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.

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.)

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]

Green Phoenix - Dr. No Review

 

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.

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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.

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.)

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

 

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?

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