Blog Archives
Haven: Chosen Review
So how do we wrap-up an up and down season of a TV show? If you’re the producers of Haven, you push the reset button on the season’s main storyline, remember that there was a more compelling villain that they introduced at one point and borrowed a bit from that other Stephen King show on TV.
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Haven: Chemistry Review
We’re reaching the end of the first half of the fifth season of Haven. Just when you thought that it looked like you had all the answers to where Haven was going to build to for the mid-season finale, the writers used Chemistry to change the questions. I’m all for unpredictability but, to borrow a wrestling analogy, for a show that allegedly has a plot outline written years in advance, Vince Russo thinks that the writing on this thing is being rushed.
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Toybox Turbos Review: Outside the Box
Anyone that follows my writing over on etg. sister site The Lowdown Blog knows that I’m a racing fanatic. Two wheels, four wheels, even more wheels (European truck racing is surprisingly awesome), road courses, ovals, dirt, I can settle down and watch anything. So naturally, I had a lot of toy cars growing up and had a lot of toy car races.
This brings me to Toybox Turbos. While many people liken the game to a modernized callback to Codemasters’ Micro Machines, their first iconic racing game, I thought of Toybox Turbos to be just like the toy car races on the floor at home. But does a childhood call back, whether it’s to a video game or little plastic or die-cast cars, make a great game.
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Haven: Reflections Review
After ten weeks of two-part episodes, the gods (or whatever the supreme being equivalents are in Haven which is something they’ve never really gotten too far into) of Haven have graced us with a “one-part” episode that, while part of the overall story arc of the season, wraps itself up in one lovely self-contained sixty-minute portion. Trust me, Reflections is a lot better because of it.
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Haven: Mortality Review
After a season of otherwise forgettable and unenjoyable two-parters, Haven has finally been able to put together a solid two-part episode. It wasn’t the fantastic from start to finish two-parter that fans have been hoping for all season but Mortality shows that there’s still life in a show that could have been pronounced DOA at any other point of the year.
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Haven: Morbidity Review
Other week, another start to a Haven two-parter. While the words “Haven” and “two parts” have been a sign of impending disaster this season, with the introduction of a new female supporting character and something resembling a future direction for the plot in last week’s episode, I was looking forward to Morbidity.
Normally, I would say that we should know better than to set my hopes high for an episode of Haven this season but there’s a real chance that the season may have turned the corner this week.
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Doctor Who: Death in Haven Review
The first eleven episodes of this season of Doctor Who have been absolutely brilliant. We’re used to sporadic good episodes but such a succession of great episodes in 10 of the first 11 weeks of Doctor Who is something that no TV show this side of maybe The Wire or Game of Thrones have been able to match.
The finale would be the biggest test of the course of Doctor Who under Peter Capaldi because finales are typically where the show falls flattest. Could a season that’s been so much better than usual end so much better than usual?
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Football Manager 2015 Review: Every Single One of Us Loves Alex Ferguson
It’s not often that I will follow an annual franchise through year-to-year but it’s interesting to see what work goes into a franchise as the developers change calendars. Most gamers look at the likes of Assassin’s Creed or Call of Duty and write them off as being a fresh coat of paint and a change of venue but not much else. Sports franchises have a reputation for being an annual roster update and not much more.
Having played Football Manager 2014 and comparing it to this year, there’s a bit more to this year’s update to Football Manager than the rosters. There are a whole host of changes to the game that I think makes it a bit more new and casual gamer friendly as well as a few tweaks for those who are far more into the minutiae of football than I am.
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Haven: Exposure Review
So Nathan is a Troubled ghost, Mara and Audrey have been split up, half of the main cast took last week off and I’m just trying to think of reasons for people to continue on after last week’s episode other than “you’ve seen the first four-and-a-half seasons through so you may as well see it through.”
This week’s episode didn’t see any real improvement from Naudrey storyline but at least characters outside the show’s big three were given something interesting and memorable for us to watch.
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Doctor Who: Dark Water Review
It certainly hasn’t seemed like this season has been on for very long but we’ve reached the end of this season of Doctor Who. After ten weeks, it’s time for the two-part season finale. After all the teasers of Missy and the afterlife, The Doctor and Clara finally stumble upon it after the personal stakes are raised.
et geekera 