Review No. 135 The Legend of Korra - PC (12+)

Strong Points:
Great gameplay
You feel overpowered - like the Avatar should feel...
... But the game can still test your skills
Fully voice acted with the original cast from the show
Lots of collectibles
Pro-Bending is fun and offers a variety of gameplay
Easy to pick up and play, especially the earlier levels, which offers quick bursts of elemental action
Lots of Easter Eggs and references to both shows (The Legend of Aang and The Legend of Korra)
Each Bending style feels different and yet works well together
Great music from the show
Graphics are good...
The Bending styles are mostly balanced...
The details are mostly correct and well thought out (such as the various bending animations)...

Weak Points:
... but could be better
... however, Air is a bit overpowered due to the ease of setting up combos
... but some details are wrong/missed out completely - you can Earthbend on wood for Raava's sake!
Rather short
Feels slightly rushed and, so, never quite reaches its potential as a full Avatar game
No Pro-Bending online or local multiplayer
You can't play as either of the other elements (Fire and Earth) in Pro-Bending
The Naga running sequences can get a bit dull and, in the case of chapter 5 on Extreme Mode, frustratingly difficult
You actually have to lower your power in order to get a platinum medal on Casual Mode
No way to change key-bindings
Would be nice to be able to Bend the environment rather than just 'create' elements
The Jill of All Trades achievement is completely missable and requires you to start completely over again in order to earn it
No trophy or record of your wins in the Pro-Bending arena

Rating: 80%

Warning: slight spoilers for both the game and the show ahead

App Review No. 109 Disney: Magic Kingdoms

Strong Points:
Faithful reproductions of characters and places
Has the 'essence' of a Disney Park
Lots to do
Variations to the film's stories add more depth
Pretty good writing
Good pacing
Great animations
Good use of licence
Can get premium currency without purchase with real money
Some event missions are well-incorporated...

Weak Points:
Buildings are too large to allow for proper park set-ups
Too many event-exclusive characters
Some story parts are unlocked with no hints as to how
Voice acting only for the first few characters
Events require quite large inputs of time or money
...Some are not
The characters don't interact cross-franchise enough

Film Review No. 34 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (12+)

Strong Points:
Subverting the Star Wars tropes...
...Although still definitely Star Wars
Amazing CGI
Great acting from all
Back to puppets for the creatures
Porgs
Set piece after set piece
Final battle
Visual imagery
Opening battle's tension
Some returning faces
Risk taking
Benicio Del Toro's character
Andy Serkis's character
Tense throughout
The film shows a difference in style to T:FA but is still noticeably Star Wars
Focus on other characters
A conversation in two halves
Transitions between scenes

Weak Points:
A shouty start
Some odd bits of film (either too real or CGI)
Sometimes visual representations were questionable
Not sure if all the comedy will hold up
Death count was sometimes overly large

No spoiler review:
Go see it. Even if you don't really know about Star Wars, go see it. You won't regret it

Spoilers ahead:

Film Review No. 33 Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

Strong Points:
References to the original series - with slight adjustments
New companions
Good animation
A noticeable score
Risks are taken with the story
Battles...
Incorporating the new Pokémon into the old series
Larger scale than the original series
The dream sequence
Sorrel's backstory

Weak Points:
Pikachu speaking
An odd atmosphere
...Except for missing the final battle
Team Rocket could have been in it more
The dream sequence
Marshadow felt tacked on - didn't really understand his allegiances
Verity's backstory needed to be more fleshed out

Some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - December 2017 - E.T. - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

Video Game Character of the Month

December 2017
E.T.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

Overview:
If infamy was a measure of success, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial game would be the most successful game of all time. Not only did it start the trend of awful movie tie-in games, it nearly single handedly destroyed the video game industry. But I guess the greatest tragedy is that E.T. never got home... At least he has the Video Game Character of the Month to keep him warm. Sadly, it's not a phone. 
And now some more information on E.T.: 

Film Review No. 32 Thor: Ragnarok (12+)

Strong Points:
Great comedic moments
Amazing special effects
Superb fight scenes
Korg
Ties up a load of loose plot threads
Back-references galor
Sets up for Infinity War
The Valkyrie
Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster
Hulk’s Toddler-esque speech
Anthony Hopkins as "Loki"
Chris Hemsworth has been allowed some freedom
Luke Hemsworth and Matt Damon’s cameo
Thor’s lighting powers
Dr. Strange

Weak Points:
Some of the jokes are only going to be funny once or twice - rewatch-ers will miss the tension
Lack of tension due to continuous wisecracks
The whole ‘Hulk being all powerful’ scenario is becoming a bit unbelievable as he keeps losing
Are we supporting Loki now or...?
Where’s Jane Foster (and, for that matter, Lady Sif)?
The Warriors Three's end

Spoilers ahead:

Comment: Entertainment Release Times

27th October 2017 and 17th November 2017, two days which will stick in the minds of entertainment writers, businesses and the general public for a while. For these two days had A LOT released, at the same time. On the 27th October, we had the likes of Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin's Creed: Origins and Wolfenstein 2 released, each one vying for the attention of gamers everywhere.

Today has: Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon, The Sims 4 on console, Justice League, Skyrim for Switch and VR, Star Wars Battlefront 2, again all vying for the attention of the public. Some employee huge marketing campaigns, some focus on nostalgia and even some go for the idea that 'no publicity is bad publicity' (EA's SWB2 lootboxes have to have been a stunt, right?).

Personally, I've only been able to go for one of these at launch and that's Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon. The choice was simple for me as I'm a massive fan of all things Pokémon (although Skyrim for Switch was pushing me). However, for all the others out there I have to ask, how do you choose what to play or watch with just so much out there now? Does it persuade you to actually buy more or none at all? Would you rather a couple of days a year with everything or a more staggered release? Finally, how much of a backlog do you have of games and movies/shows? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, Satamer.

Film Review No. 31 The Meyerowitz Stories (15+)

Strong Points:
Strong ensemble cast
Involving story
Balances drama and comedy nicely...
Nice cameos
Interesting colour correction and filters
Sharp, stilted dialogue works - two conversations are happening at once
Constant back referencing to past conversations really involves the audience
Great uses of music
Use of sharp cuts brings you out of story to focus on another one
Surprisingly emotional by the end

Weak Points:
Slightly too long
...Although sometimes goes too far in trying to get to either end of the spectrum
Emma Thompson's character is underused

Some spoilers ahead:

Review No. 134 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Nintendo Switch (3+)

Strong Points:
Works excellently in all Switch modes
Even more characters and karts
Boo and Feather are nice item editions
Purple boost and two item slots are incorporated well
Battle mode has been remade!
Mario Kart on the go is where it's meant to be
Crisp graphics and animations
Online works well

Weak Points:
At least another cup would have been nice (especially for previous DLC owners)
The ability to compare kart setups is still not here
No Mission Mode yet

Video Game Character of the Month - November 2017 - Waluigi - Mario Series

Video Game Character of the Month

November 2017
Waluigi
Mario Series

Overview:
Poor Waluigi. Created for the sole purpose of giving Luigi a competitor in sports games, he always believes that the grass is greener for everyone else. Even Nintendo has made him into a comic relief character, but we believe he deserves better. For once he can stand on his own and say 'I am Waluigi, my own person and I am proud!' For he is today, the recipient of the Video Game Character of the Month award! 
Now for some information on Evil Luigi Waluigi: