Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 69

"Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD" Review

Sega's "Super Monkey Ball" series has always thrived on a simple concept, which branched off the dynamic established by "Marble Madness."

Guiding your adorable spherical protagonist through platform and obstacle-filled mazes, you strive to achieve the best time and score possible via a combination of trial and error, twitch reflexes and sheer luck.Replayability is key, because taking on the same levels time after time would be a chore unless their design lent themselves to unbridled fun. Sega has usually succeeded at that task, and that's why the franchise continues to roll into current-gen consoles.

A high-definition remaster of the 2006 Wii game, "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD" recaptures the hyperactive tone of the original, adding significant upgrades in visuals and sound.

At its heart, the game is a series of puzzle labyrinths with only marginal variance in the skills and routines needed to conquer them. The charm comes from the fine details. The cartoonish ambiance and the slapstick physics lead to instant gratification or comical failure, and both extremes can be equally entertaining.

In the flood of HD remasters that have come to newer consoles -- particularly the Switch -- the better redesigns have been bolstered by extras, such as historical featurettes, alternate play modes or anthologies that included past games. "Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD," which is a straight-up remake without few augmentation or extras -- save for online leaderboards and a decathlon mode -- comes up light in that regard. For better or worse, this is a game strictly for fans of the original who want to re-experience it on the Switch.

Since so many Wii owners seem to look back on the game wistfully, there is probably a sizable audience eager to get rolling again. As long as they don't come in expecting more than what they remember, they'll be satisfied to guide the monkey ball once more.

Publisher provided review code.

"Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville" Review

Evolving the seeds of "Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" beyond the multiplayer arena to tend to a bountiful crop of activities, "Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is a confident step forward for the franchise.

Developer PopCap refines the established, family-friendly FPS formula and expands it into a fuller-featured game that seems built to last.

As in the past, you take control of an eclectic array of battle-ready plants and undead creatures who annihilate each other via a dazzling array of creative attacks and zany power-ups.

In addition to the standard array of squad-based death matches, there are a multitude of co-op activities to take part in. These are such an impressive addition that it's feasible to get the game and spend so much time on these modes that you won't feel the need to go online.

Couples, parents and children or roommates -- particularly those of vastly different skill levels -- can mildly grief each other, help each other out and enjoy the giddy thrills of conquering shared challenges.

Reports of server issues have hampered the launch, but PopCap appears to have worked out many of the problems, striving for a stable online realm that offers up quick, fast-flowing action to most anyone who logs on.

Those who are familiar with the "Garden Warfare" games will feel right at home -- maybe to a fault. While there's much to be said about not messing with an established formula that has proven to work well, it could be argued that PopCap spent so much time fleshing out the co-op activities that they neglected to reimagine the standard multiplayer. That's not a fatal fault, but something that the dev team can build upon for future games.

And if "Battle for Neighborville" proves anything, it's the certainty that there will be more games. PopCap has plenty more to do and say with this series, EA continues to throw its weight behind the franchise and players continue to respond with adulation. The future for "Plants vs. Zombies" is bright, and the present is a joyful garden to tend.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: "Terminator: Dark Fate"

For my full review, click here.

"Citadel: Forged With Fire" Review

An open-world RPG reminiscent of "Skyrim" and "Dragon Age," "Citadel: Forged With Fire" grants you an impressive sense of freedom in a sprawling sandbox environment filled with mystery, magic and intrigue.

Originally released to solid acclaim in 2017 on PC, the game comes to consoles in the form of a finely-tuned port.

There is more than a little influence from the likes of "Harry Potter" and "Game of Thrones" at play in the dense, lore-heavy tale. As you work your way up through the realm's social strata, you tame beasts, master magical powers and earn empowering perks and abilities.

"Citadel: Forged With Fire" thrives on the way it blends aspects of various genres, including survival, crafting and PvE aspects of MMORPGs. There are also formidable crafting and building aspects.

The dev team at Blue Isle Studios has taken intensive care to improve upon the base game, evolving the menu systems, interface and gameplay aspects. The console release benefits from an impressive sense of polish.

That's important, because the learning curve is steep. Expect to spend much of your time fumbling around aimlessly, getting a sense of the rules that govern the game. Exploration and experimentation make for much of the thrill of discovery.

The more of yourself that you put into your character's appearance, your choices and abilities, the more you become invested in the quest. Yout trial by fire determines your mettle.

Publisher provided review code.

PHIL ON FILM: 5 Shows to Binge in November 2019

For the full article, click here.

"Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King" Review

The past few years have seen a renaissance of 1990s games based on Disney animated series.

Following the release of "Ducktales: Remastered" in 2013 and "The Disney Afternoon Collection" in 2017, "Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King" rounds out the nostalgia trip with pixel-perfect rereleases of the side-scrollers that a generation of gamers grew up on.

Wisely timed to coincide with the release of the live-action remakes on home video, the anthology not only includes the original versions, but two alternate editions that provide amusing changeups and twists on the established formula. There's also a museum mode that delves into the creation of both classics.

In developer Digital Eclipse's effort to stay true to the original aspect ratio, screen size is sacrificed. As a result, you need to squint to play the letterboxed game in the Switch's portable mode. The game fares better while docked and playing on TV, but you'll probably find yourself scooting up close to the TV to make sure you don't miss any crucial details.

Returning to the games after decades away, what stands out about both "Aladdin" and "The Lion King" is how difficult they are. Both games require impeccable timing, a dogged resolve and a stomach for excruciating jump sequences and battles. You may be shocked at how tough these games were. They're every bit as torturous as you might remember from your tween years, and as a result, conquering them is all the more satisfying.

Also surprising is how beautiful the games remain. The graphic artists in the original games did a spectacular job of synthesizing the hand-drawn models to 16-bit equivalents. The sound design is similarly impressive, with soundtracks that echo the magic of the movie scores and themes.

"Dinsey Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King" is not only an essential pillar of a retro game library, but filled with hours of fun, if trying, gameplay that hits all the right nostalgic notes. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore.

Publisher provided review code.

"Pig Eat Ball" Review

Developer Mommy's Best Games latches onto a simple concept and rolls with it in "Pig Eat Ball."

The puzzle game requires you to eat, grow, puke and shrink in order to trigger levers, maneuver across platforms and dispatch enemies throughout more than 200 levels.

Pulling a page from the "Fat Princess" playbook, the top-down adventure blends a quirky soundtrack with silly, absurd visuals to conjure an anything-goes tone that keeps things lighthearted and whimsical even during frustrating bottlenecks.

Arcade-style thrills keep the action moving at a haywire pace, with the barely-controlled chaos ever teetering on the brink of a meltdown of color, action and misdirection.

The "Katamari Damacy"-style writing contributes to the idiosyncratic draw, ever ready to provide sweet, fizzy palate cleanser for whatever super-serious game from which you need a break. "Pig Eat Ball" is every bit as fun and loopy as its title implies, and that's saying something.

Publisher provided review code.

Book Report: "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup"

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

John Carreyrou's pitbull intensity to tear down the curtain of biomedical startup fraud perpetrated by Elizabeth Holmes and Sunny Balwani is a thrilling joy to behold.

I was drawn to the book by Alex Gibney's HBO doc, "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley." Both projects take on the same urgent tone and dizzying exuberance of the meteoric rise and stomach-sinking fall of Theranos.

Carreyrou's tale is textbook process reporting, taking the reader along through the harrowing journey to exposing the truth. Battles against the firm's thug lawyers in a poker game for the souls of sources takes up much of the storytelling, with cloak-and-dagger maneuverings meant to ferret out his sources and prevent them from sharing the bread crumbs that would lead to oblivion for the company.

Hanging in the balance are the fates of trusting Theranos employees, venture capitalists, patients and doctors who put their faith in Holmes Steve Jobs-style bision of grandiosity. Somewhere along the line, Holmes shifted from eager, driven visionary to a carnival barker suckering in one investor after the next, consuming anyone who would make themselves a willing dupe to her sinister shell game.

Every paragraph of Carreyrou's decimation of Theranos is a delicious morsel. With no padding or grandstanding getting in the way of the torrentous tale, this is a tight, invigorating read that stands as an example of heroic journalism that the world needs more of.

View all my reviews

"The Outer Worlds" Review

A sprawling interplanetary adventure, "The Outer Worlds" is meant to make you feel like you're an intrepid explorer of the star-strewn unknown.

The less you take into the saga, the more you're likely to get out of it. Walkthroughs and hand-holding will restrict you rather than help you along. Relying on your inner sense of wanderlust and curiosity is the best way absorb the game on the level it was meant to be enjoyed.

As a castaway stuck aboard a ship heading to the uncharted reaches of the galaxy, you slip into cryosleep and wake up decades later, finding yourself the apex of a conspiracy involving various clashing factions.

As the X-factor in the equation, it's up to you to decide who lives, who dies, who thrives and who shrinks away into the shadows before history can be written. The level of choice at hand is intoxicating, and sometimes paralyzing. You're best off leaving second-guessing behind and forging ahead wherever your whims lead.

Developers Obsidian Entertainment and Private Division commit fully to the single-player experience, rather than fracturing its attention on shoehorned-in multiplayer.

Choice-driven gameplay is at the forefront, with branching paths leading to varied endings. The variables at play make playthroughs different for just about everyone, encouraging you to come back and launch the quest time after time to see how things might work out differently.

Captivating visuals and sound design stretch Unreal Engine 4 to its limits, unveiling an impressive amount of creativity and iteration in character design, conversation flow and mission structure.

"The Outer Worlds" may not garner the mass appeal of the likes of "Borderlands 3" or "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare," but the robust experience it offers takes the backseat to no other game you're likely to play this year. To fire up the game is to transport yourself into another dimension, exploring your inner depths by reaching toward the great beyond.


Publisher provided review code.

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" Review

A grandiose, full-featured return to form, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" works as a reboot not only to the storied for the subclassification of the franchise, but for "Call of Duty" as a whole.

Following last year's all-multiplayer experiment in the form of "Black Ops 4," developer Infinity Ward resurrects the highly-missed campaign mode. Fortified with a crackling story, spellbinding animation and adrenaline-pumping set pieces, the story is one of the strongest in years for "Call of Duty."

The saga takes you through a complicated, nuanced tale of divided loyalties and questionable policies of global military interference. Bold, tough questions come to light, including the motivations of insurgents, the collateral damage of geopolitical colonialism and the ethics of following orders versus doing what's morally right.

In addition to all the emotion and politics, the story is also a stunning and invigoratingly varied tale worthy of a summer action flick screenplay.

Multiplayer doesn't miss a step. In addition to the e-sports friendly classic multiplayer modes, elite operations allow you to forge ahead with teammates in cooperative raids.

Even more welcome, in a way, is what isn't there. The lack of a zombies mode is glaring, but not necessarily in a bad way. If it's tangles with the undead you're after, you can scoop up "Black Ops 4" for a few bucks in the used game rack for an excellent rendition of the stalwart mode. It was wise of Infinity Ward to focus its efforts on campaign and standard multiplayer modes rather than check perfunctory boxes. The narrower focus pays off masterfully.

Looming large behind the crafting of multiplayer is viability in the streaming and e-sports worlds, and the result -- rather than a stale effort that strives for balance above all else -- is a welcome return to fundamentals.

The grounded experience recalls the thrills that first made "Call of Duty" a household multiplayer name. Rather than try to blow off the roof with fever-pitched pyrotechnics, bizarre perks and outrageous weapons, most of the features you encounter feel feasible and sensible.

Taken as a whole, "Modern Warfare" is a towering achievement that feels at its core more like an indie passion project than a corporate-mandated annual release by one of gamedom's biggest publishers. Bulging with ample reasons to play obsessively into the night, then come back again for weeks and months to come, "Modern Warfare" proves that -- even in this world of splintered attention -- the blockbuster game event isn't going anywhere. Infinity Ward deserves a salute.

 Publisher provided review code.