All in all, 'The Equalizer 2' is an excellent sequel, which improves on the strengths of the original. Although suffering from problems with its plot and pacing, the film exceeds with Denzel Washington’s performance and the acting of its supporting cast, character interactions in its subplots, and intense and interesting action scenes. A fun, worthy sequel that is a blast to watch.
"The Handmaid’s Tale" Season 2 is more than worth the watch. Not only does the show look excellent; there is a huge emphasis on character development and interactions that really bring the show to life. While scenarios do become slightly repetitive and some writing choices are questionable, the good far outweighs the bad. For those looking for a beautiful show with great acting, strong writing, and relevant political commentary, this season more than delivers.
‘The Spiral Scouts’ is a lovely little puzzle-adventure game with a style of humor that isn’t for everyone. The visuals are pleasing, the soundtrack is incredible, and the puzzles are fun and satisfying to solve. In terms of writing, although I thought the humor landed more often than not, it’s definitely not the kind of humor for everyone. The price of $10 is an absolute steal for a game of this quality. For those looking for a game that’s a little bit different from the crowd of high-brow indie titles, this raunchy package is perfectly sized for your pleasure.
Season two of Luke Cage gives more than expected. More action, more humor, and greater references to the MCU related to the Marvel Netflix shows. While it doesn’t have a central villain for almost the whole season, it still focuses on developing Luke Cage’s character. It brings up questions about what it means to be a hero and how to reconcile with those we love. This show is personal and not for younger viewers. If you want action and an emotional story, than watch this season of Luke Cage. It isn’t recommended for viewers that prefer the quirky, joyful side of Marvel.
Overall, the game vastly improves on a lot of the major downfalls of previous entries. However, the lack of customization and incentives does negatively impact replayability. Despite this, the game’s brand new mechanics and style creates a memorable experience that will appeal to all audiences
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” has some good aspects to it. Most of the comedy is well done, and Paul Rudd absolutely kills it once again. The action is also good enough to fit in with the blockbuster season. Yet, with underwhelming visuals and a pointless narrative, it can’t help but feel forced. The film really does feel like it was just the next part in a mechanical series of movies, moving forward without judging how the previous films would impact this one. It’s an entertaining popcorn flick for sure, but if there was ever a Marvel movie to skip, it would be this one.
While "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" had its fun moments, it definitely started to unravel in the third act. It’s as basic as a filler film can be, and overall isn’t very memorable. Despite being riddled with problems, it does take steps in the right direction. It’s too bad the first half hour is full of establishing shots.
‘Lego The Incredibles’ is another piece in the colossal set that is the Lego series of games, and while certain mechanics and a Pixar paint job do a lot to keep things from going stale, there just isn’t enough there to be worth a full-priced release. If you’re a fan of ‘The Incredibles’ or have kids who can’t get enough of building bricks and caped crusaders, then feel free to grab this one. Otherwise, you’re better off picking up another game in the series with more content and variety than this one. Overall, it may be fun, but this game’s capes don’t cut it.
Overall, 'Incredibles 2' is definitely worth the wait. The film expertly balances action while showcasing a genuine family connection. Through the use of a strong plot and a different perspective on existing characters, the film feels fresh and nostalgic at the same time. This is an incredible film for both newcomers and veterans of the older Pixar generation.
“Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” is a great fit for any Nintendo Switch library. The port was flawlessly executed, though portable mode can be a bit questionable at times. The game is the same incredible remake of the "Crash" trilogy that it always was, with amazing visuals and music. Sure, the games are inconsistent and sometimes borderline awful, but the overall experience is so great that even levels like “Slippery Climb” can be excused. It’s solid buy for any Switch owner who has never gotten a chance to experience these gloriously retro titles.
'Sushi Striker: The Way of the Sushido' is a super charming game with addictive puzzle gameplay. The story and writing aren’t deep, but in conjunction with the art-style, it all becomes an interactive Saturday morning cartoon. The 2D art especially looks incredibly well-done and oozes with style, though the 3D art looks bland by comparison. The gameplay is what really sells it. There is so much more depth and challenge than expected of a game like this, and hours upon hours can be put in getting perfect clears in every stage. Even if the game sometimes doesn’t make sense, it just flows and makes the player feel smart despite seemingly not doing much. Just leave the Hard Mode Belt on; it’ll make the game more engaging.
Overall, this episode was a game-changer on many levels. Before, I considered the show to be less serious. However, with the death of Best Jeanist and the anger of All Might, that has changed my mind. The next episode looks to give more backstory on the history between All Might and One for All, so that will be a sure topic that shouldn’t be missed.
While Hotel Artemis is a film that lacks in plot and action, it definitely makes up for it in its style, atmosphere, and characters. The ensemble cast give out great performances, and the different interactions between the colorful characters is a treat to watch. However, what brings it down is that it doesn’t take advantage of its future setting, as well as the pacing issues when it comes to the second act. All in all, it’s still definitely a treat for those looking for something different than the usual blockbuster fare.
At the end of the day, it's easy to say that I would spend the money to see Post Malone again. That says a lot about how incredible the experience was.
If you’re a fan of the Ocean movies, then this movie is worth seeing. Don’t look for anything too new, however. The cast is lovable and fun to watch, but it’s not worth a second watch. The plot is dull, and the humor is just as dull. The film feels kind of rushed and missing the key elements that the original movies had.
Nintendo’s abandonment of the traditional E3 press conference has been a huge boon for the company. No longer tied down by audio issues and strange gameplay demos, the company can focus on neatly produced game showcases, and give proper time and attention to bigger titles. With some showstoppers like a new Smash Bros, Metroid Prime 4, and the next mainline Pokemon games coming soon, Nintendo had a ticket for the best show in town. If only they actually showed those showstopping titles, aside from Super Smash Bros.
Sony had set the tone for their conference early in the week by announcing they would be revealing five new games coming to PlayStation in the five days leading up to E3. With some smaller announcements out of the way, Sony left time in their conference for some big reveals, so let’s take a look at what they showed off.
Ubisoft had a very positive 2017. Sure, For Honor had one of the roughest launches for an online game in recent memory, but the year quickly turned around for Ubisoft. Assassin’s Creed: Origins boasts some of the best reviews since Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, setting the series on a more positive course. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle was hailed as an unexpected success on the Switch. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon opened to tepid review scores, but updates and patches have transformed the game. Ubisoft has also had success this past year with the release of South Park: The Fractured But Whole and Far Cry 5. Can Ubisoft’s presentation get even better than last year’s? How will they capitalize off a year of success and keep fans excited for the future?
Square-Enix, despite being a long time publisher and developer with dozens of franchises under their wing, has spent very little time with E3 press conferences. Their last E3 showing was three years ago, where they showed trailers that were already shown at Sony’s conference that year. With two long-awaited titles in Kingdom Hearts 3 and Final Fantasy VII Remake finally happening (eventually), Square has a lot to show, with room for plenty of surprise announcements. If fans are expecting something on the level of Microsoft yesterday or Sony later tonight, they’re going to be disappointed. After watching the event, even fans with tempered expectations were most definitely disappointed.
Bethesda’s theme at E3 this year was “create”. They wanted to create something unique and new that nobody was expecting them to do. And while some things like Rage 2 had been leaked beforehand, there were still plenty of huge surprises Bethesda had yet to show off. I, for one, can’t wait to play Skyrim on my Etch a Sketch.
