After the first season of Jujutsu Kaisen aired back in 2020, I dove head first into the manga. Over the next four years, I read every chapter of the manga. Unfortunately, my interest in the series dulled over time due to certain narrative choices. Whether or not I was in denial over its inevitability I would be disappointed in the ending no matter what narrative decisions creator Gege Akutami made. Ultimately, one thing stayed the same. The Culling Game is the peak of Jujtusu Kaisen.

Following the Shibuya Incident from season 2, we find Yuuji Itadori confronted by Yuta Okkotsu, a third year from the same school as Itadori. Okkotsu, like so many other sorcerers throughout the series, is tasked with killing the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna, The King of Curses. However, we soon learn that Okkotsu was tasked with protecting Itadori in the off chance that Gojo was defeated

Together, along with fellow classmates Megumi Fushiguro and Maki Zenin, special grade sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo and Itadori’s brother, Choso, choose to participate in the Culling Game. The Culling Game is established by series antagonist and parent to Itadori and Choso, Kenjaku.

The rules of the game are many and quite complicated but the basics are that upon joining, you are teleported to one of 10 random colonies spread across Japan. Participants gain points by killing others, gaining five points from sorcerers and one from anyone else. Those that accumulate 100 points can add any rule they desire to the game. The group’s goal is to either accumulate 100 points themselves, or more likely, find another player who already has 100 points and convince them to add a rule allowing the willing transfer of points, and eventually a rule allowing players to leave. The Culling Game will only end when Kenjaku and Sukuna’s vessel are the only two remaining participants.

Essentially, the Culling Game forces sorcerers across Japan to battle each other, resulting in multiple absolutely gorgeous animated fights. Action anime fans had a full-course meal between Maki’s one-man-army fight against the entire Zenin Clan, Itadori’s duel against the defense lawyer turned sorcerer serial killer Hiromi Higurama, Megumi Fushiguro and Panda’s two vs one against Kirara Hoshi or the three-way battle between Okkotsu, Ryu Ishigori and Takako Uro. The animation by the team at Mappa, led by director Shota Goshozono (who also served as director of season two), knocked this adaptation out of the park.

The English voice cast, once again directed by Kirstie Simone with script adaptation by Jeff Nimoy, continues to shine throughout The Culling Game. Adam McArthur (Yuuji Itadori), Kayleigh McKee (Yuta Okkotsu), Robbie Daymond (Megumi Fushiguro) and Allegra Clark (Maki Zenin) brought their A-game this season.

However, I’d like to shine some light on the brilliant new members of the cast.

Although they only appeared in a single episode, I thoroughly enjoyed Aleks Le (Solo Leveling, Mashle) and Erica Lindbeck (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Your Lie in April) as Ryu Ishigori and Takako Uro respectively. Alongside McKee’s Okkotsu, the three of them made the season finale quite possibly the most memorable episode of Jujutsu Kaisen. It was obvious how much fun these three had in the booth recording based on the energy of their performances.

Kayleigh McKee also voices Kirara Hoshi this season and what a way to show how much range she has within a single show. McKee probably has one of the widest ranges, both in pitch and emotion, of any voice actor working today. She always deserves her flowers, but I think those not in the know about her will be after this season of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Although, Ben Balmaceda’s (Aharen, One Piece) performance as Hiromi Higuruma was the stand out for me this season. Within a single episode, Balmaceda left me fully invested in Higuruma’s character, shaping his steady decline and self-serving justice. That final breakdown in the courtroom as his technique appears for the first time had my eyes glued to the screen.

Jujutsu Kaisen: The Culling Game felt like a dream come true. With absolutely spectacular animation, an easy-to-follow plot and complex character motivations, The Culling Game is the peak of Jujutsu Kaisen. I am excited to see part 2 hopefully next year. As long as Mappa keeps this current team on Jujutsu Kaisen, the future for the anime will remain bright. The entirety of Jujutsu Kaisen’s third season is available now on Crunchyroll.

Rating: 10/10

Ever since I received the Nintendo Switch 2 for Christmas, I have taken a break from my PlayStation 5 while enjoying the exclusive games the console has to offer. After playing Kirby Air Riders, I was excited to see a new Mario sports game releasing for the Switch 2. Mario Tennis Fever released on February 12, 2026 and I pre-ordered the game, eager to see the next generation of Mario sports games.

Before I delve into my review of Fever, I will briefly touch on my experience of playing Mario sports games. Growing up on the Nintendo GameCube, I played Mario Superstar Baseball and Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour. Both were games I played heavily with their phenomenal soundtracks, fun and creative gameplay and engaging game modes. For example, Mario Superstar Baseball is an particularly special game with the variety of baseball venues to play on. This includes DK Jungle with barrels charging at fielders and the piranha plant-infested Yoshi Park.

More recently, I checked out three Mario sports that released on the Nintendo Switch: Mario Strikers: Battle League, Mario Golf: Super Rush and Mario Tennis Aces. All three of these games were enjoyable but none of them blew me away. Battle League (essentially Mario soccer) had explosive gameplay and fun power-ups, but suffered from too much equipment, complicated controls and broken characters. For example, Toad is so ridiculously fast that it nullifies any defense.

Mario Golf: Super Rush is the best of the three in my opinion. When wanting to have a fun and enjoyable couple hours of gaming, playing Super Rush is the perfect choice. Though not the greatest, I enjoy sprinting to the ball after cranking a tee shot. This brings out the competitive juices, but can be relaxing when the feature is turned off. I enjoyed the adventure mode where the player can be their custom Mii and battle against different characters in a wide variety of courses.

Lastly, Mario Tennis Aces was fun to play as my first Mario tennis game. Tennis games are a blast for me as I enjoy volleying and using the net to my advantage. The adventure mode was clunky at times with weird bosses (the player had to defeat an enemy by hitting their mirrors), but it got me comfortable with the controls. Aces overall was fun. However, the gameplay was very repetitive and too reliant on star shots to make any reasonable difference in a rally, especially in online play.

With this in mind, I was excited for the third generation of Mario sports games. Fever is easily the best Mario sports game since the two I grew up playing and yet another example of how incredible of a console the Switch 2 is. The game is filled with enough content to keep players busy, performs amazingly and a power-up system that makes every tennis game a fresh experience.

I was blown away by how much there is to do in Mario Tennis Fever. First, the adventure mode was much improved as Mario and Luigi, along with Wario and Waluigi, are turned into babies. They must attend the Mushroom Kingdom Tennis Academy to level up their powers and strength. Although some awkward battles ensued similar to the previous game, I was much more entertained as they related to various game modes in normal play. For example, you play on a court infested with piranha plants that spit the ball back into the opposite court they are facing.

On top of this, there are trial towers where the player must complete various challenges related to the game mechanics and fever rackets. Once the trial towers are beaten, the game then provides 100 trials. What makes these especially engaging are the conditions that must be met to perfect them, such as not losing a point, not getting knocked out, etc. Although, the leaping condition results in the ones where this is a factor to be annoying. What this means is the player cannot lunge for a ball out of reach, but sometimes the player can do the lunge when the ball is right in front of them. This is a small complaint, yet it is aggravating when I have to re-do trials as result of this feature.

Also, there are many different game modes on top of free play and the excellent addition, tournaments. There are ring challenges where the player and the CPU battle to see how many rings they can hit the ball through, and my personal favorite, Wonder Mode. That is inspired by Super Mario Wonder, where there is a wonder flower that can turn the court into whatever chaos the game generates, similar to the side-scrolling platformer I played back in 2023. The uniqueness and unpredictability provide a fresh experience every time. Wonder pots and flowers also announce the action, further improving the game.

With the console’s performance equivalent to that of the PlayStation 4, the quality of the gameplay is astounding and easily the best of any Mario sports game I have played. The colors are vivid and pop, the action is smooth with consistent 60 frames per second and the power-ups, which I will cover shortly, are displayed beautifully. Playing it on handheld with this quality is a treat every time.

What truly makes Mario Tennis Fever a great game are the various fever rackets. In Aces, the various characters had their unique power-ups that made them different, but the rackets were basic and constantly broke. Fever did away with that feature, and, instead, there are 30 different rackets players can choose from once they are all unlocked. I had a great time testing them out and ultimately, the three standouts were the Swerve Racket, the Volcano Racket and the Thwomp Racket.

First, the Swerve Racket was easily my favorite since it created a sizable difference on the normal spin with the fever shot being a non-stop curving missile. Winning points and service aces with this has been so satisfying. For the other two, creating a crater that shoots volcanic bombs toward the player and a thwomp that hovers on the court that smashes opposing players. These are excellent examples of how the gameplay provides unexpected outcomes each time, while giving the player ample opportunity to be strategic with their fever shots.

Overall, Mario Tennis Fever is another spectacular edition to the Nintendo Switch 2 catalogue. The fever rackets, variety of game modes and smooth performance make this a game that is fun to play and relax with. If you grew up playing Mario sports games, I highly recommend Mario Tennis Fever.

Rating: 9/10

A release date is finally here.

June 5, 2026 will be the day that I get to play Gothic 1 Remake after years of waiting, analyzing trailers, playing demos, forming wish-lists and hoping for any kind of clarity on when the game will be released.

Before I dive into my thoughts on the trailer that announced the release date, I will say I am overall happy with the date itself. Currently, there are not any other major games releasing close to it other than Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight a week beforehand. Also, it is during June, meaning that March Madness will have passed and we’ll be in the Finals of the Stanley Cup and NBA Playoffs. On top of this, the June 5 release date gives me a full weekend to play the game as much as possible before the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11.

With that said, let’s dive into the trailer. I adore the overall theme of the world being harsh while giving the impression for veteran players that this theme will be expanded on in the Remake. One of the reasons the original game is so adored is because of how the player is treated as the bottom of the barrel when starting the game. They then must work their way up to the top to survive and stand up for himself.

However, it appears that while the brutality from the Old Camp will return in the Remake, the New Camp’s anarchist mentality will be expanded upon. In the original game, the Rogues are mostly very friendly and peaceful outside of Lefty, who bullies the player into giving peasants water. We hear about them raiding the Old Camp caravans to the Old Mine, but for the most part, are cordial with the New Camp.

Based on the trailer, it appears that the Rogues will live up to their name much more and will also treat the player in a similar manner that the Old Camp does. Also, in the original trilogy, we hear about the Rogues and Mercenaries alliance to protect the mages with their respective leaders, Lares and Lee. In the original game, we hardly see the two sides united in the New Camp, mainly hearing about it in Gothic II: Night of the Raven. Since the trailer discussed the rogues bowing to the magicians in the New Camp, I am feeling hopeful I will get my wish in the Remake.

Speaking of wishes, two shots in the trailer have started to show me that two items in my 2022 wish-list are going to come true.

First, I wanted the Nameless Hero’s four friends to have an even bigger role in the game than they did in the original. In the trailer, there is a shot of the four gathered around a campfire, referencing meeting places they discussed in the original game, but were never seen (an abandoned campsite near the Old Camp seemed like the obvious meeting point). This excites me as having the four friends in the story more will make the writing and build-up more impactful than the original game.

Second, this trailer FINALLY gives us the first tease of the final item on my 2022 wish-list, Gomez. He is the leader of the Old Camp and the most powerful man in the Valley of Mines, while being the embodiment of corruption. We didn’t see any shots of him in the previous trailers, meaning they were potentially waiting to show him off in the game. While this trailer didn’t outright show him (I think), we do get a shot of a dancer in a throne room where the throne appears to be glowing blue, indicating an aura of ore. To me, this is a nod to Gomez as he is the boss of the Ore Barons, buys women for his entertainment and is the only one in the Valley of Mines to sit on a throne. I am hopeful he is an impactful and brutal villain in the Remake.

My last two thoughts have to deal with the voice acting. First, there is what appears to be a female narrator at the beginning of the trailer. This is great because in the original three Gothic games, only Night of the Raven had a decent female representation. In fact, in the original 2001 game, female characters did not have any dialogue options. I am intrigued to know who this narrator is supposed to be and if she has an important role in the game.

Lastly, Joseph May (Elden Ring, Battlefield 6) does the voice of the Nameless Hero and in the trailer, we do hear him speak a line resembling one of his most famous lines in the original game: “If there’s a way out of here, I’ll find it.” While it is short, I can tell that the voice representation has the Nameless Hero being no nonsense and sarcastic like he was in the original trilogy. While I will always be used to the original voice actors Bradley Lavelle (first two games) and Crispin Freeman (Gothic 3), I am excited to hear a modern voice for the character that has been the face of my entire life of gaming.

I am excited to pre-order the game to play immediately on June 5. Stay tuned for my review of the game and any other demos or trailers that release before then.

Growing up, Kirby Air Ride was a special game to play as the City Trial mode provided memories I treasure to this day. I wrote a review of the original game, here. I enjoyed the unpredictability of the events that occur as the players ride throughout the city, finding power-ups to prepare for stadium contests such as Air Glider, Drag Races, Single Race, etc. When I realized that Kirby creator and director Masahiro Sakurai returned to direct a new adaptation of his 2003 classic, I was excited, immediately playing it after receiving my Nintendo Switch 2 for Christmas.

Kirby Air Riders (2025) has the same three modes as the original game. Air Ride is still the same from the original game where the player engages in a race filled with copy enemies to battle opposing racers in speed and strength. Meanwhile, Top Ride is an overhead miniature race where the player can choose to steer using the control stick or specific directions where it is pointed at.

City Trial is where the crux of the gameplay is for me. The player rides around in Skyah, an ever-changing city with different sections to it, such as a volcano, amphitheater, a shipwrecked ruin, an underground crystal mine, a rail system and more. Like in the original game, exploring the area was a joy, and when I got the game, I spent hours exploring the city and taking in every random corner and landmark.

Here is the twist: there is an option for the player to allow the city environment to change each time they play. I was ecstatic when I learned this, meaning even to this day while playing, I discover new features and areas. For example, there is a floating island outside the city full of items. To get there, the player must either have an abundant amount of gliding power-ups, a machine capable of longer flight with said power-ups, or unlock the legendary flight machine, Dragoon. As an aside, the variety of the island’s possible environment is so varied that in one game it can be grassy, while in the the next it can resemble the Fountain of Dreams.

Also, I mentioned in my review of the original game the crazy events in the city and how it made each game feel fresh. Not only did Air Riders bring back this feature, but they expanded it. There are easily double the events of the original Air Ride game, with new ones including random races and dustup derbies in the city, machines turning into UFOs, items becoming gigantic, boxes shrinking in size, etc. As a result, I have played numerous normal City Trial games to see what craziness is in store for me. This comes in addition to the new machines, stadiums and race courses.

There are two features the game added that not only made City Trial even better, but especially Air Ride mode as well. The player is allowed to choose different characters to play as other than Kirby, such as Meta Knight and King Dedede. Like Mario Kart, you must unlock the other playable characters, which doesn’t take that long. With this, the player can wield different abilities, such as Meta Knight’s automatic sword usage and Dedede’s hammer. The riders also have power gauges, giving them the ability to use a special move unique to their characters (like Smash Bros). While the complaint of Air Ride feeling slow compared to City Trial remains, this change eases that while freshening up the experience.

Something I wasn’t expecting for the game was a story mode called “Road Trip.” Zorah, a sentient machine, crashes on planet Popstar and is immobile. His wish to move freely again reaches the Fountain of Dreams and is granted by Galactic Nova, which is orbiting the planet. Nova creates machines that when combined with a strong-willed rider, can do its owner’s bidding. Then, Nova recreates Zorah into Gigantes, a powerful machine that can destroy the planet if activated.

The player competes rides across many worlds with challenges that allow players to gain power-ups, receive more at rest stops and tackle boss battles. The boss battles are mostly unique to Air Riders as the player only had to fight King Dedede in Air Ride. I enjoyed tackling different challenges, although they got too easy toward the end. The story was passable enough to keep me engaged and ultimately, it was improved by voice actor Todd Haberkorn’s (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Fairy Tail) entertaining narration.

Ultimately, the cherry on top of Air Riders providing a memorable experience for me was the return of Air Ride’s soundtrack. “Air Glider” was my favorite song of the original and its return gave me chills as I shattered record riding Dragoon. Other tracks including “Legendary Air Ride Machine,” “Station Fire” and “Dyna Blade,” all made their glorious return, giving me an ample amount of childhood nostalgia.

Overall, Kirby Air Riders was exactly what I was hoping for, a modern improvement on a childhood classic with the right amount of childhood nostalgia. City Trial is even more fun and that is the best compliment I can give Air Riders. I recommend this game if you are looking for a fresh and fun game to wind down with and enjoy with friends. It is exclusively available on the Nintendo Switch 2.

Rating: 9/10

After years of hearing people rave about the many critically acclaimed series on Apple TV+, I finally bit the bullet and got a subscription. Together, my dad and I watched a myriad of equally amazing television over a seven-month period, starting with Severance.

Created by Ben Stiller after the critical and commercial failure of his Zoolander sequel, Severance is the natural culmination of his years working as a creative. I remember seeing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty in theaters in 2013 and falling in love with Stiller’s direction. I wish I didn’t have to wait over a decade to see him make something even more brilliant but I am so glad he did.

Severance follows Mark Scout (played by Adam Scott), an employee at Lumon Industries who has gone through a Severance procedure, splitting his consciousness between his life at work, and his life outside it. As Mark, both in and out of Lumon, grows increasingly skeptical of the business’ practices, he uncovers a larger plot alongside his co-workers. This is propelled by the mysterious disappearance of his work self’s best-friend, Petey (played by Yul Vasquez) and his rebellious replacement, Helly (played by Britt Lower).

Every member of the series cast is exceptional, but the standouts are the employees at Lumon. Adam Scott has mostly made his career in comedy, like Ben stiller, so seeing him give his all in such a dramatic role is mesmerizing. Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman are the standouts because prior to Severance, they had not had such demanding and evocative roles in much of anything, allowing them to shine here. It is no surprise that John Turturro and Christopher Walken are amazing as well, but it’s the less-prolific members of the cast that drew my attention the most.

Severance manages to balance horror and comedy, playing to both Stiller’s comedic strengths and his talent as a director. With Stiller taking a step back from directing with season 3, I am excited to see what talented directors he brings on to add their own style to the show’s unique identity among the already extraordinary talent including Aoifie McArdle (Brave New World), Sam Donovan (The Crown, Utopia), Uta Briesewitz (The Pitt, Stranger Things) and Jessica Lee Gagne (Mrs. America, Escape at Dannemora).

As my first watch on Apple TV+, Severance captivated me and led my expectations for the service’s other exclusives to be very high, a bar that was consistently met. My love of television and film naturally led to Seth Rogen’s The Studio, which I naturally will be covering next.

Season 2 of Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake begins with Finn being poisoned and Huntress Wizard forced to “hunt” for a cure for Finn. As the story progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious that this cure is not a physical elixir, but more symbolic. By the fifth episode, it has been well established that Huntress Wizard struggles to express her emotions, likely due to fear of hurting those she cares about. She cares about Finn most of all, so naturally she is most fearful of hurting him. Yet, it’s her inability to share her feelings that is the true poison.

Her hunt for this cure leads Huntress Wizard to the Heart of the Forest, which she takes from in hopes of creating a cure for Finn. However, as a consequence, she is sent through a portal, seemingly to the underworld of the Forest. This underworld connects every universe together, leading to the seeds representing Huntress Wizard’s remains to be spread throughout the multiverse, landing her in Fionna and Cake’s world.

Once she regains her original form, Huntress Wizard begins searching for that universe’s Heart of the Forest in hopes of using its multi-universal connections to return to Ooo and save Finn. The Heart of the Forest acts as a World Tree, connecting the universes, as well as the realms inhabited by cosmic entities like Orbo, Prismo and Cosmic Owl, together.

All of these connections to nature within the story should come as no shock considering Huntress Wizard’s design was inspired by Artemis from Greek mythology. Her connection to the wilderness, focus on the hunt and prominent use of the bow are all seemingly pulled from Artemis. That naturally is used as the source of her lack of human connection, and yet another reason she struggles with her feelings for Finn.

Huntress Wizard’s journey to reunite with Finn bares many commonalities with the narrative of the lost husband. She broke her culture’s traditions by leading Finn to the Heart of the Forest, and then by actively harming it to save him. Now trapped in another world, she has been forcibly separated from him and can only return to him by redefining what that culture means for her.

While Huntress Wizard’s new abilities and renewed respect for the Heart of the Forest allow her to return to Finn, it is her love for him that ultimately saves him. While he isn’t exactly awoken by true love’s kiss, he might as well have been.

Adventure Time has always been deeply ingrained in classic fairy tales and myths, yet the way Fionna & Cake’s second season uses them for Huntress Wizard and her journey to save Finn is definitely my favorite. It combines so many of my favorite fairy tale tropes together in such a natural and inventive way.

When it was revealed that Huntress Wizard, one of my favorite minor characters from Adventure Time, would be the focus of the second season of its sequel series, my excitement was immeasurable.

Following the terrific first season, season 2 of Fionna & Cake, begins by revealing Finn had been poisoned in the Forest while trying to help Simon in the first season. While trying to find a cure, Huntress Wizard finds herself stranded in Fionna’s world. Meanwhile, Fionna is trying to figure out a way to save Gary and Marshall’s new home from being destroyed. Upon discovering Huntress Wizard, Fionna has to balance being there for her friends in the city and her friends in Ooo.

If you are familiar with Spider-Man and Daredevil, then Fionna’s struggles this season will feel very familiar. She is constantly forced to balance her selfless desire to help her friends and her selfish desire to have that same love for herself. Helping Huntress Wizard return to Ooo is definitely a selfless act, but ultimately she uses this as an excuse to fail on her friends. There are many moments where she actively hurts her friends in order to get what she wants as well. I have seen many complaints about how awful of a person she is this season, but I don’t see that as a negative.

As a 20-something adult, we can be very messy and tend to make wrong choices, even when knowing the potential consequences. In the moment, we see whatever will benefit us without looking too far ahead. At that age, we lack the wisdom to see where our choices will lead us. It can hurt seeing that reflected in a character on-screen, but that just makes Fionna’s story more compelling in my eyes.

Adventure Time’s characters are messy. Cake struggles with her identity, wanting to hide who she actually is in front of the man she loves. Marshall and Gary have trouble including each other in the larger aspects of their lives, such as each other’s family. Huntress Wizard gets stranded because she doesn’t want to admit her love for Finn, the one thing that might actually cure his poison.

While I do think the series is paced a little oddly, I never felt like the time spent with Fionna and her world’s cast of characters were wasted. Seeing her break and then having to fix her relationships with her friends is the heart of this season ultimately. While I can understand the secondhand embarrassment might be too much for many people, without it, Fionna’s story wouldn’t be as compelling.

Ultimately, the second season of Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake is still great. It may not have the world-bending spectacle of the first season, but it still has the personal relatable character-writing. There are many characters I hope to get the same treatment as Simon and Huntress Wizard in future seasons, but no matter what, I will be there watching.

As an aside, I am planning on writing an article dissecting the mythic and fairy tale motifs used for Huntress Wizard throughout this season, so stay tuned for that!

The second season of Fionna & Cake is available now on HBO Max.

Rating: 9/10

As a fan of both Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, I was naturally excited for creator Vince Gilligan’s new postapocalyptic dark comedy, PLUR1BUS.

PLUR1BUS follows Carol Sturka, played by Rhea Seahorn, a romance fantasy writer who finds herself one of few unaffected by a wave of hivemind happiness that is affecting nearly all of humanity. When this wave causes a traumatic event in her life, she struggles to adjust to every person around her, feeling and expressing emotions that she has no desire to. The world has changed and she must now decide if she wants to change with it.

The series’ title originates from a traditional United States motto, “e pluribus unum,” which translates to “one from many.“ PLUR1BUS is mostly about how Carol responds to the event, but it also reflects how different people would react to everyone around them suddenly becoming homogenized with shared experiences and knowledge. For example, a ten-year-old Indian boy now has all the knowledge and skills of an American brain surgeon.

Carol is not the only survivor, and the others are used to explore this idea. Carol, who enjoys disliking, or even hating new things, naturally is adverse to such a drastic change. However, she also has no one around her to still cling to. The other immune people that do, naturally cling to their loved ones as if they are still them even though both the audience and Carol know that is no longer the case. Any individuality they had that made them who they are is gone now that they are part of “them.”

However, the show introduces two characters to act as analogs of the two extremes Carol now navigates. Koumba Diabate (portrayed by Samba Schute) of Mauritania, relishes in the willingness of the “them“ to provide for his every want and need, and Manousos Oviedo (played by Carlos-Manuela Vesga) of Paraguay, who actively avoids any interaction with “them” even if it means his own demise.

These two perspectives weigh the benefits and negatives of this collectivity. There is no more waste, resources are conserved and people work together. Yet, that comes at the cost of culture, art, individuality, selfish desire and any feeling besides selfless joy for others. “They“ cannot feel romantic love, hate, sadness or many of the emotions that we associate with being human. PLUR1BUS asks if people can still be people without those things, and ultimately the answer appears to be “no.”

PLUR1BUS is yet another brilliant piece of television by showrunner Vince Gilligan, and the rest of the series’ writers tackle this subject with such nuance and creativity. I cannot wait for the second season.

The first season of PLUR1BUS is available on Apple TV+.

Rating: 10/10

Back in April, I had the pleasure of seeing, The King of Kings, an animated movie from Angel Studios about the life of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I reviewed it here, but it hit all the right emotional notes due to showing how cool Christ is from a child’s perspective, how serious it took the story despite the PG rating and how biblically accurate the events of the film were. When I saw they were doing another animated movie, this time featuring King David, I was excited to check it out. It is based on the show Young David, which is also made by Angel Studios. Spoilers ahead.

There were good moments in the movie, and it had some good themes that apply to all Christians such as myself. However, I felt David not only fell flat compared to The King of Kings, but it was a messy film that never held a consistent tone.

The film adapts most of the events from 1 Samuel 16-31, covering David’s anointing, defeating Goliath, being hunted by King Saul and eventually, the death of Saul and his best friend, Jonathan, by hands of the Philistines. Alas, it is a musical, taking the tone of classic Disney movies where music takes over many of the non-action scenes. As much as I love some Disney classics such as Aladdin and The Lion King, I do not usually enjoy musicals.

Phil Wickham, a Christian artist I actually listen to, performed the singing for David and did an excellent job with the vocals that emphasize worship, yearning and a trust in God. David in the Bible played the lyre and composed many of the Psalms. They established this aspect of David well. However, music was played in more serious moments, such as him defeating the Amalekites, and him being summoned to his house for the anointing. For me, this lessened the impact of some serious scenes in the Bible, which is made apparent after reading the 1 Samuel chapters the film based its events on.

I understand the movie was made for children. However, The King of Kings was not a musical, yet it did not at all downplay the weight of the scenes and the story of the most important person in human history. The main scene where music fit the scenes perfectly was when David played for Saul in his court, soothing his soul. Yes, David was a psalmist, but a lot of his content came while he was king (the movie preceded his time as king) and was after he committed adultery.

Going into seeing the film, I was eager to see how they would portray the iconic David vs Goliath battle. For me, this was easily the highlight of the film. While the events leading up to it were more streamlined and changed for cinematic purposes, it accurately portrayed the immense faith David had. Saul and his army were dejected in realizing no one could challenge the behemoth. However, David, being a man after God’s own heart, knew God was on his side and ultimately delivered the crushing blow in one swing of his sling, causing the Philistine army to retreat.

There was no song during this moment, making it land well for me. It contrasts the climax of the film, where the end confrontation with the Amalekites is displayed during an entire musical montage. While I understand the movie removing David’s two wives from the battle in 1 Samuel, it mitigates an important rescue scene leading to the musical climax feeling unsatisfying.

While I had issues with the way the film portrays David, its portrayal of Saul was one of its strong points. David did an excellent job portraying the monster Saul became and the distress he carried in his soul, making it one of the best aspects of the film. Saul was intimidating, leading to his scenes of hunting David some of the best in the movie.

This leads to my biggest grievance: the lack of Jonathan. The son of Saul, Jonathan, is the best portrayal of healthy and loving friendship in the entire Bible. He is constantly with David in his lowest moments, releasing his claim to the throne to David, and being a rock in David’s chaotic life. Instead, the film shows a couple scenes where he is there, one scene where he saves David, and a couple montages of them training together. That’s about it.

Now, the film instead decides to have David’s family, especially his mother, be the ones that are there for him at his lowest. While it is cool that girls have their heroine to look up to in the movie, I feel like this change overshadows a great lesson for all children: your family isn’t the only one that can be there for you in your lowest moments and in fact, friends can uplift you in ways no one else can. Jonathan’s role, which was paramount in 1 Samuel, was severely diminished, making it easily my biggest fault with the movie.

Overall, David had its moments of spiritual impact and it is adapting a good story. However, lessening Jonathan and having the wrong musical messages for important scenes, makes the film lose a lot of its luster. There were several moments where the music either focused on the wrong character, or needed a song where there was not one. I still had a good time watching the movie, but it ultimately made me appreciate The King of Kings that much more.

Knives Out remains one of my all-time favorite movies. Rian Johnson’s first whodunit with Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc surprised me greatly when it first hit theaters in 2019. When news came that he was doing two sequels with Netflix, I could not have been more excited. Glass Onion, while still a wonderful watch, felt like it lost some of the charm Knives Out had in favor of going bigger and bolder with both its premise and characters. Luckily, leaving Wake Up Dead Man, by proxy, left me feeling far closer to how I did walking out of Knives Out back in 2019.

Wake Up Dead Man follows Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Conner), a young pastor, who has watched the congregation of his church be poisoned by the preaching of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). When Wicks is found dead in what appears to be an impossible murder, Jud, who was always shown at odds with Wicks, is quickly seen as the culprit by the devoted members of the congregation. Enter Benoit Blanc, who has come to solve this improbable crime and hopefully clear Jud of all suspicion.

This film is profoundly about faith and how it can be used to hurt and help people based on intention. Far too many people use the Bible and God for selfish purposes, poisoning its teachings and feeding into people’s biggest sins. In the case of Wake Up Dead Man, it is hatred specifically. Jud’s journey throughout the movie is his constant choice to not stoop to the same level of Wicks. Like the protagonist of Knives Out, he strives to win his own way and not use the tools of the older mentor.

It’s a very compelling decision to make Wicks an undesirable person. Having the audience understand, or even desire, the obvious end the character receives allows us to sympathize with the conflict, not just Jud’s character goes through, but also that of the supporting cast.

This is most true for Glenn Close’s Martha, who has a deep history with the church, yet has been poisoned by its teachings since she was a young child. O’Conner, Brolin and Close gave by far the most compelling performances in the film, at least aside from Craig’s continuously fun portrayal of the equally hilarious and intelligent Benoit Blanc.

Rian Johnson is at the top of his craft with Wake Up Dead Man, once again touching on how faith can be weaponized and misused like in The Last Jedi and the amazing visuals his whodunits have consistently had.

Of course he is not the only one that is the result of as these movies would be nowhere near as beautiful without his longtime collaborators. Whether it be cinematographer Steve Yedlin, composer Nathan Johnson, editor Bob Ducasy, costume designer Nancy Eagan or production designer Rick Heinrichs, all of whom none of his movies would be the same without.

Wake Up Dead Man was delightfully introspective and Rian Johnson clearly had a lot to say with this film, arguably the most since The Last Jedi. I believe this third entry will be far more memorable in the long run than Glass Onion and just as much of a mainstay in Johnson’s filmography as Knives Out. If you are able to go see it in a theater near you, I highly recommend doing so before the film hits Netflix on December 12th.

Rating: 10/10

Many people remember the campiness and fun of the original 1987 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its low budget forced certain changes to the overall story that caused it to feel detached from its source. Edgar Wright’s new film starring Glen Powell was marketed to be different and more faithful due to its modernity and higher budget. Did it live up to those expectations?

The Running Man (2025) follows Ben Richards, a man living in a dystopian future where one corporation, FreeVee, controls everything. This puts him in a desperate spot as he needs money to help his sick kid. After being blacklisted by nearly every industry controlled by them, Richards is forced to participate in a game show where its contestants are targeted not only by FreeVee’s Hunters, but average citizens who want that sweet money for bagging America’s most wanted man. Welcome to The Running Man!

In the last few years, Glen Powell has slowly been making a name for himself as one of Hollywood’s new leading men. First with the massive success of Top Gun Maverick, then smaller hits like Twisters, Anyone But You and Hit Man. Now he finds himself at the center of an adaptation of one of the most prolific authors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, adapted by one of the best action directors in the industry.

While The Running Man is a very fun action spectacle, it is easily the least impressive movie Edgar Wright has made. Missing many of Edgar Wright’s trademarks like his editing, responsible for the uniqueness of his films, especially his last three, Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Baby Driver and Last Night in Soho. What initially seemed as a return to form for him after his unique take on the horror genre, The Running Man struggles to find a unique voice to separate it from your average Hollywood blockbuster.

It is possible that was intentional, with Wright finding it easier to make such a film compared to what he had done previously. However, at the same time, it feels like it is missing the secret sauce that made him my favorite director of the last 20 years.

The movie also flirts with post-capitalism discussions, showing how far a society controlled by money and audience entertainment can go. The executives at FreeVee even compare The Running Man to the Roman Coliseum. While that commentary is certainly present throughout the film, the film struggles at times to balance that with creating compelling characters. Its vast ideas often seem like they take up too little screen time as a result.

With all that said, The Running Man is still an incredibly fun time in theaters, with electric performances from Glen Powell, Colman Domingo, Michael Cera and Katy O’Brian. The weakest Edgar Wright movie is still better than most action movies.

Rating: 8.5/10

As the seeming progenitor of “the monster is not really the monster“ thesis of most of Guillermo Del Toro’s filmography, an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by him only seems natural.

Victor Frankenstein (portrayed by Oscar Isaac), a genius, but abnormal man is cursed by his desire to advance humanity’s capabilities. He is driven by a desire to cheat death, or at least prove it possible. His lack of thinking as to what happens next is a parable many adaptations have touched on since Frankenstein was first adapted to film in 1931.

Del Toro’s view of the conflict isn’t as romanticized as many other adaptations, instead taking a similar approach to how Shelley originally depicted Frankenstein and his Monster. Victor is cold and detached because the world made him so due to how different he is. He and his creation are lonely, and can only truly find comfort in other outcasts, like Elizabeth (played by Mia Goth).

Ultimately, the Monster’s (performed by Jacob Elordi) inhuman creation, which gifted him immortality, is meant to show that he will always be lonely. Thus, Del Toro’s Frankenstein directly compliments many of his previous works, but especially The Shape of Water.

Victor’s constant attempts to destroy his creation are more about him trying to destroy the monster in himself. Because of his creation and the horrific life he will be forced to live as a result, Victor believes he is a blight on the world. Thus, why it is so powerful when the Monster forgives him, and tells Victor he must forgive himself as well for the myriad of tragedies he caused due to his greed and pride. He is fortunate that he will not have to live an eternity with his sins, like his Monster will.

The Shape of Water is about outsiders, seen as monsters by the people around them whether because of race, sexual orientation or disability, finding community in each other. Frankenstein, by comparison, is about how forcing those outsiders to fit into society destroys them. While The Shape of Water is a fairy tale, Frankenstein is a parable. I believe those two films to be Del Toro’s best work, as they represent the two sides of his storytelling.

If you love Del Toro’s films, especially Pan’s Labyrinth and The Shape of Water, you will likely find that same feeling in his Frankenstein adaptation. I recommend catching it in theaters if you can before it hits Netflix on November 7th.

Rating: 10/10

Ever since 2021’s Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, anime action films have taken the international box office by storm. Higher budgets coupled with talented creative teams and incredible animators have led to many of my favorite anime movies since. It only feels natural that a series whose visuals are consistently inspired by Hollywood ends up being the best of the bunch.

Tatsuki Fujimoto wears his inspirations on his sleeve throughout Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc is a fascinating combination of romantic drama, action thriller and B-movie absurdities. Chainsaw Man’s tone and characters allow for this blend to feel cohesive, a true testament to Fujimoto’s talent as a writer. Although, it’s that combined with his art is the reason Chainsaw Man has garnered so much acclaim. When adapted so impressively into a visual medium (much of which is credited to screenplay writer Hiroshi Seko [Attack on Titan, Dan Da Dan]), it creates what is easily one of the best films of the year.

Tatsuya Yoshihara (Black Clover, Yatterman Night) takes over direction of the film after serving as the action director of the anime’s first season. This leads to a different, more fluid art style that feels right at home here, especially in the more character-driven first half of the Reze Arc.

With that in mind, it is the bombastic non-stop character-driven action of the second half of the film that will leave audiences slack-jawed. The consistent change in style, representative of the many animators with their own styles and unique touches, is what makes the Reze Arc truly shine. The talent involved with this movie is unmatched, with Hiroshi Kobayashi (Kill La Kill, Kiznaiver), Masato Nakazono (Chainsaw Man, SSSS.Gridman), Shota Shigetsu (One Piece: Film Red, Psycho-Pass: Providence) and Takuya Niinuma (Chainsaw Man, Sing Yesterday to Me) all attached as unit directors.

All that is not even including Yuki Kamiya (One Piece, Chainsaw Man) who was the unit director for the film’s OP (shorthand for musical opening sequence) featuring Kenshi Yonezu’s “Iris Out.” Yonezu ended up being the first Japanese artist to hit platinum worldwide for his song “Kick Back,” the OP for the anime’s first season.

Speaking of the music, the score, done by returning composer Kensuke Ushio (Dan Da Dan, Devilman Crybaby), is the best of the year so far. Whether it be the sweeping orchestral pieces for the romantic moments between Denji and Reze, or the bombastic EDM-rock hybrid pieces for the action set pieces. Getting to hear his scores twice in theaters this year, the first being Dan Da Dan: The Evil Eye back in June, was nothing short of special.

I watched this series in English dub and the entire returning cast continues to shine. Ryan Colt Levy (My Hero Academia: World Hero’s Mission), has always been a standout in every anime he’s in, but Denji truly feels like the role he was born to play. Not only is his range most noticeable here, but the simplicity of Denji’s characterization allows Levy to own this character.

However, it’s Alexis Tipton’s (Love is War, Fire Force) Reze that stole the show for me (no surprise considering she is the focal point of the film alongside Denji). Tipton’s performance throughout the first half of Reze Arc is filled with falsity; you can tell that part of the way Reze portrays herself near Denji is an act. Reze is a character about masks and Tipton displays that through her voicework, especially in the film’s final scenes.

Ultimately, the surprise standout for me was Derick Snow (Fire Force, Sonny Boy) as Beam, the Shark Fiend Denji is forcibly partnered with while his usual partner, Power, is on “medical leave.” Snow’s consistently enthusiastic delivery as Beam initially portrays the character as a chaotic unstoppable force of nature, like Power. However, the two could not be more different, with Beam showing endless loyalty for Denji in a way no other character has. This is an aspect that stands out considering what the plot of this film entails.

It was also wonderful hearing Reagan Murdock (A Sign of Affection, Dr. Stone) and Casey Mongillo (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Delicious in Dungeon) return as Aki Hayakawa and Angel Devil respectively.

I have to give props to ADR script adapter Jeremy Kraatz (My Hero Academia, Fruits Basket [2019]), ADR director Caitlin Glass (Solo Leveling, Fruits Basket [2019]), and Creative Consultant Mike McFarland (ADR director of the anime’s first season), who are largely responsible for how brilliant this English dub is.

Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc is a showcase of what makes Chainsaw Man one of the best pieces of fiction I have ever read. It will leave you feeling every emotion under the sun, and captures everything great about the medium of animation. I hope to catch it a second time before it leaves theaters.

Rating: 10/10

On August 19, Nintendo had a special Direct just for the upcoming Kirby Air Riders, which will release on November 20, 2025 on the Nintendo Switch 2. I was blown away by the Direct as it brought back many features from the original Kirby Air Ride game I grew up playing, especially City Trial. As I replayed the original on my Wii, I gained a boatload of nostalgia in preparation for November’s release.

Kirby Air Ride was released in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube. My first memory of playing the game was trying it out in a hospital waiting room at the end of third grade (I busted open my chin after face planting on concrete). I had a blast with the game, and when I got a copy for my console, it quickly became one of my most fond childhood games.

The game has three distinct modes, Air Ride, Top Ride and City Trial. The first is the main racing gameplay where you control Kirby as you race three other Kirby’s in a smash-like brawl while racing. Kirby’s copy ability allows him to swallow enemies for strategic gain. With the checklist system, the more feats you accomplish, the more karts you unlock.

Top Ride is much more simple where Kirby rides around on a mini-course viewed from above. There are two vehicles to choose from, Free Star where movement uses the control stick, and Steer Star, which moves based on whether the rotate of the control stick. Both of these racing modes have roughly seven to ten different tracks.

City Trial is by far the most iconic and popular mode, so much so that in the Direct, director Masahiro Sakurai acknowledged how much fans would be excited to see the mode return in the new game. In the mode, Kirby gets to explore a sandbox-style city where the player can gain power-ups, find better karts, explore hidden areas and practice using abilities before using it all to win a stadium competition. Some include drag races, fighting King Dedede, target flight, single lap Air Ride races, free-for-alls and much more. While exploring the city, many strange events can occur, including meteors, stations lighting on fire, items bouncing, UFOs appearing, etc.

This mode provided many childhood memories. Exploring the city and finding every single hidden passage and corner of the map was an exhilarating experience. The stadium build-ups were fun, but I was usually sad to leave the city because of how much fun I was having exploring. Very few things in my childhood scared me as much as the alarm for a crazy event going off did as I had no idea what to expect.

I appreciated several other aspects outside the main City Trial mode: free play and stadiums. Free play was a phenomenal experience as my childhood best friend and I would roleplay as characters in a city filled with storylines and dangers we made up. Also, once you play a stadium in the main mode, it is available to play at any time. This was nice because I could test out different karts on different games, allowing me to prep for them when returning to the main mode.

For Kirby Air Riders, I cannot wait to explore Skyah, the new sandbox. It is a floating island with a much more diverse layout and environments. To me, it will be worth the $70 for the game just to explore every nook and cranny of the map on a modern console with incredible graphics. The fact they brought back most of the karts and power-ups makes me want to play the game even more.

As much as I loved the original game, the Air Ride mode was the weakest part of it. Kirby inhaling enemies like in his main series games makes sense, but oftentimes, the vanilla karts without the power-ups felt underwhelming after spending so much time on City Trial. Kirby Air Riders gets its title from having multiple characters to choose from instead of just different colored Kirby’s that do the exact same thing. Now, with Meta Knight, King Dedede and more, there will be an actual variety to the races themselves. On top of this, the action during the race will have more of an emphasis on combat. In the original game, I tried to avoid combat as much as possible and focused on racing. After watching gameplay, I cannot wait to show the CPUs and anyone I play with who’s boss.

Overall, Kirby Air Riders will be the game that will make buying a Switch 2 worth it, on top of Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza. I cannot wait to do City Trial mode in 2025, an experience that will help make this year a great one for gaming.

For those unfamiliar with Steel Ball Run, following the ending of the previous entry in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Stone Ocean, Araki intended to leave the manga that made his career behind him. He wanted to look to brighter pastures and new opportunities. As a result, Steel Ball Run takes a slight departure from the series’ conventions. The first volume does not include the series’ magic system, Stands, and instead focuses on the inciting plot and introducing the chief characters.

Steel Ball Run follows paralyzed former horse-racing prodigy, Johnny Joestar, who meets the mysterious Gyro Zeppeli. When Gyro miraculously causes Johnny’s legs to move as if by magic, Johnny makes it his mission to find out how that was possible and attempts to force Gyro to help him learn to walk again. The only way to do so is to enter the Steel Ball Run, a horse race across North America from San Diego to New York City. Along the way, the two encounter many bizarre competitors and learn the truth behind their intertwined fates.

Steel Ball Run, unlike the parts prior to it, has true dual protagonists. Previous parts in the series always would rotate protagonists around to suit the story, such as Stardust Crusaders dedicating a large amount of its story to Polnareff instead of its JoJo, Jotaro Kujo. Unlike Stardust Crusaders, Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar are inseparable from the moment the two of them meet. They participate in every conflict together, and while each confrontation may focus on one more than the other, they work as a team. Aside from making this easier to flesh out their dynamic, it also makes the stakes feel more personal, as they are not just fighting for themselves, but for each other.

That growing selflessness is vital as Johnny and Gyro are not perfect. While they both have strong morals, they are willing to compromise them in ways that previous JoJo’s protagonists were not. This is something Araki began wrestling with when writing Stone Ocean, but fully realizes in Steel Ball Run.

Araki then furthers this idea by introducing two polar opposite characters for the protagonists to bounce off of: Diego Brando, a selfish racing star who only cares about winning, and Mountain Tim, a local Western hero. Creating a heartless antagonist and a morally righteous gunslinger allows the story to paint clear lines of morality between each character. Most of the time Mountain Tim is on screen, he feels like the typical Western hero we would be following had this story been made by Hollywood in the 1950’s. While he has not had much story presence thus far, I am excited to inevitably delve into how Diego represents the line our protagonists refuse to cross.

While the horse-racing is captivating all on its own, the series truly hits its stride during the Stand battles that make up the bulk of the second volume. The reintroduction of Stands allows Araki to recreate their origin to fit Steel Ball Run. As they still represent the soul of their user, they now are a desert superstition that could have been caused by any number of weird occurrences depending on which character is asked. All that is certain is these bizarre powers come from the Devil’s Palm, which acts like the Bermuda Triangle of the Arizona desert. Naturally, since all of the competitors are forced to race through there, it makes it easy to explain why each racer has a Stand.

With the setup explained, Araki can then focus on the battles themselves, and he has only gotten better at writing these as time has gone on. Having written this series for nearly two decades at the time of Steel Ball Run’s release, one would think Araki has milked this magic cow for all it’s worth. However, previous parts make it clear that Stands are a perfect outlet for his creativity, and they have never been more complex and exciting than in Steel Ball Run. That combined with the dramatic improvement in his art caused by the monthly chapter release, Steel Ball Run, at the time, was a true artistic achievement for action manga, and even manga in general.

If you are a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fan, I implore you to read Steel Ball Run, and even if you aren’t, this is a perfectly solid entry point into the series. It has everything that makes the series so iconic, without any of the baggage of previous parts and some of the best writing and art of Hirohiko Araki’s career. I cannot recommend this series enough and I cannot wait to discuss it more as each English volume hits store shelves.

The buildup to the release of the Gothic Remake has been an exhilarating one. I have analyzed every piece of media released about the game, especially the trailers. It has been fun analyzing how every piece of footage and art from the game compares to the original. Now, with the Nyras Prologue, I have finally been given the chance to play with the new interpretation of the old classic game. I will go into detail of my experience and analysis of the demo, Nyras Prologue.

It begins with the player controlling Nyras, not the Nameless Hero from the original Gothic trilogy. In the original game, Nyras was a novice in the Sect Camp who was ordered by the leader of the camp, Y’Berion, to retrieve one of the five focus stones that was used to create the magical barrier. When the Nameless Hero goes to check on his progress, Nyras goes crazy under the influence of the Sleepers and tries to kill the Nameless Hero.

Nyras has been thrown into the barrier. However, instead of Diego welcoming him like he does with the Nameless Hero in the original game, he tells Nyras to find a place to sleep since there was a rockslide cutting off access from the exchange place to the Old Camp. We spend the demo talking to anyone Nyras can interact with, learning about the Colony, and, eventually, completing quests for Drax and Ratford from the New Camp before camping with them for the night. The demo ends with the Sleeper whispering to Nyras, proving his existence.

Before I break down the demo in detail, let’s discuss the decision to make Nyras a playable character. In the original trilogy, the Nameless Hero is the only playable character, so playing Gothic without him is a surreal experience. From my point of view, I knew Nyras as the sect loony who cracks under the Sleeper’s influence, causing him to go mad. Even before this when bumping into him, Nyras is a fanatic of the Sleeper and of the camp itself. Seeing him as a firm but vulnerable newbie in the Colony gave me whiplash in the demo.

This was pre-corruption Nyras, meaning that they are making his eventual demise hurt much more. It is a great way to showcase how fanatical the Sect Camp is, such as when every convict is tossed into the barrier, they have to find a way to settle into their new life. They are simply trying to find their way, and when the Sect Camp becomes alluring, the characters become someone very different,. This comes in sharp contrast to those in the Old Camp and New Camp. I am hoping that in the actual full game, they make Nyras a more prominent character.

Speaking of characters, the writing during the demo was top-notch. They feel like sailor-mouthed convicts who show their true and honest selves. During every piece of dialogue, most characters feel like real people instead of scripted exposition. We learn the guard Orry’s backstory, we hear the resignation of Drax and Ratford in their current situations as lifelong prisoners, as well as how Kirgo wants to hear about the outside world because he misses his lover. This is way more depth than any of these characters got in the original game. I can only imagine what the writing team will do for the more important characters, such as the four best friends of the Nameless Hero and Xardas.

Let’s discuss the world itself. We are limited to the first area of the original game, but it is still a blast to experience with the music, which is once again composed by Kai Rosenkranz. The soundtrack is similar with more variety and slight changes in the melody to make it feel new, but the same all at once. Overall, the locations look like a modern version of the original game with some areas more fleshed out, making the experience a thrilling nostalgic trip. The lush plateau above the mine and Drax and Ratford’s campsite have been significantly expanded, while the abandoned mine is now explorable.

Gameplay-wise, it was simple and effective, other than the inability to pick up and store a used torch. Nyras moved around naturally and it was easy climbing up platforms in this demo. However, the point of contention for many has been the clunky combat. Here is my perspective: it is supposed to be clunky. What made the original game a masterpiece was the Nameless Hero going from having no idea how to fight to becoming a master of his craft. The progression system is what made the game so satisfying to complete, and I love that Nyras is the same way in the demo. He finds a sword near Drax and after fighting Kirgo, he can use it quicker, showing the progression like it was in the original game.

To be fair, I understand the frustration from the other side. In 2025, there are many games such as the Final Fantasy VII remakes, the Dark Souls games and much more that have incredible and fluid combat systems while presenting a reasonable challenge. Many may be turned off by this and I understand that perspective. However, I am hoping that the writing and world is good enough to allow gamers to look past the clunkiness, while purists like myself understand that the beginning combat is supposed to be clunky until the Nameless Hero learns how to fight.

I cannot control how the fan base will react to the combat and I have already heard much contention over it. However, I enjoy it remaining true to the original formula and if this causes Gothic Remake to fail, at least the original three games will be made available on the PlayStation 5. I was satisfied with my experience playing the demo and I am eager for more content as the game’s release approaches.

On August 1, 2025, Gothic fans were treated to a new trailer for the upcoming Gothic: Remake, which is set to release in early 2026. In preparation for the release, THQ Nordic has made the Nyras Prologue to be available on consoles after previously only being available on Steam. In my next article, I will review the prologue, but for now, I will discuss my thoughts on the new “Xardas Trailer”, which you can watch here.

The trailer begins with an opening narration from Xardas the Necromancer, one of the most important characters of the original Gothic trilogy. He was formerly a high member of the Magicians of Fire, who serves Innos, the god of light and peace. However, after the magic barrier trapped the mages who created it, he left the Circle of Fire and became a necromancer on his own in exile, using magic akin to Beliar, the god of darkness.

During the first half, the camera zooms into a model map made by Xardas in his tower in the southern part of the colony. He discusses the Old Camp’s illusion of order with the mysterious god the Sect Camp in the swamp worships. He teases that there is something more to that god and that the answers they are looking for are hidden beneath the Orcish Sanctuary.

As a fan of the series, I enjoyed hearing a more fleshed out version of his thoughts when the Nameless Hero meets him in Chapter 4 of the original game. The raspy but deep voice is perfect for Xardas, creating him as a wise, cunning and crazed magician. For those who have never played the game, it sets up the mystery very well without giving away too much of the world and set up itself, conveniently leaving out the New Camp in his monologue.

Here is where fans of the original trilogy are thrown off: he mentions that he needs allies who fight for something other than themselves. This is interesting because in the original trilogy, Xardas hides away in towers most of the series and treats the Nameless Hero as a servant. We rarely see him with other characters, and he reveals little about his true intentions until he executes his end goals. The fact he is doing so makes me think the game is going to fulfill one of the items on my wishlist: give the Nameless Hero’s allies a bigger role in the story.

Xardas will be more fleshed out in his plans for the Nameless Hero, meaning that he will ask him to lean on his friends to execute what needs to be done. I enjoy the new game fleshing out Xardas, but I am hoping the Remake does not change his complicated and sneaky intentions. Lastly, there is a shot in the trailer where Xardas is seen summoning skeletons from the ground, meaning he will be more of an active character since he never displayed his magical abilities to that extent during the gameplay of the original trilogy.

I enjoyed seeing the action shots in the second half of the trailer, giving me a better idea of the combat and enemy designs. I have no complaints with the highlights being the frightening shadowbeasts and magic looking much more explosive and fun.

My one critique with the trailer is specific only for fans of the original trilogy. Toward the end of the trailer, there are specific shots that represent important moments in the game with some glaring changes, that will go unnoticed by new players. While I probably could have guessed what was coming, it would have been nice for those shots to not be seen until the game releases.

As an aside, THQ Nordic also announced that the original Gothic Classic Trilogy will be released on PlayStation and Xbox in early 2026. I love this just as much as the Remake trailer because Gothic 3 will finally be on a gaming console for the first time ever. The Nintendo Switch in 2023 released ports for the first two games, which I had a blast playing, but Gothic 3 was still PC only ever since it released in 2006.

The PlayStation 5 is my main gaming console, and I will be satisfied to see three of my favorite games available on it. Graphically, it looks even more modern than the Switch ports, and being able to experience the open world of Gothic 3 on a modern console will be an incredible adventure. I am hoping the PS5 version adds a little more content like the Switch ports did, and make them fun to play on my main console. It would be a great decision to release the trilogy a month or two before the Remake comes off as a perfect way to anticipate its release.

Overall, the THQ Nordic Showcase on August 1 was phenomenal as a Gothic fan, and I cannot wait to play the Nyras Prologue. Stay tuned for my review.

After finishing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I went back into my 100+ hour playthrough of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to replay the Dawnguard DLC and “The Cause” quest. I noticed how much smoother Skyrim’s gameplay is, giving me whiplash when I booted it back up. Minor spoilers ahead.

As mentioned in this previous article, the Dawnguard DLC is incredible with the backstory of the Falmer, as they were snow elves persecuted by the Nords. They were then turned to the Dwemer for protection, but the Dwarves blinded them and trapped them in their cities to become the embodiment of hatred and despair.

The star of the show is the vampiress, Serana, voiced by Laura Bailey (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Marvel’s Spider-Man). She is the daughter of the Vampire Lord, Harkon, who is using her to fulfill a prophecy where killing her will help him destroy the sun. On the adventure, she opens up to the Dragonborn about her poor relationship with Harkon, how she was abandoned and sealed away by her mother. Her mother only cared about stopping Harkon. She warms up to the Dragonborn as he helps her explore Skyrim and find a sense of companionship she has lacked her whole life. This makes her the best written character in both games, on top of her being an excellent and powerful follower.

She would join the Dragonborn for “The Cause,” where the Mythic Dawn are back and have been building an Oblivion Gate underground out of the remnants of an old gate that opened during the “Oblivion Crisis” in Skyrim. Playing this quest with the knowledge of the prior game made it 10x better than when I first experienced it in 2022. The Dragonborn explores dungeons resembling ones in Cyrodiil with the Ayleid ruins. Fighting Daedra and Mythic Dawn cult members while the Oblivion soundtrack played made it an incredible way to wrap up my experience in Tamriel during 2025.

As an aside, there are several quests on top of “The Cause” that give great references to Oblivion. “Pieces of the Past” is a quest in vanilla Skyrim where Silus Vesuius opens a museum in Dawnstar of the Mythic Dawn. After playing Oblivion, all that I thought of was how terrible of an idea that is considering that there is a shrine of Mehrunes Dagon in Skyrim. Silus has the Dragonborn track down the shards of Mehrunes Razor, which can instantly kill nearly any target. Once completed, Mehrunes has the Dragonborn kill Silus to finish reassembling the Razor. Of course, anyone who has played Oblivion should refuse, causing Mehrunes to summon two Dremora to kill the pair. After surviving, Silus returns the pieces to his house and disassembles his museum, proving that while it is good to learn from history, do not glorify the sins of the past.

Also, in the Dawnguard DLC, there is a quest where the Dragonborn and Serana rescue a Moth Priest who is visiting from the White Gold Tower in the Imperial City where the Elder Scrolls are kept. With my knowledge of the Hero of Kvatch stealing a scroll from the Tower in the Thieves Guild questline, this was invigorating to say the least. I love how the Dragonborn can sell all the Elder Scrolls he has collected to the priest for him to take back to the Imperial City, making it a full circle moment for Oblivion players.

Speaking of the Imperial City, playing both games have further solidified my allegiance in the Civil War. There is not a chance I will ever side with the Stormcloaks. Some Nords, especially the Stormcloaks, are racist and nationalistic, and them driving the Empire out of Skyrim will only make it easier for the real threat, the Thalmor, to take over all of Tamriel. Yes, it is messed up that the Empire was forced to outlaw Talos worship to keep the peace. However, the Great War nearly caused the Empire to crumble and if there is any chance of defeating the Thalmor, whose goal is Elven supremacy, the Empire must remain in tact. Martin Septim didn’t sacrifice himself for racist Nords to break apart the Empire. I am hoping in The Elder Scrolls VI that there is a way to fight back against the Thalmor and defeat them, especially if that comes from Hammerfell. As an aside, I typically play as a Redguard, making it weird for me not to side with the Empire since Hammerfell is at war with the Thalmor.

Overall, my time in Tamriel in 2025 was an absolute blast and some of the best gaming moments I have had in several years. I cannot wait to see what is next. For now, onto new gaming adventures.

During the past few weeks, I have been going through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’s Thieves, Mages and Fighters Guild, thoroughly enjoying the guilds of Cyrodiil while strengthening my character. Finally, I decided it was the perfect time to play the main story that has been praised by many since the game’s original release in 2006. I was excited to discover why friends and family told me that Oblivion’s main story was way better than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. After finishing the story, I not only understand the hype, but also am still buzzing over the experience. Major spoilers ahead.

Oblivion starts off with a narration from the Emperor of Tamriel, Uriel Septim VII (voiced by Patrick Stewart). He has dreamt of a Daedric invasion from the realm of Oblivion and has foreseen his death. The Mythic Dawn, a cult that worships the Daedric Prince of Destruction, Mehrunes Dagon, has plotted to assassinate Uriel Septim. To start the adventure, the Blades are escorting Uriel out of the Imperial City through a secret passage in the prison, which goes through the cell of the player.

As the player follows the Blades, the Emperor, who has seen the player in his dreams, entrusts the player with the Amulet of Kings, which is worn by those with the Septim bloodline that helps seal the gates between the mortal world and Oblivion. He must deliver it to Jauffre, the grandmaster of the Blades before tracking down Uriel’s illegitimate son, Martin Septim (voiced by Sean Bean). Martin is in Kvatch, which is destroyed after an Oblivion Gate unleashes daedra on the city. The player, now titled the Hero of Kvatch, closes the Oblivion Gate and liberates the city from the rest of the daedra.

I will go into more specifics during this review but essentially the rest of the story boils down to the Hero and Martin Septim working together to retrieve the Amulet of Kings that the Mythic Dawn stole from Jauffre, close Oblivion Gates that threaten the cities in Cyrodiil and prevent Mehrunes Dagon from returning to Tamriel.

There are three aspects that make the main story phenomenal: the urgency of the situation, the sinister Mythic Dawn and one of the best video game endings I have ever seen.

First, Oblivion Gates are a magnificent way to establish the threat of an end world scenario. At one point in the story, a gate appears outside of every city. The Hero needs to close them to stave off the threat before other cities can come to the aid of Bruma, which is being targeted by the Mythic Dawn for a Great Oblivion Gate. Going into the realms of Oblivion to close gates is a thrilling experience. Climbing up tall towers, defeating Daedra and grabbing Sigil Stones make it even more satisfying.

In Kvatch, the Hero sees the destruction the gates can cause, highlighting the urgency of recovering the Amulet of Kings as soon as possible since the Hero does not want that to happen to any other cities. Bruma is being targeted and gaining aid is crucial. When the big gate is open, there are guardsman from each city helping Martin hold off the swarm of Daedra while the Hero grabs the Great Sigil Stone. I will never forget the anxiety I had due to the time limit to close the gate before a Siege Crawler exits it. While inside, I sprinted past every enemy and grabbed the stone as fast as possible, feeling relief upon doing so.

This is where Skyrim’s main story truly fails. Dragons do not attack the Dragonborn in cities, dragons do not cause damage to populated places and they attack as a nuisance more than an actual threat. Whenever I play Skyrim, I enjoy so much else the game has to offer, and I care little about the story because I feel zero urgency. Yes, I did questlines before Oblivion’s main story, but once I got into it, I was captivated, wanting to save Tamriel from Daedra.

The final quest of Skyrim’s main story has the Dragonborn going to Sovngarde, away from the people in the mortal realm that we actually care about. During Oblivion’s ending, Oblivion Gates are invading the Imperial City and causing destruction. On top of this, even before the Battle of Bruma, I once went to the Imperial City to organize my gear and was attacked by several Mythic Dawn members in the middle of town, catching me off guard. I wonder which game has more stakes involved?

Let’s discuss the Mythic Dawn. During Skyrim’s Pieces of the Past quest, the Dragonborn learns of them causing “Oblivion Crisis” and how the Mythic Dawn brought the empire to their knees. Since I knew Oblivion was the game with the crisis, I was eager to see the Mythic Dawn. I was more than satisfied with the portrayal of the Mythic Dawn. It is a fantastic representation of how terrifying and evil cults can be. The Mythic Dawn worships destruction, proclaiming that Mehrunes Dagon is more powerful than the Nine Divines, wanting to “cleanse the world” by murdering everyone.

A cult cannot be a cult without a powerful cult leader. In Oblivion, the leader of the Mythic Dawn is Mankar Camoran (voiced by Terrence Stamp). He is fanatical, spreading the propaganda of the Daedric Princes to his vast number of followers. After collecting a Great Sigil Stone, Great Welkynd Stone, the armor of Tiber Septim and a Daedric Artifact, Martin uses the Mysterium of Xarxes to create a portal to Camoran’s paradise. There, the Hero defeats him to retrieve the Amulet of Kings, but not before seeing Camoran’s paradise of lush, beautiful and peaceful landscapes. This is notable as it occurs while the Daedra are torturing people in caves underground. This represents how truly power-hungry Camoran is, making his defeat satisfying.

However, the Mythic Dawn are still a threat after defeating Camoran, leading us to the ending. As High Chancellor of the Elder Council, Ocato, is proclaiming Martin as Emperor, Oblivion Gates are opening up in the Imperial City. Eventually, the worst-case scenario has occurred: Mehrunes Dagon is physically in Tamriel. He is taller than most buildings in the city, giving him a terrifying presence on top of his strength. Alas, with the amulet, Martin reaches the Temple of the One where the Dragonfires are usually lit.

With Dagon loose, Martin commits the ultimate sacrifice. Since the amulet is made with the blood of Akatosh (divine who created the dragons and dragonborn), Martin turns into a dragon and in an epic cinematic kaiju-style battle, Dagon is driven back to Oblivion, closing the gates of Oblivion forever. The dragon becomes a statue, ending Martin’s life. The Septim line is ended but the “Oblivion Crisis” is over.

I am forever grateful that I was never spoiled on how the “Oblivion Crisis” ends because experiencing that ending for the first time was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life. Not only was Camoran defeated in his own paradise, but his claims about Dagon being more powerful than the Nine Divines was proven wrong in glorious fashion. The main theme of the game is “Reign of the Septims,” meaning Martin was the hero, not the Hero of Kvatch. This works because unlike Skyrim where the Dragonborn was the hero of legend, there was another character other than the protagonist that was equally important to saving the world. It is satisfying because it is more complex than the lone hero simply killing the monster and grabbing the artifact as in Skyrim. As an aside, the theme kicking in right as Martin turned into the dragon sent chills through my whole body.

Also, I appreciate the consequences of the event. The Septim dynasty ends with Martin’s sacrifice, causing chaos to the Empire that is still being felt in Skyrim. Since gates were opened all over Tamriel, the Thalmor rose to power because of how they closed gates in the Summerset Isles, a massive issue in current Tamriel affairs. The Mythic Dawn struck as big of a blow to the Empire without winning as they could have, making the crisis a serious event in Elder Scroll lore.

Overall, while I still prefer Skyrim’s gameplay, character relationships and open world over Oblivion, experiencing the “Oblivion Crisis” as the Hero of Kvatch was an unforgettable journey. This effectively made Oblivion one of my favorite video game stories of all time. All I have left to finish is the Dark Brotherhood questline and the Shivering Isles DLC. My headcanon is the Hero retired after Martin’s sacrifice, the events of the Dark Brotherhood questline are nightmares of the Hero from Mehrunes Dagon after acquiring his razor and a method of revenge from the prince.

As I continue to play through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I am increasingly noticing how different it is than Skyrim. For example, Oblivion, like its predecessors, has an arena where you kill enemy combatants and climb your way up to be a champion. On the other hand, Skyrim does not have an arena, the first in the series to not have one in the game. While the arena is not a part of the Fighters Guild questline, they can go together as the Hero of Kvatch gains wealth while fighting. Here is a breakdown of both games’ Fighters Guild questlines, spoilers ahead.

In Skyrim, the Companions take the place of the Fighters Guild. Based in Jorrvaskr, a mead hall in Whiterun, the Dragonborn joins a band of fighters who fight for glory. After proving your strength in combat against two-handed instructor, Vilkas, the Dragonborn becomes a member. During a mission with his brother, Farkas, it is revealed the higher-level members are werewolves who can transform at will, an ability called beast blood. Eventually, the Dragonborn is bestowed beast blood and joins the inner circle.

Throughout the questline, the guild is at war with the Silver Hand, a bandit faction that specifically hunts werewolves. Even with the Dragonborn going on raids with the two brothers and Aela the Huntress, the Silver Hand kill Skjor (the one who initiated us into the inner circle) and later, invade Jorrvaskr. This results in the death of the leader, Kodlak Whitemane. Before his death, he sends us on a quest to slay the Glenmoril Witches, who put the curse of beast blood on the guild.

After the quest, the inner circle and the Dragonborn decide to honor Kodlak’s last request, to be cured of beast blood so his soul can travel to Sovngarde, the Nordic afterlife. They gather the shards of Wuuthrad and after re-forging the legendary axe wielded by Ysgramor (first king of Skyrim), they go to Ysgramor’s tomb and use the head of the witches to cure Kodlak’s beast blood. The Dragoborn then takes his place as the leader. Fun fact, in the main story when the Dragonborn goes to Sovngarde to kill Alduin, if Kodlak is cured, he will be seen wandering the plains of Sovngarde. In the optional side quests after completing the questline, Vilkas and Farkas desire to be cured, which will then result in the Dragonborn choosing to be cured himself or not (I always cure myself so I can sleep peacefully).

In Oblivion, the Fighters Guild consists of different guild halls across Cyrodiil. The Hero of Kvatch takes on various contracts, which can involve retrieving macguffins, accompanying people and rescuing missing people/parties. Throughout the missions, the Blackwood Company grows in power and becomes a legitimate rival to the guild.

As the Hero investigates under the direction of Modryn Oreyn, they soon realize the Blackwood Company is not only growing in numbers, but power and influence. Even a fledgling member, Maglir, leaves the Fighters Guild after botching multiple contracts to join the company. To take them down, Modryn tasks the Hero with infiltrating the Blackwood Company to gather intelligence. On a mission, the Hero is forced to drink Hist Sap, which causes the Hero to blackout and appear on a farm which is being plagued by “goblins.” The company and the Hero destroy the goblins without any resistance. However, when returning to the farm, the Hero sees corpses everywhere, zero goblins and a sole survivor crying over the slaughter.

It turns out the Hist Sap grants extra power and aggression on top of blacking out, causing everyone to see regular humans as enemies, which is why the Blackwood Company is so brutal in carrying out jobs. Their leader, Ri-Zakar, has access to the Hist Tree, which was brought from the Black Marsh illegally. Ultimately, the Hero storms the headquarters in Leyawiin, kills the leaders and destroys the tree once and for all before being confronted by Maglir for ruining his career and home. After defeating him, the Hero then becomes guild leader as Vilena Donton resigns from her role. As guild leader, the Hero can discuss with Modryn how to allocate resources and can earn income based on the success of the guild.

During my last two comparison articles, I blasted Skyrim while praising Oblivion’s Mages and Thieves Guild. This time, Skyrim will get the majority of the praise.

In Skyrim, the characters that the Dragonborn journey through the questline with are much more likable than Oblivion’s. Aela, Vilkas and Farkas are all great characters with distinguished personalities that shine throughout the questline along with growth. At the end of the adventure, I can confidently say that those three are some of the closest friends the Dragonborn will have throughout the game.

The leaders of Cyrodiil’s Fighters Guild treat you like lowly scum for most of the questline aside from Modryn (even then, he does the same thing early on) while the Companions mostly welcome you with honor. The Fighters Guild is so unlikable that while I had my suspicions of the Blackwood Company, there was a part of me that wondered if they were the better option. Fighters Guild members kept dying in random missions (later found out why) and it seemed the leadership was sorely lacking.

This is highlighted with the different guildmasters. Kodlak is a leader full of honor, purpose and regret. His desire for a cure gives him a strong motivation, which other questlines in the game lack. When Kodlak is tragically killed, it is a devastating blow, but it makes it even more satisfying if you see him in Sovngarde. On the other hand, Vilena Donton is unmemorable (I had to look up her name) as the Hero only interacts with her a few times.

In the Mages and Thieves Guild, the Hero works their way through the ranks to where the last quests are given by the leaders. The Fighters Guild is not like this as the last quests come from Modryn (who is exiled because Vilena’s son was killed under his leadership), who the Hero meets early on. When Vilena gives the Hero the rank of master and promptly resigns, the impact is lackluster as the Hero has had minimal interactions with her. In fact, when Modryn is exiled, we hear it from a leader in a different city.

To top it off, most of the Fighters Guild questlines are bland and uninteresting while with the Companions, I enjoyed hunting down Silver Hand with a partner and bonding with them. There is so much more character in the Companions, making that questline significantly better than Oblivion’s. As great as the twist with the Blackwood Company is, it’s difficult to get invested in the conflict before the slaughter at Water’s Edge due to how unlikable the Fighters Guild is and how mostly uninteresting the quests are. That is aside from helping a woman who harbors rats in her basement. Not to mention that the Blackwood Company investigation is only at the end of the questline, with it sprinkled here and there beforehand.

Aela and Vilkas become two of my closest companions in every Skyrim playthrough and Farkas is a likable brother-figure. They are leaps and bounds above every Fighters Guild character, making the Companions a much better questline than the Fighters Guild.

Now onto the main story of Oblivion!