Recent Articles

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Review

Despite its problems, the original No More Heroes was a fun, adult-themed third-person hack-and-slash that was a welcome addition to the mostly family friendly lineup on the Nintendo Wii. When news of a sequel came around, fans were reasonably excited. Not only would it bring some much-needed fine-tuning to the gameplay, it also promised up to 50 assassins to carve your way through, minigames that were based on 8-bit NES titles, and the ability...

The Avengers (2012) Review

In a year with a new Batman movie, a (maybe) prequel to the Aliens series, a reboot of Spider Man, a new Men in Black, a new Bond and a new Tarantino flick, the release of The Avengers stood above the rest due to the enormous hype and build up it received. Whatever expectations you may have, however hyped you may be, your expectations will be met -- if not entirely exceeded -- by The Avengers. It’s a movie that works on so many levels, it...

Hitch (2005) Review

There are many, many romantic comedies loosed upon the viewing public. Most of them follow a pretty strict formula, Hitch included. Despite this it's still a charming, wonderful story about two couples getting together and the intricacies of human dating. The story begins with Alex Hitchens, played by Will Smith, explaining that he is a dating consultant, commonly referred to as the Date Doctor throughout the movie. In a nutshell, guys find him...

Fast Five (2011) Review

Usually, when a movie series gets to its fourth and fifth installments, its creative wheels are spinning off the tracks. However, in the case of the The Fast and the Furious series, the opposite is true. The third installment, Tokyo Drift was the best of all. And now, we have Fast Five that is almost as good as its predecessor. As with the previous Fast and Furious movies, this is purely an escapist flick. As such, this is a movie that helps you...

Avernum: Escape From the Pit Review

Before I even had Windows on my computer, I remember my dad bringing home a game from the store because a clerk said it was really good. I opened the box, and inside was not one, but three manuals, a cloth map, and a floppy disk labeled Exodus - Ultima IV. I popped the disk in, exited to DOS, and ran the game. I was bewildered by the pink and cyan color palette, died several times, and quickly became disgusted with the game. Ok, I was only five...

No More Heroes Review

No More Heroes was Nintendo's effort to show Wii's legitimacy to its fans, who already knew that Nintendo would support the console with their favorite franchise titles such as Mario and Zelda. Casual fans were also satisfied with Wii Sports and the promise for more family-friendly titles on the horizon. NMH is an open world/third-person hack-and-slash made by Grasshopper Manufacture, the studio behind the Gamecube and Playstation 2 shooter...

Temple Run Review

Temple Run is a game that takes us back to the days of the arcade in which game objectives were simple, and concepts such as “levels,” “AI,” or “DLC” didn’t exist. The goals in Temple Run are simple: run as fast as you can and don't die. It's basic. However, this simplicity makes for an incredibly fun game to pick up and play in short bursts or for hours on end. Like any good arcade game, its basic...

Princess of Mars (2009)

There is a small movie production company called The Asylum that specializes in making "mockbusters." Mockbusters are legal ripoffs of Hollywood blockbusters. Usually, mockbusters are created while the targeted blockbuster is still in production. Then, while the blockbuster is in theaters, the mockbuster is released direct to video. Examples: Transformers was ripped off as Transmorphers, and Pirates of the Caribbean was ripped off as Pirates of...

Preserving the Classics: How Gaming Re-Releases Need to Improve

I am a fan of cinema and a firm believer of the preservation of classic and obscure films. The Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays are gifts from the movie gods with cleaned up picture and audio, a slew of extra content, including commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews. Even individual movie cases and pamphlets are recreated with dazzling artwork and pages of interviews and photos. It not only creates a definitive version of...

The Tree and the Wheel

The Mass Effect series is part-shooter, part-RPG, and part-space opera. While the series has brought the first two game mechanics together, it's not as though we haven't seen them done just as well or better. Still, from the cover-based shooter gameplay and RPG character growth, the series (which can now be label a trilogy) offers a unique experience in and of itself. However, if there's one aspect the game has reinvented, it's conversing with...

Mass Effect 3 Review

The Mass Effect series is probably the single best original sci-fi IP released in the last decade and is the best work Bioware has ever produced. Bioware fanboys are going to start frothing at the mouth and point out Dragon Age – which, to be fair, was very well done and a ton of fun. But that said, Mass Effect is a breathing, vibrant universe with a whole history behind it begging to be explored, whereas Dragon Age is a fairly...

John Carter (2012) Review

John Carter is a form of science fiction that is rarely -- if ever -- seen in this age of dark and brooding sci-fi/action films. While the marketing and previews may have made it look like a sci-fi epic similar to Star Wars or Avatar, it isn't akin to either one. Some plot points and story arcs may seem similar (this is due to the monomyth story type shared by most common stories), but the rest of the movie is completely its own brand of sci fi...

The Killing Time (1987) Review

Hollywood has a tendency to underestimate the intelligence of the American people. This is shown by the plethora of poorly thought out so-called “motion pictures” produced and distributed every year. One such movie is 1987’s The Killing Time. Kiefer Sutherland stars as a hitchhiker who kills Brian Mars who has just been hired as a deputy sheriff in a coastal county in Louisiana. Sutherland assumes the identity of his victim and...

Bloody Pit of Horror (1965) Review

There are some movies that were considered quite scary by their contemporary audiences. However, when audiences in later years see those same movies, the result is often laughter at unintentional humor. Often the same scenes that terrified the audiences of yesteryear are the same ones that elicit mirth in today's film goers. 1965’s Bloody Pit of Horror is one of these movies. The movie begins with film of a strangely garbed figure being...

An Elder Scrolls MMO?

There are many places in the world of Tamriel that gamers have explored, yet only one game -- the first in the series, The Elder Scrolls: Arena -- has actually let players explore every region. The second installment, Daggerfall, takes place in the region of High Rock. Morrowind and Skyrim, of course, take place in their own regions, and Oblivion takes place in the Imperial Province of Cyrodiil. Yet, there are many areas gamers may not have seen...