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CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
HollywoodChicago.com Video Games
Video Game Review: Incredibly Deep ‘Red Faction Guerilla’ Makes Explosive Good Time
Submitted by BrianTT on June 22, 2009 - 9:00amCHICAGO – It turns out the revolution will be televised and you’ll be able to blow a lot of stuff up during it. THQ’s clever and incredibly deep “Red Faction Guerilla” is one of the most intense and exhaustive experiences of the season.
Video Game Review: Sony’s ‘Infamous’ Gives a Jolt to Gaming World
Submitted by BrianTT on June 16, 2009 - 9:00amCHICAGO – Sony’s highly anticipated “Infamous” is a thrill ride of a game, a wonderful examination of heroism and villainy with perfectly designed gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and immense replayability. The bar had been set pretty high by months of anticipation for this title and expectation often leads to disappointment. Not with “Infamous”.
Video Game Review: Wii Version of ‘Up’ Delightful Companion to Beloved Film
Submitted by BrianTT on June 10, 2009 - 2:33pmCHICAGO – Pixar movie tie-ins can be hard to review simply due to the strength of their source material. Pete Docter’s “Up” is the most critically acclaimed and brilliantly written films of the year. How can a game possibly match “Up”?
Video Game Review: Tie-In For McG’s ‘Terminator: Salvation’ as Disappointing as Film
Submitted by BrianTT on June 2, 2009 - 12:02pm Video Game Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Come with me if you want to be frustrated. Video game tie-ins for movies are notoriously problematic and poorly received. Every major movie gets a video game (we’ve reviewed “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” in recent weeks and will give you our opinion of “Up” soon) and most of them suck. Even by that standard, “Terminator: Salvation,” based on the McG film with Christian Bale, is a disappointment.
Video Game Review: ‘Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 1, 2009 - 8:35amCHICAGO – Majesco’s odd Nintendo DS version of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” is a movie tie-in that uses the term more loosely than any in a very long time. Guard Larry Daley (Ben Stiller in the movie), Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), and Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) all make appearances, but what the rest of this title has to do with the movie is beyond me.
Video Game Review: ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ a Mix of Fun, Frustration
Submitted by BrianTT on May 13, 2009 - 12:32pm Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The first hour of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a total blast, a great blend of above-average graphics, interesting story elements, and clever fighting moves that hint at an enjoyable gaming experience to come. The hint is never quite fulfilled, as “Wolverine” becomes as repetitive and frustrating as the blockbuster film that inspired it.
Video Game Review: ‘Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time’ Merges DS, Wii Experience
Submitted by BrianTT on April 24, 2009 - 3:28pmCHICAGO – The potential interactivity between handheld systems and next-gen consoles feels like an untapped resource in the gaming world but that’s starting to change in 2009. “Resistance: Retribution” on the PSP opened up an alternate mode when synced with “Resistance 2” on the PS3. Nintendo takes it a significant step further with “Final Fantasy Chronicles: Echoes of Time,” a well-made role-playing game that hints at the future of handheld and console interactivity by allowing multi-player across the platforms.
Video Game Review: ‘The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 22, 2009 - 11:30am Video Game Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Vin Diesel should stick to making video games. After headlining last month’s “Wheelman” and this month’s “The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena,” I have to admit that I like the actor more as a video game hero than I do as a movie star. “Athena” gives fans the most bang for their buck of anything the actor has been involved with in years.
Video Game Review: ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Will Entertain Fans of Film
Submitted by BrianTT on April 21, 2009 - 3:07pm Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Even part-time game players have a movie tie-in horror story to share. Show me one blockbuster that produced a quality video game companion and I’ll show you ten that failed to do so. So no one’s more surprised than this writer at how enjoyable Activision’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” is from start and nearly to finish.
Video Game Review: ‘Gardening Mama’ Provides Pleasant Diversion
Submitted by BrianTT on April 15, 2009 - 9:08pmCHICAGO – Majesco’s Nintendo DS game “Gardening Mama” is a pleasant series of mini-games targeted at younger audiences and fans of the original “Cooking Mama” release. There’s nothing revolutionary or overly remarkable about the title but not all mini-game collections are created equal and “GM” stands slightly above the average. You could do a lot worse than a trip to this garden.
