Stellaris is a divisive game. It shares the familiarity felt throughout most Paradox games, but—like its cousins—has an intense focus on one particular element. This has been Paradox’s MO for a while; where Crusader Kings takes on lineage, Victoria focuses on Industry and the Pops that drive it, and Hearts of Iron intently examines combat. …
Ratchet & Clank Developed by: Insomniac Games Published by: Sony Interactive Entertainment Available on: PlayStation 4 Release date: April 12th 2016 (NA), April 20th 2016 (EU), April 22nd 2016 (UK) Way back in 2002, Insomniac Games released Ratchet & Clank to critical fanfare. Several sequels and spin-offs later, the critical reception barely dropped an inch, …
1979 Revolution: Black Friday Developed by: iNK Stories, N-Fusion Interactive Published by: iNK Stories Available on: PC and Mac, with Android and iOS TBD Release date: April 5th, 2016 1979 Revolution: Black Friday tells the story of Reza, a photographer who’s recently returned from study abroad to his native country of Iran. Unfortunately, he’s returned …
Grim Dawn Developed by Crate Entertainment Published by Crate Entertainment PC — Steam, GOG, DRM-free Released Feb. 25th, 2016 Grim Dawn has quite a history. In April of 2012, about a month before Diablo III would release to excitement, skepticism, and dismay, Crate Entertainment quietly launched a Kickstarter campaign for their game to a horde of hungry …
If you’ve heard of Salt and Sanctuary, you’ve no doubt seen it compared to From Software’s now-(in)famous Dark Souls series, and this comparison is certainly not without merit. Salt and Sanctuary is more than a little derivative despite the shift to 2D, to the point where some may even raise questions and concerns about intellectual …
Was it the bald waiter…. On the catwalk…. With the bomb? Down below the targets speech starts on the catwalk, hanging high above on the lighting rig is Agent 47, the plan is foolproof; destroy the winch that keeps the elaborate set of lighting held up and send it tumbling down onto our show curator …
When the original Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare came out, it was met with some skepticism. EA turning a tower defense game into an online, kid-friendly shooter? Many imagined industry execs salivating at the potential for monetization. For the most part, it isn’t too bad, though, and there are quite a few nifty features that set it …
A number one issue is a tough thing to figure out, especially when building your own world as Joe Harris and Martín Morazzo are doing in Snowfall #1. The balancing act between setting up your story and characters, while maintain the mystery and intrigue that will draw them back for issue two is maybe one of the most difficult things to do in comics.
Superhot is a shooter with a simple – and genius – premise: time only moves when you do. This allows for acrobatic displays and feats of murderous cinematic ballet as you dodge bullets and fire with perfect accuracy, all of which plays out in real-time after each short level. If you’ve ever watched an action …
Cutting above their weight What words can be made from these letters: OLYZOBESBODI. The most fitting answer is; ‘Bloody Zombies’, you can also make ‘Blimey’ but that’s beside the point. Once again Telltale ventures back into the world of the undead. Episode One of the Michonne mini series rests so precariously on its laurels that …
Licence to Kill Directed by John Glen Screenplay by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum UK, 1989 With the release of Skyfall this month, critics have cited the major departures from the Bond formula taken by that film. They credit Daniel Craig for bringing a modern edge to a character that had become ridiculous in the …
Undertale made an impression on not only the indie scene but the entire video game world when it released last month. The result of a wildly successful campaign through Kickstarter which began two years ago, this revisionist take on the classic RPG was said to blend elements of Earthbound, Shin Megami Tensei and Touhou into an entirely originally package. The effort of over 2,000 backers and the mind of Toby Fox helped create one of the most unique and charming releases this year.
Civeyrac’s adaptation of Doris Lessing’s short story Victoria and the Staveneys has a soft charm to its story but finds itself hampered by its comparison to the source material.
A voyage beyond reality, constructing an alien atmosphere of indiscernible sounds and sights, Dead Slow Ahead is a new masterpiece of mood, and almost approaches the ever ambiguous concept of “pure cinema”.
Grief, depression, and loneliness. Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s first foray into English language film is rife with subject matter suited for a dour art house affair. Yet Louder Than Bombs is infused with a vibrant humanism that cares for its characters and has a firm grasp of cinematic language and exceptional editing which ratchets it up a notch past a typical prestige drama. It’s too subtle, too bold, too willing to reach into a grab bag of visual styles and character set pieces to care about falling into the right Hollywood genre.
Sleeping Giant should be a crowdpleaser, especially in Canada, since it is always an auspicious occasion when a new Canadian director’s feature is well received at Cannes and TIFF. Sleeping Giant is well written, technically proficient and kinetically paced.
This documentary centred around the Frank Furko, an odd octogenerian whose now deceased cat, Pudgie Wudgie, was a local celebrity in their hometown of Pittsburgh, manages to break the mold of imitative, stagnating docs that festivals often attract in droves. Massil and Alvarez-Mesa have found a perfect subject in Frank, and approach him with a natural, easy going camera: no talking heads and barely a shot of stock footage, just a wondering frame following Frank as he tells his stories to whoever will listen, and a sense of time travel via VHS footage Frank himself shot throughout his life.
Hadwin’s Judgement Directed by Sasha Snow Documentaries are one of the veins through which VIFF’s lifeblood flows. Attracting large crowds of socially conscientious viewers, they are usually among the first films to sell out. Unfortunately, given their commercial appeal, many of them begin to mirror each other, turning into dull affairs filled with “talking heads”, bland …
A film which tugs on heartstrings like a puppeteer, The Devout is an emotionally resonant film which doesn’t fully connect its script with the finished product. Set in the bible belt of British Columbia, the narrative is nestled around a Christian teacher, Darryl, his wife Jan, and their daughter Abigail, who is dying of cancer. By itself, The Devout’s exploration of family dynamics amidst a slowly unfurling tragedy is compelling cinema
Cinema’s obsession with the idea of a perfect murder is quite grotesque. The macabre fascination only cements what Francois Truffaut once said, “Film lovers are sick people.” Perfect murders are a form of intellectual freak show, and Irrational Man, Woody Allen’s newest feature, tackles on the visual and physical allure of taking a person’s life. …
Were Bill Cosby’s name not synonymous with mud right now, What We Did on Our Holiday could be easily titled Kids Say the Darndest Things. Big names like Rosamund Pike and David Tennant headline the film, but it’s the kids who steal the show.
Some works will last–without the help of critics–as long as the civilization which bred them lasts, as Shakespeare’s plays have done. At times, Matthew Weiner has channeled Shakespeare in Mad Men, portraying the multifaceted nature of what it means to be human.
“The Milk and Honey Route” is one of those episodes that plays off the [soap opera] formula, but delivers meaningful scenes that gain importance from the years of work Mad Men has put into these characters.