The Battletoads trio spend much of this reboot/reset/sequel/follow-up attempting to regain their popularity in a haze of fourth wall-shattering humor. It’s legitimately funny, frequently so, and the art style coincides with modern animation; Battletoads wouldn’t be out of place on Cartoon Network. By the finale, they come together, defeat evil, and shuck their quest for… Continue reading Battletoads (2020, Xbox One)
Fast & Furious: Crossroads doesn’t count how many die during its story. A lot, probably. Driving through suburban neighborhoods and public expressways, cars shatter when hit. There’s no penalty levied against the “heroes.” The explosions look cool, anyway. Besides, this is an important mission – Peter Stormare is out to destroy America’s spy network. Some… Continue reading Fast & Furious: Crossroads (PS4)
Brushing a pine tree while riding a horse, Ellie makes the branches’ accumulated snow fall. Look toward the ground and the horse’s steps realistically imprint on a few inches of frozen precipitation. Sometimes, it’s the little things; Last of Us: Part II has a lot of little things. A character removes their shirt – perfectly,… Continue reading The Last of Us: Part II (PS4)
Destroy All Humans’ remaster comes, partly so, at the right time. Less a parody of ’50s sci-fi cinema than it is satire of American post-war culture, the Furon Empire’s invasion pokes holes in the “America was great” nationalist pandering. Destroy All Humans’ military is run by gun-happy dolts, small town mayors speak like JFK but… Continue reading Destroy All Humans (2020, Xbox One)
Treachery in Beatdown City doesn’t hide its raw, multi-targeted anger. Dialog satirizes inequality, capitalism, racism, gentrification, police brutality, white privilege, social media, sexism, gig economies, EULAs, protests, and more. It’s… a lot. Not that it’s wrong – any of it – but the satirical net is cast so wide, Beatdown City doesn’t land a specific… Continue reading Treachery in Beatdown City (Switch)
Retro Bowl understands Tecmo Bowl’s enduring appeal – it’s more than pixelated pro football. What matters is how the sport is distilled to its essentials, and the great moments implied through the simplicity. A bobbled catch by 8×8 pixel men doesn’t convey real world thrills, yet slight imagination turns that play into a highlight reel… Continue reading Retro Bowl (iOS)
Red Wings relies on the mythlogized aerial acrobatics of WWI – think Snoopy on his dog house, gunning down foes. It’s a notable comparison as Snoopy offers some characterization; Red Wings does not. For a war so tense, Red Wings is unusually lean, leisurely, and low stress. The moment-to-moment shooting gallery fares fine, with a… Continue reading Red Wings: Aces of the Sky (Switch)
Teams in Super Mega Baseball 3 don’t have home cities, at least in their names. Much is suggested in the stadiums though. Some squads base their operations in lower rent districts – that’s evident by the advertisers lining the warning track. Say, a lawyer service called “Bogus Docs: Creative Bookkeeping” for fields in working class… Continue reading Super Mega Baseball 3 (Xbox One)
Gears of War debuted with muscular, broad shouldered, gruff men fearlessly carrying chainsaw guns into combat. The militaristic bravado and arrogant sense of invincibility exuded American military pride, concealed (hardly) in sci-fi lore. Something happened to Gears of War though. Although conscious of loss in its first trilogy, the narrative shifted under a new development… Continue reading Gears Tactics (PC)
When brawling through Wood Oak City’s prison and police station, the level’s end comes in the commissioners office. In anger, the corrupt leader smashes his desk, revealing a hidden briefcase full of cash. Things changed for Streets of Rage. The series began with Axel, Adam, Blaze – all detectives – fighting against the criminally-infested, rotting… Continue reading Streets of Rage 4 (Xbox One)
