Phil Villarreal's Blog, page 9

Early Game Review: 'WWE 2K25'

Each year, 2K Games sets the tone for the pro wrestling year with a new entry in its annual series. The dev team at Visual Concepts has to balance itself atop the turnbuckle by paying tribute to up-and-coming superstars and their developing fanbases while honoring the towering past of the organization.

Due out Friday, "WWE 2K25" manages the trick nicely, looking to create as much of an impact as cover performer Roman Reigns did when he first entered the ring in 2012.

Out of the gate, the narrative establishes itself as a reverent observer of the franchise's past and the way it continues to influence the present. By wrapping itself along the famed Bloodline, which stretches back to the tag team dubbed The Samoans in the late 1980s, carried on through the ensuing decade with the debut of Dwayne Johnson as the Rock, and thrives today in the form of Reigns. 

The game sets you on a path that echoes that of the Big Dog himself, attempting to dominate both in the ring and at the watercooler with its Rule Beyond the Ring tagline. MyRISE lets you roll into the game's story mode, playing a part in a wild, twist-filled narrative worthy of a pay-per-view special.

Taking a cue from the NBA 2K franchise, there's a hub world dubbed The Island that lets you guide your created wrestler through various challenges and attractions, grinding for XP while trying to avoid the temptation of pay-to-win mechanics. 

Other prime additions include new brawl environments and match types, intergender competition, a Bloodline Rules Match, Underground Match and barricade driving. Add to that some subtle visual upgrades and gameplay enhancements, and you get a package that's hard to resist, even for players still enthralled with "WWE 2K24."

In my first match out of the gate, I chose the 1997 version of the Rock to square off against Andre the Giant. Severely outmatched and easily tossed out of the ring, I formulated a desperate strategy to dance around outside the squared circle until the referee had almost reached his disqualification 10-count. Then I slipped back under the ropes, planted a kick on Andre's face when he tried to follow suit, and claimed the cheap victory, reveling in the booing crowd and announcers' complaints that the result didn't feel justified. This sort of iterative WWE action is electrifying and has me coming back for more.

While I yearned for a more robust cast of past stars, this game's roster, which includes the likes of ody Rhodes, Liv Morgan, Rey Mysterio, Bret “Hit Man” Hart, Jacob Fatu, Rob Van Dam, Lita, LA Knight, Chyna, Batista, Nia Jax and Becky Lynch, provides plenty of potential for intriguing matchups and cross-generational drama. DLC promises brawlers such as the Motor City Machine Guns, Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, and Jordynne Grace, plus WWE Legends including Mark Henry, the New Age Outlaws, Jesse Ventura, New Jack, Junk Yard Dog, and Tito Santana. 

As it nearly all of its predecessors have done, "WWE 2K25" has reignited my fascination with the pastime, making me feel excited to play out permutations of prototypical WWE wildness on my own screen. This is a game worthy of its cover star.

Publisher provided review code.

Book Report: 'Everything is Fucked: A Book About Hope'

 

A Journal: EVERYTHING IS FUCKED: A BOOK ABOUT HOPE by Mark Manson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mark Manson is a sneaky philosopher, wedging in classical, Freudian and Buddhist themes with his rough-hewn, locker room-style comedy diatribes. Delivered in the audiobook via a deadpan style that sometimes undercuts the urgency of his message, the often rambling, occasionally poignant set of observations on the misery wrought by materialism manages to carve a sharp impression.

The subtitle is misleading. The book is only about hope in that it is out to destroy it. In Manson's thinking, hope is an ever-dangling carrot that is the root of depression, violence, rage and misery. Only through the rejection of fleeting highs, he reasons, can you strive to a higher purpose. The pleasure, as he sees it, is in the pain.

There is much to relish and appreciate in Manson's book, and there is also plenty of unkempt, half-baked solipsism that might have been cultivated into a more consistent theme with better editing. But Manson pulls off a parlor trick by dreaming up a fantastic title, beginning and ending, leaving the reader feeling fulfilled. These may be empty calories, but they sure are tasty.

View all my reviews

Box Break: 2025 Topps Series 1 Baseball Jumbo Hobby Box #2

 See what autographs and relics I pull.

Box Break: 2025 Topps Series 1 Baseball Fanatics Exclusive Value Box

The first value box of the new season yields guarded optimism.

Box Break: 2022 Panini Absolute Baseball Hobby Box

 There is an "average" of one autograph or relic card per box... See how the numbers broke for me.

Early Game Review: 'Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars'

Two of the most influential role-playing games in the past 30 years are taking a victory lap in the form of a buffed-up anthology, thanks to Konami's "Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars." Due out March 6, the game is set to take JRPG fans on a nostalgic trek. Those who own the PS4 versions of the game will get the PS5 upgrade automatically.

Originally released in 1998 and 2006, the games are back in a form that resembles the look and feel of the primary releases. 

In the first game, you lead a Liberation Army against a brutal tyrant, shifting the 108 stars of Destiny in order to reshape history. In the sequel, you guide a pair of friends, members of the Unicorn Youth Bregade, who face down the Highland Kingdom in a long-running border dispute that continues to smolder.

Clever dialogue, intriguing combat, addictive leveling and an engaging story pules both games. Both work as mater classes in character development and storytelling that works on several levels.

Upgrades abound, with all background illustrations uipgraded to HD, new effects that enhance the pixel art animation and revamped environmental sound effects. Quality-of-life improvements abound, including autosave, battle fast forward and a conversation log.

Both of these "Suikoden" games deserve to be revisited, and are far more palatable to modern sensitivities in this form than were the original releases. If you've waited to dip your toe into classic Suikoden, now is the time to take the plunge.

Publisher provided review code.

Game Review: 'Lost Records: Bloom Tape 1'

 

Developer Dont Nod, the maestros behind the likes of "Life is Strange," "Jusant" ad "Tell Me Why," heads back to its adventure game roots with "Lost Records," a two-part episodic release that drips with 1990s nostalgia. 

The first part, "Bloom" was released Feb. 18, and the follow-up, "Rage," is due out April 15.

You play as a woman who agrees to reunite with friends from the 1990s to make good on a pact. The events of that area are interspersed with modern-day goings-on in a time-skipping narrative that manages to build up suspense for thunderous payoffs. 

The game has a thrillingly jarring way of shifting between the feeling of a slow burn and a tense thriller.

The Don't Nod proves to be well-schooled in 1990s minutiae, with touches that, as a teen of the era, brought a smile to my face.

Rich dialogue, fascinating storytelling twists and an immersive narrative are the game's strengths, helping it make up for a methodical pace and uninspired visual look.

Overall, "Bloom" is a promising and fascinating start to the "Lost Records" duology, setting the stage for what looks to be a rewarding payoff when "Rage" releases in April. An under-the-radar the release that hasn't yet earned the adulation of Don't Nod's flashier efforts, these "Lost Records" are well worth the search.

Publisher provided review code.

Hot on Home Video: 'A Complete Unknown'

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

Director James Mangold's Bob Dylan biopic, which hauled in eight Oscar nominations, catalogs the early-career highs and lows of the legendary folk singer. Timothy Chalamet thrives in the lead role, vaulting to the top of the Best Actor Oscar odds with a tremendous performance, echoing the legendary singer's mannerisms, instrumentals and vocals. Edward Norton earns a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nod as mentor Pete Seeger, and Elle Fanning is strong as Dylan's girlfriend at the time, a composite character named Sylvie Russo. Monica Barbaro slays as Joan Baez and Boyd Holbrook leaves a stark impression as Johnny Cash.
The film focuses on Dylan's emergence as a popular artist, as well as the personal foibles that made him a difficult romantic and professional partner. At the root of his persona is an iconoclastic determination that makes him leery of exploiting his popularity as an artist for financial gain at the expense of his integrity. A fascinating look into Dylan's life, the film succeeds on its chosen level and earns its Best Picture nomination.
Studio sent review screener.

Game Review: 'Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered'

 

"Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered" marks the end of one Lara Croft era and the transition to the next one. Like some old social media posts, the anthology delivers equal shares of laughs and winces, showing flashes of what made the games popular at the turn of the 21st century, as well as why the franchise has moved on.

The effort from Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics delivers three solid Lara Croft games for below $30. The titles include "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation," "Tomb Raider: Chronicles" and "Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness." Each of the remastered titles gets a fresh coat of paint, with better graphics, control options that make Lara fare easier to maneuver, trophies and achievements and a photo mode. In a wink and nod to gamedom's past, the old cheat codes still work.

This set of remastered "Tomb Raider" games follows last year's remaster of the original trilogy, which I found tough to play. The second trilogy is far more user-friendly, and while still stiff and awkward in the manner of many 3D games from the era, has much more going for it than the original releases.

Loads of improvements over the originals are present, including the ability to skip cutscenes, an onscreen ammo counter, Flyby Camera Maker and the ability to toggle back and forth between modern controls and the original interface. Bosses now have health bars, new animations abound and you Lara can now shift her view 180 degrees with the tap of a button.

Some of the gameplay is still stiff, and the awkward, era-specific characterization of Lara can be a little unnerving. 

Still, there is plenty to appreciate, especially in the pacing and sense of adventure that would inspire the "Uncharted" games and set the foundation for the fuller-featured "Tomb Raider" entries of recent years. The dual-wielding, shorts-wearing feminist icon had to start somewhere, and replaying this trilogy is the best way to re-experience her awkward adolesence.

Publisher provided review code.

Box Break: 2025 Topps Series 1 Hobby Box 3

Was hoping to go three for three in autograph pulls.