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Testing. Test, test. Games!

February 26, 2023

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I'm planning a return. Lots to say.

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[REVIEW] Max Payne 2

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Release: Fall 2003 Reviewed Version: Original Xbox disc used in Xbox Series X Environment: Large room. 5.1 Audio. 55" HDR/4k TV, sitting 5-6 feet away from the screen. Developer: Remedy Entertainment • Publisher: Rockstar Games • Director: Markus Mäki • Designer: Petri Järvilehto • Programmer: Kim Salo • Artist: Saku Lehtinen • Writer: Sam Lake • Composer: Kärtsy Hatakka, Kimmo Kajasto --------------- My review method is simple. Ten categories guide my thoughts. Each category is on a 1 to 10 scale. Add them up for the final score. --------------- STORY - 10 This is a game that surprises you once you start getting into it. It shouldn't, of course, because it is Remedy. But it does. It plays exactly the way it should, as "Noir York City." The sense of place in this game is strong. Backtracking to Max Payne 2 after nearly finishing up 3 last year was like expecting to find coins and junk metal detecting on the beach and find a gold in...

Brave Release: 2012 Reviewed Version: Original Xbox 360 disc used in Xbox Series X Environment: Large room. 5.1 Audio. 55" HDR/4k TV, sitting 5-6 feet away from the screen. Developer: Behaviour Interactive Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios --------------- My review method is simple. Ten categories guide my thoughts. Each category is on a 1 to 10 scale. Add them up for the final score. --------------- STORY: 1 A straightforward plot: reverse the curse, save your mother. While simplistic, it serves its purpose effectively. OBJECTIVE: 10 Clear and compelling. The game expertly maintains player engagement with its well-paced progression and rewarding loop of coin collection and character improvement. IN-GAME ART / DESIGN: 5 Visually, the game shows its age with an Xbox 360-era aesthetic. The character models, particularly the protagonist, could use refinement. However, the environments hold up reasonably well. MUSIC AND SOUND: 10 The game's audio is a standout. Despite i...

Fallout Gross-Out and a Foreign Audience

I'm catching up on the Amazon show Fallout. As a person who was the target demo in 2008 when Fallout 3 came out, it is strange now to sit through a show that is clearly marketed to a much younger audience - and one that might not even be American. Fallout on TV is purposely gross. It takes its cues from the game of course, but "real life" CGI head-exploding action and radiated bugs imagery is grating. Especially the way special effects are done where nothing really has weight because so much of it is digital. The show leans in on it. It seemingly wants to gross the viewer out that it can get comical, save for the awkward sex jokes (which likely play well to teenage dudes). One sentence review before the viewership commentary? The way the show unfolds has all the trappings of Fallout 3, New Vegas, and Fallout 4 only without the immersive feel. TO THE VIEWERSHIP We are early days since the release, but the Hollywood Reporter says 60% of the viewership of this series is from...

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