Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 68

"Midway" Review

Boasting impressive effects, a top-flight cast and a script that manages to nail a patriotic vibe while also being fair to the enemy, "Midway" is a robust, thrilling tribute to the battle that turned the tide of the World War II in the Pacific theater.

Director Roland Emmerich shies away from his usual overdramatic, exaggerated set piece tendencies to tell a measured and tight tale.

Wisely allowing the historical facts and built-in urgency of the stakes at play, the filmmaker provides one of his most mature efforts to date.

The makeup team deserves credit for making its cast of actors closely resemble their real-life counterparts. Nuanced performances from the likes of Dennis Quaid, Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Patrick Wilson and Nick Jonas pay resonant tribute to the heroes of yesteryear.

While "Midway" takes the copilot seat to the 1976 classic, the update adds historical facts -- particularly from the participation of the intelligence community -- that wasn't available at the time, as well as providing a tear-jerking capstone to the Doolittle Raiders, the last of whom passed away this year.

The consummate Dad Movie, "Midway" is a well-crafted World War II film that will likely end up being one for the ages.

3.5 stars out of 4

"Just Dance 2020" Review

Gaming doesn't have to be a sedentary, soda and chips-munching pastime. Games such as "Just Dance 2020" are the opposite, forcing you to get moving and making a fool of yourself -- fortunately away from public eyes.

If you'd like to advertise your moves, you can link up to social media and publish recorded excerpts of your awkward move-busting exploits -- provided you're playing on a system with the camera.

That's why the Kinect-friendly Xbox One version is still the best option in my eyes. The phased-out motion-sensing camera tracks your full body and records clips, allowing you to analyze your replays and make for a hilarious living room spectacle. That's the key to granting the title go-to party game status, thanks not only to the dancing, but the lyrics-providing karaoke aspect.

Most gamers -- even Xbox One devotees -- have no Kinect or camera at all. Those players sync their phones to the game, using the device to guesstimate their movements. Either way you go, you can track your workout progress by activating a sweat mode that tracks the calories you burn as you play.

The base game comes with more than 40 new songs. To get the most out of the game, though, you'll need to spring for a $25 yearlong Unlimited pass, which grants you access to more than 500 songs from previous games.

Since the game comes at a discount -- it's listed at $40, but available at $35 on Amazon -- it's easier to justify the subscription. As usual, the game comes with a 30-day free trial. The upfront cost sure beats the old system, which nickel-and-dimed you with constant microtransactions to download new tracks. Ubisoft regularly pumps out new songs to Unlimited for no extra cost.

Co-op multiplayer is the game's high point, provided you have enough space in your living room to allow as many as four people to boogie down simultaneously. You can also take your show online, competing in season-segmented competitions that pit you against worldwide opponents in single and multi-part competitions, as well as leaderboards.

With minor enhancements to visuals, menu design and load times. "Just Dance 2020" incrementally improves on a rock-solid base to maintain the franchise's standards. It will get your limbs flailing and heart pumping, allowing you to knock out your daily workout while dancing and singing safely hidden away from the outside world.

Publisher provided review code.

"Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition" Review

It's said that "Dungeons & Dragons" inspired just about every video game that hit the market, role-playing games in particular. The seminal "Baldur's Gate" titles were some of the truest synthesizers of the "D&D" aesthetic, rivaling "Final Fantasy" for the mindshare of a generation of RPG enthusiasts.

Originally released in 1998 and 2000, the RPGs paved the way for the likes of "Dragon Age" and "Elder Scrolls." The series may have fallen by the wayside, but its influence continues to reign.

Skybound Games took great care in translating the aesthetics to modern sensibilities, giving the visuals HD enhancements while staying true to the original look. Measures were also taken to bring the sound design, animations and save systems up to modern standards.

Rereleased on PC in 2012 in their current enhanced editions, the games now make their debuts on consoles, opening up their riches to a vast new segment of modern gamers.

Still, the "Baldur's Gate" games look and play very much as you remember two decades ago. What was cutting-edge technology and storytelling at the time now seems rustic and antiquated. Still, there are some fantastic adventures to be had, and you can find yourself sinking dozens of hours into upgrading your characters and venturing off on a multitude of quests.

It's hard to fire the old games up and keep a wide, dopey grin off your face. The "Baldur's Gate" games wear their geekiness proudly on their sleeves. You feel as though you have torn open a portal to the past.

Publisher provided review code.

Book Report: "Leaving Las Vegas"

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I appreciated Thompson's portrait of my favorite city circa 1971. It was fascinating to sift through what has changed and what remains the same about the cross-section of desperation, glitz and excess that makes up the Entertainment Capital of the World.

It was fascinating to revisit a version of Vegas in which Circus Circus and the Flamingo were the places to see and be seen.

As for Hunter's storytelling itself, I found it lacking, strained and smacking of desperation. The sad throughline of an addiction-addled plight was meant to be funny and outrageous, but just seems painful.

The stream-of-consciousness writing is exaggerated to the point of hitting false notes way too hard. Every conversation and interaction is head-smackingly contorted and distorted to fit the oddball comedic rhythms that Thompson demands.

I respect the book for its innovation and boldness, as well as its occasional poignance in offhanded social commentary, but found the book wearing out its welcome, even though it's on the short side. It's like listening to a drugged-out, oblivios storyteller who doesn't notice or care that you've tuned out.

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PHIL ON FILM: "Doctor Sleep"

For my full review, click here.

"Family Tree" Review

The physics-based platformer "Family Tree" lives and dies on its charm and simple mechanics to thrive. The result is an occasionally fun, rarely challenging snoozer that puts up little resistance.

Developer Infinite State Games seems to have taken the simplistic approach to visual design, with many of the backgrounds and characters coming off as clip art.

Whether or not the aesthetic is an intentional attempt at a clean, smooth dynamic or just a way to cut corners while reducing man hours isn't clear.

"Family Tree" carries a tone something like "Doodle Jump" or a pinball machine. You continue flinging your bouncy character past platform obstacles, avoiding hazards while racking up bonuses. The effect can be hypnotic and zen, but seems more acclimated to a minigame.

Many "Kirby" titles have bonus levels that strike the feel and look of "Family Tree," and the franchise's sparing use of the mechanic goes further than Infinite State Games' overstressed efforts.

If you've got kids who are looking for a simplistic, confidence-building time-killer, "Family Tree" may be worth a look. But the Switch marketplace has too many crowded branches for the game to establish a nest of its own.


Publisher provided review code.

"Sega Ages Columns II" Review

The "Columns" games were Sega's late-1980s/early-90s response to Nintendo's "Tetris."

While the game didn't quite stack up or prove to have the lasting relevance of its rival, it was an addictive and well-crafted concoction that could stand up on its own.

The background graphics and goofy sound design, even in the more refined "Columns II" -- which is now out on Switch -- didn't age well, but that is part of the charm.

Playing "Columns II" as part of the Sega Ages throwback series is a nostalgia trip that thrives on the cheesiness factor of th 1990 title.

That's not to say Sega was content with leaving things as they were. There are a number of enhancements that modernize the game while remaining true to the goofy integrity of the George H.W. Bush-era release.

Online multiplayer, a stage select amenity and an arcade-simulating tabletop mode -- allowing players to hot-swap the device in order to facilitate simultaneous competitive action on the same device -- helps you get far more out of "Columns II" then you would have back in the Genesis days.

While "Columns II" remains a slim and shallow puzzler, it also benefits from the genius of its simplicity. Chalk up another one in the win column for Sega's retro initiative.

Publisher provided review code.

Book Report: "A Brief History of Time"

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The ability to translate concepts such as spacetime, string theory and quantum physics from high-minded theoretical gobbledygook into something I can approach understanding is nothing short of wizardry.

Stephen Hawking accomplishes that masterful task in "A Brief History of Time," which summarizes mankind's eternal struggle to make sense of the rules of the universe, dating from the ancient Greeks who looked skyward and made assumptions about physics that scientists would still be struggling to rationalize mellenia later.

That's not to say the book is easy to digest. As dense and overwhelming as a crash course on theoretical physics, there is so much to sift through that it's nearly impossible to retain more than the general ideas on the first go-round. I feel like I could read the book 12 more times and take away a multitude of riches from it on each occasion.

It's a testament to Hawking's writing skill that going through the book again and again would be a pleasure rather than a chore. Leavened with astute metaphors, a smooth, easygoing pace and an easygoing sense of humor, "A Brief History of Time" is a joy to experience. An eye-opener and thought-provoker, "A Brief History of Time" is a spark that ignites your passion to sift through the mysteries of the cosmos.

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"Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo" Review

It's hard to believe it's already time for the Summer Olympics games that lead up to the events themselves. Mario and Sonic -- ambassadors of goodwill for bridging the longstanding rivalry between Sega and Nintendo -- are back to set the tone for the athletic competition with their usual minigame compilation.

The dev team at Sega snaps the series out of its funk by adding in 8-bit retro competitions. Presented as the characters having time-traveled to the 1964 Tokyo games, the simplified activities dispense with the frills and pyrotechnics for raw, retro-style fun.

The normal events work the opposite way, continuing to push the visual fidelity for the series' debut on Switch. Convincing speed, animation and the usual quirky, oddball sense of humor permeate the wacky track and field antics.

The retro games aren't the only imaginative larks. The stylized "Dream" events ratchet u[shooting, karate and racing up a few levels on the absurd-o-meter, providing a welcome break from the standard button-mashing fare.

Oddly, and welcomely, there's also an educational aspect to the game in its story mode, with a steady drip of Olympic trivia, with an emphasis on the 1964 games. There's a pervading sense of cultural pride at play, with developers paying tribute to the full-circle dynamic of the hotbed of gaming culture hosting the games after a 56-year break.

The crossover franchise has come quite a ways from the simplistic, party game atmosphere of the 2008 Beijing games debut on Wii and DS. Still, the surreal effect of seeing Nintendo and Sega icons clash on the same screen hasn't lost its surreal pull, even with the "Smash Bros." series taking a similar tack. It's every bit as intriguing as Spider-Man setting up on the blocks for a sprint against Batman.

As many as four local players -- or eight competitors online -- can divvy up the 20 characters among the 31 events, which span the gamut from track, to surfing, canoe, boxing, equestrian, gymnastics martial arts, rugby and soccer. Basketball somehow misses the cut.

A colorful, hypercompetitive romp, "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020 Tokyo" is every bit as overstuffed and meandering as its title. And in a sense, the tone fits the Olympics themselves. This is a compilation that will keep you well entertained through the years until the 2024 Paris Olympics draw nearday.

Publisher provided review code.

"Ichidant-R" Review

You don't need to have played a game in its heyday to have nostalgic feelings bubble up when you play it nowadays. That's what the wild anthology "Ichidant-R" proves when you fire it up on the Switch.

Released in Japanese arcades in 1994, the collection of timed mini-puzzles finally makes its way to U.S. shores.

Fans of Nintendo's old "Wario Ware" games will feel right at home. The colorful, creative challenges keep you engaged, longing to top your best scores and eager to see what comes next.

More than 20 challenges are included in the mix. One moment you could be conducting an orchestra, and the next you could find yourself winding through a labyrinth or playing hide-and-seek with adorable creatures of the night.

Developer CRI went to admirable lengths to preserve the original look and feel of the game. But maybe the package could have used some additional levels to flesh it out from beyond the original quick-hit game.

Always flowing with energy and relentless momentum, "Ichidant-R" never gives you a chance to get bored or feel stuck. While the challenge on some games is negligible, it's tough to find a more jubilant time-killer. 

Publisher provided review code.