Category Archives: Reviews

Bakugan Defenders of The Core Review

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Bakugan has spawned several video games in the past and I am proud to say that I own them all. I did not review the first game as it was before I started reviewing games, but it was great. The second game had a very solid battle style, but I deducted points since it was so short. Finally, we have this one. The gameplay is completely different from the previous installments, which could definitely pose a problem. Was the game fun anyway? I suppose that it’s time for us to find out!

You play as an original character who looks very similar to the guy from the first game. I like to think that it’s the same guy, but that would present some plot problems. Nonetheless, he becomes a pretty good character by the end of the game, but never becomes as exciting as the hero of the first game. The main character uses Drago and the game starts you off with a bang! Dan has challenged you to a brawl and he’s using Maxus Drago, the ultimate Bakugan monster. Things go haywire and the main character is sent to an alternate dimension!

The characters have the same personalities, but they seem to be a lot weaker. Dan has no idea who Maxus Drago is and he just uses the standard version. The Vexos have been attacking the planet and they’ve kidnapped/taken control of nearly every monster. Drago escapes and the main character uses him to fight the villains. Will one monster be enough to stop everyone else?

The other characters aren’t able to help in this battle since the Vexos have created a way to make them unable to brawl. Dan and friends can only watch as the main character takes on legions of villains by himself. Will the main character be able to defeat them all, or is it a lost cause already?

The actual story mode is pretty short and you’ll probably finish it in under 4 hours. This game definitely wasn’t created for its length, but that’s a small downer. I won’t be taking major points off for that since the content that’s in the game is really fun. The actual story mode never drags on and while the graphics aren’t the greatest, the character designs are good. The villains are fairly uninteresting although Spectra isn’t bad. At least he had a cool design to back him up.

Let’s get into the gameplay, which is the meat of the game. The gameplay is definitely similar to the classic DBZ BT series, but with giant monsters. You’re in complete 3D environments and you knock the opponents out with solid combos and energy blasts. One critical part of the battle is the blocking factor. You can usually block in a fighting game, but Bakugan takes it to the next level. You can block just about any attack and quickly start your counter.

Why do we care? Well, this really means that you’ve got to stay alert at all times. When two fighters are taking random swings at each other, there can be many different block/counters in a single barrage. Your reflexes need to be in top shape to handle this. The concept was definitely risky, but I’d say that it payed off. It makes the battles a little more exciting. Each Kaiju monster gets two cards to help him out during the fight. Usually, you’ll have some sort of energy blast and a large combo, or a barrier. Once you’ve built up enough energy, you can go ahead and use the card. They aren’t a huge factor, but they can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

The game has many positives, but replay value may be an issue. The gameplay is awesome so you’ll always have fun through multiplayer, but if you’re playing by yourself, then it may get old. The A.I. isn’t especially difficult and there really isn’t anything to do once you’ve gotten all of the items in Story Mode. You’ll eventually come to the point where there’s really no reason to play. Replay Value may hurt the game a little, but multiplayer is the important part.

I definitely have a soft spot for the Bakugan franchise. With this game out of the way, I only have one game in the series that I need to play. The first three games were very good so the fourth will have big shoes to fill. Considering that it’s a Bakugan game, I doubt that it will present much of a problem. The soundtrack for this game is pretty good and while it’s not up to par with the first one, it’s definitely good enough. I’d highly recommend buying this one as soon as you can. It may not last you as long as a Final Fantasy game, but it’s just so fun that you need to play it. Such a great experience just can’t be missed when the price isn’t even so high. I enjoyed the game so much that I even went and got the Platinum!

Overall 8/10

Family Game Night 4 The Game Show Review

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Family Game Night is a pretty fun franchise since you can just jump in and start playing the games. You don’t need to worry about entering really hard levels or wondering where you are up to in the plot. That being said, there aren’t a lot of minigames to choose from, which means that the game won’t have as much replay value as other games that focus on recreational activities. I’ll talk about each of the games and then we’ll see how the game stacks up.

First, let’s talk about Connect 4 Basketball! The game is pretty fun, but the aiming can be difficult to master. One problem is that the balls are launched pretty quickly, which means that many players may just fire 4 balls into the same spot as quickly as they can. It’ll become more of a speed battle than a battle of wits at that point. I guess that would be where the tricky aiming would come into play. It’s a decently fun game, but it’s not something that will hold your interest for a very long time. That being said, it is my second favorite game in the video game.

Next up, we have Sorry! Sliders. This one is my least favorite from the batch. I’ve never been a fan of the game, (I do like the Sorry! game though) and it takes a lot longer to finish a round than the others. The controls are simple enough and the computers usually won’t do so well, but this game is meant to be a multiplayer experience anyway. Still, I would recommend skipping this minigame.

Another game on the list is Yahtzee! Bowling. I’m not a huge fan of this minigame either. The actual card part is fun since it’s essentially Poker. Poker is one of the best card games and the rules are simple, but effective. The bowling is really unnecessary and doesn’t really add anything to the game. It just ends up slowing everything down and making the minigame less enjoyable. The game is all right, but relies heavily on luck and that doesn’t really translate well into a video game.

We also have Bop It! Boptagon. This one is easily one of the best minigames and I’d say that it may have the second most replay value. It’s essentially “Simon Says” as you follow the commands that are on the screen. This one does take concentration as the sudden lights can make you pick something that you weren’t planning on picking. Your reflexes actually work against you in this game which is a nice change of pace. If you are buying this video game, I would assume that this minigame is the main reason for your purchase.

Finally, we have Scrabble Flash. This game is my personal favorite out of the bunch. Picking out the words hidden among the letters can actually be pretty challenging. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart and it takes a good vocabulary. Some of the words may seem obvious, but others can be extremely difficult to pick out. This game never really gets old and has a great level of replay value.

Those are all of the minigames that are in Family Game Night. You can challenge the Game Show, but it’s basically just a mode that lets you play all five of the minigames. You should do it for the PS3 trophies, but there’s not much of a point to play it otherwise. The animation for the game is sub par at best and I would say that there are many Nintendo 64 games that show more heart. The mascot can be extremely annoying and is essentially a Mario that went wrong.

This definitely wouldn’t be the highest game on my list to recommend, but if you want to check it out…by all means. It’s certainly not the worst game that you could get and it’s much better than Family Game Night 3. This can be a fun little game to play with your friends or to use as a way to relax. That being said, if you want to play a real Party game, check out Mario Party 4!!

Overall 6/10

Pokemon Genesect and the Legend Awakened Review

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Pokemon is one of the greatest franchises out there. It has spawned many different manga, books, games, movies, and also got an extremely popular TV series. This film got a lot of hype since it would be the return of Mewtwo! I can say that this fact attracted me to the film as well and I could not stop my expectations from rising drastically. I’m glad to say that the film succeeded where others have failed!

The Genesect are looking for their home and wander about a snowy mountain. There are five gray Genesect and the Master Genesect. His color scheme is red and he’s vastly stronger than the others, even being able to manipulate them through telepathy. Mewtwo comes to help them out of a pinch when an avalanche occurs, but a fight breaks out and the Genesect escape. Mewtwo heads after them and then we cut away to Ash and friends. I forgot why they are here, but they’re having fun at the Pokepark when they’re attacked by the Genesect. Pikachu puts up a brave fight, but he’s outnumbered and these guys do have some impressive abilities. Ash and friends ditch the guy who was giving them a tour (Technically he left first, but they’re the main characters so we get to reverse the roles) and get ready for the climax.

The rest of the movie is essentially a very long fight scene that features the Genesect taking on Mewtwo, Feraligatr, and some of the other pokemon who are out there. The film is barely over an hour, but it is still impressive to see a Pokemon film that has more action than talking. One would have thought that we were watching a DBZ film!

Before I go deeper into the fights, let’s talk about Ash Ketchum, who happens to be from Pallet Town. His first line is great and while I don’t remember it word for word, it was something like, “I feel Awesome!” That may not have been the exact quote, but it was something to that effect and it was the perfect entrance for a man of his caliber. His friends didn’t look as impressive with their opening lines of dialogue. Unfortunately, Ash goes downhill fast from that scene.

When Genesect attacks, Ash quickly retaliates with his heavy hitter, Pikachu. Pikachu is able to block two beams at the same time, but Ash doesn’t give him any backup and he ends up being seriously injured. Instead of turning his cap around and throwing out Charizard, Ash seems to freeze up. It’s a good thing that Mewtwo was around! Later on, Ash makes a nice promise with Genesect to get him back to his home, but he’s pretty cheesy about it.

Also, Ash doesn’t make the best decisions. After hearing Genesect’s proclamation that he will destroy them all, Ash tries to stop Mewtwo from taking him down. Mewtwo’s not going to destroy him, but he does need to teach Genesect a lesson. Unfortunately, Ash gets in the way, which could have jeopardized everything. In fact, Ash doesn’t help out at all during the climax and the situation may not have been as dire if he and Pikachu had attacked as well.

I should mention that Ash’s brainwashing/time travel seems to be getting more thorough. He doesn’t even recognize Mewtwo and acts like he’s never seen such a being before. The anime really needs to address this issue before it’s too late. Did Ash go back in time so that he’s 10 again? Did someone brainwash Ash? Was Ash abducted from time right after he started his journey and skipped all the way to this region? It would explain why he’s lost all of his experience, but most of the plot holes would still be around. I think that the writers have dug themselves into a hole in this issue.
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There’s not much to say about Ash’s friends. They were essentially a non-factor and didn’t end up helping at all. Cilan seemed a little intimidated the whole time and Iris was too busy showing Ash up at every corner to actually fight. Yes, things were definitely up to Ash as far as the humans were concerned and he didn’t end up helping. Team Rocket appears and they get one of the highest budget scenes in the film, but it’s just a small cameo.

Let’s talk about Mewtwo. Mewtwo has the same origin, but she’s not a guy in this version and we don’t get to see her casually destroy an island by powering up. She’s a decent character, but she could have been a lot better. She gave Genesect way too many chances to launch a sneak attack by trying to reform him. Genesect is basically a machine at this point so why would he change? Ignoring the scene in space, Mewtwo just needed to take him down. Not for good, but at least knock some sense into him.

Mewtwo does give us a glimpse as to how Mega Evolutions may look in the anime. She can casually transform into her Mega form at will and it doesn’t seem to drain that much energy from her. Moreover, Mewtwo doesn’t need a long time to recharge before transforming once again. In her Mega form, we see Mewtwo casually crash the sound barrier and probably enter light speed. Mewtwo’s ability to slow time/use super speed is definitely useful. Mewtwo has a large array of attacks and we got to see several that had not been used by Mewtwo in the past.

Genesect is a pretty good Pokemon and the red one was my favorite. Finally, a Pokemon who is ready to rumble and also wants to destroy all who oppose him. Genesect made for a great antagonist and he’s one of the better pokemon out there. He’s easily Top 50 and probably a lot higher than that in the grand scheme of things. Genesect’s speed is very impressive and the only Pokemon who could possibly keep up with him would be Deoxys, Mewtwo, and Pikachu. I really can’t see any other Pokemon matching that level of ability.

Let’s get into the fights, this film definitely knocks the others out in this area. Mewtwo and Genesect actually fight in the middle of a city, which was really awesome. At one point, Genesect rams Mewtwo into a building and they chase each other across the entire city. It was great to see Pokemon moving at such high speeds and they can both take some solid hits. At one point, Mewtwo has to fend off the 5 of them and she actually does pretty well. Mewtwo is still the ultimate Pokemon (Except for Deoxys and that one is still arguable) and she proves it in this film.

Mewtwo vs Genesect is definitely the best fight of the film, but we also have the 4 regular Genesect against the Pokemon Army. Feraligatr was basically the leader of the resistance and it was nice to see him getting some respect. Feraligatr is one of my favorite Pokemon and I’m glad that he didn’t cower in fear like the others. After seeing his bravery, the other Pokemon step in to fight as well. A pair of Geodudes attack the Genesect and the other Pokemon all jump in the action. Persian actually lands a pretty decent Hyper Beam on one of the Genesect as well. At one point, the Pokemon army is actually winning, but then the red one came back and basically annihilated them all. Ash could have helped to prevent this, but he was still frozen. There is a pretty big opportunity that was missed with Charizard. He appears towards the beginning of the film, but then he doesn’t do anything until the very end. I would have liked to see him go up against Genesect. Since the film put an emphasis on the fact that Charizard was there, I figured that he would have done something. At the very least, I wanted some sort of fight, but Charizard didn’t get any action in the film.
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Mewtwo realizes that Genesect is pure evil and that he’s not going to stop. Every second that Genesect stays on Earth is another Pokemon that may be eradicated. Mewtwo ends up making the Ultimate choice..which I won’t say due to spoilers. Let’s just say that Mewtwo was put in a very similar situation to what Superman went through in Man of Steel. Zod’s about to destroy some people so Superman did an evil act to stop him. Mewtwo has the same option available to her and I’m sure that many would have cut her some slack if she made the same move, but Mewtwo is a true hero. Superman is as well, but not in the Man of Steel movie. The decision that Mewtwo makes is one that I’d been saying that Superman should have done for ages. Ever since I saw Man of Steel, this is what I thought should happen. I’m glad that Mewtwo used this method so now I can show people an example of what I believe Superman should have done.

Aside from the awesome fights, there were some disappointing things in the film. Mostly, it’s the fact that the Pokemon had a lot of “Anti Feats” Fire was shown to be greatly lethal to the Genesect. In one scene, they seem to forget that they have super speed and energy blasts as they cower away from a little fire. A cannon almost falls on one of their heads so Ash quickly uses Pikachu to deflect it, but they act like Genesect would have been seriously hurt. At one point, Genesect launches a direct attack at the building and there isn’t even a notable crater. Is the film saying that a very powerful energy blast can’t even blow up a building, or at least make a nice explosion? I definitely don’t buy that! Mewtwo faints and loses power after entering space, but Mewtwo should be fine. Her energy and defense are more than enough to withstand the rigors of space.

There were many scenes that undermined the Pokemon and made them look like they were weaker than Bakugan, Yugioh, and Monsuno. I’m not saying that they’re stronger than those guys, but Pokemon do deserve a level of respect. This movie acted as if they were extremely powerful…compared to other Pokemon. I felt that it was like Bionicles. To the average person, their abilities seem tough…against someone who’s tiny. When you have powers, your size shouldn’t matter so much. In the film, Mewtwo’s blast should have blown up a country and likewise with Genesect. The force of their speed should be enough to blow up the buildings around them! To an extent, I can overlook this, but it shouldn’t need to be overlooked. Aside from Ash looking bad, that was my only other major complaint with this film.

This is easily one of my favorite Pokemon films and I don’t think that any of the other ones coming up will be able to pass this one. This film had the best fight scenes in a Pokemon film and things finally felt a little more high budget. The fight scenes looked like Dragon Ball Z’s new Battle of Gods film and that’s definitely a plus. I expect Ash to look better in the next one since that was something that should quickly be addressed. I highly recommend checking the film out, Pokemon isn’t kid stuff anymore!!

Overall 8/10

Paranormal Activity Review

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Paranormal Activity is a pretty famous horror film and it’s almost considered a household name at this point. I believe that I can safely say that every big horror fan has seen it at this point. I’d definitely heard of the film, but I’d never gotten around to seeing it before. Could it match up against the Ring or the Grudge? Let’s find out!

Disclaimer time! This review is of the edited version that you may come across on TV, which edits out the language and tones the film down to an acceptable rating. Naturally if I were reviewing the uncut version, the score would be lower. Either way that’s an impossibility since I don’t watch R rated films. Now back to the review!

Paranormal Activity uses a shaky camera which is always a bad sign when you really think about it. Maybe it adds a sense of horror to the movie, but I think that you don’t need to have a camera to generate that effect. I’ve never been a fan of the whole shaky camera technique and it may have wrecked Cloverfield. That being said, it worked well for the scenes where it wasn’t moving, but was left on the tripod. Night vision always looks pretty intense in movies.

It’s still intense how they were able to do the whole film inside the house and in the backyard. That could have gotten old if a lot of films had done this already, but it’s so unique that it was fun. I didn’t really find myself missing the outside world at any point. Considering the low budget that the film had, this one definitely did well. This is why we really don’t need to have huge budgets to make a decent film.

The main characters are Katie and Micah. Katie is worried because a demon has been following her around for a long time. We don’t know how long the demon has been following her, (Not at the beginning anyway) but we can safely say that it has been for a while. She decided not to tell Micah for a while, but now he knows…and he’s ready! Micah thinks he’s ready at any rate, but how can you beat an invisible, intangible demon?

Well, this demon isn’t very fast, which definitely helps Micah’s case, but it’s also supernaturally strong. Micah uses powder to follow the demon’s movements, but Katie believes that he’s letting them follow his tracks. The demon even leaves clues for them to follow which is pretty thoughtful of him.

Katie calls in a Professor/Doctor type of fellow, but he’s no help. He senses how disturbing the whole affair is and quickly dashes out. We don’t see him again and it’s safe to say that he may have survived this ordeal. Sometimes the tactical retreat option actually works, but I can’t say that it made me like the character.

Katie and Micah panic a lot, but I guess it’s to be expected. I can’t say that I liked either character, but when do I like the main characters of a horror film? Micah was able to overpower the demon at one point, but did the demon just let him think that? Also, you do have to ask several questions. “Is Katie the demon?” It may not seem like it at first, but she does have moments where she will go in a trance. Perhaps she just gets possessed once in a while or maybe she’s finally cracked. During the ending where she yells and the Micah goes to help, I think that the demon may have just been sending him into a trap. Katie did mention that the demon may have left a trap for them earlier in the film. The demon may be more cunning than we realize.

The ending is pretty epic and while Micah doesn’t look so good, it’s to be expected. I like to think that he put up a decent fight, but it’s possible that he went down without dealing much damage. Since we are stuck with the camera, we have to miss out on the intense fight. The ending definitely shows that the demon is in control, but we’ve still got to consider the Katie is a demon theory. It would explain how her picture got into the attic, maybe she put it there? Either way, if she isn’t the demon, it doesn’t matter. The demon can possess people whenever it wants and there’s no defense against the supernatural powers that it possesses. If only the military had gotten involved!

So, in the end this was a pretty good horror film. I’d say that it wasn’t nearly as creepy or scary as The Grudge or The Ring, but it would be hard to top those 2 in that area. No animals get taken down for the count which is shocking, but definitely epic. I can see why many people like the series and I recommend it for horror fans. That being said, you should definitely watch out for the shaky camera!

Overall 5/10

Madden 2012 Review

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It is now time for the Madden 2012 review! As I hinted in my Madden 2010 review, Madden 2012 definitely improves and brings things closer to the good ole GC era. I don’t own Madden 2011 yet so I do not know if it’s a bridge that started the uphill battle, but once I buy that game, you can expect a review for it as well.

For once, let’s just skip to the main part of the gameplay right away. Immediately you can see a huge difference in the game. The gameplay is a lot quicker and everything seems to flow a lot better. The controls can still be a little delicate; you must move in a straight line and be careful not to turn the joy stick or your character will start to stutter and slow down. That being said, there are ways to quickly turn and dodge defenders, but it’s a learning process. I’ll take the speed and precision over the slowness that Madden 2010 presented any day!

The passing game is also improved and deep balls are a little easier to command. They still aren’t exceptionally easy, but they’ll do. It’s always a risk since the defender may decide to jump up and grab an easy pick, but the risk is part of the fun right? I found it easiest to throw down the middle to the tight end, as he was usually open and it’s hard to mess up such an easy play. There are fewer things that can go wrong in this case.

The running game is definitely more enjoyable as well. It can still be risky to use outside pitches, but they’re more fun to use now that the running back is fast again. Quarterback scrambles are also fun and if you play your cards right, you’ll net some pretty large gains. The way I see it, a running play usually won’t get you more than a few yards, but it’s still worth it for that rare occurrence where you break free for 20+ yards. It’s all about barreling into the defensive line until they give way. You can think of it as an endurance battle!

Kicking the ball is still relatively easy, which is definitely a good thing. I am confident with kicks from 30 yards and under but once we hit 40, I will definitely have a tough time getting the goal. The animation is still pretty solid and while it’s not very different from Madden 2010, you can still tell that the animation is better in this game.

I may as well dedicate a few lines to the music. I’ve never played a sports game where I thought that the music was incredible and this one is no exception. While playing the game, you won’t even care what the music is. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget that there is music playing at all. I wouldn’t say that the music is awful, but it is sub par. As I mentioned earlier, this is the case with just about every sports game so I’ve come to expect it.

There are still other modes to play, like making your own character in Superstar mode. I personally don’t really use them as Franchise Mode is the only one that I really care about. I hope that they add minicamp mode again someday, perhaps in Madden 2013. It’s the only other mode that I would just play around with for a long time. Franchise mode is great but some things can take a while though, thanks to the long loading times if you want to skip the Preseason. Still, you can’t go wrong with Franchise mode, as it’s a great way to feel like you’re really in the NFL. Now if only they could figure out how to do this with PSN, a whole league would be epic. Something like Fantasy Football, but with actual games. It would be tough to set up, but also pretty awesome.

I definitely recommend getting this game since it’s the best next gen Madden game that I’ve played so far. I can safely say that Madden 2009 and 2010 don’t hold a candle to this one. This is a great way to get into the sport and also a way to have fun during Football season. Play as your favorite team and enter the new season. The gameplay is exciting as always and thanks to Franchise mode, there is a lot to do. Even without Franchise mode, you could find yourself playing this game for dozens and dozens of hours to come.

Overall 8/10

Madden 2010 Review

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I have always been a fan of the Madden series. It’s true that the games don’t seem to change very much and you could buy a Madden from 2004 and have an even better experience than if you went and bought Madden 25. The reason is not only was Madden 2004 the best Madden game of them all, but it essentially did everything right. A lot of the “improvements” that have been made have actually been bad for the series. This review is of Madden 2010, so I’ll be focusing on that year.

When launching the game, you’ve got several options. Franchise mode and many others, but that’s the only one that you need to care about. Franchise mode is what I’ve grown up with and it’s the best thing to play. I do miss the fact that we don’t have a minicamp mode anymore. You can play them in franchise mode, but what about checking them out for fun? That was one area where Madden 2010 took a turn for the worst, but let’s talk about the critical difference.

Turning the game on and paying an ordinary match is what Madden is all about. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay isn’t quite as fun as it used to be. It’s still really fun and I could play it for hours, but there are several factors that hurt it. One of these is the fact that the gameplay is a lot slower. I suppose that you could take this to be more “realistic” but it just doesn’t work. Playing on a virtual field is much different than on a normal field for many reasons. One is the fact that the field itself feels a lot smaller. Odds are that if you’re sacked in the game, you’ll lose around 10 yard because of how short the field is. Trying to run an outside route is risky because if they catch you, you’ll end up losing a whole bunch of yards.

They’ve “refined” the passing game so that your throw greatly depends on how you angle the control stick. This is okay since Madden 2004 did this as well, but Madden 2010 overdoes it. If you hold up and throw the ball, you’ll often overthrow your receiver and if you’ve got the wrong direction on the controller, you’ll probably be throwing a pick six. Making the controls more sensitive isn’t a bad thing in itself, but it takes some of the fun out of the passing game. I loved throwing a lot of deep balls and seeing what would happen.

The running game also seems to be a lot more difficult than in previous games. Because of the reduced speed of the gameplay, breaking into a sprint may not be enough to get our of the backfield. If a defender punches through the defenses, you won’t have the speed to evade him. This game seems to emphasize running between the tackles as opposed to taking outside pitches, which is too bad since that’s how I typically like my running game.

All the same, these changes may not be my favorite, but the gameplay is still very fun overall. Maybe the running game is more challenging, but that will just make a long run more satisfying right? For passing plays, it’s still easy enough to throw a short pass to your tight end or a screen pass to the running back. I may just have to lighten up on my Hail Mary type throws.

The animation is definitely solid and while we aren’t in the perfect Gamecube era anymore, the PS3 is the next best thing in terms of graphics. Yep, after the Gamecube, I believe that the PS3 has the greatest graphics from all of the consoles so far. PS4 has a shot at taking it down, but we’ll see if it can take down the Gamecube. The tackles have more variety in Madden 2010 than in Madden 2004, but the sacks aren’t as impacting. You could practically feel the charge when you sacked an opposing quarterback in Madden 2004. It was just so thrilling to see! Likewise with interceptions, but they don’t feel as exciting in Madden 2010. I’m not sure why that is, the sound effects may be lower or something. Either way, it’s minor and I’m sure that you can adjust something like that in the options menu.

Let’s talk about one major positive where I feel that the game may have improved. That would be in the kicking area. Kicking a long range field goal was virtually impossible in Madden 2004 because you could never really defy the wind currents. Your kick would go off target towards the wind or against it, but it was hard to actually get the field goal. In Madden 2010, it’s not quite as difficult and while kicking a 60+ could still be unheard of, 30-35 yards and under are a lot simpler.

Overall, the game may have made the gameplay a little less enjoyable by taking away the speed factor, but it’s still a very fun game. If you had not played the older games, then you wouldn’t even notice. The fact that kicking a field goal is now an easy task is definitely a plus as well. The animation is solid and the games are slowly adding more and more features that make it like a real football game. Some things may just slow down the flow of the game, but if you’re in the middle of Franchise mode, you’ll probably be glad to see how the other teams are doing. This game and 2009 are my least favorite Madden games that I’ve really gotten to play, but things take a turn for the better once we hit Madden 2012. I shall be reviewing that game shortly so keep an eye out for it! I’ve already said it several times, but I’ll say it one last time to make sure that the message lasts. While the review may have pointed out most of the negatives in Madden 2010, it’s still a great game. The gameplay is really fun and never gets tiring. If I wasn’t so busy with other games, I could see myself playing it for many hours. There is a ton of replay value and franchise mode could theoretically last you years if you play season after season after season. I definitely recommend getting this game if you want a fun football experience, but if you want the ultimate NFL experience, make sure that you buy Madden 2004.

Overall 7/10

Fantastic Mr Fox Review

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Fantastic Mr Fox is a film that I had definitely heard about, but I can’t say that I had very high hopes for the film. Stop motion can be good in moderation, but there is a reason why they don’t make a whole bunch of them. The film can be very limited by this type of animation and after a while, audiences may grow tired of it. Can this film get past that obstacle and be a really good film?

Well, the stop motion didn’t really get to me. It can certainly help some scenes and while I would definitely prefer hand drawn or CGI, it could be worse. The plot revolves around Mr Fox, who used to hunt animals. He was definitely not a hero to be admired and some could argue that he’s the big villain of the film. The irony is that the real “villains” of the film are possibly better heroes than Mr Fox. Mr Fox has decided to stop, but after moving into a tree in the roughest neighborhood around, he decides to start up the old job. The super teams up with Mr Fox and they attempt to rob the 3 toughest men around. Will they succeed?

Well, from the three dangerous antagonists, one of them easily stood out as the best. That would be Mr. Bean! Mr. Bean has a gun and he’s a terrific shot. He was able to it all of his targets with perfect marksmanship in one scene and he even scared the other two guys. He was definitely on the ball and he seemed a lot more professional than the other two. I dare say that Mr. Bean is the best character in the film. Watch out for his scenes!

Kristofferson is one of the main characters and he continues to outshine Ash at every turn. Ash is Mr. Fox’s son and while he’s decently good at what he does, he’s no match for Kristofferson. Ash claims that he’s been improving in the epic sport that is similar to Baseball, but Kristofferson quickly outshines him in his first turn. Kristofferson also steals Ash’s lab partner which probably had bad effects on his project score. Did I mention that Kristofferson is also a fighter and that he was able to defeat a powerful fighter pretty easily. He’s a pretty solid character for the most part, but he fell into a romance that didn’t really add anything to the film. It was just there to be there and wasn’t awful, but those scenes could have been cut.

There was also a fighting Rat who was definitely the greatest threat to the heroes. He had a knife and he was pretty good at hand to hand combat. He was able to quickly dispatch Ash and Felicity, but Mr. Fox came for the climatic battle. He had the best musical theme in the film and was the only fighter who could really match up against Mr. Fox.

So, this was a pretty solid film. Mr. Fox wasn’t a very great character since he murdered some animals, but it’s better if you think of him as an antagonist. The animal deaths were really the only major negative with the romance being a smaller one as it was unneeded. Kyle is the super and he’s also a pretty good character. Once in a while he’ll zone out which can definitely get epic. The design for his eyes was pretty unique and helps to capture the demented vibe that he emits. Some of the lines in the film are definitely unique and help the overall experience. So, I do recommend this film to the average moviegoer, but especially if you like subtle comedies or stop motion films. If you just want to check out the next big animation film, go watch Yugioh 3D Bonds Beyond Time. I can confirm that it’s really great!

Overall 6/10

Murder by Death Review

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Everyone loves a great mystery and they can definitely be enjoyable to watch. It’s especially fun when you’re able to figure out who the culprit was before the main characters, but that’s easier said than done! Also, I’m usually so into the movie that I don’t even take a guess because I’m just focused on the action. This one gives the mystery angle a new spin, but does it work?

The film starts off with several of the world’s greatest detectives as they are invited to a mansion. A murder will be taking place and they must solve the mystery of who committed such a vicious act! The main problem is that the murder hasn’t happened yet, so how can they solve it? The detectives are all professionals, but some of them definitely seem smarter than the others. I will go more into depth with the characters later on in the review, since they essentially make or break the film for you.

The butler is blind, but does that make him a suspect or should we cross him off the list? Either way, he definitely knows his way around the house and he performs admirably. A cook also comes in later, but she is deaf and mute. She also cannot read so this makes things pretty intriguing. Will they be able to work together, or will the challenge be too much for them?

Their host is Lionel Twain and he has come with a very bold challenge to the detectives. He will create a murder that they won’t be able to solve and he will truly be the smartest man in the world. If they do solve the case, they’ll get a nice sum of money to add to their bank account. The detectives feel that they have the upper hand since Twain is obviously the murderer….right!? Once the clock strikes midnight, then the victim appears and the body may shock you!

The detectives scramble to find out what happened and quickly try to solve the case. It’s certainly a tough one and now the detectives must each solve their own dire situation and hopefully escape with their lives, while solving the case in the process. Things prove to be dire and time is definitely not on their side!

Let’s talk about the first group of detectives, Sidney Wang and Willie. Willie isn’t really a detective and he’s actually here to carry Wang’s bags and do the daily errands. Sidney is pretty smart and he likes to (Not so) subtly insult Willie whenever he gets a chance. He’s definitely one of the more prepared detectives in the film and certainly one of the best characters. He knows a lot so the other detectives better watch out for what he may say. He prefers not to use pronouns, but then again…who does!?

Next up we have Dick Charleston and Doris Charleston. They definitely act the most like Sherlock Holmes and they definitely seem to be smart. Unlike Wang and Willie Dick and Doris are both pretty smart and help in key parts of the case. Dick tries to keep Doris out of the conversations when things get “Official” but she still ends up making statements when she wants too. She has learned with the best after all. They also had a dog who was pretty hardcore for the entirety of the film. The villains couldn’t lay a hand on him!

We’ve also got Milo and Marcel. They were some of the weaker characters and definitely did not seem to be quite as smart as the first few detectives. Milo really wanted his snacks, but there weren’t many to be found since they were cheated out of their soup. Marcel is pretty strong, but not quite as quick as the other guys. The statue actually hit him, which was definitely sad for the poor guy. He did have his big moment towards the end.

Jessica Marbles and Miss Withers also come into the picture, but their roles are smaller than the others. They entered the film later than the others and I never found them to be very impressive. Miss Withers couldn’t really move and is very old. Jessica Marbles may have solved some mysteries in her day, but they don’t seem to have been as complicated as the ones that Mr. Charleston probably faced.

Finally, we have Sam Diamond and Tess Skeffington. Sam is pretty tough and he definitely seems to have a meaner edge to him than the other detectives. He’s not here to shoot the breeze or have a merry time. To him, the case is serious business and he came prepared. While he brought a gun, the other detectives are basically defenseless. Tess is pretty fit and was able to walk a long distance more than once to get supplies. She may not be the detective, but she does have a “twist” that helps them wrap things up.

Speaking of the “twists”, that was one of the best parts of the film. You probably remember the old “Luke, I’m YOUR FATHER!!!!!” saying from Star Wars right? This is similar, but just about all of the characters have a plot twist at around the same time. It’s definitely intense and not something that you will be forgetting anytime soon. The ending develops in a similar fashion and it’s not something that you will want to forget. It’s one of the best endings that I’ve seen in a long time! Maybe top 3 mystery movie endings.

I highly recommend checking this film out. It’s pretty funny and the detectives are mostly all solid characters. I wouldn’t say that any of the characters were bad characters and that is definitely saying something! The plot twists that keep coming will have you stay entertained for the entirety of the film and the traps at the end are epic. There’s even a bomb in the film! So, if you thought that Clue was good, then you’ll love this film. It’s a must watch for all mystery fans!

Overall 8/10

Bakugan Battle Trainer Review

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Bakugan is pretty big franchise and it’s always looked exciting. I’ve never seen the anime or checked out any of the reading material, but I consider myself to be an experienced fan. Why is that? Well, I own the first PS3 game and I own the 2nd PS3 game, along with the next DS game. From the title of the review, we can also figure out that I own this one, meaning that I’ve got the whole collection. I’m pretty psyched to work on the PS3 one, but I have a lot of PS3 games on the back burner so we’ll see how quickly I’m able to get through it.

The first game in the series was pretty incredible so this game had some really big shoes to fill. The game started out at a quick disadvantage since they would be getting rid of most of the marble part of the gameplay and just keeping in the turn based system. After playing it, I can say that the gameplay hasn’t fallen too far. Getting rid of the marble gameplay is a little disappointing, but the turn based part is great on its own as well.

The gameplay in itself would probably net the game an 8. I was tempted to give the game such a high rating, but there just wasn’t enough content. The game has 25 levels which may sound decent, but the levels are over in a matter of minutes. I completed the entire game in about a day and it’s much less when you consider how long I was actually playing the game. It’s only a few hours long and did I mention that the game is ultimately easy? If you are not at a high enough level to defeat the enemy, just beat a minigame which will drastically increase your monster’s attack points. Each minigame ranged from around 30 seconds to a minute and a half. If you play the mini games enough, your monsters will easily be strong enough to win the battle.

The actual plot of the game is good and the Earth is in trouble. The main villain, Vector, has kidnapped all of the Bakugan from Earth. He is mind controlling them and he plans to create the ultimate Bakugan and take over the world! Maybe even destroy it when he’s good and ready. Dan (The Man) must use his new Bakugan to save his original Bakugan and also save the planet while he’s at it. The cutscenes are comprised of stills, but they have more variations than the average game so they’re still fun to watch.

The main problem is the fact that the villain’s will constantly say the same things over and over again. Nearly all of the dialogue is recycled footage and it can get a little repetitive. The soundtrack is leagues under the PS3 game and I miss the main character from the game as well. Dan is still solid and he can hold his own game so it’s not a very big loss. The supporting characters don’t really get to do anything in this game so I don’t really have any opinions on them. The animation is really good for the stills, but not so good for the actual gameplay. They look really weird and you may think that we’re back in the GBA era. (Some of those games had better graphics) Still, who needs good animation when the gameplay is so fun right?

The main menu is pretty bare bones and there is really nothing to do after you’ve beaten the game. You can replay the old levels and power up your monsters I suppose. It will certainly be easy enough since the levels go up really fast, but there isn’t much of a point in the long run. I just stuck with a Fire, Fire, Grass combo to take out all of my opponents. It’s a really solid roster to have, especially since the final villain uses dark types.

Overall, I definitely recommend this game. The main drawback is the fact that the game is so short and that’s why I’ve made sure to warn you about this. You will be done with the game in about a day and there may not be much reason to start playing it again. It may be destined to go back in the drawyer for all of eternity, but I still recommend that you buy the game. It may be short, but the gameplay is pretty great and I had a blast. Sometimes a game may be short, but the gameplay can still make it incredible. (Bleach for PS3. Although that one had a lot of other modes to help the length) Let’s not forget that LASERMAN is in the game as well! Also, watch out for the epic, twist ending. Let’s just say that things got real!

Overall 7/10

Best of Sonic The Hedgehog Volume 2 Villains Review

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Sonic has had some very long comic series in the past and things have went up and down during the duration. The art can be pretty incredible at its best and below average to really bad during its worst. This is a compilation collection that brings several Sonic comics that show off the villain. Since we don’t have to worry about direct continuity or consecutive issues, let’s see if they really got the best issues in there!

Two of the comics involve Eggman’s big battle against Snively. I’ve never liked Snively and that is something that I doubt will change anytime soon. He attempts to rescue this magician who is able to control robots, but Eggman has some fighters of his own. Snively uses a really old robot type of guardian while Eggman brings in a really cool robot that can land a really good hit. Instantly we can tell who has the better robot at his disposal. Eggman also has Mecha Sally at his disposal and while Snively and the magician are able to control some of Eggman’s robots, it’s just not enough. The comic was decently good, but I think that Mecha Sally was a little under powered in the battle.

The best comic was easily Metal Sonic’s battle against Shard. Shard is the original Metal Sonic and he’s seen the error of his ways. Unfortunately, Eggman continues to build other Metal Sonics to cause some havok. Shard takes most of them down pretty easily, but then Eggman builds one with a Sol Emerald as its power source. The battle is definitely intense and while Shard knows how to make some pretty good puns, he’s also a very good fighter. Not only did the art help to make the battle fun, but things were much more exciting than the usual comic. This comic also leads into the crossover with Mega Man, which will also make you want to keep reading.

We also got a comic where Jet and the Babylon Rogues decide to go and have an adventure. There’s more of a plot then that, but this was easily the weak link in the comic. Jet isn’t a very exciting character, but he’s all right. His two partners are the main problem since they’re pretty boring. There isn’t really a sense of danger in the issue and you have to wonder about the point of it all. Maybe the plot will get more exciting in future issues.

Ixis Naugus and Bunny take on a giant creature in another comic. Bunny is definitely a lot tougher than I remembered and Ixis is tough as well. The people seem to think that he has turned over a new leaf and are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s sad since Sonic tries to convince them, but to no avail. At this point, you would hope that they would have learned to trust the hedgehog a little more.

This is a collection about the villains, so it’s to be expected that Sonic doesn’t appear that much. The first comic is where most of his screen time is, but he was quickly dispatched by Mecha Sally. Her abilities are definitely formidable and Sonic didn’t seem to stand a chance against her. Sonic always seems to have a backup plan, but rescuing Sally could be very difficult. His friends aren’t much help so he may have to do this on his own.

Overall, this is a very good Sonic collection. There may not be many comics in it and the plot lines can rapidly change from one to the other, but that’s what makes it so fun. The art is consistently good in this one and the characters are mostly enjoyable. Shard, Metal Sonic, and Sonic are definitely the best characters, but Knuckles isn’t bad either. The comic is still mainly a comedy with some action, but that definitely doesn’t hurt the fight scenes. There is some very light romance in the comic, but it’s only there for a few pages at the most, so you can easily ignore it. I would usually say that this is the perfect jumping on point for the series, but it really isn’t. All the more reason that you should check it out! This way you can get used to the villains before seeing the main characters all the time.

Overall 7/10