Todd W

Diablo 4 is certainly a better game than Diablo 3 was. The local co-op allowed me to introduce the game to my wife and we had a great time causing chaos in the game. The controls are simple enough for a novice like her to get into the game, which is a win for me. Graphically, this is a good game for its time. However, the story, which has never been a strongsuit of the Diablo series, is probably the weakest it's ever been. Literally skipped 99% of the dialogue here and zero likeable characters make this a miss for Blizzard. Diablo is a tough game to built a story on, it's about slaying and slaying some more, but there has to be connection there for the players to stay. I could see the big drop off once the game is completed. The NPCs are basic and really uninteresting. In short, D4 is better than D3 in most points, however the story is a drag and may actually detract from replayability.

FMV, as in full motion video, is back! This was a big thing in the 90s, and was tried multiple times before lately. Remedy (the game studio who made this game) has a knack for using it, but it was used perfectly here. To be honest, I didn't play the first Alan Wake as the gameplay seemed a bit clunky at the time. This was improved greatly...however the gameplay mechanics are very similar. Graphically, its great! What caught my attention was how projected movies are reflected on your characters clothes! Wow! The game is bonkers, and there is one scene that will surprise you with it's sheer craziness. I do think Remedy would benefit by making a much more simpler story in their next game (to appeal even wider). It's a great story...but I still have no clue what's going on :) I played all of the GOTY contenders and this one is capable of winning it. The advancement of FMV shows it's use case here and hope to see more of it down the road.

I have purchased occasional Madden games for over 20 years, but the lack of drastic improvement in the past 5 years may be my last Madden purchase for a long time. Firstly, the games graphics are totally fine, they're great even. But it's like putting on 3d glasses to see Sharknado 4. It's just not a good game. There's a ton of controls to this game, which is nice but I think EA though by adding new mechanics meant it would be deeper gameplay. It does not. It just adds complexity to an experienced group of "arcade" Madden players. Secondly, there's no clear way to mute online players. Often times they're vulgar, and EA has almost designed it this way because it's more of an arcade game than a strategy game. There should be an avenue for strategic play calling and all, but for novice players it can be too hard to break into this game considering how pretty weak strategy ends up paying off (not used in actual Football) and more. I usually just end up playing Franchise mode, but after trying online modes, I have no clue as to why people gravitate towards this. It's probably the least realistic online sports game. I'm coming from recently finishing MLB the Show which, in my opinion, is lightyears beyond this game in terms of strategy and it's such a simple game that's hard for every single player. Finally, the game hasn't improved at all. I don't think much of the Madden audience now understands how each year Madden was totally different year in - year out until probably 2008 or so. I tried this game on Gamepass and it feels nearly identical to me as the last 5 years. I'll stick to watching the NFL on TV or playing retro bowl on the phone, which is a pixel based game that, believe it or not, is better than this highly funded game.

Black Panther finally got it's movie release and was off to a massive start due to sold-out crowds. BP is an intriguing character with a lot of unknowns. For most people, this Marvel Superhero isn't as widely known as an Iron-Man, but you can tell there's much potential. Still, for all the buzz and reaction I couldn't get past the film's final fight scene that looked way too CGI driven. We'll have to see if the film lasts well over time. If so, it will be a staple in many Digital Collections! 4.1/5

The latest addition to Marvel's Premier Filmline was a hit all around. I think there were scenes where people clapped and even cried. While the drama and overall premise were spot on, there is the fact that it's mostly CGI and will have to pass the test of time for it to rival some of the all-time greats. If this film ages well, it could be Marvel's most celebrated film! 4.3/5

The Deadpool series isn't all too bad, and there are some laughs, but one has to always wonder when this character (if ever) will be engaged in the Marvel Universe. It stands alone for sure, but the potential lost is in it's background. 3.4/5

While DC has struggled with trying to be too much like Marvel. Aquaman, although not perfect by any means, actually does a decent job with it's adventure portion of the movie. Wouldn't have expected an Indiana Jones type flow, but it was, and it was not bad. 3.6/5

I thought it was a decent teenage drama. Sure it was a bit over-dramatic at times but the flow was positive and easy to digest. 3.2/5

Started off with a decent premise, but then crashed and burned (or got too tangled) in the film's last quarter