I got to play YSIX: Monstrum Nox when it was free on Amazon Luna, and I quite enjoyed the experience. This isn’t a promotion for the platform, it was a game I was interested in, and I got it free through my Twitch Prime membership. If you don’t know, Luna is Amazon’s cloud gaming solution. For 9.99 a month, you are able to play any game in their library without the need to download the games. This is a great solution if you have a good and stable internet connection but don’t have the money for the hardware. I mostly played on my iPad, but it ran nicely on my PC as well.
YS IX is an action RPG that sort of plays like Genshin Impact. You take control of characters with unique abilities as you try to solve a mystery and fight monsters. I was able to solve the mystery immediately, but I enjoyed the journey. The game is divided into chapters and each is dedicated to a playable character you unlock along the way. The stories are a bit of an anime trope, and the cast is full of familiar archetypes. I like anime so I had no problems with the story or the characters.
The gameplay is a lot of fun. Like any RPG, you can craft items, buy upgrades, and change the skills you use. I am not the best at theory crafting so I often went with whatever was fun. The game is limited in its exploration, but I was here for the story anyways. Combat was fun and the game does a good job of keeping it fresh by giving you new characters and abilities to use as you explore the city and advance the story. I loved that I could switch between characters at will so I was always allowed a unique combat experience. There is a slight grind as is tradition in these types of games, but I didn’t feel like it was that bad. I never felt the need to spend hours fighting the same mob in the forest in order to advance. This is also a pretty contained game, I was able to finish it quicker than most of my RPGs, but your mileage may vary.
This game is the 9th installment of the YS series, but it isn’t necessary to play any of the others. This was my entry to the series, and I never felt lost. Outside of a few references to the previous game, the story in IX exists independently. YX has been announced for 2023, and I can’t help but feel excited about more news.
You should get this game if you are in the market for something new. The combat feels great, the story is fine, and the art is awesome. YS IX: Monstrum Nox is available on PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Amazon Luna.
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Movie Review: Something From Tiffany’s (2022)
I have been avidly avoiding Christmas movies this season, not because I am a Grinch, but because I couldn’t muster the strength to sit through them. Let’s face it, this genre is the recycling of the same movie every year, and it is getting harder to sit through them. I decided that today I would start getting into the Christmas spirit, but unfortunately, the movie is Something From Tiffany’s.
Something From Tiffany’s is the story of two lost souls who are stuck in their respective relationships. Fate brings these two unknowing souls together by way of New York City taxi. Ethan is at Tiffany’s buying his engagement ring when Rachel’s boyfriend comes in that same night to buy his girlfriend a cheap gift. In a brief moment, the boyfriend gets hit by the taxi, causing the events that will bring Ethan and Rachel together for Christmas. Ethen, being the generic and caring man that he is, rushes to check up on the generic boyfriend, but he ends up switching the ring with the cheap gift. Ethen and Rachel will meet in the hospital, and it is love at first sight. Fate keeps bringing them together, and in a matter of days, they fall madly in love with each other. You can guess what happens from here.
This movie is bad even by the genre’s standards. The acting was surprisingly good, but its narrative is terrible. I always feel bad for the significant others in these movies who have the cruel fate of being love’s cruelest obstacle. Ethan’s girlfriend seemed like a nice girl whose only fault seemed to be that she wasn’t quirky enough. Ethan was ready to propose, but one brief encounter at the hospital was enough to change his mind. Rachel’s boyfriend was a loser, but at least he wasn’t evil which is refreshing.
The idea was to show how the leads were stagnating, stuck in their routines. It was only through finding true love that they can move forward and live their best lives. But is it love that they share? Is it fate bringing these two together? Is it Christmas magic? They are only together for a day before they decide that they are meant to be together. I see this as a relationship fueled more by desire than love. Rachel and Ethan lust for something different and fresh, and this accident gives them that. It is less romantic to think about how this race to fall in love for Christmas is less about fate and more about a change in scenery. Even if they were meant to be together and were previously in bad relationships, they were ready to be engaged, and that is where I have my problem.
I am overthinking a movie that had no effort put into it, but I was bored. Let me have this. There are better movies in this genre. Go watch something like The Princess Switch or Falling for Christmas instead. They are bad too, but somehow they are a little better.
You can stream this on Amazon, but I wouldn’t.
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Movie Review: Nanny (2022)
Nanny is a new movie on Amazon that is a slow burn, but one worth seeing. It won’t be for everyone because of its pacing, but the story it tells is an important one. By mixing west African folklore with the mundane ritual of every day, this film challenges the fantasized American dream and replaces it with a more bleak reality.
Aisha moves to New York to work as a nanny for a rich family. She hopes to use the money from this job to bring her son to America so that he can have a chance at a better life. But life in America isn’t as easy as it seems. Aisha finds herself working long hours and constantly having to fight her employer for payment. The only relationship that she has with her family back home is through voicemails, videos, and photographs. The isolation she feels as she misses her family and home begin to take their toll on her psyche. It is a well-done narrative about an experience that is often overlooked.
The movie is great, but it is slow and quiet. The pacing and the silence help create a truly isolating experience, one that grows in intensity the deeper you get into the movie. Its clever use of folklore and fantastical imagery illustrates Aisha’s non-verbal struggle masterfully. Her emotions and longings come, breaking the barrier between reality and emotion.
But this movie doesn’t just explore the world through the experience of a Nanny, it challenges the American fairy tale. The film takes the isolating existence of immigrant life and contrasts it against a struggling working-class family. Her employer struggles in a male-dominated world while tolerating her husband’s insecurities. The movie’s focus is on Aisha, but the movie masterfully sprinkles enough bites of dysfunction to completely shatter American idealism.
This isn’t a story that is new to the American landscape, but it is an important one to tell. Nanny is well-acted, beautifully directed, and well-told. It might be a bit slow and a little too artsy for its own good, but it is one I need to recommend. You can stream it on Amazon, and I recommend that you at least give it a try.
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Series Review: The Rings of Power (2022)
I was initially keeping up with Rings of Power when it was first released but fell off after a couple of episodes because of its pacing. I was initially excited about this series, but that excitement has since dulled. The Rings of Power isn’t a bad series, but it isn’t the epic prequel I was promised either.
The Rings of Power is fine, but it is not without its faults. The acting is fantastic, but the writing holds them back. I love the diverse casting and it makes me happy to see people of color in prominent roles in fantasy. The fantasy genre has always felt exclusive to white people. Growing up, I enjoyed fantasy but had to hide this fact to avoid getting picked on. It is amazing to see characters of color who make an impact on the narrative instead of just being villains and henchmen. I hope this is a growing trend in the genre, even if this series isn’t the best.
The biggest issue I have with this series is its pacing. It was too slow to be released weekly. I wouldn’t mind if this series was slow because it was carefully developing its lore. Instead, this series is bogged down by its excessive use of metaphor. The Rings of Power is desperate to sound poetic and it is off-putting. It is safe to say that the writing for this series isn’t great, and at times it sounds like a cheap attempt at emulating Tolkien. It wasn’t bad enough to make me stop watching, but it made it difficult to finish it.
The rest of the series was fine, but I wouldn’t have finished it if it wasn’t for this review. It looks pretty. The CGI cities look cool, the action is decent, and the costumes are great. They even have a fantastic villain, but at its core, this series is just average at best.
I don’t think this series is for everyone. If you aren’t a fan of fantasy, watch the movies instead. This series is a slow burn that barely pays off. The Rings of Power only works as a supplement for those casual Lord of the Rings fans who want more stories in the universe but don’t want to read the books. This isn’t a series I’d rush through, and I definitely recommend you skip around. You can stream it all on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.
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Series Review: The Peripheral (2022)
The entire season of The Peripheral is finally available for streaming, and it wasn’t worth the wait. I started watching this series as it came out but quickly gave up when I lost interest. Having this series be a weekly release was a mistake because there isn’t enough happening to get you excited for the next episode. If you are looking for a good sci-fi series to binge, look elsewhere.
Flynn Fisher is the best VR gamer in the world, but she is also poor. She and her family live paycheck to paycheck and use Flynn’s gaming skills to make extra money. One day, a mysterious benefactor offers to pay her to test a new VR headset. Flynn finds herself in a hyper-realistic simulation where she must complete dangerous tasks to earn her paycheck. But there is an evil cabal working against her benefactor. Flynn finds herself in the middle of a deadly conflict where she and her family must fight to survive. Can Flynn get to the bottom of this mystery before anyone she loves dies?
I am happy this series has a recap before every episode because I struggled to remember the plot. The plot isn’t confusing, but it is boring. There clearly wasn’t enough plot for a whole series because they drag out what little plot they have over the eight episodes. This series is terribly paced. This series needed to be thrilling, fast-paced, and suspenseful, but it isn’t.
The cast is decent but they are wasted on flat characters and dull narrative. Flynn is a Betty Sue who seems to care the least about being in this series. She is much too perfect and will easily beat every encounter she faces. Any suspense and action that could have saved this series from being an abysmal flop are poorly executed. The action scenes are lethargic, the build-up is slow, and the big reveal comes out of nowhere. This is a series that suffers from a severe identity crisis as it struggles to try to define itself. There are too many plotlines fighting for your attention, and none of them will earn it.
I haven’t read the book this series is based on, but I can assure you it is a very loose adaptation. If you are here because you are a fan of the book or the Westworld series, prepare to be disappointed. This series was a waste of time. You can stream it on Amazon, but I wouldn’t bother.
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Tech Review: Logitech G335 Gaming Headset
I want to start by saying that this isn’t a sponsored review. Unfortunately, I bought this headset with my own money. I will add affiliate links to the headset if you choose to buy it, but that won’t affect my opinion of the product.
The Logitech G355 Headset isn’t worth the $70 they are asking for. I got it on sale for $30 and feel a little better about my purchase, but you are getting what you pay for. Out of the box, this headset looks and feels cheap. The plastic feels so fragile that I thought it was going to break when I put them on. Thankfully they didn’t, but I don’t see them outliving my gaming career.
The headset comes with a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but it includes a mic splitter for those of you playing on PC. It says it is compatible with all consoles and PC, but I only tested it for PC. Your mileage may vary, but I doubt it. The only cool feature this comes with is a nifty little wheel for volume control that is built into the headset. The G335 comes in black, mint, and white.
The only positive feature of this headset is how comfortable they are, but this is sure to be short-lived. The pads cupped my ears nicely, and the padding was thick and firm. They are a bit stiff out of the box, but they start to conform to your shape relatively quickly. The style of the ear pads prevented any noise from bleeding in or out, which is nice if you share a room. They aren’t sound canceling, but they will do the job for a time. I don’t have faith in the padding keeping its integrity for long. While the headset did get more comfortable over time, how quickly it did so has me worried. The G355 isn’t made with quality materials, and in a year or so, I fear they will become deflated and ugly.
If you are looking for a headset to talk with your friends, look elsewhere. While they may be better than other headsets in the $30 range, the mic is terrible. The mic does a terrible job of filtering any background noise. Whoever is on the receiving end of your voice chats will hear everything. The placement of the mic is too high, and trying to set gates to help filter the sound is useless. I found the best way to use this mic was through the use of a DAC/AMP, but I had to almost yell for the mic to pick up my voice. I used the Soundblaster X3 for my testing, but if you are going to buy a DAC for this headset, you are better off buying a better headset. I’ve included my audio test bellow:
The sound on this headset is alright. Music sounds very flat, even with equalizers or a DAC. It does have a decent amount of bass, but I fear it was only added to trick people into thinking it is a better headset. The boosted bass just makes everything sound flattered.
These will do if you need a cheap headset and don’t care about the sound or the mic, but only get these for $30. The colors are nice, but the cheap build will mean that these will be in the trash in a couple of years. For those of you interested, you can find this headset in all its colors on Amazon.
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Movie Review: Emergency (2022)
Emergency is a fantastic movie that you need to watch. While this movie may be packaged as another Hangover clone, it proves to be much more meaningful. Emergency uses the tired old formula of the genre to make important criticism about racial inequality. This is a movie will make you laugh, but it will also make you think. It isn’t an uncomfortable movie, but its message is real and important.
Kunla, Sean, and Carlos just want one night of epic partying in their last year of college. They decide to go on the blackout tour, a night where they hit all the biggest parties on campus. Their plans get complicated when they come home to discover a passed-out white girl in their living room. The optics don’t look good because they are men of color, and the young white girl is drunk and possibly drugged. They decide that the best course of action is to take her to the hospital so that she can get the help she needs. Unfortunately, this act of kindness leads to the worst night of their lives.
I love this movie. The acting is fantastic, and the chemistry the leads share is infectious. The story is phenomenal. This is a well-made movie.
Emergency differentiates itself from the rest of the genre through its unique narrative. The shenanigans and challenges the leads face during the night aren’t caused by drinking and partying but rather by their race. The characters are limited in what they can do because of the color of their skin. The movie does a fantastic job of contrasting what they are allowed to do against what the white students can. They can’t call the police or do much because they could be arrested or have their reputations destroyed. It is a difficult situation that they continue to be in because they are constantly facing challenges due to their race. The movie does a fantastic job of balancing the humor and messaging to make an effective narrative without it being preachy or difficult to watch. The intention of this movie isn’t to shame or guilt, but rather to share an important point of view that often gets ignored.
This movie became very real for me because it is an issue that I am familiar with. I am constantly being made aware of my race and am limited on what I can do because I have to always worry about the optics. Am I looking menacing when I am walking in the park playing Pokemon GO? Do I look like I am about to steal when I am shopping for groceries? These are just a few thoughts that go through my head on a daily basis. I have to constantly be adjusting how I present myself so that I don’t get in trouble for existing. It is a trauma I have always carried with me, and one that I will continue to carry.
This movie does a fantastic job of showing this trauma through a familiar narrative. I don’t mean to scare you or make you uncomfortable with my analysis. Emergency is a fantastic comedy, but it gets serious when it needs to. It is charming, funny, and a very refreshing take on a tired old genre. Check it out on Amazon if you have a Prime membership.
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Movie Review: The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)
The People We Hate At The Wedding is another case of a fantastic cast wasted on a lazy movie. If you are interested in this movie, I suggest watching Brides Maids or Bride Wars instead. This movie feels like a cheap improved version of these movies, and it isn’t worth your time.
The movie focuses on a group of step-siblings who have grown estranged over the years. To reunite the family and mend the bond between them, the eldest invites her family to her wedding. But things are tense between the step-siblings, and things don’t go as planned. Instead of a happy reunion, there is sloppy chaos spilling onto the streets of London. It seems as if all the tension straining their relationship has reached its boiling point. Can they work through their issues and come together as a family before the wedding? Yes, they do. This movie sucks.
The acting is easily the best part, but I wish the story was better. The actors do a great job with what they are given and even share some terrific chemistry, but they can only do so much. The characters are a collection of misfortune and bad decisions without much more depth to them outside of being assholes. The story is a collection of poorly improved skits that go too long and pandering emotional moments that don’t land as they should. Whatever cookie-cutter narrative this film tries to develop throughout its run times instantly becomes predictable. I don’t know which is worse: the boring predictable plot or the jokes that go on for too long.
I liked that the focus is on a family that isn’t perfect, but there isn’t a real story here. This movie has too many plots, none of them which are given the proper time to develop. As a result, this movie takes too long to set up various big moments but then rushes through them to get to the end credits. This makes for a very disappointing conclusion to a movie without much direction.
Don’t watch this movie. It isn’t funny, heartwarming, or entertaining. Other movies have done this story a lot better. Go watch those instead. But for those still interested, you can watch it on Amazon if you have a Prime Membership.
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Tech Review: Redragon K585 DITI Keypad
I want to start off by mentioning that this isn’t a sponsored review. I bought this with my own money and these will be my honest review. All links in this review are my affiliate links, I get a little money if you choose to buy anything I link to.
The Redragon K585 DITI is a mechanical gaming keypad. The keypad has 42 keys and 7 onboard macro keys that are easy to program through their software. You get three options for key switches: red, brown, and blue. The red switches are their silent option, blue is their loudest, and brown is in between. The Redragon K585 DITI is available in both wired and wireless options. And just so you know that this is a gaming keypad, it has RGB.
Out of the box, you get the keypad, a plastic wrist rest, a keycap puller, a switch puller, a braided USB-c cable, a wireless dongle, extra switches for replacement, and a sticker. I choose the wireless option with the blue caps, so my set came with five blue switches.
At first glance, this keypad looks cheap. When you use it, it feels and sounds cheap as well. It’s not unusable nor breaks easily, but it is something to keep in mind. The blue switches are very loud; I recommend you buy one of the quieter options even if you like the sound. The blue switches do not produce the satisfying mechanical sound I am used to, but rather a cheap clanging that will annoy your housemates. You can probably lube the switches to reduce the sound and eliminate some of the clangings, but that is too much effort for a cheap keypad. You are better off spending a bit more for something better.
I used the keypad for about a month for all my gaming. The performance of the keypad was great at first. There was no noticeable latency, but the clanging got annoying. If you are using voice chat, everyone is going to hear your keypresses. Unfortunately, the wireless feature stopped working after a day. I tried updating the firmware, switching ports, and charging the battery, but the fixes were only temporary. I ended up returning the keypad because I couldn’t use it wirelessly.
Programing this keypad is easy. You plug in the keypad and use the software to customize the keys, macros, and lighting profiles. You can change the lighting profiles on the keyboard without having to go into the software which is nice. The macros were nice and I would use them to bind keys that I needed for gaming that this keypad didn’t have. Unfortunately, my bindings kept clearing so I stopped using them pretty early on as well.
The RGB is okay and offers a few options, but you are limited to the preset profiles. If you want better customization, I suggest you get a different keyboard. One pretty cool feature this keyboard has is that the backlight turns off when it is not in use. Unfortunately, I can’t speak about the battery life since I was forced to mostly use it wired. I recommend buying the wired version instead.
Maintenance for the keypad is very easy. The keycaps and switches are easy to remove for cleaning and replacement. I dropped the keypad accidentally from a low height, and one of the keycaps fell off. I was able to put it back without an incident, but I fear a higher drop might prove disastrous.
If you are looking to make your setup more ergonomic, look elsewhere. Although I found my hand position on this keypad comfortable, I could only game on this for an hour before my hand would cramp out and remain useless. The wrist rest offers no additional support and seems more like a gimmick than a feature. You are better off purchasing a third-party wrist wrest. If you are looking for an ergonomic mechanical keyboard, you are better off with the Kinesis Freestyle. You can see my full review on that here.
So is the Redragon K585 DITI worth your money? No, it is not. It feels, looks, and sounds cheap. The only reason I can see someone buying this keypad is if they need the portability. Otherwise, I suggest you spend a little more and buy a full-sized or split keyboard. If you are getting this keypad, get the wired version with quieter switches. You can buy both wireless and wired on Amazon with my affiliate links. The Redragon K585 DITI isn’t a terrible product, but you have better options.
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Series Review: The Devil’s Hour
The Devil’s Hour is a trippy thriller full of suspense, drama, and mystery. While the series does have a confusing start, it will all make sense the deeper you get into it. If you are looking for a decent thriller to binge for the holidays, you can stream it on Amazon Video.
Lucy is a single mother trying to give her son, Isaac the best life she can. Isaac is a troubled kid who is incapable of feeling emotions. Isaac is a troubled kid who sometimes sees things that aren’t there. As heartbreaking as it is for Lucy to watch, she is determined to help Isaac lead a normal life. The trouble is, Lucy sees things too. Each day it seems that her visions are getting more vivid, and she struggles to keep a hold of reality. Will she ever make sense of what is going on, or is she slowly losing her mind?
I enjoyed The Devil’s Hour quite a bit. The acting is fantastic, the story is interesting, and the mystery is well done. The pacing can be an issue at parts, but it never got bad enough to make me quit. One thing to note before starting this series is that it constantly jumps between narratives. It can be a bit disorienting at first, but the show does a great job of giving enough clues to keep the viewers grounded. As jumbled as this series may seem, it is a pretty straightforward narrative. You won’t need to be taking notes.
My only complaint with the series is that the ending is a bit disappointing. The story does a great job at building to something big, but then it just ends on an unsatisfying cliffhanger. I hope they don’t cancel this series before I get my closure.
This is a difficult series to review because I don’t want to spoil anything. I think this series is fine and you won’t hate if if you watch it. The Devils Hour is an interesting and unique thriller that you can stream on Amazon if you have a membership.
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Image by S. Hermann / F. Richter from Pixabay