts make it tough to know whether it pays off to be more precise or prioritize button-mashing. An overall lack of polish abounds, making the game feel more at times like a browser gamer rather than a console release. Also, the levels run on far too long. A bite-sized approach typically works better in repetitive titles such as this.

With spirit and vigor to spare, though, the "Cobra Kai" adaptation is an apt companion to fans of the series. A silly and colorful complement to the mythos, it's worth a look for superfans of the show.

Publisher provided review code.

"Black Desert: Prestige Edition" Review

 "Black Desert: Prestige Edition" is a staggeringly large and disarmingly ambitious MMORPG. 

The dev team at Pearl Abyss is filled its realms up with monsters to slay, loot to cobble together and resources to craft. You're never far from conflict, with aggressive -- if often easily dispatchable -- enemies looming around you at every turn. 

The game seems to be geared toward high-end PCs, and tends to chug a little on the Xbox One. It's not game-breaking, but frustrating and awkward at times.

The bombardment of microtransactions is also off-putting, but expected for a persistent online experience.

Taking on "Black Desert" often feels like a chore-filled grind-fest, but the act of collecting goods and button-mashing through battles tends to be more satisfying than rote. 

A sizable fanbase has seemingly gathered around "Black Desert," making its world feel lush and alive. That's likely due in part from crossplay functionality between the PS4 and Xbox One communities.

Console players looking for a fresh MMO addiction will be grudgingly satisfied, but may find themselves with PC envy.

Publisher provided review code.

Phil on Film: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in December 2020

 For my full article, click here.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War"

 While the "Call of Duty" gameplan has been all over the map in recent years -- with story modes having been minimized or eliminated entirely at times -- it's the writing and narrative structure that take center stage in "Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War." 

In getting back to its smirking, conspiracy-minded, counterculture roots, developer Treyarch finds new life in a formula that had started to grow stale. With branching dialogue, point-of-view shifts and a stirring, historical fiction-driven reimagining of the global state of the play over the late 20th century, the game is a freewheeling and fluid dive into the ether.

At its heart, "Black Ops Cold War" is a loose cannon action movie, straight out of the 80s. With booming bravado, high-octane set pieces and tense shootouts -- as well as imaginative revisitations of famed characters from previous chapters -- it's a AAA blowout that has become the too-rare watercooler event in this era of fragmented attention spans.

Multiplayer options abound, with Zombies taking center stage as a cinematic action-horror spectacle. Fireteam: Dirty Bomb emphasizes cooperation and trust, while Combined Arms and VIP Escort shake up the formula with inventive wrinkles and twists. 

Team Deathmatch is the standard, loosely-coordinate frag fest, with the traditional Kill Confirmed, Domination, Hardpoint and Free-for-All rounding out the banquet of offerings. The cross-platform sensation battle royale component, Warzone, is technically a part of the package but available to those who don't buy "Black Ops Cold War."

Although "Call of Duty" games may have ceded much of the cultural zeitgeist to the likes of "Fortnite" and other free-to-play flavors of the week swiping away the attention of the masses, what remains of the multiplayer scene is a hardened, cohesive group of roughnecks.

A promising new direction for a series that has been all over the map and its flipside, "Black Ops Cold War" delivers the goods with the hope of a parachuted supply drop. Feeling comfortably familiar and new enough to seem fresh and exciting, it's a rambling ride well worth hanging onto by your fingertips.

Publisher provided review code.

"Just Dance 2021" Review

 Games have the power to captivate you to the extent that you're stuck on the couch for longer than you'd care to admit. "Just Dance 2021" gets you up and moving to the point of exhaustion.

An excellent home workout, especially during a pandemic, the game keeps the varied challenges flowing, reducing the need for you to go to the gym or brave the chilly outdoors to get in some cardio.

With 41 new songs from the likes of Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa -- as well as several dozen more if you subscribe to the Unlimited service, "Just Dance 2021" deploys the franchise's trademark flashy visuals to show off scintillating choreography. 

Whether you're playing solo or making a fool of yourself with friends and family in co-op, the game shoves you out of your comfort zone, delivering smiles, sore body parts and occasional frustrations. Nailing a hard-to-conquer move after several failed go-rounds yields immense satisfaction, with your muscle memory upgrading as though you were a real-life RPG character.

Most systems require you to use your phone to track your movements, but for me, the Xbox One/Kinect combination is the best way to play a "Just Dance" game.

Back are the usual kid-friendly mode -- which automatically blocks faces for video recording if you use a camera -- as well as the invaluable calorie-tracking Sweat mode, which can help you keep track of holiday snacks you're burning off while you bust your moves.

"Just Dance 2021" may not do much to shake up the standard formula, but that's mainly because there wasn't much need for innovation. With the wheel spinning so well, there's little need for reinvention.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Ammonite"

 For my full article, click here.

"Assassin's Creed Valhalla" Review

With two years having passed since the last "Assassin's Creed" release, fans were clamoring for the next deep dive into its ever-expanding whirlwind of historical fiction. "Assassins' Creed Valhalla" slices off a juicy hunk of Viking lore, letting you don a fur suit as you make your way through the grizzled hierarchy as a young upstart.

As is always the case in "Assassin's Creed" titles, developers went to extreme lengths to nail historical accuracy. From period clothing and food, to dances and social rituals, the team delved into the material with the gusto of a history doctorate student.

Taking some cues from the 2018 "God of War" reboot, the game sets you free in a colossal world that captures the Norse kingdom at its most expansive, powerful and influential. Ubisoft Montreal one-upped that effort with stunning visuals, exquisite writing and captivating story twists.

The Vikings are at war with the Anglo-Saxons, and are prone to much infighting among themselves. After choosing the gender of your protagonist, you're plunged into a torrent of subversion, misdirection and calculated intrigue.

As is nearly always the cases in "Assassins' Creed" games, free-running, climbing and diving, stealth options and myriad options to tackle open-ended objectives abound. The major shakeup is the setting, which is far more loose and freeform than previous ventures into more organized facets of society. The narrative structure -- which does include the common modern correlated element -- intertwines well with past stories while pushing the overarching narrative forward in meaningful ways.

A game this massive and customizable could seem intimidating, but efforts were made to open it up to those of Optional menu narration and a colorblind mode -- introduced before the game starts -- make it one of the most accessible-from-the-jump major releases yet seen.

A fitting sendoff for the current-generation version of the series, as well as no doubt an introduction to the next, "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" makes you want to raise a glass of mead, shout "Skol!" and dig into the glorious unknown past once more.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Let Him Go"

 For my full review, click here.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in November 2020

 For my full article, click here.

"Watch Dogs: Legion" Review

While the first two "Watch Dogs" overpromised and underdelivered, but the third time around reverses that paradigm. Those expecting more of the same in the open-world hack-a-thon will be dazzled at the amount of freedom and invention at your disposal this time around.

After the series debut in 2014 and its follow-up two years later, "Watch Dogs: Legion" opens up a breathtaking cyberpunkscape to explore and manipulate. Taking the baton from Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto used the extra time to reinvent the franchise while staying true to the original vision.

Set in near-future London, you play as a cog in a resistance group who's out to gather up recruits to break the back of Dedsec, the privacy-exploiting, propaganda-spewing dystopian overlords. Swiping pages from megalithic Ubisoft properties "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry," the free-form, side quest-pulsing realms is one of the most dense and intricately detailed open worlds yet crafted.

Every character walking the streets has a backstory, routine and exploitable tendency, and you can inhabit any one of them, adapting their abilities and access to ease or complicate the path to your next objective.

While the amount of choice at your disposal can be paralyzing, the map and menu system does a solid job of keeping your tasks in order. You can take down missions in any number of ways, either opting for stealth and hacking, guns blazing or gadget manipulation. The freedom, for instance, to hack a security camera in order to hijack a drone that you can use to set off an explosive distraction to clear your path is intoxicating.

Although it's possible to spurn the vast amounts of potential paths and creative potential in order to power through missions via shortcuts or formulaic routines is alluring, but you'll get more out of the game if you open yourself up to the array of tricks and customizations that await. If the goal is to get you feeling like a digital god who bends the Matrix to your will, Ubisoft Toronto has succeeded beyond any expectation. The freestanding online co-op and adversarial sandbox play will no doubt give the game legs that far outlasts the primary campaign.

"Watch Dogs: Legion" is one of the most welcome surprises of the year. Symbolic of the technological mastery of its fiction, the game is a powerful sendoff for the current generation, as well as a tantalizing beacon of what's to come as the PS5 and Xbox One begin their dawn.

Publisher provided review code.

"Umihara Kawase BaZooKa" Review

"Umihara Kawase BaZooKa" is a platformer that tasks you to wield a bazooka and fishing rod to knock out scores of dopey enemies. Think of a side-scrolling Skee-Ball with a little "Reel 'em In" tossed in.

The dev team at Success keeps the tone light and fast-paced, with little barrier to entry, even at the toughest difficulty. A breezy, party game feel races through every pixel and sound, providing an upbeat, friendly feel that can serve as a nice break for those needing an escape from doom and gloom.

It takes a bit of patience to endure this brand of fun, though. Repetitive battles and drab environments make the game wear out its welcome more quickly than you'd hope, giving you little reason to proceed other than to keep your momentum going.

Local multiplayer can spice things up, letting you test your skills against up to three other players. The shared mayhem will no doubt spark laughs, both with and at the content.

"Umihara Kawase BaZooka" is a title designed for players with eclectic tastes and a casual skillset. Bouncy and peppy to both its advantage and disadvantage, it bops along to its own oddball beat. 

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "The Witches" (2020)

 For my full review, click here.

"G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout" Review

Of all G.I. Joe's gaming forays, the one that left the most lasting impression on me was in the RTS-lite "Toy Soldiers: War Chest." 

The understated, milquetoast "G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout" may not do much to move the needle in terms of brand recognition, but is able to parlay the feel and look of the characters in that game into an action-heavy shooter.

Developer GameMill Entertainment hit its modest expectations with a serviceable, spectacle-free slice of fan service.

Most of the draw comes in the 17-mission single-player campaign. Twelve characters who span the comics, toys and animated series pop up in major roles, playing on the nostalgia factor for all it's worth.

Leading the Joes against the world-dominating Cobra terror organization, you use an array of machine gun fire, grenades, power moves and old-fashioned melee moves to slaughter your way to glory. There aren't many surprises in store, but there's something comforting in the mindless, unchallenging combat.

GameMill understandably skirted online multiplayer in favor of couch co-op and competitive combat. It's hard to imagine rustling up three other people who care enough about the game to tangle in standard capture the flag, assault, king of the hill and deathmatch formats. But if you can supply the people, the game has got your back.

While "Operation Blackout" doesn't reinvent G.I. Joe as a viable gaming franchise, it doesn't embarrass itself either. If you're a lifelong fan of the goofy characters and paramilitary antics, you'll feel right at home here.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: Movies and Shows Leaving Netflix in November 2020

For the full article, click here.

 

"Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia" Review

Superfans don't need much to hook them. "Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia" checks most of the boxes for fans of the show, but does little else to go beyond fan service.

Based on the Netflix series, the plot has you guiding Jim Lake Jr. as he takes on Porgon the Trickster Troll, who is trying to bring on the dreaded time-pocalypse. There is action aplenty, with loads of enemies to pummel as you roll toward the end of each level.

What might have been an inspired throwback instead seems somewhat muted. 

With creative input from Guillermo del Toro, as well as the series' voice cast -- including Emile Hirsch, David Bradley, Charlie Saxton and Lexi Medrano -- in tow, there was a chance for something exciting. But developer WayForward falls victim to the uninspired design of many licensed games.

Expect repetitive levels, dull enemies and tedious visuals that fail to live up to the vigor of the source material.

Cut scenes are usually skippable trifles in platformers, but the story moments provide some of the more intriguing draws here. Those who have followed the storylines of the Netflix show won't need much convincing to play the game to get the full flavor of the saga.

This one will have you hunting for something better.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "The War with Grandpa"

 For my written review, click here.

"Commander '85" Review

 "Commander '85" is the pioneer hacker's dream come to life. Just as in the 1983 film "War Games," you play as a child of the 80s with a fancy new computer with untold powers.

At the other end of your DOS prompts and your fuzzy manual modem awaits a burgeoning world to be shaped in your image via a series of command prompts.

The vision that Developer The Moonwalls is carrying is admirable and captivating. The execution, though, is as clumsily executed and obtuse as modder newsgroups of the infant internet.

Just about everything meaningful you accomplish in the game is done at your bedroom computer desk. You're massaging prompts, codes, passwords and adjustments that will seem foreign to anyone who came of age after Windows was introduced.

You're locked into a battle of trial-and-error against the programming itself, forced to use your ingenuity to decipher the correct prompts to advance you toward your task, whether it's cracking your school's report card database or manipulating powerful forces.

While retro charm abounds in "Commander '85," going it alone is an exhausting experience. If you want to progress with minimal frustration and adequate speed, you're best of digging up a walkthrough. While the game is fun to experiment with, it's also often as frustrating and slow as a Commodore 64.

Publisher provided review code.

"Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning" Review

 There's no time like the cold months, especially during a pandemic, to hunker down with a deep, rich single-player RPG. "Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Recoking" certainly fits that bill, providing an expansive and robust dive into the realm of high fantasy for a cativating tale.

The 2012 game had a solid pedigree, with leadership from the likes of author R.A. Salvatore and Todd McFarlane, and was one of the richer and better-looking RPGs of its day. 

The years have started to show the frayed edges and rust, though. The menu system now seems antiquated, the load times are a little rough and the quest management system is stiff and slow.

Still, the storytelling remains top-notch, and developer Kaiko made some strides in bringing the game up to modern standards. Smooth, compelling combat and fascinating, distinctive visuals help it make a lasting impression.

That said, there is much more the developer could have done in terms of fan service and quality-of-life improvements. The project's vision was seemingly to lightly touch up a well-regarded game, with little interest in taking it to the next level or adding to the content base.

As a whole, this is the definitive version of one of the top-tier RPGs of the decade. If you haven't played "Kingdoms of Amalur" yet, this is the form with which to make your recoking,

Publisher provided review code.

"Star Wars Squadrons" Review

Since taking the lead with the Star Wars license, EA has taken a careful and reserved approach in releasing a AAA-caliber game late each year. After stumbling with the ill-conceived "Star Wars Battlefront II" -- which was plagued with microsransactions at launch before it was stripped of the money-grubbing and reinvented -- the past two years have seen an impressive turnaround.

Building off the success of last year's exquisite single-player effort "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order," the multiplayer-focused "Star Wars Squadrons" is a throwback to the likes of "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron."

Developer Motive Studios could have dumbed down the gameplay to make it accessible to as wide an audience as possible, but instead goes full geek, aiming for realism, customization and micromanagement that make the game admirably complex and obtuse. The more you study the nuances of the game, the more you'll thrive, making the club feel like an insular home of the elite rather than a casual rec league.

Five-on-five team battles make sit you in the cockpit of a New Republic or Imperial craft, pitting you in tense dogfights that become a game of cat-and-mouse with missile locks, enviornmental hazards and twisting objectives. The nagging need to rebalance your firepower, speed and shields depending on flexible needs of combat is a thrilling burden.

Impressive visuals and sounds help deepen the immersion, with the cockpit view making you feel as though you are truly inside your craft rather than controlling it as a drone. The unbriled thrill of success juxtaposes with the crushing devastation of defeat -- all part of a continues adrenaline rush that makes you feel skilled and powerful.

While more modes and fighter selections would have been welcome, what we have here is a compelling start that thrives on its economy of scale, plugging you to intense battles that reward invention and resolve. You feel as though you are in full control of a powerful starcraft, living out your cinematic fantasies.

"Star Wars Squadrons" capitalizes on the series previous aerial combat highs and soars to even greater altitude. The sky is no limit when it comes to this brave, bold excursion into deep space.

Publisher provided review code.

Book Review: "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"

 

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tom Wolfe captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s psychedelic movement in "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," a whirlwind of a book with a glowing reputation that casts a looming shadow over it.

It was a relic of and for its time -- thickly insular and crammed with hard-to-track references that severely date it. The time capsule nature of the book preserves it as an untainted, free-thinking and spoken remnant of its age. There is a certain innocence and vigor for upheaval that the decades in which I've lived can't hardly relate to. And a certain momentum that seems near impossible to recapture.

By employing a stream-of-consciousness narrative, Wolfe loses as much in relatability as he gains in immediacy. Ever at war with itself while trapped in a tendency to navel-gaze with an intensity that the Instagram generation will well identify, there are as many eye-rolling passages as there are watershed moments.

Wolfe's editors seemed to have taken a hands-off approach, leaving him free and clear to venture down bizarre asides and rabbit holes. That extends to morbid repetition of some words or phrases. He uses the term DayGlo so often that it could be a drinking game resulting in alcohol poisoning.

Despite all its flaws, the book stands proudly for the way it documents the rises and falls of counterculture movements of the ages, as well as the art, music and celebrity they inspired. Pyschedelics' influence on the Grateful Dead, the Beatles and the Doors and novelist Ken Kesey stretch beyond measure, and the same is ulitmately true of the author. All survived and endured past the acid test flashpoint. 

View all my reviews

Publisher provided review copy.

"Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time" Review

Crash is back. Coming 22 years after the last numbered series entry, the spinning, double-jumping relic of a PlayStation mascot leaps into action as though the past couple gaming generations never happened.

A razzle-dazzle collect-a-thon in the tradition of PlayStation-era classics, "Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time" makes up for its lost decades with vigor and exuberance.

Building off the momentum of the 2017 "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy," Developer Toys for Bob stays true to the original formula while introducing quality-of-life improvements, modern visuals and creative level design.

All the rail slides, improbable leaps, attacks and items to collect are back, along with a zany, time travel-centered story that has you selecting levels through a "Super Mario World"-style top-down view. 

While the silly cut scenes are skippable, there's no fluff in the playable content. Toys for Bob forged an impressive amount of creativity into the gameplay, twisting established formulas on their heads and delivering scores of thrilling set pieces.

The mainline game is the most significant draw, but not the end of the story. Controller-passing multiplayer is also here, in the form of time trials and crate smashing competitions that track scores for as many as four players. This is a platformer designed for speed runs, tricks and online streams. 

Far more than a tribute to the franchise's creaky past, "It's About Time" feels like a wholesale relaunch. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and it will be exciting to see what Toys for Bob does with its newfound momentum as Crash spins, jumps and slides into the future.

Publisher provided review code.