Category Archives: Reviews

Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition Review

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This is one of those games where the title is absolutely legendary. I’ve heard of this game for so long but didn’t know anything about it. Well, I finally got to play through the game and it’s definitely a great title. It actually even managed to make taking pictures fun. The game ends up feeling a bit short but it really does set up the sequel well so I’m definitely eager to see where the story goes. A lot of potential here.

The game follows a reporter named Jade who lives on a planet that is constantly terrorized by aliens. She ends up joining the resistance and they aim to let the public know just how evil these aliens are. Most people are seriously brainwashed at this point so it won’t be easy but that’s their goal. In order to turn public sentiment to their side they will definitely need a lot of photos and evidence though. Is Jade up to the task?

The core gameplay is that of a 3D platformer. You can jump and roll but also smash away at opponents with your staff. Then a big part of the gameplay involves your camera for taking pictures of evidence against the villains or also for snapping photos of animals. Every 10 animals gets you a new pearl so you want to snap away at every one that you pass. You need a lot of pearls in the game in order to beat the game after all so you don’t want to miss any. The game is generous with giving you a lot of these as you play through but even then I still did need to beat all of the looter chases and the 2 races in order to get enough to beat the game.

The more pearls you find naturally, the less grinding you will have to do in the end. That’s always something worth considering here. It’s also fun because the side missions tend to switch up the gameplay a bit by having you use the various vehicles. By the end of the game you will have both a boat and an aerial vehicle so you will want to get used to using them both. Nothing beats the classic running around and swinging at enemies of course but every gameplay style has its moments here.

You also have various teammates who will show up to help for puzzles. Often times you will need to send one away to step on a platform or something like that while you take care of business. The main thing to remember is that they have very small health bars so you want to protect them as much as possible. If they take the wrong kind of hit then they’ll go down and you warp back to the last save point.

Fortunately that’s where the quality of life comes in. The save points are very close to each other and the game has constant auto saves. Losing a life never makes you lose a significant amount of progress which is nice. It’s especially handy because the espionage sections are actually really difficult. You need proper planning there and sometimes I even had to rely on a bit of good ole fashioned RNG like when I fell off a level and got back up but the enemy forgot about me so I landed the KO.

The combat is generally easier but the final boss was challenging. He took me down to a last hit scenario so I only barely defeated him. That could have easily gone sideways but it’s good for a final boss to be tough like that. He really tested my reaction times and everything. Having to fight while the controls were inverted was also a nice touch.

I did fall into two glitches during the game but at least they weren’t major. In one of them an enemy got stuck in a wall while holding the pearl so I had to restart and another time a gate closed while I was halfway through it. Again the auto saves come in clutch here because then I only lost like 2 seconds max. Really nothing to worry about at all in the grand scheme of things.

The graphics are definitely solid. The character designs are on point and there is a lot of variety here. The special effects when blowing up enemies are good and the cinematics go smoothly. The soundtrack is also good although it’s definitely more on the low key side. I can’t say that I would really be looking up any of the tunes on Youtube but they worked well enough within the game.

In terms of replay value, you can definitely aim for the Platinum trophy. I haven’t looked this up yet so I don’t know how hard it would be to obtain that but it will definitely add some time to your playthrough. The main campaign is around 7-10 hours so you’re in the double digits either way which is always the important part. Hopefully the sequel can maybe be a tad longer and keeps in the smooth picture aspect. There aren’t many games that are able to seamlessly add in the photo features without it being super forced or annoying so the game gets big kudos there.

Overall, Beyond Good & Evil is a game that mixed in a lot of classic combat with espionage while even fitting in a bit of a cosmic plot by the end. No way you can play through the whole game without admiring that. The sequel is certainly high up on my radar now and I would definitely recommend picking this title up. The story has aged very well and the overall game design was really on point. Some of the puzzles can get a little tricky and some mazes like the slaughterhouse can really be intense but there is always a fair answer to them. The game has a great amount of quality of life features here which is the cherry on top. You don’t want to miss out on this one.

Overall 8/10

The Hobbit Review

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It’s time to finally look at the original Hobbit movie. This one definitely came out a very long time ago so it would be interesting to see how it has held up. Well, in some ways it definitely beats the originals since I like how much more fast paced it is. At the same time I still wouldn’t say it’s all that good and the movie still can’t totally beat the “boring” allegations. The story doesn’t have a ton of pop and Bilbo Baggins just isn’t a great lead.

The movie starts off with Bilbo enjoying his peaceful life until the legendary mage known as Gandalf shows up. Gandalf confirms that Bilbo will be needed for a huge mission and he really ought to say yes to this. Then Gandalf’s friends show up and there are sure a lot of them. They inform Bilbo that they need a thief for their mission to get some treasure and strongarm him into this. They will have to get past many creatures including the powerful Smaug himself. Can Bilbo really handle this or will he be destroyed in all the chaos? Only time will tell and time is not on his side.

It would be easy for Bilbo to resent everyone here to be honest. Here he was just enjoying a normal day without any issues or drama and now he is being caught up in this massive adventure? He absolutely did not sign up for this. Bilbo nearly dies on several occasions as well and that’s when he realizes that not only are his new allies really pushy but they’re also super weak. They get crushed in pretty much every encounter so it’s not like Bilbo is under great protection either.

The biggest annoyance has to be Gandalf though. Because unlike the others he is actually a really strong fighter and could save them if he needed to. Yet the guy is constantly warping back and forth only showing up when it’s convenient and often times that would have simply been too late. It would have been nice if they could have relied on him but that’s just not the case. So yeah if I was Bilbo I would have gone home right away. No reason to have a grand adventure if it’s going to be so dangerous.

I am still impressed at how much ground the film covered here when it took a whole trilogy for the live action to do the same. As a result the pacing is rather good although like I said it can still be a bit on the boring side. I’ve never really been into dwarves, elves, or anything like that. Just give me a more modern environment. Honestly this kind of world backdrop makes the average Isekai lore look like a master piece. There just isn’t anything here to really capture your interest.

Now there are a bunch of songs but unfortunately none of them ever get to be any good. They really do have the old language down pat and feel authentic but they’re the kinds of songs that you endure for 15 seconds before the ad ends, not the kind of song that you actively listen to. They aren’t very catchy or anything and so it just feels like the film is trying to buy itself some time. The film definitely didn’t need the songs at any rate.

If I had to name a positive here, I did like the riddles with Gollum. It could be rather hard to understand what he was saying the whole time but Bilbo actually looked good with how crafty and talented he was. The average character would have probably cracked. That said, Bilbo did have a sword so perhaps he should have used that a bit more? He would wave it around to make Gollum step away but then he’d just put it in the pocket again. In a fight Bilbo could probably win since Gollum isn’t very tough at all.

Additionally it’s also fair to say that a lot happens here. Whether it is being chased by giant spider, orcs, and other creatures, Bilbo gets his steps in. It feels like the heroes are constantly getting tied up and chased around the world. Gandalf leaves for 5 seconds and 3 trolls take down the whole party. It’s a wonder that any of them are still alive with how they are so outclassed by all of the enemy fighters here. It’s like the heroes just didn’t really put up a fight at all or even know how to do so. They couldn’t even read the ancient language on the weapons they picked up. (Wellll okay that may be a stretch in terms of it being a bad thing)

Until a Hobbit adaption gives me a good reason to actually root for Gandalf in bringing Bilbo on this mission then I don’t see the score changing all that much for future versions. If you’re going to basically threaten/force someone into a mission then you should have it carefully prepared so you’re not putting him in any undue danger. It didn’t seem like Bilbo’s safety was properly accounted for here which is definitely disrespectful. Also, no disrespect to Smaug but you need a more imposing main villain. A dark Gandalf who can give us some great magic battles would be a great start and really reinforce the whole supernatural themes here.

Overall. The Hobbit is one of those titles where the plot probably ensures that it will never be all that great. Still, this is probably the best way you will see it packaged. The movie goes through everything as quickly as possible and leaves you to pick up the pieces from there. I don’t know how it’s possible for a film with 5 armies to make the climax relatively uneventful but the Hobbit finds a way. A nicely choreographed fight scene could have gone a long way to saving the film but at the end of the day this is still more of an adventure than an action title. You’d best keep that in mind the whole time here.

Overall 5/10

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Review

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Prince of Persia is one of those titles that seems to vanish for long periods of time but when it returns, it returns with a vengeance! The Gamecube titles may have gone a little too into edgy territory but I remember the soundtracks being used for DBZ AMVs because of how intense they were. Then you had the PS3 title which was absolutely top tier. Even the movie was quite excellent and so the franchise really operates at a high level. Well after playing this game I can safely say that it is the best game in the series. It is absolutely elite at every level and should be used as a teaching moment for all other Metroid-vania titles. This is absolutely how you make a game like this.

The story starts by introducing us to the immortals who are a powerful group of fighters who protect the royal family such as the prince. They are all very skilled and good at what they do but one day the prince is captured by the main hero’s mentor. The immortals all follow her into a weird realm where time seems to work differently. They now exist in the past, present, and future with branching timelines. They meet people who have been in here for decades despite only jumping into the realm a few hours before us. Then you even have kid versions of the characters. Something weird is going on but saving the prince comes first!

The story really uses time manipulation in a fresh way and it’s definitely a great approach. It reminds me a bit of the Blame! series where time seems to be a very flexible concept. The main character must even tackle various other versions of himself, some who have been corrupted by power and others who have given up. You also have various gods and other immortal creatures who seem amused by this and others who have just grown used to the whole thing. It’s a pretty big world with a lot of concepts to accept but they all work pretty well.

The gameplay is a 2D brawler type. You have your blade to land solid combos with and then you have your evasion techniques and counter moves. There are over 15 different tutorials for how to play the game but most of it is very intuitive. I only did the tutorials near the end for some more currency to buy unlockables with. You’ll quickly understand the system and then it really comes down to your reaction times for the parry mechanics. If you aren’t good at timing blows then this will really help you get to that high comfort level.

Now when it comes to the Metroid-Vania part, you have a large map that fills in as you explore it. You can also buy maps which show the all of the treasure within a certain location. These don’t fill the dots on collectibles or side mission content though so you will have to find those on your own. Still the treasure is where you get most of your big power ups and currency to buy others. There are many different collectibles here which could have been overwhelming in a different game but in this one it is all handled exceptionally well.

You can equip amulets with different properties, choose which super attacks you want at the ready, and you can even leave little spy pictures when you notice a collectible that you can’t reach just yet. You can store quite a few of those and it’s a good idea because otherwise you will probably forget them. You can use quick travel between any portals you have unlocked but then right before the final boss you also get the ability to warp to any save point. This is a game changer because there are constant save points almost everywhere.

The reason I really liked this is because it rewards you for playing the game. Now in the post game if you want to get everything, you have an easy means to do this as opposed to running everywhere. There is no reason not to make that part a bit easier on the players by this point so I was completely on board with it. The more you explore, the stronger you get which makes exploring even easier. A proper vania title should always make you feel stronger as you play and that definitely happened here.

Meanwhile I really enjoyed the general atmosphere of the game. We had DBZ type interactions as the various immortals fought and all showed off their abilities. It’s not something I would expect to see here as it’s a very specific type of approach. The story was super compelling and cinematic the whole time as a result. I really liked the energy effects as well. This game had really good graphics which also helped a great deal. It feels like a big PS5 game the whole time.

Of course the soundtrack is not far behind either with a number of really good tracks. I’ll need to seek those out at some point to hear them again. The bosses all have different mechanics and due to the wide upgrade selection, your gameplay will likely be very different compared to the next person’s playthrough. There is a ton of freedom here and the gameplay style allows for that. There is a ton of replay value here in exploring the map because you’ll just have a great time doing so. It’s not the longest title but at over 10 hours, it’s long enough to justify the purchase. The value here is pretty good without a doubt.

Overall, Prince of Persia is a top tier game and I recommend playing it as soon as possible. The gameplay and exploration elements are extremely rewarding and there are just so many things to uncover here. I’d definitely like to Platinum this game someday because it just feels that fulfilling to explore and see what else the devs have hidden. The game has a fair amount of difficulty as well so you will have a good challenge here and need to really understand the gameplay mechanics. Hopefully the next game uses a lot of the mechanics from this title, then the series will definitely be in a good position to keep on dominating.

Overall 9/10

All Mine to Give Review

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It’s time for another emotional film that takes place around Christmas. The film doesn’t hold back with the body count and everything going on here. At the end of the day it takes a little too long to get going and the kids aren’t the most interesting characters out there. This one won’t be reaching the top of your bucket list to be sure but it is a fairly unique film.

The film starts off with Robert and Mamie arriving in America where they aim to start their new lives together. They are really on their own right now but aim to have a big family. Everything starts out pretty well as they have a lot of kids but they also start to get sick. Back then there were less medicines and antidotes so things are not looking good. Will they be able to recover from this or is their big America trip about to turn tragic? Time is not on their side so they really need to watch out here!

One thing you’ll notice right away is that the intro takes a really long time here. The film is mainly supposed to be centered around the kids but I dare say you get around halfway into the film before that actually ends up being the case. A lot of time is spent on Robert and Mamie getting used to the area which isn’t necessarily bad but since you know it won’t last, the film feels like it misplaced where the focus should be. If you ask me, they should have bumped off the parents a lot easier to really get into the heart of the story. At the same time, the first half is definitely better than the second so maybe it would have hurt things anyway.

Aside from how they get upset at each other a little too easily, Robert and Mamie were solid main characters. They did their best in a tough situation and kept on working. It’s definitely not easy to take care of a family and build a house from scratch but with the help of some nice neighbors, they did all right for themselves. The old setting may not really be my thing but it’s all written fairly well. The characters are good as well so I don’t have any big issues there.

That said, the reason the second half doesn’t work is the film gets a little too dreary. So now you’ve got a bunch of kids who are going to be taken to an orphanage where they will all be split up unless the oldest son Robbie can find a place for them. It’s definitely not an easy mission as he is also pretty young but he does his best to find a bunch of homes. It’s really fortunate that he knew a lot of the neighbors and friends over the years. It’s not something that would really be possible nowadays since people don’t know each other nearly as well except in a few areas that may still be close knit like this.

With the exception of one old lady who was constantly mean to Mamie, everyone else basically ended up being suitable candidates for the kids. Robbie may have overlooked the doctor for his age when that would have been a good pick, but otherwise he handled the situation well. The fact that the town was tempted to split them all up right before Christmas definitely made them seem very unreasonable though. How would that even be considered as a possibility? The adults would surely be able to supervise and help make sure they don’t freeze to death in the cabin without taking such a drastic step.

They made the right decision in the end which is what counts though. Just would have been nice if they were more supportive and could have helped Robbie, even discreetly. The ones who each took up a kid to stay in their residences were there when it counted though so they get some credit. Meanwhile from all of the kids, Robbie was easily the most mature and the others would have been in trouble without him. He did a really good job and if anything you wish the ending had been happier for him.

The film ends really suddenly so it’s hard to say exactly how happy or sad the ending is but I took it in more of a sad way. He basically took the martyr approach of helping everyone else out and making sure they were okay while not really doing anything for himself. So that last climb through the snow just feels like more of a defeated moment instead of a triumphant ending. That would have been a good time to show someone from the town arriving to help him out. A little more cheer in general would have been good to make this more of a fun watch. There’s no getting around all of the tragedies here based on the story but you absolutely could still try to deliver the story in a more optimistic point of view.

Overall, All Mine to Give is a film about staying strong no matter how tough the circumstances get. It makes for a good message but not a really fun film. At the end of the day you have to try and accomplish both goals and this one was unable to do so. The kids mean well but they’re just not all that interesting and so you aren’t as invested in the film as you would be if the adults were the main characters the whole time. More scenes like Robert beating up his boss would help make the film more compelling because it shows just how much effort he had to put in for the family to be accepted. Robert was a strong man who wasn’t about to be pushed around and he gave every task his best right up until the end.

Overall 4/10

A California Christmas Review

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It’s time for one of those romance films that is so filled with twists, betrayals, and general drama that you know the romance could never work. There would just be no chance of building trust or anything like that…right? Well that is what holds the film back at least because every romance scene just doesn’t work here. California was not ready for Christmas.

The movie starts off with introducing us to the mega wealthy Joseph who is incredibly immature and irresponsible because everything has been handed to him on a silver platter. Well, his mother says that it’s time for him to use his select talents in their next global operation. The company wants to take over a piece of property that belongs to a lady named Callie. She refuses to give up the land so Joseph is told to go over there and seduce her. He realizes that this won’t be so easy if he shows up as a rich guy so he impersonates the ranch-hand named Manny and shows up to work for his first day. He quickly gets close to Callie but can he accomplish his mission of getting her to sell before he is exposed?

Now this is all one huge deception so naturally we can’t root for Joseph here. The whole time he is manipulating her after all so the romance is under false pretenses. He also has numerous opportunities to come clean about this and chooses not to. So at the end of the day he only has himself to blame here for what comes next. There’s no way he should be rewarded with a proper romance by the end of it. Too many bridges were burned here.

Meanwhile Manny ends up being a super annoying character as he is quick to blackmail Joseph and Leo. The guy gets spoiled right away and is basically another antagonist by the end of the film. They probably should have just kidnapped him early on or something instead of having him order them around. It’s the kind of subplot that makes everyone look bad. Leo at least seemed rather decent the whole time but since he is going along with the plan I can’t really give him any kudos either.

Then we have Callie who may not be the most practical character in keeping a land that is generating a loss every day but at least she is staying true to her convictions. Never thinking to sell her wine wasn’t a great look either. I’d say her main flaw is just being too forgiving. Even if you put the whole Joseph thing aside, we have the childhood friend who makes several rather aggressive advances on her. He tries to force them into being a thing and has to be physically separated by Joseph. Callie doesn’t take this nearly as hard as she should have and continues to treat him normally. If someone pulls that kind of stunt, drunk or not then you have to cut ties completely. That should have been it for that guy.

So when you’ve got a romance film where the main romance is this doomed, it is going to affect the whole film. It means all of their scenes together will make you cringe because you see just how underhanded and deceptive they are. Additionally it’s all moving way too fast. Joseph just moved there and he works for Callie so there are a ton of conflicts of interest here. Perhaps he’s trying to get close to her in order to get easier shifts or not work as hard. That is something that should come up right away and Callie should be putting a lot of distance for a long while before letting him in.

I could go on, but you get the idea here. This is a textbook example of howe to write a bad romance. I was actually rooting for the mother here because she showed up and within minutes had way better results than Joseph. She showed why selling the land would be a good idea and even made a very generous offer. This wasn’t a case of corporate being evil except for the initial plan but trying to make money without being unfair about it. I’d have taken the deal in a heartbeat because again, the whole land was working on a net loss.

Before Joseph came over, Callie had to work on the whole farm by herself in addition to taking care of her sick mother. It was not practical and then Callie had to work a night job? There’s absolutely no way there are enough hours in the day for her to pull this off even if her mother was healthy. Things would only get worse and worse over time so yeah sometimes you do have to forget the sentimental value and just be prepared to move out of a place. It’s not fun or anything but it’s just the reality of the situation.

Overall, This film was really held back by the main pairing. A romance film needs to at least try and make a case for why it works. You could maybe have a solid rebound romance that I still take shots at but doesn’t tank the film. This isn’t one of those cases because the whole thing feels fake. We already know that Joseph is constantly moving on so it’s hard to see this one lasting even after they get married. The movie has its share of fun but the banter disappears early on as they get together and so then all that’s left is the weak romance which isn’t a good idea. The film absolutely needed to keep the dynamic aggressive between the characters for a while longer and instead of him trying to seduce her, it could be about sabotaging the farm or constantly giving reasons to sell it. That would have absolutely made for a more engaging film. Definitely skip this one in favor of another Christmas title that is a little more wholesome.

Overall 4/10

A Christmas Blessing Review

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It’s time for a more classic kind of Great American Family title and this one is definitely up for the task. Sometimes when it’s Christmas time you can’t just be stuffing your face. Instead it’s time to make a difference in the world and that’s exactly what Mandy aims to do by bringing back a food pantry. It’s a movie that definitely stays fun all the way through.

The movie starts out with Mandy retiring from her food show which had been a global sensation. She is now going to travel the world and try all kinds of new food dishes but first she has to stop by her aunt’s home. Her aunt passed away and so this passed onto Mandy but apparently the place used to be a big food pantry. Mandy is convinced by one of her aunt’s old friends Otto that she should give the food pantry one last Christmas. She will have to work fast to get volunteers since the year is almost up though and will the new owner Adam be patient about this?

It can always be tough when you have a deal ready to go and one side backs out at the last second. So I can cut Adam some slack here because that’s rough no matter what the context is. That said, he is also pretty agreeable about it the whole time. He is even quick to help out with getting the food ready. He does end up getting a romance set up with Mandy so you could say he’s not being completely objective here but for the most part he does seem like a good guy so I don’t think it’s very far from the norm or anything like that.

I was also glad that he looked into the mysterious Otto to make sure that Mandy wasn’t going to be in any danger. That actually makes a lot of sense to me. Even if Otto wasn’t too mysterious, there is never anything wrong with doing a background check. Adam was a very realistic guy and so he did good in his role. Meanwhile Mandy was a solid main character. She was really able to put her food skills to good use here. Additionally, she was not too quick to give up or anything like that.

She is perhaps a bit trusting at times but I won’t fault her hard for that. Without her the whole food pantry wouldn’t have had a chance and in the end it turned out really well. Most characters wouldn’t be able to say they pulled this off. Of course the big MVP here was Otto. He showed up out of the blue and really played the sentimental card which got Mandy to go through with keeping the pantry up. Without him, she would have just closed it and gone off to eat at a restaurant.

He may be cryptic the whole film but he is definitely a good person. He does act very unnaturally though so you understand why the other characters doubt him. He makes sure to always answer every question very carefully so you can almost see him choosing his words. For that reason you know what he is saying is accurate but at the same time it could also be very misleading. Those are often the trickiest fellows to keep track of.

There is also a backup romance going on here with Adam’s brother (Or cousin, I forget exactly) and one of the volunteers but it feels very tacked on the whole time. It didn’t really need to be around and for the most part he was a jerk the whole time so I don’t see why she would fall for him. At one point he basically parks right in the street and isn’t very apologetic about the whole thing. Throw in the fact that he made a huge slip-up in the contract in the beginning and he was a very weak character here. You can’t be making mistakes like that when a huge part of your job is setting up these contracts.

The movie balanced out all the fun with realistic factors pretty well. For example at first we see everyone rejecting the pantry and the reasons are valid. One character explains that her company has to put everything in writing before the end of the fiscal year end so that way it all balances out perfectly. She’s not trying to rain on the parade or anything like that but it’s just the way the company policy is and she can’t go against it. I imagine that would be the case for most people, particularly since Mandy was trying to amass pounds and pounds of food. It’s not like pledging a sandwich for a party coming up or anything like that.

Then as the film goes on things begin to work out and it even takes some supernatural abilities. That helps take care of the realism part of it. Ultimately there was no way to do this without Otto pulling some strings and then the whole thing clicked. The movie’s romance is a bit on the weak side but beyond that, this is a quality movie the whole way through. The pacing is good and the writing is on point so I can’t really ask for anything more than that. This film could also have potential for a sequel. We know the pantry will keep going now but if they can squeeze in a plot of Mandy travelling the world, maybe the gimmick can be that she helps someone at every stop.

Overall, This was a pretty fun film. One of those movies that is just easy viewing for any time, but particularly during Christmas. The food looked good even if some of the fancier restaurant dishes were a bit pretentious for my liking. Seriously food never needs to be fancy, as long as it is tasty then that is good enough for me. A Christmas Blessing reminds you that at the end of the day you can always find a way to help people out. Mandy and her team put in the effort and helped quite a lot of people out. It’s a very heart warming kind of story.

Overall 7/10

Christmas in Conway Review

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It’s time for one of those really emotional kind of Christmas titles. Naturally, there’s nothing wrong with being more on the emotional side but it can be hard to compete with the more upbeat adventures. This one has its moments but on the whole I would say it’s definitely going too far on the tragic side and ends up potentially being Hallmark’s weakest title. It definitely needed more pop!

The movie starts off by introducing us to Suzy who is terminally ill and will be dead soon. Her husband Duncan has been taking it pretty hard of course and is hoping to at least spend their final days together. Unfortunately for him she now has a live in nurse named Natalie who Duncan seems to consider to be an intruder the whole time. He makes it very clear that she is not wanted here and then he gets the idea to make a Ferris wheel for Suzy. This will be a way to recreate their first date but he will have to work really quickly and in the meantime one of his neighbors wants to shut him down. Will he have to rely on the ex-convict Tommy?

Now you have to give the film credit for having a fairly large cast here. One of the big supporting characters is Tommy who made some huge mistakes in his past and the film slowly goes over this. For those reasons Duncan doesn’t trust him at all, the guy never even forgave him in the first place. So there is a lot of tension there the whole time and then the film seems to potentially be setting up a romance with him and Natalie. After we learn the truth of what happened, I can definitely see why Duncan is upset. It would be really hard to trust Tommy again after that.

In the present he seems nice enough although I do think it is irresponsible of him to try and get Natalie on dates when she needs to be available for Suzy. Being gone for 20 minutes can be the difference between life or death here. As for Natalie, I would say she takes her job very seriously. She is good at it and continues to work even as Duncan doesn’t make things easy for her. That’s certainly commendable on her part and in the end Natalie really does help free up time for the others to get things ready. She was also a good friend to Suzy.

Suzy is a solid heroine here who tries to get Duncan under control the whole time. Considering that she is facing her own demise, Suzy stays strong for the most part. Duncan tends to look bad for most of the film as he takes everything out on the others. He’s upset about Suzy dying and of course that can make it tempting to vent but he really needed to control himself more. It takes pretty much the whole film for him to finally turn the corner and handle his feelings properly. I would have liked that to have happened a bit sooner.

Meanwhile, the neighbor is about as petty as you can be. She wants to win the front yard contest and so that’s the main reason why she tries to sabotage the Ferris wheel. It’s all for a contest and she doesn’t even seem to care that someone is dying. The film lets her off rather easy without even getting a proper talking to. I would have liked her to have seen the neighborhood turn against her or something.

At least everyone supported Duncan when it counted at the end. Even the guy with a gun who was rather stand-offish the whole time finally came through. That was definitely a good moment and made for a fun climax. If the whole film had that energy then I think it would have been a lot better. At the end of the day the main problem here is just that most of the film is rather dreary.

For example Suzy needs to drink some tough medicine in order to stay strong and it apparently tastes horrible and is hard to get down. So we get some moments there and just general reminders that she’s not going to make it. So even the ending can only be so happy because it doesn’t actually extend her ending. The film isn’t allowed many moments to be happy so it has 0 replay value. This isn’t the kind of film you will be watching a second time so automatically that means it wouldn’t be considered as a good film.

Then even on the initial watch, it just isn’t as good as any of its rivals. You want the fun Christmas celebrations, food, and all kinds of cheer. Sad films can work but they are extremely rare and ultimately I wouldn’t say this is one of them. At the end of the day it’s just not an enjoyable watch and that is ultimately the #1 purpose of any film. Maybe if the whole film was about Duncan trying to get the Ferris wheel working then it could have been different. I appreciated him having to stand up to someone with a gun in order to get the ball rolling and the verbal fight with the main police officer was intense. They ended up being good distractions at least but in this case it never took away from the main plot which was the problem. You needed to flip it so that was the main plot and focus.

Overall, Christmas in Conway is definitely a very different kind of title and that just didn’t work. I can always appreciate the attempt to shake things up even if it didn’t work out though. If you are looking for a very gloomy movie where things won’t work out then this could be for you though. As long as you like that kind of atmosphere then it’s safe to say that this one pulls that off. It’s just not what I’m really looking for and so the premise already doomed the film right out of the gate. There’s not much you can do at that point.

Overall 4/10

Nutcracker Fantasy Review

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It’s time for a classic tale although this Nutcracker story takes quite a few liberties from the usual formula. It’s almost always a good idea to do that as it keeps the story fresh and this is no exception. While I wish we had gotten to see more of the infamous Ragman, the main story will keep you entertained the whole time. There’s a whole lot going on here.

The movie begins with the Ragman turning a poor kid into a rat because he stayed up past his bedtime. The unfortunate thing is that every kid knows about the Ragman but he is so well known that he is considered to be a superstition now. We then cut to Clara who was planning to stay up late even while her aunt tried to warn her not to. Fortunately Drosselmeyer shows up and gives her a Nutcracker doll. He’s not too pleased with how it looks but she insists on keeping it. That night, some mice try to kidnap him but the Nutcracker fights back once Clara is in danger. When she wakes up, they’re all gone though. She must navigate a dangerous world of twin headed monsters and a kingdom on the brink of ruin. Is Clara up for this?

Lets get the elephant out of the room right away which is that this film is stop motion. Yeah I know that’s not ideal but look at the end of the day that’s going to happen. As far as that style goes I would say this movie does a pretty good job with it. I liked the fight scenes and this style does make for some pretty fun facial expressions. The characters tend to look shocked quite often and everyone appears to be very suspicious so you really can’t trust them. Meanwhile the backgrounds are all sinister which really drops the hammer on the fact that this is a brand new world.

Keeping all that in mind, Clara handles things really well. She doesn’t waste a lot of time wanting to go back home or complaining about the state of affairs. Instead she gets right to work on finding the Nutcracker and it isn’t easy since nobody is particularly helpful. It also turned out that she looks just like the princess who is currently in a coma so Clara will work with the Nutcracker on saving her. Little does she know the princess would end up being one of the worst characters in the film. Ah well, it’s actually a pretty nice change of pace to have a member of royalty just be unashamedly petty and arrogant the whole time. More often than not that would actually be pretty realistic.

So I give Clara a lot of points throughout the film. Meanwhile the Nutcracker was also good. He was quick to put his life on the line in order to help Clara out and he is very skilled in combat. Even if it means turning back into a doll afterwards, he is not someone who will just give up halfway. It was nice for Clara to have at least one dependable ally.

That’s where I take points away from Drosselmeyer. Now it depends just how aware of things he is because the guy vanishes for most of the film but it’s hinted throughout that he at least know the basis of what’s going to happen. Sure he steps in at the very end but I wanted him to do more. Maybe at the beginning warn Clara that she is about to be facing the fight of her life and giving her some tips.

The Nutcracker’s ending tends to be a little different each time but there is always that moment where you wonder what is real and what isn’t. Well, at least in this case I think it’s clear that it was all real and Drosselmeyer is the key to the whole thing. It’s why the Princess Tutu was a fun TV show because it really went deep into the lore for all of this. It’s probably the best adaption even if some would probably say that it isn’t technically a Nutcracker adaption. I’d say it is at any rate….

Now while there is a ton happening and a whole lot of characters showing up, for that reason is can also be a bit overwhelming at times. Clara is constantly thrown into different situations with more and more characters that it can be tough to keep track of them all. Typically you just have the rats and the rat king but this time there are characters everywhere. At one point Clara basically stumbles into Alice and Wonderland as there are these two guys in the middle of the forest who are just cryptic. They didn’t have much to do with anything although I’m sure there would be some lore videos about them depending on how popular this movie is.

I get the feeling that Nutcracker Fantasy probably has tons of themes and hidden messages beyond most of the scenes and plots. Even the whole Ragman intro that didn’t go anywhere probably has some kind of hidden meaning but in the meantime it’s up to you to grab the meaning. The main thing is to just make sure you are helping out because you want to and not for the satisfaction. After all Clara would have probably been crushed if she had been doing all this to save the princess as opposed to doing the right thing since the princess had no gratitude. The King also looks bad for allowing himself to be dragged on so easily. He at least should have done more for the heroes.

Then again the King couldn’t even take control of a whole room of mad spellcasters who all had crazy schemes on how to wake up the princess. It’s no wonder that the kingdom was losing to the rats. Meanwhile Morphia was a fun main villain. Her rat army definitely could do a lot of damage and so she should take most of the credit there as their leader. Without her they would definitely be a lot more aimless. I would have liked her to have gotten to fight herself more because fighting styles with two heads can be really solid but the film already does have more action than I would have expected so it’s not a negative or anything like that.

Overall, Nutcracker Fantasy is a pretty good film. One of its strengths is absolutely in how wild and unpredictable it is. Even the most seasoned of movie viewers will probably be unable to predict every twist and turn in here. I’d definitely recommend checking it out. The stop motion visuals may be a little hard to get into at first but once you have gotten past that then you will be all set. I’d definitely be up for a sequel to this some day.

Overall 7/10

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Review

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I may not have gotten this game day 1 but I knew at some point that I would need to take the plunge. The whole marketing was about a new Uchiha showing up and that’s like finding out that there is a new Saiyan. It’s an immediate way to build up hype and I can tell you that it succeeded. Really one of the only reasons this wasn’t a day one is because most of the story is old.

When you boot up the game you have your usual array of modes. Vs mode, the main story, and special story. The main story is basically compiled from all of the previous games where they paste a lot of those fights but apparently remove a lot of the interactable bits. From what I’ve heard it’s a straight downgrade which is a shame but that’s just how it goes I suppose. We weren’t hear for the main story either way and I skipped it entirely. At some point I’ll play through it for the trophies but that’ll be a while.

The special story starts off with Boruto getting hooked on this online game where he can play as Naruto. Unfortunately there is a deeper conspiracy here and someone is mind controlling Naruto and the others. Sasuke will have to hold Naruto off but Boruto had to stop the threat at its core. If he doesn’t succeed then that will be game over. Now while the main history mode is longer, they did put a good amount of effort into this special story and it lasted longer than I expected with the post game story chapter. It’s really got a lot of good stuff to it. The beginning of the story is certainly slow paced but once the game starts cooking, it really doesn’t hold back at all.

The gameplay is very familiar to long time Storm fans. You have your auto combos and then several ninjutsu and ultimate jutsu. Use them all to really get the edge in combat and absolutely dominate everyone in your path. The story is generally easy but you still can’t just approach it blindly. You need to have some strategy in mind or you will end up being defeated in short order. Generally I would say that the giant monsters are the toughest to deal with since they don’t really flinch or stagger.

As expected the graphics are pretty high end. The cutscenes still look really amazing as well as the in game graphics which are on that PS5 level. They definitely kept in line with what you would expect from the series. Additionally the soundtrack is also really good with a lot of different tunes. The game can get really dramatic and the themes are able to keep up with the tempo and themes the whole time.

In terms of replay value, this is a fighting game so of course it’s basically endless. You can keep on having new experiences with each fight as they will all be different. Additionally some of the trophies look rather difficult so that will buy some more time as well. Since the gameplay is a lot of fun, you’ll certainly be incentivized to play as much as possible.

The story also handled the new Uchiha, Nanashi really well. She’s a really well written character who manages to get interesting really quickly and ends up having a complete arc. The game even sets up a romance that you could argue is better than any of the romances in the main Boruto and even Naruto series. It definitely has one of those super tragic endings to it too. Naturally you usually want to have a very happy ending for any kind of plot but the tragic angle can sometimes work too and this one pulled it off.

I would say there are some power level issues here as I think Boruto could easily wipe out any of the old Uchiha soldiers. Maybe I’m underselling them but I just see Boruto winning that one. Likewise it feels like Sasuke and Naruto could do even better in the present but at the end of the day power level issues never hurt the game’s actual score and quality. This is still a very engaging story by the end and helps make the experience worthwhile.

This is also a gameplay style that I grew up with so it’s super nostalgic. I won’t say for a minute that I’m the best at it or anything like that but I feel comfortable in the system. Mixing up the combos and trying out new techniques is something I can do without too much trouble. The different cinematics for every finishing special is also another incentive to use each character and learn all of their finishers. Adds to the replay value without a doubt.

Overall, Boruto Connections is definitely an excellent game. It would have been nice to see them redo the whole story from the start to Boruto but it’s definitely easy to see why they would choose to just reuse the assets since they were already there. Naturally if this is your first Storm game then it’ll hit even harder because then this is really an amazing amount of content to go through. You have a ton of replay value here with the trophies and everything so there is more than enough value to justify the price. No downsides there so pick up the game as soon as possible.

Overall 9/10

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn Review

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Shaq Fu is one of those games that ordinarily might not have crossed into my radar but I happened to see it in store for a great price so I decided to take the plunge. How could I not right? The concept is just pretty interesting and the execution ended up being on point. I’m not going to say that it’s an all star or anything but what I can say is that the graphics and controls are on point. The story will also keep you engaged with how fun it is.

The game starts off with introducing us to Shaq who was found inside a purse and nearly drowned. Who would put a baby through such hardship? Well, he got to grow up learning martial arts and now that will come in handy because there are monsters around. It looks like a lot of celebrities can’t be trusted and things get extra personal when Shaq’s master is seemingly murdered in cold blood. He will not stand for this! No sirrrr!

The gameplay is classic 2D beat em up style. Basically you use your punch, kick, and slam moves to take down enemies. There are tons and tons of enemies so get ready for a lot of punching. Generally you can beat most enemies with the punch buttons but there is a little strategy here. Use your kicks for enemies that are holding a shield because they will block normal hits. When you have enough meter you can also do a ground slam to send the enemies away. It’s a strong attack and does the job but use it sparingly since it takes a while to get the energy back.

Meanwhile you’ve also got a few super forms that appear in different levels like cactus Shaq and robot Shaq. Both of these forms are basically unstoppable since you can spam their heavy attacks with no real drawbacks. So in this form don’t overthink things and just keep attacking everybody. Usually to compensate for how overpowered you are, the game will stack the other side with even more minions than needed. So get ready to deal with a whole lot of that. The super forms are fun but it probably would have been a good idea to have still given some kind of a challenge for them.

After all, the main levels are rather difficult to get through at times. I won’t say it’s a hard game as this is easier than most other similar beat em ups in the genre. You still do have to focus though, if you try to just close your eyes and beat this on instinct then you are going to get absolutely demolished. That’s because of how many enemies there are and how they’re all different. You can react quickly enough to shut them all down but if you get overconfident and let them walk all over you then you’re in real trouble.

The graphics are pretty solid here. It’s going for a very drawn out/cartoony look that works well with the themes of the game. Likewise the cutscenes work really well for that reason as well. Not only is the dialogue great but the fact that it’s all voice acted is incredible. As with all comedies, not every joke will land and the game did go for at least one full crude humor boss which was really unnecessary. Still, aside from that the game had been doing pretty good on the humor.

The soundtrack is solid but the main theme song can be a little much. It’s extremely loud and you hear it for the main menu and every loading screen. So you’ll be hearing it a whole lot, particularly since the loading screens themselves are really slow. I like the concept of the song but the lyrics could definitely be a whole lot better.

In terms of replay value, well you could go for the Platinum. I actually haven’t checked how hard that would be but I get the feeling it will be easy. So with the main game being under 4 hours, maybe this can add another 2-3 hours of replay value. You can usually get the game for a pretty low price so all in all I would say it’s a pretty fair deal. You’re partially playing this game for the pure novelty value after all. A good story goes a long way and since the gameplay is also sound then you have a good bargain. If the gameplay was bad then this would be a harder sell but I do think they actually put some effort into this one. It’s not just some random cash-in or anything like that.

Overall, Shaq Fu gets a lot of points for how up front it is. This game knows that the premise is rather silly and so instead of being subtle about this, it just doubles down on absolutely everything. Trust me, you haven’t seen many games that are as shameless as Shaq Fu is. It’s really the full package and while it isn’t a particularly long game, the most important part is that you will have fun playing it. That’s the key here and if they ever make a sequel, I’d be tempted to buy it day 1!

Overall 7/10