I liked Murder Mystery, so I was excited about this sequel. I wasn’t expecting a comedic masterpiece, but I at least thought it would be entertaining. Murder Mystery 2 is a lazy sequel and a waste of time. It was clear that this movie was made for a paycheck because it lacks any of the charm or humor to make it work. If you want to sit through a boring and predictable mystery, go ahead and queue this up.
The Spitz find themselves in the middle of another mystery. Someone is framing them for a kidnapping they didn’t do, and now the race is on to piece it all together before they are sent to jail. Can they do it in time? Yes, they do, and it is boring.
There isn’t much to say about this movie because no one is trying. The writing is lazy, the mystery is predictable, and the acting is okay at best. As a comedy, this movie is rarely funny. The jokes that did make me laugh aren’t worth sitting through this movie. The mystery is so poorly written that you can solve it in the first few minutes without even trying. You will know who did it as soon as they walk into the scene.
This movie is so uninspired and unremarkable that I have already forgotten what it was about. It was such a waste of time that I considered turning it off after only thirty minutes, but I powered through it knowing it wasn’t going to get better. If you liked the first one, rewatch that instead. If you are curious about this movie, don’t be. It isn’t good You can stream it on Netflix, but I wouldn’t waste my time.
Game Review: Demeo
I was given Demeo at GDC to review for my blog. I would like to take the time to thank the Devs for taking the time to talk to me and answer all my questions. I am very grateful for the opportunity to try this game more thoroughly. That said, this will be an honest review of the game.
Demeo is a co-op dungeon crawler tabletop game that you can play on PC and VR. You choose from seven classes and move them through different themed dungeons to clear their objectives. Demeo has a minor deck-building mechanic. You use abilities, items, and spells by casting them from cards you buy, find, or earn throughout the dungeon. On each turn, each character has two actions. A character can move, attack, or use an ability. The goal of this game isn’t to clear the dungeon of its monsters but to complete the dungeon’s objectives. It is easy to get caught up fighting monsters only to be overrun by them when you take too long to clear a floor. There is strategy to this game, but it is manageable if you are thinking about your turns carefully.
I love this game because it gives me the perfect board game experience without having to spend time on setup and cleanup. I came into this game already infatuated by the limited experience I got at GDC, but I wasn’t prepared for how dangerous this game was for my time. One more turn easily turned into hours later, so I had to make sure I at least ran my sessions with a timer.
The game runs and looks great. I love the different aesthetics of the adventures, and you can earn cosmetics by playing the game. I did try both the PC and VR versions of the game and have no preference. I love how immersive the VR version of the game is, but the PC version is a great alternative when I don’t want to put on the headset. There is cross-play between the versions, so you don’t need to buy a VR headset if you don’t need one.
The game is meant to be played with other players. You can team up with your friends, or play online with strangers. I keep the strangest gaming hours, so I wasn’t able to play with others. If you are like me and don’t have friends, the solo experience is fantastic. You can run dungeons with a single hero, or you can run them with four. I liked that I was able to try different characters at once. Both experiences felt vastly different, and they kept the game fresh. The difficulty of the dungeon scales was based on the number of characters in the party, but I felt the scaling was fair.
Demeo is a ton of fun and a must-buy if you like playing board games. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, Pico, Meta Quest, and Epic Games for $39.99.
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Movie Review: Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
I know we were supposed to boycott Honor Among Thieves because of how greedy Hasbro is, but my wife wanted to watch it. I couldn’t miss out on the rare opportunity to nerd out with her. She doesn’t care much for my love for D&D, so I was hopeful that this would be my chance to bring her into the hobby. I am still working on convincing her, but at least she enjoyed the movie.
Chris pine is a charismatic bard who turns to a life of crime when his wife is brutally murdered. On his last job, he gets captured and sentenced to jail. On his release, he discovers that the man he trusted his daughter to has taken her. It is now up to him and a band of misfits he has gathered to go on an epic adventure and get her back. Do they have what it takes to overcome the evils this world has to offer?
I had a ton of fun with this movie. The characters are charismatic, the D&D references are fantastic, and the balance between comedy and action is perfect. There was a fear going into this movie that it would sacrifice tension and suspense for one-liners and dumb gags, but I was surprised by how well this movie did. Honor Among Thieves knows when to break the tension with a joke, but it also knows when to be serious to build its suspense. The fight scenes are tense and epic, and I dare you to sit through this whole movie without laughing.
The actors are great. The chemistry between the characters is fantastic, and they play off each other so well. I think this movie works so well because of how well the actors play their characters. If nothing else, they look like they are having fun with this movie. Instead of a generic comedic action or fantasy movie, it felt like a D&D campaign adapted into a film.
If you know nothing about Dungeons and Dragons, you don’t need to. I enjoyed all the references to spells, monsters, and rules, but I didn’t find it necessary to understand what is going on. My wife doesn’t know anything about the game but enjoyed it tremendously. The movie is just a fun adventure with magic and maybe a dragon or two. My only complaint is that the movie is a bit predictable, but it is fine for what it is.
If you are thinking of watching Honor Among Thieves, watch it in theaters. This movie is at least worth a discounted ticket, but I understand the need to boycott it.
Series Review: Swarm (2023)
Amazon’s Swarm is a creepy and strange series that you should be making time for. The series has an amazing cast that gives terrifying performances, a solid story, and beautiful cinematography. At the very least, add this series to your watch list.
After Marissa’s suicide, Dre finds it impossible to adjust to a life without her sister. Dre’s only comfort now is listening to her favorite RnB singer, Ni’Jah. But Dre’s love for Ni’Jah is dangerously obsessive, and this obsession makes Dre violent. The series will deal with the extent of Dre’s toxic fandom as she turns against anyone who offends Ni’Jah. Swarm is violent and full of sex, drugs, and nudity. Viewer discursion is advised.
I will keep my review vague because I don’t want to spoil the experience. This incredibly creepy and captivating series never ceased to amaze me. It is a bit slow and artsy, but it works. The storytelling in this series is amazing. The foreshadowing, symbolism, and fashion all work together to elevate the effectiveness of its narrative. I loved the attention to detail as I picked up on the subtle clues. I even went back to pick them up the ones I missed. Swarm has a well-crafted mystery if you are paying attention. I will be rewatching it to see how much of them I have missed.
This series would be nothing without its lead, Dominique Fishback. Fishback as Dre is the best thing about this series. The way she plays Dre remains unrivaled in the genre. You need to watch this series just to appreciate her performance. The rest of the cast is just as great and plays off of Fishback’s terrifying energy beautifully.
This series does a fantastic job of dealing with obsession and addiction. The way Dre and other characters let their lives be controlled by their obsessions is what makes this series truly terrifying. It is a reality that does exist for people, and this series does a great job depicting the nightmare.
If you haven’t seen this series, at the very least add it to your watch list. It is creepy, beautiful, and has a great story. You can stream Swarm on Amazon if you have a subscription.
GDC Recap: Pool Party
At GDC I got to try out Pool Party, a cute little party game you might want to wishlist if you have the friends for it. The game supports four-player couch co-op. You take control of the cutest pool ball character that you can customize. There are only six game modes, but they have more planned for the future. The game modes include Sumo, Tennis, Pool, Football, Jinxed, and Free For All. Each game is based on a sport and has been adapted to fit the pool theme, and it works brilliantly.
The developers wanted Pool Party to be skill-based. Each game relies heavily on physics. Although each round erupts into chaos, you need to put thought into the moves you make to complete the objectives. The devs also wanted the focus to be on the mini-games, so they eliminated all the boring bits you would find in games like Mario Party. Instead of waiting through boring animation, you spend your time between rounds voting on the next mini-game.
The mini-games are a lot of fun, but I loved football (soccer) the most. Having to recalibrate my approach for each game mode kept me engaged, and the chaos had me focused. You have been warned, this game might destroy a couple of friendships.
The biggest draw to this game is its appearance. This game is super cute, and the maps are vibrant and fun. The developers plan on releasing multiple maps to give the game its variety.
If you are looking for a party game and have the friends to play with, you should at least wishlist Pool Party on Steam. They also plan to release it on the Nintendo Switch, but there isn’t any information on that release yet. There is also a demo you can download and try before you commit.
I want to thank the devs who joined up to play and answered all my questions. I didn’t win any of the matches, but I had a lot of fun regardless. Make sure you follow them on their socials to stay up to date on all the news. You can find them on Discord, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram.
GDC Recap: Shockbyte
At GDC I got to talk to the founders of Shockbyte, a game hosting server provider. The company had its start with Minecraft, but it has since expanded to support other games like Ark: Survivor Evolved and Valheim. You can find a list of supported games on the official website, here.
The founder started the company at 15 when he saw a need in his community that needed to be filled. It has since grown to what it is today, but not without issues. They have since learned from their mistakes and worked hard to provide the best services for their customers. Shockbyte’s goal is to make their servers as user-friendly as possible so that even the most tech illiterate can effortlessly create a server. What sets this company apart is that while its competitors are stuck in their ways, Shockbyte continues to innovate. They plan to add game-specific features to make the user experience as effortless as possible. These features are only months away, and I hope to return with more information as soon as it is publicly available.
If you are in the market for a server to host one of your worlds, Shockbyte offers inexpensive plans with 100% uptime, DDOS protection, and 24/7 customer support. They also have a 72-hour return policy in case you aren’t satisfied. With these kinds of promises, it is at least worth some research.
I haven’t used Shockbyte, but I have used a service like it to host my Foundry VTT servers for my D&D campaigns. At the time, running it on my PC wasn’t an option because my computer was outdated and my internet was slow. The sessions I ran off my computer were terrible. I faced constant crashes, assets wouldn’t load, and my player’s moves wouldn’t register. I was only dealing with images. I can only imagine how terrible the experience would be with something more resource heavy like Minecraft. Having a dedicated server is great because it eliminates the issues. My players could access the servers, even when I was away, and the games ran smoothly on any internet speed. It also eliminated the risk of losing all my work to hardware failure, which I did. I have since started hosting on a Rasberry Pi because it fits my needs better, but I understand the value of a service like this.
Shockbyte has a number of affordable plans for several games. I am sure there is one that is just right for you!
This isn’t a sponsored post, nor was I asked to write anything. I am doing so because the product seems great, and I felt the need to share my experience. I am very grateful that Mitch and Niek made time to speak with me to talk to me about their company and answer all my questions. I know I am still a small blog, so it meant a lot to me that I was treated like I wasn’t. It was clear from our conversation that they are passionate about their company and what they do, and I feel confident that they will succeed in providing a fantastic service. I wish them all the best. Thanks again!
Make sure you follow Shockbyte on their socials to stay up to date on all their news: Discord
*Images taken from the official website
Game Review: Broken Spectre
I was sent Broken Spectre as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review.
Broken Spectre is an unreleased horror narrative for VR that uses hand tracking instead of the remotes. You play as Casey as she goes into the mountains to search for her father who went missing 25 years ago. But the truths she uncovers are a lot more sinister than expected.
I don’t do well with horror games, so this title took me longer to complete than usual. That said, Broken Spectre is a great horror story. The music, the 3D sound, and hand tracking work together to create the game’s ominous atmosphere. The deeper I got into the story I got, the harder it was to convince myself to keep going.
It is hard to talk about the narrative because I don’t want to ruin the ending, but it is a well-crafted narrative. All the clues you find, the visuals you see, and the bits of dialogue you hear all build to the games satisfying conclusion. I found it a bit short, but enjoyable.
The use of hand tracking was a nice touch because it made the game feel a lot more immersive. If you do use hand tracking, make sure the room is well-lit. I felt that the controls were buggy in dim or low light.
The game was released in June 2023, but it felt pretty finished to me. I did break the game a few times, but I was able to work around it. If you like horror and visual novels, you should look into getting this game. It is available on the App Lap if you don’t want to wait.
Best Student Game: Slider
This year’s winner of the IGF award for Best Student Game went to the cute 2D adventure puzzler, Slider. Use the power of a magical artifact to change the world around you to solve puzzles, aid humanity, and save your cat. The game has nine regions to explore, each full of increasingly difficult puzzles. This game has tactical combat, grids, and time travel.
I didn’t get to play Slider during my time at IGF, but I did see people play it. The puzzles are unique, and I am a huge fan of pixel art. There is no release date for Slider, but there is a free demo you can try. I will be trying the demo and return with some more impressions then. Until then, head over to Steam and try it for yourself. Don’t forget to wishlist it if you like it.
*Feature image taken from press release
Series Review: Great Pretender
Great Pretender started as background noise. It was something I threw on randomly while I worked. Instead of something I glossed over, I ended up binging the series far quicker than I wanted. This anime has beautiful art, a great story, and a fantastic soundtrack. If you enjoy watching heist movies, this series should be next on your watchlist.
Edamura was a lowly scammer in Japan, preying on the old to get by. His life changes when a mysterious blond French man recruits him into an elite group of con men. This group of ethical con men preys on the shadiest figures that plague the planet to rob them of all their money for personal gain. But despite Edamura’s natural talent as a scammer, he doesn’t want to be a conman. As hard as he tries to live a normal life, Edamura keeps finding himself on another job. Can people like Edamura ever find peace?
This series captures everything I loved about heist movies. It has unique and charming characters to fall in love with, high stakes, and a very colorful art style. This series is full of deception and misdirection. Every time I thought I figured out the mystery, I found myself being scammed. What sets this series apart in the genre is Edamura’s constant struggle with being a con man. He doesn’t want to scam anyone, even when they deserve it. Watching this struggle as he tries to figure out what kind of man he wants to be made for a powerful narrative. Watching the cast grow with Edamura was even more powerful still.
The crew that Edamura joins isn’t perfect. They never execute a plan perfectly, and they find themself having to constantly improvise. This gave the series a much-needed sense of tension. I liked that despite the crew being made up of gifted individuals, they are all flawed. I loved watching them work through their flaws and grow from their experience. It makes for a very good narrative. One that I am sure you will enjoy.
Great Pretender is a fantastic series with beautiful art, terrific music, and a fun story. If you haven’t done so already, check it out on Netflix.
GDC Recap: Demeo
During this year’s GDC I also got to try Demeo, the survival RPG that I believe is worth looking into. I was fortunate enough to grab a review code for this game, so stay tuned for a full review in the future.
Dameo is a cross-platform RPG that plays like a tabletop game. You choose from seven playable characters and use their unique skills to get through one of their prewritten adventures. Adventures in this game are dungeon themes, each with its unique flavor and the monsters that fill them. Pick up your game piece and move them across a perilous board as you search for a way out. To fight, you use a set of skill cards that you unlock along the way. Some cards you can use repeatedly, but others burn after use. Use them wisely. You unlock cards by looting them from chests or unlocking them from battle. Battles are decided by a dice roll, making your adventure a suspenseful one.
Demeo started as a VR game but has been successfully ported to PC. I only got to play the PC version of this game, but I will be trying the VR version for my full review. You can play this game by yourself, team up with three other friends, or play with people online. The game is cross-play, making it possible for everyone to play together using their favorite version.
From what little I got to try this game, I am obsessed. I love board games but have no one to play with. Demeo gives me the chance to do something I love, even if it’s just on my own. If you like board games, you should look into this game. The game is available on Steam, PlayStation, Pico, Meta Quest, and Epic Games for $39.99.
Shoutout to the developer that took the time to answer all my questions. I appreciate that they took a chance on my small blog, and gave me this opportunity to review their game. Keep up the good work! Make sure you follow them on Twitter to stay up to date on all the news.