Kendall Jones

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Stellar Blade is a refreshing entry in the ages old hack n' slash genre. The combat is superb, and weighty, with numerous upgrades, exploration, and some epic boss battles to boot. The game--for better or worse--is proof that fundamentals are absolutely the most important aspect of a game. Notably, Stellar Blade lacks god of war's narration and story, bayonetta's personality, and devil may cry's depth of lore...but none of that matters as much as i thought it would. If it had all those things minus the great gameplay, i would regret my purchase. Instead, I am enjoying the story it does have, trying to get what I can from the lore, and coming to terms with eve's muted personality as an extension of her robotic purpose in this world. In short, I doubt anyone who enjoyed the other games aforementioned would not feel at home here. But I suspect for many, that's the minimum payoff, with the maximum being a product of what you put into the exploration and fantasy of this Stellar Blade's setting. Lastly, to touch on Eve's controversial appearance, I play video games to escape life not to rehash it. When I played ark or conan exiles or other titles dominated by male protagonists, i enjoyed the fantasy of being a ripped dude ready to f-up anything that came my way. Equally I enjoy the fantasy of playing a badass femme fatale. These characters are not us, they don't exist, the are a fantasy. Wanting to mold them into more realistic versions does a disservice to immersion and body positivity. It would be like asking the Romans to maintain their same ideas of the Titans while making them small or emaciated. Kratos and Bayonetta and Eve have powers to do things we can't. To portray bodies we don't have is not only par for the course, but serves to maintain an illusion which none of us feel the pressure to recreate. The moment fantasy is confined to reality is the moment when, ironically, we can not avoid the comparison between what we see in a game, and what we see in the mirror.

I haven't played a golf game in a long time, and the last few I have played were just not fun. I can't speak to the crowd that plays every golf game, and is trying to level up as quickly as possible, etc... But I can speak to golfers who enjoy golf games. Personally, I think this is the best golf game I have played. I have never felt like my shot selection mattered so much, never seen such a stark contrast between bent greens and Bermuda in a game, and the game is just gorgeous. If you ever were looking for a great golf game, now is the time to pull the trigger.

As it stands, the game is 5/5 stars without a doubt. I think the lower scores reflect individuals who played early access which can burn you out, especially when the early access is so long. But...picking it up today (which is how I played it for the first time), you will get to play one of the most unique survival games which has something for everyone. Crafting, building, and exploration are fairly deep in Grounded where paying attention to the small details pays off. The combat has a bit of a learning curve, but really opens up if you let it. Multiplayer adds a whole separate dimension to this. If you just want to have fun, don't be afraid to choose the easy mode. I would say it's akin to normal mode in most games. The game is incredibly immersive, to the extent I was scared a number of times where I really felt the drive to escape and live. I played on the XSX, and cross played with a friend on PC. His frame rate was not as stable, by report, but mine never dipped below 60FPS on high settings. Don't miss this one or stereotype it, because whatever you think it is...it is likely that and more.

The Terminal List won’t do it for you…it won’t distill it’s thematic elements into a neat moral package of right and wrong, or develop it’s characters to fit a label. It won’t give you a non-stop action hero devoid of sentimentality, or immune to pain. Written by a former Navy Seal, in many ways The Terminal List is a reflection of this gray world wherein we find ourselves today. Whistleblowers are heroes, right? I mean, we can at least agree on that. Or can we? It’s unimaginable that a single seal could prevail against so many talented operators, with all due respect to those that serve. Perhaps what should be more unimaginable, though, is living in a world where so many servicemen and women have to die before we have the bravery to simply confront our own conscience. Despite a swath of critical reviews to the contrary, their are no political motivations along party lines here. The Terminal List is a fantastic series about a husband and father confronting the legacy of his duty to this country. I couldn’t recommend it more, as well as the book upon which it was based.

Watching The Black Phone with little to no information is the best way to enjoy this movie. It’s good either way, but in a world where people need the trailer to be the whole pot versus a small blind, it can lose some of it’s enigmatic quality. Set in 1970s America, a small town is faced with solving the mysterious disappearance of multiple children. That’s all you need to know. Beyond that, I feel compelled to applud Ethan Hawke and the cast of children for their performances. Really all the actors do their job here. Fear on screen can be evoked by sounds, or monsters, or things unseen in dark places, but words alone are not often used. Here they are, and I found that intriguing. The Black Phone is neither as suspenseful or horrific as it could be, but it it has plenty of both where many films don’t these days. Definitely worth a recommendation.

Jurassic Park Dominion wraps up the recent trilogy with plenty of action, a legacy cast (not even sure that’s a term), and a motley assortment of new dinosaurs. The main criticism I would levy is the same as with all blockbusters of this ilk: more is not always more. The kitchen scene in the original is just a few raptors and two kids, but years later it’s still one of the most tense scenes in the franchise. Having said that, here’s the deal: I’ve got my kids and I need something that is entertaining enough for them to watch, and at least enjoyable for me. I don’t wanna watch other movies I’ve seen a million times, and it can’t be something too cerebral. Jurassic Park movies are “wow” onscreen, and even if that sentiment wears thin in 2022, they are still wow enough for the right occasion. A true fan of the OG, I still doubt I would have sat down to watch this by myself. But as something fun to do with my kids, the film serves up easy, mindless adventure—and there’s something to be said for that. In truth it’s probably a 3 star movie, but I split my vote with my kids who loved it. So 4 stars and worth a rental next time you feel like sitting down for an action flick that requires you obviate your own critical thinking to have the best time.

Starfield is a true love letter to fans of RPGs, while continuing Bethesda's tradition of crafting some of the most unique and "lived-in" feeling worlds. My favorite moments in games like Skyrim and Fallout were always the unexpected encounters and impactful choices or opportunities. In Starfield it feels like that has been dialed up to 11. I can't tell you how many times I have flown into a system or landed on a planet just to have a random encounter that might set me off on a several hour quest or activity--and it's easy to get distracted like this because most of the quests are interesting. Even the simple fetch quests are never just that. They will often take you to some place you have never been or put you in a situation which you might not be ready for. The exploration and things to find and see in this game are just staggering. As I try to write about this game I realize there is just too much to comment on to really review it properly, so I won't really try. What I can say is this: you have not seen Starfield until you've played it. It is one of those games you have to experience. It does not translate well to streams or videos. Playing it is the difference between standing on top of a mountain and looking at a picture of someone who stood on top of a mountain. If you liked the Fallout series or the exploration of games like Oblivion and Skyrim, if you enjoyed the adventure of figuring out where to go and what to do and encountering everything along the way, and if you prefer a game that prioritizes your choice to play the game you want over a set list of objectives or quests, I promise you will not be disappointed. I have been gaming now for about 30 years. If I were ever to call a game a masterpiece, this would be the one. To all of those who brought this vision to light, thank you so much!!!

This series was such a pleasure, especially considering there are a lot of ways you could adapt this game and a lot of ways it wouldn't work. Anthony Mackie does such a brilliant job with his natural charm and upbeat presence. So great to see him genuinely enjoying himself which opposes to the scowling sarcasm of his winged Marvel predecessor. It is really hard to describe why this series is so good. I think primarily because there is always an unknown. If Marvel taught us anything it is that the stakes can only go so high. I don't need the biggest explosions or the best CGI to get into a story, just good acting and an unopened box. Whether it was not knowing what gang the driving duo would be challenged by next or how Sweet Tooth would respond the absence of characters that are wholly good or bad was such a plus--degenerates, yes, but degenerates that still care about something other than pure evil. I just found myself not able to turn it off. The series is at its worst when it attempts to get overly emotional with regards to romance in particular, but I don't find it superfluous...just a little too much screen time. And that is probably the most nit picky minor criticism I could leverage against Twisted Metal. I hope as the revenue comes in the stunts don't get more clean and the CGI doesn't get better because I don't want anything to carry this series more than it's campy fun attitude, good acting, and great storytelling. And I would be remiss if I did not mention Stephanie Beatriz, who is best when she's not "quiet," and really a great actor in her own right. Was truly impressed with her performance once I got to see her interact more in her own voice/style. Definitely recommend this for anyone, but especially those born in the 70s, 80s or 90s and younger crowds today. I think that demo will "get it" most and have the most fun with it. Well done Peacock, you got my subscription.

Bought it for PS5 and it was a mess, thought it might work on PC. It is such a shame because the game is beautiful, fun and if it would run I believe would be a contender for game of the year. But I have my graphics card drivers updated and I have tried running it as an administrator and clearing the caches and ended all background tasks and disabled antivirus and verified game files and uninstalled and reinstalled and all the other tricks. After about 15 hours of trying to get this game to run it will still only run between 2 min and about 29 minutes before it crashes. When it is running it is so fun and amazing and one of the best games I have ever played...but it will not run. They had a game of the year and they simply did not care about it enough to optimize it even minimally. I don't need 4K or some ridiculous frame rate or all this other stuff. Just get the game to run at least. I played fallout 76 and cyberpunk at launch and neither one of them are close to being as bad as this game with regards to crashing. They looked horrible by comparison, but at least they ran. Obviously some people have been able to get it to run, but if they knew what to do they could tell you. There are dozens of "possible" problems and none of them work. I have a 13900k and a 4090 which is overkill, and I tried it on my older rig as well? but the specs are not important when it comes to simply having a game run. This goes down as the most disappointing game I have ever played, because it would be virtually unparalleled if it simply ran with the performance and graphics it already has.