Author: Michael Beckwith

My VG Music Picks #68 – N’s Room (Pokémon Black 2 & White 2)

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WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the following:

Pokémon Black & White
Pokémon Black 2 & White 2

While this track technically appeared in Pokémon Black & White first, I decided to focus on the version that appeared in the sequel games since 1. it’s the version that’s on the official OSTs and 2. I think this version’s way creepier, which is fitting given what month I’m writing this in. However, I will be writing about the context the music is used from the first games since, well, that’s where said context comes from and it isn’t really touched upon all that much in the sequels. Anyway, enough rambling, let’s move on. Continue reading →

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Spider-Man (PS4) – Does Whatever a Good Game Can

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The announcement of a brand new, wholly original Spider-Man game being developed by Insomniac Games got a lot of people, including me, very excited. It had felt like it had been ages since we got something like this – a console super-hero game that wasn’t just a cash-grab tie-in to a new movie or TV show. Everything about it looked promising and I felt like this could herald in a new age of high-quality superhero games. And judging by this game’s success, I think it’s safe to say that might just be the case.

Unless you’ve just not been paying attention, it’s no secret that Spider-Man (or Marvel’s Spider-Man – they seriously needed a better name) has been positively received. What was expected to be a moderate success has become Sony’s fastest selling first-party game ever and its first month’s sales beat the likes of God of War and Uncharted 4. It’s a good game is what I’m saying.

Honestly, I probably don’t even need to write a review about it. I’ll tell you right now; all the positive reception you’ve heard is right. If you have a PS4, this is a must buy. But, you know what, this game is SO good that I need to gush about it regardless. So rather than posit the question “Is Spider-Man on PS4 a good game?,” let’s discuss WHY it’s good. Continue reading →

Favourite Moments in Fiction #15 – The Ferris Wheel Chase (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)

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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Professor Layton and the Curious Village

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Following on from last week’s VG Music Pick, let’s take a quick look at what could be argued as being one of the most iconic scenes from the first Professor Layton game. Hell, you could probably make an argument that it’s one of the most iconic scenes in the franchise and helped set an example for how action scenes in the series worked. Continue reading →

My VG Music Picks #67 – Professor Layton’s Theme (Professor Layton and the Curious Village)

/ Michael Beckwith / 1 Comment

I’m actually kind of shocked that it’s taken me this long to write about some music from the Professor Layton series, especially the good old prof’s theme music itself. The series became an instant favourite of mine when it launched back in 2008 thanks to its range of interesting and brain-taxing puzzles, lovely visuals, wonderful characters, off-the-wall storytelling and, of course, atmospheric music. And while Layton’s theme has remained relatively unchanged throughout the series, there’s a very good reason for that – it’s perfect already. Continue reading →

RWBY Volume 5 – Terrific Triumph or Frustrating Failure?

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WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for RWBY Volume 5

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We may still have over a month until Volume 6 starts but I’m not leaving this year’s RWBY review until the last minute like previous years. Yep, it’s high time I got round to reviewing Volume 5, a season that my Entertainment Dome co-host and I didn’t exactly have the highest opinion of during its initial run.

But have those opinions changed? Is Volume 5 actually a lot better on its second viewing? Or is it still deserving of all the criticism we gave it? How about we just cut straight to chase and begin the review. Continue reading →

Favourite Moments in Fiction #14 – The Deadpool Level (Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions)

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WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

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The new Spider-Man game for PS4 has, at the time of writing, recently come out and has been a massive success, and for good reasons. It’s a fantastic game and possibly the best game to star Marvel’s web-slinging superhero. But for all the praise it’s getting, there’s still one other Spider-Man game that continues to hold a special place in my heart; one that I never see anyone else talk about – Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions. Continue reading →

My VG Music Picks #66 – Tomorrow Hill/Falling Off Tomorrow Hill (WarioWare: Smooth Moves)

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There is a surprising amount of vocal tracks in the WarioWare series. I dunno, I just find that strange; I never would have pegged a series like this to get that kind of content. But, these lyrical pieces are not only quite fitting but are easily some of the most popular and memorable music tracks from the series (probably because they last more than five seconds).

And while there’s a certain little witch whose theme song reigns supreme above the rest, I want to shift the focus to another one for the time being – specifically Tomorrow Hill from the Wii title, Smooth Moves. Continue reading →