Monday, August 31, 2020

MOP: Operation Cleanup (Playstation 4) Review.


You'd be amazed at how many deep cut PS4 games are so widely overlooked.  (They wouldn't be called deep cuts if they weren't overlooked.)  There's more than you'd think and I am reviewing another one of those games today.  This is MOP: Operation Cleanup for the PS4.  (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Yakuza Kiwami [ps4] reveiw

    Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the PlayStation 2 classic Yakuza, in which you play as Kazama Kiryu as he fights with many enemies ranging from Yakuza to the Japanese police force. This game is held together by a gripping story, and a beautiful combat system. (note: I haven't played the first yakuza game, so this review isn't a comparison]
Yakuza Kiwami on Steam

Friday, August 28, 2020

Green Phoenix - Dr. No Review

 In the foreground, Bond wears a suit and is holding a gun; four female characters from the film are next to him.

Last week, I discussed several times how the character of Jack Ryan, from Tom Clancy's most popular works, is a bit of a parody and critique of the 1960s spy archetype best exemplified by the likes of James Bond. 

Following that review, I figured that it might be rather interesting to take a closer look at the titular spy's movie franchise to see whether or not this groundbreaking franchise still holds up.

Now I want to be fully transparent and admit that I grew up watching the James Bond series with my mother, so this has always been a franchise that has possessed something of a soft spot with me. I absolutely recognize that, especially among the older movies, the series has some very questionable and dated narrative and character decisions. And I will not hesitate to judge the film with that in mind.

All this being said, I feel like we obviously should begin our look into the James Bond franchise with the first film in the series. Released in 1962 and based of the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, Dr. No created nearly every precedent that the series would become infamous for. But even if it began the formula, does it do that formula as well as the rest of the series?

Let's find out.

***

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Chojin Sentai Jetman Episode 1: Seek The Warriors - Summary/Review



Behond, the original choice for the first Power Ranger season that was denied due to rights issues. Chojin Sentai Jetman which roughly translates to Birdman Squadron Jetman. Released in 1991 and inspired by another japanese show, Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, this season promises flying. Click "read more" for my full coverage.


Sunday, August 23, 2020

Miko Mole (Playstation 4) Review.

When you think about games that were released for the Playstation 4, you're normally thinking of stuff with incredibly good graphics.  However there'll be a game that comes out every now and then that'll leave you thinking, "How the hell did this get released on this console?".  Miko Mole is one of those games.  Looks can be deceiving and maybe this game will end up being a diamond in the rough... Maybe.  (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

Friday, August 21, 2020

Green Phoenix - The Hunt for Red October (1990) Review

The Hunt for Red October movie poster.png 

The works of Tom Clancy have long been held as the pinnacle of Cold War and post-Cold War era political thrillers. While the works of Tom Clancy are known these days primarily for the Rainbow Six series of video games; during the 1990s, audiences were gifted with a trilogy of very high quality films. Filled with A-cast celebrities and featuring the highlights of late Cold War era politics and intrigue, the Jack Ryan trilogy, as it might sometimes be known, all started with 1984's The Hunt for Red October.

NOTE: I consider Sum of All Fears and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit to be reboots and not sequels.

Based on Tom Clancy's debut novel of the same name, the book and film achieved phenomenal success and catapulted Clancy to international notoriety. Clancy's masterful integration of hardcore science fiction and political thrillers created a tense exploration of the minds of two men. One, an infamous Soviet submarine Captain, and the other a former US marine turned CIA analyst. The struggle to understand each other's motives outside of direct communication and in direct contrast of the interest of their respective home nations create a true sense of thrill and anxiety.

But does the film hold up after nearly 30 years? Are the performances as good as I remember them from when I was growing up? And is the story just as exhilarating with the Cold War now only a fleeting memory in the mind of most moviegoers?

***

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger Act 1: The Gallant Appearance of the Five Samurai - Summary/Review



Here is a team that made a big impression with their Power Rangers counterpart, Power Rangers Samurai. But, we are here to talk about the original japanese version from 2009. This season is considered one of the best by some critics and I have a lot of fond memories of it. So, click "read more" and let's see if it stood the test of time.


Friday, August 14, 2020

Green Phoenix - The Man with the Iron Heart Review

The Man with the Iron Heart.jpg

I have mentioned it several times before in my previous reviews of alternate history novels, but the genre as a whole has a fundamental issue at its heart. An author of alternate history must be able to balance an interesting and unique premise and point of divergence while at the same time not selecting a subject so esoteric that the general reading audience (which in America is woefully historically illiterate) won't be turned off or too bored.

For most alternate history authors, the solution is to pick a point of divergence and timeline that alters some event that is universally understood or known to American audiences, those two tending to be either the American Civil War or the Second World War. This results in these two time periods being the most discussed in the field of alternate history, almost to the point of parody. Even Harry Turtledove, the man widely considered the master of alternate history, has created dozens of stories based on these two time periods, immediately to great effect.

But today's review will cover one of Turtledove's more comparatively recent explorations into a WW2 point of divergence. In 2008's The Man with the Iron Heart, Turtledove explores not a Nazi victory in WW2,  but an altogether different, yet even more intriguing question. What if the survival of a single SS officer had enabled the creation of a more unified German resistance to the allied-occupation of Germany after World War 2? What would the impact be on Allied post-war sentiments at home?

These questions and their correlation to more modern wars like the Second Persian Gulf War form the thematic heart of The Man with the Iron Heart and it leaves this stand alone novel as easily one of Turtledove's most intriguing and underappreciated, in my opinion.

***

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters Mission 1: Tokumei Sentai, Assemble! - Summary/Review



Hey, fans of Power Rangers Beast Morphers, fun fact, those suits and footage are from 2012. Yup, time to cover the secret agent/eco friendly energy themed season, Tokumei Sentai G-Busters which roughly translates to Special Operations Squadron Go-Busters. This is the famous season to have major references to Power Rangers and the first to have leather suits instead of spandex. (And only season to do that I think.) I have a lot of memories with this season so, let's take a trip back to it, click "read more" and find out how this season did.


Monday, August 10, 2020

Ultraman Club - Tatakae! Ultraman Kyoudai!! (Arcade) Review.


It's about bloody time that we've covered something Ultraman related on this site.  Nope, it's not an episode from one of the television series.  (That job is reserved for UltraSam AKA Candy Cane Diamond.)  Instead I dive back into the amazing world of Tokusatsu arcade games.  This is Ultraman Club - Tatakae! Ultraman Kyoudai!!  It sounds exciting.  (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

Friday, August 7, 2020

Green Phoenix - 8 Amazing Anime Openings

I've always been fairly picky when it comes to the anime that I choose to watch. I have just had too many situations where I was uncomfortably surprised with an anime that I really didn't want to watch. This is particularly the case with anime that deals in horror elements, as I am a chickenshit coward when it comes to anything remotely scary, and Japanese anime can be very scary to me.

To avoid getting caught unaware, I often have to rely on the openings of the show in order to give me a good sense of the show's general nature and outlook. This has resulted in me oftentimes finding the openings of anime almost as entertaining as the show itself. Thus the reason for this particular countdown.

This will not be some exhaustive list of the greatest anime openings, but rather an opportunity for me to talk about some amazing anime openings and hopefully inspire you to check out some amazing anime if you haven't already.

***

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

I Want Cookies (Steam) - PC Game Review

I Want Cookies


This is a game that was gifted to me as a joke on Steam and has since disappeared from the store. A game so simple it does not even have a title card. Click "read more" and prepare for one of the simplest reviews ever.


Monday, August 3, 2020

Masked Riders Club Battle Race (Arcade). Review.



It's time for another Kamen Rider video game review.  All of the previous installments of my Kamen Rider game reviews were for Playstation One games.  This time however, I get to dive into the ultra hyper crazy exciting world of arcade games that never got a home port.  This is Masked Riders Club Battle Race.  Yes, this is one of the rare times where I get to used the Masked Rider name instead of Kamen Rider.  (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

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