Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Mahou Sentai Magiranger Stage 1: The Morning of Departure - Summary/Review



Time for some magic with this 2005 Super Sentai season about a family of mages. Yes, all the core rangers are siblings. Mahou Sentai Magiranger or Magical Squadron Magicranger and the origins of Power Rangers Mystic Force. I don't know much about this one so, click "read more" and let's find out more.


Monday, September 28, 2020

Run or Die (Steam) Review.


Wait a sec?  Didn't I review another runner game not that long ago? Drat! Yes, I did.  Meaning that I can't re-use my same hack-cliché intro about introducing a runner game.  Well this puts me in a pickle.  How am I going to introduce todays review?  Oh! I know! This is your captain speaking.  Today on my review cruise we've got a neat little indie title for you.  This is Run or Die for Steam.  There! That should be hack enough to fulfill the intro section.  (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Among Us-mobile review

    Hello readers, I am reviewing the mobile version of this game as it is free. As some of you may know, I was originally going to review Yakuza Kiwami 2, but due to the popularity of Among Us, I am doing that one next month. If you didn't know, Among Us is a game from 2018 based on classic classroom games such as "mafia" and "werewolf."         Among Us - Apps on Google Play 

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PS1) - Review



Here is a not at all obscure title, the third Spyro The Dragon game and the last one created by Insomniac Games. One of my personal favorites for the Playstation 1. Let's go ahead and click "read more" for my review.


Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Riddled Corpses EX (Playstation 4, Playstation Vita) Review.


Sexy women and the undead is a bizarre blend that works about as well as peanut butter and jam.  Meaning that it works much better than what it should.  People love sex, people really love violence, and combine that with retro game graphics.  Well, you've got something that's potentially entertaining.  This is Riddled Corpses EX and this is your captain, James T. Kaiser speaking.  All aboard the review cruise ship. *TOOT TOOT* (Click on "Read More" to read the full review.)

Friday, September 18, 2020

Green Phoenix - 1634: The Baltic War Review

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Cover_of_1634_The_Baltic_War.png 

 


 Looking at the analytics for my various articles, my book recommendation tend to be the least viewed of all of my article formats (though given the usual content of the Emerald Rangers, perhaps that isn't too surprising). In truth, these book recommendations are designed more along the lines as a passion project, where I get to promote some literary properties that I might not otherwise get to do.

The fact that my book recommendations also tend to be the easiest articles to write and be very brief and succinct is also not a bad reason to continue them, though I do hope that more people will check out some of the series I recommend and review and come to appreciate them as I do.

Which brings me to 1634: The Baltic War. I've made it no secret of my absolute adoration of Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series. The fantastically detailed of world-building built around countless well-grounded characters and a truly unique and strange point of divergence make it both inviting for new readers and very memorable in terms of its dedicated fans, with many people having favorite story threads, characters, and arcs.

In this particular field, 1634: The Baltic War is my favorite book in the entire series. It is the culmination of baseline trilogy that forms the narrative core of the every other book in the series. After 1634: The Baltic War, the 1632 series would begin to diverge into its countless varying story-lines and character arcs. As such, The Baltic War serves as a conclusion to the old model for the series and the introduction to how the succeeding books will work from thereon out.

***

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Chouriki Sentai Ohranger Ep 1: Invasion!! 1999 - Summary/Review



Going back to 1995 - 1996 we have the 19th Super Sentai Chouriki Sentai Ohranger which roughly translates to "Super-Powered Squadron King Ranger". link Funny enough, not 1999 like the title of this episode would suggest, but rather this season takes place 3-4 years in the future oddly. This is the original Sentai for Power Rangers Zeo and one that is not talked about often. What could this season have to offer? Click "read more" for my full coverage of this first episode.


Friday, September 11, 2020

Green Phoenix - Building Better Backstories V

So this editorial was always going to be a real pain in my ass. For one, it seems to have become culturally "cool" to rip into the Star Wars sequel trilogy and mock it relentlessly without taking into account any of the positive traits that the series does possess. And there are a few truly positive elements of the sequel trilogy that I think need to be given their due credit, especially if we are going to try and improve upon the franchise. The trilogy has some truly inspired cinematic and narrative moments that, if properly explored, would've been absolutely inspired.

That being said, I would be lying if I didn't understand and at the very least agree that the Star Wars sequel trilogy overall wasn't a steaming hot mess almost from the word go. Which is a damn shame because the acquisition by Disney had all the hallmarks of being a momentous achievement and a chance to restart the series from all of the enormous weight of the Legends canon; that is the Star Wars material released independent of the Lucas-era films up until the Disney acquisition.

I've known ever since the release of The Rise of Skywalker that some kind of Building Better Backstories was going to be necessary for the sequel trilogy, but I also struggled to figure out how best to fix the franchise.

It will be difficult, but I think I have a solution. It may not contain many specific narrative elements, but we will take a look at what went wrong, what they could've used, and how that might have worked for a better trilogy overall.

***

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Fidget Spinner (Steam) - PC Game Review



Well, this is a real game title that gives little hope for quality. It was gifted to me as a joke so, I may as well give it a quick review. Click "read more" to see said review.


Friday, September 4, 2020

Green Phoenix - Walking With Beasts Review

 


A few weeks back, I took a look at the BBC Documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs. I've gone on record stating just how much I adored that series and its influence on my cinematic tastes and experiences.

Knowing how important Walking with Dinosaurs was to my childhood and cinematic sensibilities, it really should come to no surprise that I would keep the show going by taking a look at the other entries in the Walking with... franchise at some point down the line.

Well...today is the day.

Released in 2001, 2 years after its predecessor, Walking with Beasts uses the same combination of animatronics and computer-generated imagery to tell the story of life after the extinction of the dinosaurs. With Kenneth Branaugh reprising his narrator role from Walking with Dinosaurs for the British version of the series, Walking with Beasts brings together much of the same crew and team that brought dinosaurs back to life to tell the story of the rise of mammals and their transition into a world dominated by human beings.

But does Walking with Beasts live up to its predecessors legacy? Or was Walking with Dinosaurs to big of a shadow to shine against?

***

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Chojin Sentai Jetman Episode 2: The Third Warrior - Summary/Review



Back again with more Jetman. The first episode came and went with only 3 Jetmen introduced. So, we continue on to the second episode in order to possibly get the full introduction to this season. Click "read more" for my full coverage.


Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Something Phishy This Way Comes: Steam "Fraudulent Purchase" Scam is Back. How It Happens, and What You Can Do to Prevent It.

It started as any normal evening; Just browsing the internet, looking for deals, and playing games I liked. I had work the next evening and was already looking to get ready for bed. Then, I get a message on Steam. Someone I don’t know with a familiar name tells me that they had accidentally reported me for a “fraudulent purchase.” It struck me as odd, but not unbelievable, given I was one to occasionally search for cheap games through sites like Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, and occasionally more out of the way sites of potentially ill repute. Thus, I had asked who I had to talk to. I am sent to someone who appears to be a Steam Administrator. The script I had installed to enhance my Steam browsing experience even said as much. I was also given a Discord username to contact, alternatively.

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