Tag Archives: Video Game

Slay the Spire II – Video Game Review

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TL;DR – A profoundly absorbing game, each run crafts a different narrative, making you want to take another spin, over and over again.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I was gifted a copy of this game.

Disclosure – This game was in Early Access when reviewed.

Slay the Spire II title card.

Slay the Spire II Review Introduction

In the pre-times, a number of my friends got hooked on this deck-building turn-based roguelike game that sort of came out of nowhere. I often struggle with deck-builders, so it passed me by, but I was always advised that I had missed a gem. Well, fast-forward several years, and the next game in the series dropped at the same time that a bunch of birthdays happened in my friends’ circle, and funny enough, we all ended up with a copy, and it has absorbed our lives since. So, it is time to dive into the world of Slay the Spire II or Slay the Spire 2 if you prefer Arabic numerals.

So, to set the scene, in a far-off, distant land, there exists a Spire, full of wonders and dangers. At the bottom of the Spire lives Neow, the Mother of Resurrection, sending wave after wave of adventurers up its many floors to defeat the Architect. You play as one of the many characters fighting your way past Monsters, Elites, and Bosses using your deck of cards to apply actions. You have limited energy each turn, so you need to work out how best to use your blocks, attacks, and special cards to take down the enemies before they come for you.

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The Super Mario Galaxy Movie – Movie Review

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TL;DR – I may have entered my curmudgeon phase, because while I could appreciate the stunning animation, the film completely disconnected from me on a foundational level.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid- and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I received a free ticket from the distributor to watch this film.

Shooting stars.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Review Introduction

Well, today I have a sort of unpleasant job to do. I have much love for Mario and the games that spawned from him. I also found the first The Super Mario Bros. Movie was fine, not great, but fine. But maybe I no longer have any joy in my heart because I walked out of this movie feeling nothing.   

So, to set the scene, deep in the galaxy, Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson) is giving her Lumas a bedtime story when her castle/spaceship/world is invaded by a mechanical creature driven by Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie), who is on a mission of revenge for his father, Bowser (Jack Black). Meanwhile, Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) are living full-time in the Mushroom Kingdom, going around helping the locals, like finding a stuck Yoshi (Donald Glover). But when a meteor storm shows something is wrong in the galaxy, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) go on an adventure through the stars.

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OBEX – Movie Review

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TL;DR – A wildly imaginative, if slow burn look at the blurred lines between the real world and a video game.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Warning – This film contains scenes which may cause distress.

Have you plugged your computer in today mug.

OBEX Review Introduction –

This year, Iron Lung taught me one very important lesson. That is, some of the most interesting work in the cinematic landscape is coming out of the work of small teams. Working on bringing a very niche thing to life can be rewarding when you take some big risks. Today’s entry OBEX looks to be doing just that as they mix horror and nostalgia together in a retro landscape.

So, to set the scene, it’s 1987, and Conor Marsh (Albert Birney) is an agoraphobic who lives alone, making a living out of creating ascii art, and spending much of his time playing these new-fangled video games on his computer. He would have been a complete recluse had it not been for Sandy (Dorothy), his dog, who is his one joy in life. However, when he opens the new video game OBEX, the line between reality and fiction starts to blur as technology starts going awry and thinking for itself.   

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Fallout: The Strip [S2E8] & Full Season – TV Review

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TL;DR – While it did manage to pull most of the threads together, you can’t help but feel that they were too ambitious this season for what they were able to pull together in the end.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

Post-Credit – There is a post-credit scene

The Dead Caesar.

Fallout: The Strip Review Introduction –

And so we have reached the end of the season, and I do have some feelings as we hit some real highs and then some head-scratching decisions. It’s a cavalcade of choices that show the creators love Fallout deeply, even if they don’t always have a firm grip on the world they’ve built. Honestly, it means that while the season had some high moments and a surprise Canada, I was left disappointed by the finale, and today we will dive in to see why that was.   

So, to set the scene, things are going down in the Wasteland as most of the characters in the show have convened in New Vegas. However, around the Wasteland, things are on the move. Caesar’s Legion has finally sorted out their civil war, Hank’s (Kyle MacLachlan) assortment of weaponised people is growing, and Lucy (Ella Purnell) just discovered what is powering them all. But while people are out there all trying to find their destinies, little do they know that there is another organisation out there more powerful than they can dream. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Fallout: The Wrangler [S2E5] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is an episode that, while bursting with lore at every seam, also gives one of the best performances of the series so far.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

Welcome to Freeside.

Fallout: The Wrangler Review Introduction –

Well, we have passed the halfway point of the season, and quite often, this is where modern TV series flounder around until they find their feet towards the finale. However, Fallout looks to be doing something different this week, because not only do we get an episode filled to the brim with fascinating lore that people will be debating for weeks, but we also get some of the best character moments of the series so far. Now it is time to dive in to see what Season 2 Episode 5 brings us.   

So, to set the scene, things have gone from bad to worse in the Wasteland. The Brotherhood have started a civil war that may have been helped along a bit, okay, a lot, by Maximus (Aaron Moten). Um, is that New Vegas, or is that a Deathclaw nursery? Also, just saying, having Lucy’s (Ella Purnell) dad, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan), out there doing experiments with people without any oversight, is not the most comforting prospect around. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Fallout: The Profligate [S2E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is the first episode of the season that has felt a touch on the messy side, more setting up pins down the end of the alley than hitting strikes, but that might just have been me not gelling with some of the plotlines.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

Maximus not having a good time.

Fallout: The Golden Rule Review Introduction –

In the world of Fallout, there are a lot of pieces on the board, with people, factions, and forces unseen across the Wasteland that are all on the move. But when you have all those pieces moving around, it can be easy for things to lose traction, most notably your engagement with the narrative. I think that might have happened a touch today.

So, to set the scene, things have not been going well for Lucy (Ella Purnell) after she left The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) in the hospital. She did not know that the person she was helping was a member of The Legion, who did not find her musings on The Golden Rule very motivating. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood’s early musings of a civil war have hit a snag when Paladin Xander Harkness (Kumail Nanjiani) from the Commonwealth has arrived full of swagger and implied threats. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Fallout: The Golden Rule [S2E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – A riot of whimsy as we delve into the world of Fallout, as the characters try to make sense of everything that goes on.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime subscription used to watch this series.

The destruction of Shady Sands.

Fallout: The Golden Rule Review Introduction –

One of the great things about Fallout has been its ability to be filled with contrasts, yet still manage to keep the whole from being ripped apart. Which, as we have seen from a multitude of adaptations, is a difficult thing to pull off. Grounding something this inherently silly is a rare skill, and the show pulls it off again here.

So, to set the scene, many years before the time of the show, there lived a town called Shady Sands. Life was still hard, but they had found their niche in the wilderness, and they were starting to rebuild the world that had been lost during the Great War that rained down nuclear fire on the earth. However, their success drew the attention of forces they did not know were out there, or in this case, under there, which is why they may not have acted quickly enough when the trader walked into town acting odd. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there may be [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Dogpile – Video Game Review

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TL;DR – Charm from the first click to the last.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for this game.

A sleeping dog.

Dogpile Review Introduction –

Every now and again, you don’t need a hundred-hour RPG or twitch shooter or even a dudes diving into an asteroid to mine dig-fest, what you need is something quaint and full of charm. The sort of charm that knocks your socks off or makes you say audible ‘awwww’. Well, today we look at just such a game, one that has charmed me all week. It is also interesting that two of the games that I have gotten the most out of this year, this and Peak, have been indie-studio collaborations. I am not sure what that means, but it is a fun anecdote for me.

So, to set the scene, you run a kennel where many dogs with many different behaviours come to be found. You’ll need to keep everything from spiralling out of control, while making sure you get to the dog wash, buy items in the shops to help you, and also, don’t forget to give your dogs all the pats in the world.

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PEAK – Video Game Review

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TL;DR – An enjoyable single-player experience that comes alive with a group.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for this game.

Looking down to the shore from the PEAK.

Peak Review –

One of the events I find fascinating is Game Jams. These are where developers set themselves a short period, usually a day or two, to see what they can build in that time. Here, time forces you to be creative and many weird and wonderful games, from Goat Simulator to Thomas Was Alone and everything in between, have been spawned. Usually, game jams spawn ideas that later become something grand. Still, I have never seen a game conceptualised in February and then released in June before, which is what we will examine today.

So, to set the scene, you are just a happy little guy going on a flight to a new tropical destination on Bingbong Airlines. But disaster strikes, and your plane crashes into an unknown tropical island. What do you do? Well, Scoutmaster Myers’ Wilderness Handbook Vol. 1 advises in How Not to Die, to run, not walk, and “You’ve gotta get to High Ground”. Looking around, you see a high peak in the distance, so it is time to collect supplies, gird your lions, and start climbing.

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The Last of Us: Day One [S2E4] – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is time to find out what is happening in Seattle … and it is messy, to say the least.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Max service that viewed this show.

End Credit Scene – There is a trailer and behind-the-scenes making off.

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress.

Ellie and Dina scoping out a site.

The Last of Us Review –

In cinema, while the word ‘physicality’ gets thrown around a lot, what it means is a tangible sense that you believe what you see. Does an actor have the presence to make their performance believable? Does a place feel real, or is it coming off as a paper veneer? Well, today, we get some good examples of how The Last of Us uses physicality to make its world work.    

So, to set the scene, eleven years ago, FEDRA ruled Seattle with a hard fist, so much so that they have dehumanised the local population. Few believed this was an issue, but Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright). In the world of now, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) have just made it into the city to find no signs of life but a lot of dead FEDRA corpses around. But there is hope. In the distance, there is a large dish brandished with the WLF, and they realise they are in the right place for their revenge. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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