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Today I got some fantastic news about one of my favorite animated series. I can’t express how overjoyed I am to know that Final Space is finally getting a proper ending. The series follows a quirky and delightful astronaut as he and his friends try to save the universe. If you haven’t seen the series, you need to. It is an epic story full of humor, friendship, and heroism. Make sure you check out my full review of the series.
Unfortunately, the series got canceled before it could end because TBS wanted to write it off for tax reasons. The creator, Olan Rogers, was rightfully devastated because he didn’t own the rights to finish a series he created. For two years, Rogers has continued his fight to finish his story. Five days ago, Rogers announced that Final Space will end in a self-published graphic novel. This makes me incredibly happy because Rogers deserves this. The announcement is up on his official YouTube channel. I recommend you watch it so that you can appreciate the passion and love this man has for his story.
You can pre-order the graphic novel on the Final Space Ends official website. Over 16,000 copies of the graphic novel have sold since the announcement, and the number continues to climb. Keep checking the site if it sells out. I got my copy before it sold out, but more have been available since. The book is $125 plus shipping and is expected to release sometime in 2024. Make sure you follow Olen Rogers on YouTube to stay on top of future announcements.
I know this seems like a lot, but the book is going to be huge and epic. I have faith that this final chapter is going to be the epic conclusion we have all been waiting for.
I wanted to share this announcement because I believe it deserves attention, but also because of the timing. I have been feeling a bit of burnout lately and have debated quitting WordPress. This morning I was on the verge of deleting my blog until I saw this announcement. I was happy that my favorite show was getting its ending, but Roger’s perseverance and passion inspired me to keep going. In his video, he tells his viewers not to give up on their passions, even when things seem hopeless.
“You have to dare to dare to fail”
You don’t understand how badly I needed to hear those words when I did. I know that the algorithm played a huge part in showing me the announcement, but I am superstitious enough to believe in fate. I’ve been consistently on YouTube since it was published, but it was only recommended when I needed it most. As silly as it sounds, too many events in my life have lined up so perfectly that I have to believe that fate exists. I am taking his words to heart and will continue pursuing my passions.
With that, I’ll sign off. I have a backlog of games I’ve sent to review, the Digimon Seekers project I need to finish, and some movie reviews to sprinkle in between. Until then, go watch Final Space, go pre-order the graphic novel, and if you are still reading, thank you for your support. Love you all!
I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you’ve been enjoying this project, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.
There are two major ways to obtain Digimon. The first is by capturing them with a special AI tool. The other is by hatching them from eggs known as Digitama.
Digimon aren’t like the animals we are familiar with. Digimon have no gender, and don’t reproduce. When a Digimon dies, it leaves behind data. Think of this data like a Digimon’s soul. This data moves through the Digital World and becomes a new Digimon somewhere else. It’s sort of like reincarnation, but there is still a lot we don’t know about Digimon ecology.
It’s night. The dark sky is full of stars, and there is a stillness that echoes over the ruins. A closer inspection of the sky reveals that the sky isn’t full of stars but the flowing data between the interconnecting networks that exist above the firewall.
Below this sky sit ruins covered by mounds of garbage. Between it sits a putrid rotting sea of rusted sludge. It breaks against a shore filled with sand of a similar color. Bubbles form on the surface and pop, releasing a vile odor into the air.
How did this land become so rotted? A theory suggests that data from the real world accumulates here and poisons the land. Without natural defenses against this foreign data, the land is left to decay.
Ill intentioned men roam within this rotted canvas, but so do the police who exist to stop them.
A schematic of the area appears on the virtual monitor. Below it, the words “The Last Coast” blink in a simple font. Whoever named it had an odd sense of humor. In recent years, it’s become a hotspot for poachers. Digitama sometimes wash up on these bloody shores, and they can sold for a decent amount of digicoin on GriMM.
The police radio crackles “We have a suspicious Digimon in sight!”
A red dot appears on the virtual map. It’s an unidentified Digimon.
Tamahime watches the screen as the video from the search team starts to come in. “Got it, so it’s like a Tin toy?”
The Digimon looks like a retro robot toy. It has a large domed head like a snowman with long metal robotic arms. It propels through the air on the rockets it has for legs.
“Four bodies total” the voice reports
“We’ve got code crackers. These bots are toast.” Code crackers loved using Digimon, and Cyborg-type Digimon are the easiest to control. These Digimon were sent here with the commands to search the area for Digitama. If this were a real server, the Digimon would be looking for secrets or personal information. Here, the code crackers are looking for scraps.
“How many Digitama did you get?” One of the Espimon asks.
“Only one so far” the other responds.
The culprits don’t know their chat room has been hacked. The police listen in on the conversation. The voices are young. They must be kids in high school. To them, it’s probably just a game. A way to practice. The first step to becoming real code crackers.
“What are you going to do deputy leader?”
Satsuki Tamahime analyzes the virtual map as the team waits for her orders. Police can’t pick and choose which criminals to go after. “Arrest them”
Ten green dots move quickly surrounding the unsuspecting Espimon.
“Jam their coms. Commandramon squads move in. Cut off their escape”
Many voices reply in unison, “Understood!”
The Espimon continue their search. Their code crackers wouldn’t be aware of the ambush either. They most likely don’t even know where their Digimon are. The only thing the code crackers see are crude pixel images on simple LCD screens. But the police have more advanced tech than the rudimentary Digimon Docks the code crackers use. Satsuki can see everything through the eyes of her Digimon.
“How dare you?! How dare you code crackers come here?” Her warning rings. The Commandramon stand up, and the Espimons find themselves surrounded.
Commandramon (child, cyborg, virus type) are standard issue for the DigiPolice. They look like dragon men. They wear helmets and body armor with the word “Police” written on them. Each Commandramon carries an assault rifle. Commandramon’s skin emits an electronic camouflage that lets them blend into their surroundings. This allows them to approach undetected. All that was left to do was to make the arrests.
“Who is that?” asks one of the panicked code crackers.
“It’s the DigiPolice. Run!”
It is too late. Satsuki continues, “Stop resisting. There is no escape. We already have your schools and names. There is no escape”
“Arrested? On what charge? We’ve done nothing wrong” one of the voices responds.
“You are in violation of the Unauthorized Computer Access Prevention Act, the Basic Network Act, and the Digital Vandalizm Prevention Act, and for the Poaching of Digitama!” Sastuki says bluntly.
“The Japanese police don’t have jurisdiction in the Digital World”
Satsuki sighs. Her Digimon, who had been hiding underwater, surfaces.
Squeeeeeeee!!! The sirens blare. The red patrol lights start to rotate. The Epsimon tremble at the sight.
Satsuki continues “you are all Japanese citizens and as long as you are committing crimes, you are going to be in trouble with the Japanese police”
The Espimon press a red button on their belly and vanish in an instant. Vanishing magic? No. It’s their AI defense protocol. Optical camouflage.
The Commandramon fire at the space where the Espimon were, but the bullets find no target. They slip past the police unnoticed.
‘Mekanorimon” As soon as Satsuki gives the order, two large robots appear behind her.
Mekanorimon stand larger than the fleeing Espimon and the Commandrom they served with. These are the DigiPolice’s special purpose vehicles. Each Makanorimon has a Commandramon piloting it.
A twinkling beam erupts from one of the Meknorimon, grazing one of the Espimon. It erupts into a flurry of sparks as its camouflage dissolves. The Espimon falls onto the beach. The remaining three Espimon continue to flee, unaware that they are now visible.
“Don’t let them get away. Fire!”
“The weapons are still charging. We won’t be able to catch all of them” the Mekanorimon unit responds.
Petite Impulse
Suddenly, a bolt of lighting crashes into the rusty coast between. The bolt of lightning catches the police off guard.
“The Espimon?” a confused voice reacts from the radio.
One of the Espimon is left blackened, melted under the lightning’s heat. Bolts of lightning come down for the remaining two.
“What’s going on?” A new marker appears on the screen. It sits there, motionless.
A yellow Digimon stands over the deactivated Espimon. “Is that..Pulsemon?”
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
The Commandramon squad points their guns.
A voice comes in over the police radio “Looks like you just got beat by the hacker Judge!” says a familiar voice.
“Orders?”
“Judge!”
Pulsemon glances at Satsuki’s Digimon and blows her a kiss before turning into a bolt of lightning and disappearing into the sea of networks.
“God Dammit!” Satsuki bangs her fists on the table.
“Squad leader?” The Commandramon wait for orders. Satsuki shakes in anger.
“We’ve got the Espimon and Digitama. We’ll leave the rest to the police.”
“And the Pulsemon?”
“Leave it. You can’t catch him anyways. Pack it up. There’s no overtime.”
“Yes Ma’am….Huh?” The radio goes silent for a moment. “The Digitama. They’re gone!”
I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
“Digimon are alive!” The words linger in dead air.
Eiji breaks the silence with an involuntary chuckle “It be cool if Digimon were alive. Lots of people have Digimon. Some folks keep them as pets and others collect them. Digimon are pretty useful tools.” Eiji thinks of his Tyrannomon. Tyrannomon are popular with code crackers because they were common and easily caught. Most Digimon exists as code traded, bought, and sold between people on GriMM.
“Hmm,” Ryusenjji responds, somewhat lost in thought.
“So, when will Digimon Land be ready? Where are you going to build it?”
Ryusenji snaps out of his thought as a look of disappointment fills his face. He begins to shake his head “We had to stop development on Digimon Land…Permanently”
“Seriously?”
“The park presented many challenges, some of which were…. impossible to overcome. There’s a reason why the digital world has to be kept a secret. People aren’t ready.”
Eiji thinks about the plane crash. He can still hear the screams and the terrible sound of the plane slicing through the air as it fell
“There are bad people out there Eiji. People who will misuse Digimon. Digimon Crimes started small. A game server would crash or a website would get overloaded, but they were brushed off as pranks. Soon, the news started trickling in about identity theft and random acts of terrorism. You saw what happened to that plane. There are already people committing Digimon crime at a concerning scale, but the world leaders and international organizations are covering it up!”
Ryusenji takes a moment to compose himself. His hands shake from the anger but slowly still. “Can you imagine what would happen if a criminal used one of the park’s mascots for an act of cyber-terrorism? Can you imagine the scandal? Publicizing the Digital world means publicizing Digimon Crimes, and the world just isn’t ready. Imagine the panic that would cause.”
Eiji nods his head as he listens.
“I can hear the news outlets fear-mongering headlines,” the professor continues. “Digimon are coming for your freedom, more on this at 11,” Ryunsenji looks flustered as his rant grows angry. “It is shortsighted to assume all Digimon are evil…People just aren’t ready to understand.” The professor’s words trail off, turning into an incoherent rant.
“Professor?” Eiji asks, attempting to bring him back.
The professor wakes from his trance and remembers where he is. “There is another world beyond the network where Digimon are alive. The real world and the digital world both coexist. Do you want to see it?”
“Yes of course” Eiji replies with a hint of skepticism clinging to his words. He’d only known the digital world through the black and white screen of the palm-sized device he made from salvaged parts.
“Do you know why what I am telling you is top secret?”
“Because its real?”
Ryusenji smiles as he nods, “Yes. That was real footage from the digital world.”
Eiji looks at the Modoki Betamon on the screen. It’s alive! He thinks of the Tyrannomon he’s been using. They’re alive too. They’re all alive.
“That is why I have devoted my life to studying Digimon. To D4.” The transfer of Modoki Betamon is complete. The professor unhooks Eiji’s handmade device and looks over it once more.
Eiji moves forward with his arm extended “Thank yo..”
SNAP
Ryusenji tosses Eiji’s Digimon dock to a nearby bin.
Eiji moves quickly and catches the dock before crashing into the trash can and stumbling to the floor. Eiji spent a lot of time building it. Even though it was made from mostly junked parts, it cost him a lot of money. “What are you doing?” His face still recovering from the sting.
“There was an error in the memory”
“Seriously?!” Eiji couldn’t believe it. The memory had never been an issue.
Ryusenji was a Digimon Collector, and like most collectors, he was precocious about his collection. “My research requires Digimon data to be perfect, or else its worthless. That Modoko Betamon data was nearly destroyed.”
“That doesn’t mean you need to throw it away. It may be worthless to you, but this stuff is expensive. I don’t have the funding of a huge corporation or access to expensive equipment” Eiji snaps as he looks over his device for signs of damage.
Ryusenji ignores Eiji’s outburst. He seems preoccupied on a new thought.
“…Hello?” Eiji waves, trying to regain his attention. The man may be a genius, but he had no right.
“Sorry about that,” the professor replies suddenly. “You just gave me an idea. Let me see you left arm”
“My..arm?” Eiji studies the professor suspiciously. Ryusenji stands over him, flashing an eager smile. Eiji offers his arm up cautiously. Rysenji attaches something to Eiji’s wrist.
Eiji looks down and finds a stylish smart watch wrapped around his wrist. The sight of the gift makes him tear up. It’s been a while since he’s gotten a present. He fights back the tears. He wants to be professional.
“It’s Abadin Electronics’ latest Digimon Dock. Make sure you take care of it Eiji”
Eiji studies his gift. AE products were top of the line and highly sought after by Code Cracker. Eiji could only dream of owning AE parts, but here he stands with the latest model strapped to his wrist.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
“Now this is just a prototype I’ve been working on so there might be some bugs.”
Eiji manages to rip his gaze from the watch. “This is amazing professor, thank you!”
The watch starts cycles through the startup process. “It has a biometric vital sonsor. Only you will be able to use it,” the professor explains.
“Just for me?!?!” Eiji can’t hide his excitement.
The professor nods “It can record your pulse, blood pressure, and other medical data. Most importantly, it supports Digimon hololization. Digimon hololization is only allowed in at the DDL and a few other facilities, but this…is a special exception”
Eiji is too excited to hear the explanation. He continues to turn over the watch to appreciate it from every angle.
“But here’s the thing” the professor begins. Eiji’s heart sinks. Of course there’s a catch. He knew better than to think there wouldn’t be a catch, but he also wasn’t ready to depart with his new watch. “I want to see what the famous Cracker Fang can do with it the next time I ask him for a favor”
“You got it chief!”
“That was fast. Good. I like that about you.” Ryusenji takes Eiji’s arm and presses the switch on the side of the Digimon Linker. The screen begins to glow a faint green. A mysterious flame flickers across the screen before vanishing into black. Words scroll past the watch reading: Loogamon, child, dark beast, virus type
Eiji looks at the strange Digimon occupying his screen. A small blue…
“It’s a..Dog?” Eiji asks stary-eyed.
Eiji passes through the security gate alone. The professor’s words echo in his head. Digimon are alive. The digital world is real.
Eiji passes the reception desk.
“Oh, good evening!” This time Hatsune speaks to him first.
Eiji turns away from his watch “Do I return the pass here?”
“Yes please. Put it here. Thank you very much.” She says, pointing at a small basket in front of her.
As Eiji returns the bass, he notices Hatsune eyeing his watch curiously. “The professor gave it to me. It’s a Digimon Dock.”
Eiji shows off his watch. Hatsune scurries around the desk. She grabs his hand to get a closer look and whispers “Isn’t that the newest model? I thought those were top secret?”
Eiji is surprised by how well-informed Hatsune is. “It’s just a prototype. The professor asked me to test it for him.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” Hatsune says, reexamining Eiji. “The professor must really trust you.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutly” Hatsune lowers her voice “The professor is so…strange. He wouldn’t give this to just anyone.”
“He is peculiar isn’t he?” Eiji blurts out. Eiji is surprised by Hatsune’s sudden change in attitude. She is a lot nicer towards him now. “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure Nagasumi.”
“You can call me Eiji”
“Likewise…eh..you can call me Hatsune or whatever. Oh, this is your admission record. I noticed you left your occupation blank. If you don’t mind, what should I put down?”
“My occupation?” Eiji thinks for a bit before declaring proudly “I’m a Code Cracker!”
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65 is a solid B movie with sufficient action, story, and cool-looking dinosaurs. It isn’t winning any awards, and it is a bit slow, but it is fine for what it is. If you are curious about watching this movie, throw it on in the background and enjoy the good bits. Adam Driver is transporting groups of people across space to make money for his sickly child. His latest mission is interrupted by an uncharted asteroid system that forces him to make an emergency crash landing on an undiscovered planet. He and a young girl are the ship’s only survivors. Now the two must brave a world full of dinosaurs as they make their way to the only remaining escape pod. Can they make it off this planet? The leads have good enough chemistry to make a movie with very little dialogue work. I do take some issue with the little girls’ problematic representation, but it wasn’t so bad that I had to turn it off. I would have preferred it if they spoke the same language, but the movie handles the language barrier well enough. This movie is dumb. The story is on the generic side, the science is too magical, and there is a fair amount of ex-Machina. There are also some slow bits you could gloss over, but the movie is fine. It’s fun to watch Adam Driver blasting away Dinosaurs, and the relationship the forms between the two leads is cute. It’s not a movie you should be rushing to, but it is an option when you need something in the background that doesn’t require your full attention. I liked it enough to watch it again, and I liked it a whole lot better than After Earth. So throw it on, skip through the slow bits, and enjoy this silly bit of alternate history.
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I was sent Lightracer Spark as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Lightracer Spark is a sci-fi visual novel with light RTS elements. You play as an amender from an advanced alien cavillation on a mission to save the universe from collapsing. To do so, you must travel to developing planets and help with their evolution. You manipulate governments, stabilize economies, or eliminate anything stunting the growth of a civilization. But be wary of your choices. A single mistake could be the difference between the birth of an advanced civilization and the destruction of another. Can you bring enough planets into the modern era before it is too late?
If you like sci-fi novels, Lightracer Spark has an interesting narrative that is worth looking into. Only the first chapter of the story is playable, but there are two more chapters planned as free DLC for future releases. This game has some fantastic flavor. I love the idea of playing this god-like creature with the power to control the flow of a civilization, but the story has a few grammatical issues that are hard to overlook. Not enough to ruin the experience, but they are noticeable.
At each planet, you are given a set of issues you need to fix. It can be anything from bringing peace to a war-torn country to helping discover new technology. How you approach solutions to these problems are limited by resources gained or gather in the game. You can use your resources for things like raising armies or on buildings that grant bonuses. I felt this part of the game was a bit too slow. There is a way to speed things up, but I was never confident enough to mess with it. If you are good at RTS games, you will enjoy the pacing and gameplay a lot better.
As far as RTS games go, Lightracer Spark is fairly manageable. The tutorial does a fantastic job of slowly introducing players to the game’s mechanics without it feeling like a tutorial. The tutorial felt like an immersive conversation with an AI, and I appreciated the touch. My only complaint is that I felt like I was taught mechanics that never came up again, but that could be due to user error.
So is it worth it? Lightracer Spark is a niche game, but that isn’t a bad thing. If you like sci-fi and don’t mind the light RTS elements, you should at least look into it. The story is solid, and the flavor is well-designed. It isn’t a bad game, but you do need to enjoy this type of gameplay loop. It’s a lot of reading and waiting on timers. For those interested, you can grab your copy on Steam for 12.99. It’s not a bad price for what you get.
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I just watched the available episodes for Apple’s new series The Big Door Prize, and I can’t help but feel disappointed. The series had potential and some interesting ideas, but it was boring. It was a mistake for Apple to make this series a weekly release. The series is about halfway over, and I don’t want to finish it. I probably will because I have to, but I doubt it gets better.
A small town becomes destabilized when a mysterious machine appears at the local grocery store. For just two dollars, the machine can tell you your potential. After seeing their potential, some people find the courage to pursue a dream they didn’t know they had. Others will spiral as they struggle with the ideas of fate and free will. Where did this mysterious machine come from? Is it really the miracle everyone believes it is, or is it a piece of nefarious engineering?
The series has a solid cast who give decent performances, but the writing and pacing aren’t good. The events of this series move much too slowly because they drag this series out for too many episodes. This could have been a better movie or smaller series, but instead, we have to sit through all its filler. It doesn’t help that the commentary and criticism it tries to make about fate and potential are redundant and lazy. The biggest issue I had was keeping myself from fast-forwarding to the end.
The Big Prize Door proved too quirky, slow, and dull for my taste. It isn’t the worst series in Apple’s catalog, but it is hard to sit through. If you are thinking of watching it, I hold off till you can binge the whole thing, and then I would hold off until you have nothing else to watch.
Since the release of the Digimon Seekersweb novel, I have taken it upon myself to rework the English translation to fix some of its awkwardness. At this point, it’s clear that Bandai only throws the original story into Google Translate and doesn’t bother to hit spell check. While I will do my best to keep the core story elements the same, I’ll be making changes that I hope make the story read better. My version will always go up the Monday after the official release.
Always make sure you support the original. If you enjoy this project, please make sure you leave a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!
Hungry snarls echo off the tunnel walls. Heavy hurried steps crash onto loose gravel. Thick black claws dig deep into the earth as they reach through the darkness. An old light flickers. Its dirty yellow light washes over a large dinosaur. For that moment, its red scales shine and the light catches the glint of hungry blue eyes. The creature snarls as another light reveals its figure. The creature looks like Tyrannosauruses Rex, but not like the ones you’d see in a museum. Thick black stripes decorate its body and a row of pale emerald scales run down its back. Behind it, two identical beasts follow.
A subway car zooms past the trio, illuminating them for moments before leaving them to continue their pursuit in spotted darkness. The Tyrannomon are on a mission.
Tyrannomon, mature, dinosaur type, data species
A tiny shadow scurries ahead of them. With each passing moment, the Tyrannomon inch closer to their prey. The scent grows stronger with each talon full of gravel. Their fangs blare as foamed drool drips down prehistoric jaws. Their prey is trapped.
ROAAARRRRR
The first Tyrannomon lets out as he lunges, but a passing train brings it to a halt. Gravel and dirt shoot from under it. The panging of pebbles against the metal is heard briefly before the screeching of the wheels drowns it out. Dust and dirt kick around the lead Tyrannomon as the remaining two come to a stop behind it. They pace impatiently for the few seconds it takes for the train to pass them. They waste no time continuing their chase. This was their turf, there was no getting away.
The Tyrannomon move deeper into the tunnels. Darkness settles around them heavily. There are no lights to shine a path, but they don’t need them. Instinct guides them through the shadows.
SPLASH
Talons sink into a cold thick liquid. The sensation slows them, but the Tyrannomon do not stop. They wad furiously through the sewage. The putrid rotting scent of the canal begins to mask the scent of their prey. They stop, taking a long sniff at the air in search of the eluding scent. Suddenly, the sound of gusting air appears in the darkness. Before the Tyrannomon can react, a tornado forms around their leader. The water around it kicks up into an angry whirlpool before sending the Tyrannomon flying. It lands on its back, its stomach left vulnerable as the waves from its landing settle around it. It struggles to return to its feet.
FUSHA
A shockwave of energy pierces into Tyrannomon’s stomach, leaving behind a deep hole. The Tyrannomon lays there motionless as its bright blue eyes grow pale and lifeless.
Character design/illustration illustrator: malo
Eiji moves through the lobby of a fast-food burger joint to grab a seat by the window. He carries with him a small Coke he got free with a coupon. He looks out the window and watches the people walking below him. Behind him, a digital 3D pop-up advertises the restaurant’s newest burger. “Don’t forget to supersize it!” The mascot commands as it enjoys the last bite of its burger. The advertisement trails off and is replaced with a generic Pandora station, as it fills the lobby with soft music.
Eiji pulls out his phone from his jacket. “Let’s see if there’s any work,” he says to himself. Aside from a few people sitting in the booths away from him, there was no one around to hear him.
Eiji logs into his GriMM account and begins scrolling through the threads.
GriMM is the world’s most popular social network. Most people use GriMM for its normal social network features like chatting, streaming, and message boards. GriMM’s most distinctive feature is its support for the proprietary cryptocurrency Digicoin (DC). But like anything that exists on the net, there are parts of GriMM that are quite illegal.
For freelancers like Eiji, having a GriMM account is mandatory. GriMM is where freelancers find job postings, sales, and other tools of the trade. Eiji scrolls through the job listings as he mutters to himself.
He scrolls over an image of a BlackAgumon “One -Hundred Million DC for the capture?” It was a lot more money than he made on his usual hunts. The bounty excites as he thinks about all the meat he’ll get to eat. He swishes the coke in his other hand as his stomach grumbles.
But Eiji’s heart begins to sink as he begins to read over the comment section. Instead of helpful tips, it was full of trolls and people asking for money. GriMM is a dumpster fire, but a necessary one.
Eiji stares out the window as he debates taking the assignment. “Maybe this is some sort of urban legend. An Agumon isn’t worth a million. And if it were black, it wouldn’t be an Agumo..” A faint beeping interrupts his trance.
“My Tyrannomon!” Eiji shouts involuntarily. A group of high school students sitting at the other end of the restaurant turn to stare at Eiji. Eiji doesn’t notice as he fiddles with the palm-sized LCD screen in his hand.
Eiji puts down his phone to focus on the small toy-like device in his hand. A deformed pixel version of Tyrannomon fills the screen. There is an “X” on its eyes, and its vitals are gone.
“Gah! I’m so stupid!” Eiji growls. He’d become too distracted, and it was going to cost him. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!” He grumbles.
The two remaining Tyrannomon look up from the LCD screen at Eiji, then at each other in confusion. Eiji starts pressing the keys on the screen, replacing the downed Tyrannomon and entering new commands.
“Capture the target or no food for you!” Eiji growls at the Tyrannomon. If the Tyrannomon doesn’t capture the target, he won’t get to eat either. Such is the life of a freelancer.
The high schoolers shift in their seats as they steal awkward glances at Eiji. They find it strange to see him so worked up over a game. But this isn’t a game for Eiji. Eji is a Code Cracker, and this is his job.
Eiji continues furiously entering commands into the small device.
Tool Settings….Capture! Reassign target to Modoki Betamon
“You’ll pay for underestimating Cracker Fang,” Eiji says, referring to himself as his alias. Eiji clicks the Execute button. The Tyrannomon disappears from the screen. Eiji takes a sip from the half-empty paper cup. Moments later, a chime sounds. Eiji looks down at the LCD screen and smiles. The Tyrannomon have captured their prey. Eiji picks up his phone and continues to scroll through GriMM as he finishes his drink.
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While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t the worst movie in the MCU, it isn’t worth watching either. I am glad I didn’t watch this in theaters, but I can’t justify streaming it either. The movie just feels lazy, uninspired, and anticlimactic.
An accident sends the Ant family into the quantum realm where they find another universe and a unique culture to go with it. But an evil tyrant has taken over the quantum realm and has set his sights on the Ant family. Can they beat the tyrant and save the universe?
There isn’t anything spectacular about this movie. I struggle to remember what happened, and its plot will probably fade into obscurity as soon as I publish this review. The acting feels muted, the writing isn’t good, and the action is boring. The biggest issue with this movie is the silly tone it carries throughout. Instead of building proper tension and suspense, it cuts it with a joke or gag that doesn’t always work. There are characters in this movie that exist to be a joke, never contributing anything meaningful to the plot. Even the lazy sequel bait is riddled with overused jokes that don’t land.
Another issue I have with this film is that they underutilize the villain. Instead of developing the villain and giving him a proper presence, they waste on the pointless drama that no one cares about. The villain only exists when he becomes convenient. Outside of these moments, he doesn’t exist. The tension in this movie comes from poorly written family issues, and King feels like an afterthought. We are told he is powerful and evil, and then he is easily beaten by ex-Machina. King could have been an interesting character if everything about him wasn’t so vague and he showed up to do anything meaningful.
The action of this movie feels like a generic attempt to emulate the rest of the MCU. The build-up to the climax is muddied by the silly tone this movie insists on having. As fun, as this movie tries to be, it never is. The big fight at the end feels like every super hero last-stand fight, so I stopped caring.
I don’t recommend you watch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Everything takes too long to happen, the action isn’t fun, and the story is boring. It isn’t the worst MCU movie, but it is going to be one of the forgettable ones. Don’t pay for it. If you end up streaming it, throw it in the background so you can ignore all the boring bits. I recommend you skip this one unless you are super invested in the MCU. Even then, it is going to be a hard sell.
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The Library of Babeljust released on PC and all consoles, and it might be worth looking into if you like stealth platformers. The Library of Babel is inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story of the same name. I remember reading and enjoying this story when I was younger, and I am curious to see how much this game draws from the source material.
It’s been 20,000 years since the fall of man, and a civilization of robots has risen to take their place. The origins of this new civilization are unknown, but there seems to be peace in this ignorance. But this peace isn’t permanent. The discovery of the library shakes the foundation of this new society. Within its walls is everything that was ever written. What dark truths lie within those ancient pages? Use your proficiency in stealth to sneak into the library and find out.
I like the cartoonish stylized art for this game. The cinematics looks beautiful, and the world carries a distinct post-apocalyptic flavor. Despite how cartoonish the game looks, the stealth mechanics look intense. At least from the trailer, the danger is palpable. I am terrible at stealth games because I don’t have the patience for them, but I am willing to give it a shot because I like the story. The platforming might also be a barrier for me, but it might be worth it if you enjoy the genre.
You can play The Library of Babel now on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Epic Games. You can pick up your copy for $18.99. You can at least add it to your wishlist for later.
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I was given Drop – System Breach as a review code. I am grateful for the opportunity, but I will not let it sway my opinions. This will be an honest review of the game.
Drop is a fast-paced hacker simulator for PC that you should consider if you like these types of puzzle games. In a city full of hackers, you must prove your worth. Take odd jobs, join a faction, and test your hacking skills. Do you have what it takes to be the best?
I had to uninstall this game because of how addicted I became to the gameplay. I understand it may not be for everyone, but there is something in its simple gameplay loop that I couldn’t get enough of.
I love the aesthetic of this game. The graphics aren’t high-end, but they are appropriate for the game. It looks like something you would see in a movie or tv show about hacking.
The gameplay loop is simple. You log into a network of computers and start unlocking the network of nodes until you complete the objectives. You will install viruses, steal data, or do anything else a hacker will do. But you will not be without resistance. Systems will have alarms, viruses, and other defenses to obstruct you. The trick to this game is to efficiently manage your resources while you finish the objectives to maximize your profits. The deeper you get into this game, the more you have to mitigate. This game appears simple, but it gets intense.
There is a story, but it isn’t important. There are also factions, but like the story, they only exist to add flavor. If you miss any text, you aren’t missing out on anything important. I read all the messages, and while I appreciate the flavor it added, I noticed a lot of syntax errors. It won’t ruin the game, but it is hard to overlook.
So should you buy this game? It depends. I enjoyed the game way more than I should have, but it is repetitive. The puzzles feel different because the system’s defenses are always different, but the loop will always be the same. If you don’t like the repetitive loop that is common in roguelikes, you won’t like this game. If you don’t mind the reputation, this game is fantastic. The aesthetic is cool, the gameplay is fun, and the soundtrack is fantastic. You can buy Drop – System Breach for $9.99 on Steam. I think it’s worth the money.
