Double Down Reviews

I began watching Total Recall with the expectation of an over-the-top Schwarzenegger action film. The film certainly fulfilled those expectations, but what surprised me was the engaging and effectively implemented science fiction premise. The device (the protagonist trying to understand reality vs. memory-implanted illusion alongside clues from who he was before a memory wipe) was introduced quickly, smoothly, and believably. Additional details revealed throughout the film regarding what is real and what is a manipulation keeps the story engaging between the guns and gore that one would expect.  The premise, although interesting, does not challenge the viewer in any intellectual or moral capacity. The twists and turns are for entertainment; however, the execution of mainstream film devices is incredibly well done. Even through one-liners and sight gags (which are generally turn-offs for me), I still found myself enjoying the ride as the mixing of action, drama, science fiction, and...

I will begin by saying that I switched to Android from iOS with the HTC One M7. I loved that device, and with a few exceptions, the M8 delivers the same experience and improves upon it. What makes the HTC One such a great device is the physical design - what features or bells and whistles it might lack are made up for with a durable, efficient and beautiful build. The HTC One is a great device for anyone due to its ideal size - the screen is large enough that it is fine for all but the most-demanding games, but it uses most of the face of the device so it is not too large and cumbersome. The switch to on-screen function keys helps this. It might be a small thing, but the symmetrical face of the device makes it good for switching between vertical and horizontal orientation. The speakers are equally placed on either side of the screen so that when viewing content in horizontal orientaion the speakers project to your ears with balance. The one complaint I would make about the screen is th...

I must preface this review with two things. First is that I am a fan of the Rabbids, a humorous and continued spin-off of Rayman that have come to be their own series. Second is that this game has similarities to Angry Birds Space. I am unsure of the similarities between the games as I only became aware when a friend said that the game looked like a knock-off of Angry Birds Space. In the future I will play that and perhaps change this review accordingly. However, this review is of Rabbids Big Band as a game in and of itself. The game is nonsensical. The Rabbids games are usually based on some silly premise in order to have gameplay that is different. I'm still not sure what genre I would call this game. It's action in that it is based on timing and reflex. But at the same time it is strategic in that completing challenges requires some planning, trial and error. The game is setup into worlds (as I will call them), of which each is composed of 15 missions on the same map. The ga...