Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Ranking the Top Ten Movies I Watched in 2025!

I'm a little late this year, but the time has come for my annual movie ranking. I take a look back at all the movies I watched in 2025 and I pick out the ten that I enjoyed the most. These can be movies that didn't come out in 2025. These can be movies I've seen before. I just have to have watched them at some point in 2025. Also, I am not saying that any of these movies are the best movies of all time, just the ones that I happened to enjoy the most. Look, I know Street Fighter with Jean Claude Van Damme isn't winning any awards. But dammit, I enjoyed that movie. So it's making my list.



#10:
Street Fighter

Most people consider this an objectively bad movie. It is often the butt of many jokes. But I don't care. I've always had a soft spot for this movie, going back to when I was a kid. This year, it really hit the spot when I watched it. I paid attention. I picked up on a lot of things I missed when I was younger. How did I not get the obvious Nazi parallels? 

I really took the time to appreciate the over-the-top performances of the characters. While much of the acting is "bad", I still like it. And how can you not appreciate Raul Julia's performance? It is amazing. He deserves accolades for this role. He is the best part of the whole movie. And he says one of my favorite lines ever:


I know this movie probably doesn't deserve to be here. I originally had the final spot down to Sinister, Con-Air, Incendies, Child's Play, Speed, Rogue One, or The Mummy. But Street Fighter takes it home. Take that, movie snobs! Eh, who am I kidding? Movie snobs are probably appalled by my taste in films.



#9:
Bridge to Terabithia

I'm not really a Disney guy, so this is a movie that has never been on my radar. I just happened to be reading a clickbait article about "the saddest movies of all time", and this was on it. I perked up and thought: hey, I need to check that out. I like sad movies and I like movies that make you cry. I know that sounds weird, but it's hard for me to find a movie that provokes a strong emotional reaction out of me, so I am always on the lookout for ones have potential to do so. I like to feel something from time to time.

This movie definitely did the trick. It does such a good job telling this coming of age story with two young kids who seem to really care for each other. Looking at the girl from the perspective of the young boy (I forgot their names) you can really see him starting to fall in love with her. I knew coming in that she was going to die. I just didn't know how. I figured the swing had something to do with it. Even still, the ending hit super hard. It's just the unexpected and sudden way in which it happens. One moment she's there, and one moment she's not. It's devastating. So yeah - this was a good one for me. Woo hoo.



#8:
Fargo

I've had the itch to watch through the television show Fargo again, so I figured I'd come back and watch this movie first, since it ties into the show. I've already seen this movie four times in my life: once when it first came out when I was a teenager (and I didn't like it), a couple random times in my 20s, and then when I initially started watching the Fargo series back around the time season two of the show was coming out. This was the only time I actually liked the movie. For the most part, I had always found the movie to be overrated.

Well guess what? Fifth time was a charm. I liked it again. It's really the performances of the characters that make the movie go. Because not a lot really happens in it in the "grand" scale of things. It's a small, contained story about true crime in a small town. The characters are unassuming. It's funny, it moves along quickly, and it really puts you in the shoes of everyday folks who don't really know how to do crimes, doing crimes. I enjoyed it a lot. Steve Buscemi and William H Macey in particular are great in their roles.



#7:
The Fugitive

I remember seeing this movie a lot when it first came out. It was 1993. I was 11 years old. I remember going to see this in the movie theater with my grandparents. Shortly after, it came out on video and my family rented it. We burned it to a VHS tape. We watched it again and again. Then it hit television and would be played seemingly at all hours of the day. I must have seen this more than a dozen times when I was a kid. And then just like that: the movie disappeared from the zeitgeist and right on out of my life. I'm sure I've seen bits and pieces of it a few times since then, but 2025 was the first time I sat down and watched the movie through the eyes of an adult.

I picked up on all kinds of things I missed out on as a kid. I don't think I really understood a lot of what was going on when I was younger, like with the pharmaceutical company and all that. But this time, it all made sense. Not only is it a fast paced and fun movie, the stakes are high and the action always feels real. And the performances are fantastic. I always found Tommy Lee Jones annoying as a kid, but this time around I appreciated his performance and I thought he stole the show.

This is definitely an awesome movie. Everyone forgets how big a blockbuster it was. I'd encourage anyone who wasn't alive back when this movie was a massive deal to check it out.



#6:
Weapons

I came into this movie relatively blind. I knew the basic premise, and that was it. A group of kids wake up in the middle of the night and walk out into the dark, never to return. These kids are all from one classroom. One kid is left behind, seemingly untouched by whatever has happened to his classmates.

It is such an interesting hook. I was unspoiled, so I had no idea what was going on. I loved the first half of the movie. It had such a mysterious, almost "Leftovers" reminiscent feel to it. Was it horror or science fiction? It was a combination of the two. As the movie progresses, it becomes more straightforward. And I loved the second half, too. I felt like it took a lot of inspiration from Sam Raimi, and the way he handles body horror/humor in such a unique, slapsticky way. The whole movie was just a lot of fun in general, and I am very glad I watched it.



#5:
The Wild Robot

This is the only movie on my list that I watched twice in 2025. I watched it once by myself, because I'd heard that it was a "crying" movie. As I said in my Terabithia review, I am always on the lookout for a movie that will spark an emotional reaction from me. This one did not. I liked the movie, but it didn't really hit those emotional marks with me. I could identify the parts of the movie that were clearly designed to make you cry. But I myself did not cry.

The very next day, I was talking about this movie with my wife and kid - and they said they wanted to watch it. So we did. This time, I liked the movie so much more. My kid was particularly interested in it. It's funny how it was such a different experience for me this time around. The first time I watched it, it was more of a detached experience. But watching it with two people who were watching it closely and crying and reacting to the emotional scenes had a reaction on me. I liked it so much more the second time around. It was like their energy rubbed off on me. The emotional scenes were a lot more touching and hit a lot closer to home. I ended up really loving this movie. It lingered with me. I thought about it for a few days afterwards, which is normally something I don't do. I have to say, it is one of the better kids movies I've seen in recent years.



#4:
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial

ET is a beloved movie from my childhood that I watch every five years or so. It's a movie that's always connected with me. It came out the year I was born. Even a few years later when I was old enough to form memories, it was still around and popular. Toys, merchandise, the infamous Atari video game, that kind of thing. I had an ET clock where his finger would light up.

But what is good about this movie is that it is not a movie that I've ruined for myself by watching too many times, like Jurassic Park or the original Star Wars trilogy. I think I've watched it just the right amount of times, where every time I watch it, I notice something I hadn't before. And it still feels fresh. I'm still teleported right back to the 80s every single time. I still feel that sense of wonder when ET and Elliot make their initial connection. I still feel the sadness when things get grim in the middle of the movie. And of course, I feel the emotion when ET leaves at the end. It's a near perfect movie for me. It hits the mark every single time. I know that for some reason this movie has its haters, but I don't know how you could say anything bad about it.



#3:
The Substance

This was my first time watching this, I fell in love with this movie right away. It's so slick and stylish. I just love the way it is filmed. It's like Requiem for a Dream meets Black Mirror. It has this hypnotic quality to it. Even when things are moving slowly, you can't help but be fascinated by what is happening onscreen. There's a deep mystery and lore contained within this world that is just ripe for exploration. Plus, I like gross shit and body horror. Combine that with a mysterious science fiction element, and you've got something that is right up my alley.

This movie got a lot of  attention, and for good reason. I was engrossed every step of the way. Like all movies that get a lot of praise, it often gets the criticism of being overrated. But I feel like this is perfectly rated. People like it because it's fucking good. I'm already getting the urge to watch it again. I will say that I didn't really like the end. I know it's silly to say "it's not realistic" in a movie that is not realistic, but too many things happened that completely wrecked my suspension of disbelief.



#2:
The Green Mile

The Green Mile won my ranking when I last watched it a few years ago. I'm not sure why I decided to watch it this year, but it was probably because I was on the lookout for something that could make me cry. I'm not sure if it ever did or not, but I ended up loving the movie, like always. It's beautifully filmed, it's well-acted, it moves along at a pretty good pace (at least, in my opinion it does). It never feels as long as it really is. 

This is a controversial statement, but I like it more than The Shawshank Redemption. It feels more personal, and less cold and oppressive. To me, this could very well be King's best movie. I find it to be such a memorable film. Coffey is an iconic character. Percy is one of the most easy to hate villains you'll see in a movie. The film has a tragic ending (and looking back, I think I may have shed a tear). But it also ends in a satisfactory manner. Someone gets exactly what was coming to him.

I just think this is an all around fantastic film. It works for me on nearly every level. And a big plus: I haven't seen it too many times, so every time I do watch it, it feels very fresh to me.



#1:
Titanic

I think I've come to terms that Titanic might be my favorite movie ever made. Laugh if you must. But I think it is great. I have a sentimental attachment, as it came out when I was an angsty teen, and I really connected with it. Even then, I still think this is a great movie. It's beautifully filmed, well acted. And it packs a walloping emotional punch. Remember how I said I'm always looking for movies I connect with that can provoke an emotional reaction? Well, this one never fails to do so.

It works well as an action movie and a romance movie. It works well as a period piece, whisking you back in time effortlessly. The movie is 30 years old now, and it doesn't feel outdated at all. It's a bit on the long side, but I don't care. That just means there is more movie to love. I've never had a bad experience watching this movie. It clicks on every single level for me. I can't say anything bad about it. I will die on the hill that this movie deserved all the love, praise, broken box office records, and Oscar wins it earned. It's the greatest movie of all time. For me, anyway.



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That's it! Thanks for reading. For a complete list of all 118 movies I watched last year, and when I watched them, check out my list below. Anything you feel that should have made the cut, but didn't? For me, it was Speed. I hadn't seen it in ages, and watching it again really transported me back to the 1990s when I was a teenager sitting in front of the TV, completely enthralled by this film. I loved every second of it.

Until next year!


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January (14):
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Threads
Saw X
Predator
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Genisys
Batman: Mask of Phantasm
Session 9
Annihilation
Commando
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Dune Part One
Tomb Raider (2018)
Hellraiser

February: (9)
A Perfect Getaway
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Unlawful Entry
The Substance
X-Men
Blue Steel
Pacific Heights
The Fugitive
Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life

March: (9)
Dreamscape
X2
Pet Sematary 1989
The Green Mile
Skinamarink << possibly the worst movie I've ever seen
The Dark Tower
Super Mario Bros.
Batman & Robin
Chaos: The Manson Murders

April: (7)
X-Men: The Last Stand
Titanic
Stir of Echoes
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men: First Class
Dune: Part Two
Rise of the Planet of the Apes

May: (9)
The Wolverine
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Trilogy of Terror
Incendies
The Blair Witch Project
Creep
War For the Planet of the Apes
Creep 2
Predator 2

June: (9)
Bridge to Terabithia
Exam
The Wild Robot
The Village
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Sinister
The Purge: Anarchy
First Blood
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie

July: (7)
Sunshine
The Virgin Suicides
The Crazies
Brick
Sinister 2
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Rising Sun

August: (12) 
Speed
Sinners
Dead and Buried
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Con-Air
Copycat
Jurassic Park
The Revenant
Vanilla Sky
One Cut of the Dead
The Conjuring

September: (15)
Total Recall 
Ghostbusters
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Disaster
Big Trouble in Little China
Weapons
Fargo
Terminator: Dark Fate
Civil War
Police Academy
Police Academy 2
28 Days Later
Nosferatu
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Jurassic Park III

October: (8)
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
The Fifth Element
Train To Busan
The Perfect Neighbor
Dead Alive
Raw
Bring Her Back

November: (11)
Child's Play
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
Hook
His House
Child's Play 2
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
The Long Walk
Coherence
The Mummy (1999)
Solo: A Star Wars Story


December: (8)
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Child's Play 3
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Police Academy 3
The Karate Kid reboot
Southern Comfort
Gremlins



For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

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Sunday, February 1, 2026

2026 Things: January



A complete list of all the movies I watched, podcasts I listened to, video games I completed, and episodes of TV I watched in the month of January, 2026.


1.01: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (3.07). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 248). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 64). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (The Shining with Jed Shepherd).

1.02: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (33.11). Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (3.08, 3.09). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 60).

1.03: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (33.12). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.01). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (3.10). Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.16).

1.04: Listened to 1 episode of The Survivor Historians (ep 72). Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 284). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (A Link to the Past). Watched 1 episode of Chernobyl (1.04). Finished video game: Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.17).

1.05: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (4.01). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 104). Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Dead in the Driveway). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Last of Us: Season Finale and Series Spoilercast). Watched movie: A Christmas Story. Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (4.02). 

1.06: Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (4.03, 4.04). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 61). Watched movie: Last Action Hero. Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.02). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 249).

1.07: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (4.05). Watched 1 episode of Survivor (33.13). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.31.25 ep). Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.18). Watched 1 episode of Chernobyl (1.05).

1.08: Watched 1 episode of Survivor (33.14). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.03). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (4.06). Watched movie: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.19).

1.09: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (4.07, 4.08). Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.20). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Gaming's Hottest Takes pt 1). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.04). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.128). 

1.10: Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.05). Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.21). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.01). Watched movie: Blue Velvet.

1.11: Watched 1 episode of 50 Seconds: The Fernando Báez Sosa Case (1.03). Watched 1 episode of Home Improvement (1.16). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (ep 62). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Which King Stories Demand a Requel?). Listened to 2 episodes of The Cartridge Club (ep 147 and CC Portable ep 34). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 65). Watched 1 episode of Attack on Titan (3.22). Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 282). 

1.12: Watched movie: Cast Away. Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (12.29 ep). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 250). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (Single White Female). Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (4.09, 4.10). 

1.13: Watched 1 episode of The Purge (1.01). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.06). Listened to 1 episode of Ear Biscuits (ep 67). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.02). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 251). Watched movie: Darkman.

1.14: Watched 1 episode of The Purge (1.02). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.130). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (2.07, 2.08). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (5.01). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 252). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.01). 

1.15: Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (5.02, 5.03). Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (2.09, 2.10). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 105). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.02). 

1.16: Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 66). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.03). Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (5.04, 5.05). Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (2.11, 2.12). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (1.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.03). Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (John Darnielle on Devil House). 

1.17: Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (3.01, 3.02). Finished video game: Tomb Raider: Legend. Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (5.06). Listened to 1 episode of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (4th Annual Peacocky Awards). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 148). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.04). 

1.18: Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Cinema (Anime Edition: Demon City Shinjuku OVA). Listened to 1 episode of Sega Saturn Shiro (Live Show Apr 23, 2021). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Portable #35). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (5.07). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.05). 

1.19: Watched 3 episodes of The Purge (1.04, 1.05, 1.06). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.02 Feedback). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 253). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 106). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (5.08). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.06). 

1.20: Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.07). Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (5.09, 5.10). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.04). Listened to 1 episode of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 82). Watched 2 episodes of The Purge (1.07, 1.08).

1.21: Watched 2 episodes of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.08, 1.09). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (3.03). Watched movie: Misery. Watched 1 episode of The Purge (1.09). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (ep 80). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (6.01). 

1.22: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (6.02). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (1.10). Watched 2 episodes of The Purge (1.10, 2.01). Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (3.04, 3.05).

1.23: Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (3.06). Listened to 1 episode of The 7th Rule (ep 304). Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (6.03). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.01). 

1.24: Listened to 1 episode of Unsolved Mysteries (Lured from Home). Listened to 1 episode of The FF Dynasty (9.133). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.05). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (3.07). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.02). Watched movie: Darkman II. 

1.25: Listened to 1 episode of The Losers Club (Dreamcatcher). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.02). Listened to 2 episodes of Fantasy Football Happy Hour (1.12 and 1.19.26 eps). Listened to 1 episode of Staff Picks (About Schmidt). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.03). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.06).

1.26: Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.04). Listened to 1 episode of The Cartridge Club (CC Hangouts #2). Watched movie: Dr. No. Watched 3 episodes of Game of Thrones (6.04, 6.05, 6.06). Finished video game: De Blob. Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 67). Listened to 1 episode of Retronauts (ep 107).

1.27: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (6.07). Listened to 1 episode of Collateral Gaming (ep 60 pt 2). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.05). Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (3.08, 3.09). Watched movie: Darkman III.

1.28: Watched 2 episodes of Game of Thrones (6.08, 6.09). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (3.10). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Voyager (1.01).

1.29: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (6.10). Listened to 1 episode of The Retrograde (Top 10 Weapons in Games). Watched 2 episodes of The Traitors (3.11, 3.12). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Voyager (1.02). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.06).

1.30: Watched 1 episode of Game of Thrones (7.01). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.07). Listened to 1 episode of Retrovaniacs (ep 68). Watched 1 episode of Survivor South Africa (2.07). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.01). Listened to 1 episode of Arcade Attack (ep 254). Watched 1 episode of Star Trek Voyager (1.03).

1.31: Watched movie: From Russia With Love. Listened to 2 episodes of The Stephen Kingcast (ep 83, ep 253). Listened to 1 episode of Post Show Recaps: The White Lotus (2.03 recap). Watched 1 episode of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (2.08). Watched 1 episode of The Traitors (4.02). Watched 1 episode of The Purge (2.03).


My most popular things (6 or more)
35 episodes of Game of Thrones watched
26 episodes of The Traitors watched
18 episodes of Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai watched
13 episodes of The Purge Watched
11 movies watched
7 episodes of Survivor South Africa watched (and 4 episodes of US Survivor)
7 episodes of Arcade Attack played
7 episodes of Attack on Titan watched
6 episodes of The Cartridge Club played



This is my third year of tracking all the things I do. Here are the previous two years worth of data:






For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

Video Game Review #606: De Blob

De Blob
PlayStation 4


Before Playing:

De Blob originally came out back in 2008, a whopping 18 years ago. Prior to Christmas Eve of 2025, I had never heard of it before. My son received this game as a Christmas present from my mother. I looked at the box and thought "hmm, this looks interesting." But at the same time, I also thought it looked like something you may find at a Wal-Mart bargain bin for five dollars. I wasn't optimistic it would be any good, because if it was, I would have at least heard of it before. Right?

My son popped in the game while I was at work. He seemed interested in it. I got out of work and came into the room to check it out. Right away, I thought it looked pretty neat. It was aesthetically pleasing. I liked the music. The vibe of the game reminded me a little bit of Jet Set Radio, which is a game I freaking love. Plus, the whole concept of painting black and white objects to give them color was very appealing to me. Watching him play, the game felt "satisfying" in a way that is tough for me to describe. You know how some people like watching YouTube videos of things getting crushed by hydraulic presses, or other things like that? That's how I felt about the game. Satisfying. If that makes sense to you. 

Although I thought the game was pretty cool, my son wasn't a huge fan of it. He played it for a few days before going back to Ice Age: Scrat's Nutty Adventure and Jak and Daxter - his newest obsession. He hasn't picked it up since then.

Since he wasn't going to play the game, I decided to give it a try. I waited till everyone went to bed at night, fired up the game, and started making my way through it. Let's move along so I can share my thoughts on this experience.




Story:

This game has a simple but effective story. It takes place in Chroma City, a colorful and bustling metropolis filled with all kinds of zany cartoon-like characters known as Raydians. One day, the evil INKT Corporation comes into town. INKT is anti-color in pretty much every way, shape, and form. They blot out all the colors, turning everything into black and white. They rule Chroma City with an iron fist, snuffing out anyone who tries to return color to the city. There's a lot of Nazi-like imagery in the game associated with INKT, which wasn't what I was expecting in a game for kids.

You play as Blob, a living and breathing blob of paint. He witnesses these atrocities from afar and decides to take action. He rolls into Chroma City and joins the resistance, the underground rebellion that is trying to restore color to the city.

This is the basic gist of things. The story goes a little deeper, but to be honest, I didn't really care for the story that much. It's told through slapstick, wordless animated cutscenes. If you've ever seen a Minions movie, it is kind of like that. But even more vague. It just seems like a lot of nonsense that has nothing to do with the actual gameplay. Normally I'm a story guy, but all the extra details seemed a little unnecessary for me. The story for me always felt like an afterthought; a vessel for the gameplay, so that what you are doing in the game made some kind of sense. I never looked too deep into it. In fact, I ended up skipping some of the cutscenes as I played, which is something I almost never do. It just didn't feel like it really ever mattered. It would be like if Tetris had cutscenes.




Gameplay:

This is a super addicting game. It may take you a little while to "figure out" how the game works, but once it all clicks together, you are going to have a really fun time. The game is broken into ten stages, which you must play through in a linear order. You are a little blob of paint. The world around you is all grey. It is your job to collect paint points, which turn you into the color of paint you pick up. There are three different colors: red, blue, and yellow. If you pick up red paint, you turn red. Blue, you turn blue. Yellow, yellow. You get the drift. But you can also combine colors. So if you are red and you pick up blue, you turn purple. Pretty neat, huh? There is always water to be found in each level, where you can cleanse yourself to remove all color from you.

Your job is to go through each level, collecting enough points to unlock gates that allow you to access the next part of the level. Eventually, after making it through about four or five gates, you will make it to the level exit. You can leave, if you choose to do so. All you really have to do is beat each level. But you can stay and collect more points, if you like.

So how do you collect points? By painting things. Everything is black and white. Let's say you pick up blue paint. It gives you 10 paint points. You roll into a building. The building is painted blue now. You go from 10 paint points to 9. You can paint the building next to it, and the next, and the next. You can roll along and touch all of them, which paints them and gives them color. Each building or item you paint uses up one paint point. These paint points also represent your life meter. When you get hit, your paint points go down. If you go down to 0, you lose all your color, and one hit from an enemy will kill you. It is fairly easy to stay alive in this game, as there are paints you can pick up for 10 points all over the place. But you will die from time to time.

Your goal is to paint as much of the city as you can. Turn it from black and white into full color. You pick up paint points, paint buildings, and earn points that go toward your overall score. It is so fun, and it is so very satisfying. I don't know how else to describe it. You get that little dopamine rush when you fully paint an area, and the little Raydians come pouring out of the building to celebrate. It's like you accomplished something. You're always moving, you're always picking up paint, you're always changing (and losing) your color, you're always on the lookout for something to paint.

And then there are the missions. You will see little icons on the map that I think are supposed to be hands holding a paintbrush. These indicate the missions you can take on. Completing these missions gives you points towards your total (and your ultimate goal of unlocking the next gate) and they also give you extra time that you can add to the clock. Each level is timed, starting with something like 10 or 20 minutes, and then counting down from there. But so much stuff that you do in this game gives you extra time, that I never really found myself in serious danger of running out of time.

The missions are identified by 3 main colors. The first is blue, which is normally some kind of race. You must follow a trail of sparkling collectibles that lead you on a little adventure through the city. You must reach the end of the trail within the time limit allotted in order to win. These are pretty easy. It's essentially "connect the dots" but with a time limit. Then there's the green missions, which normally have you painting a certain building on the map a certain color within the time allotted. These get more and more complex as the game goes along, and are probably the most challenging missions. It'll be like "you need to paint these 10 buildings orange, these 10 yellow, and these 10 purple. And you have a minute and half to do it. And these buildings are stacked on top of each other. So have fun." There's a massive puzzle element to figuring these out. What colors to grab, when to grab them, how many point points you need, etc.

Then there are the orange missions, which are the aggressor missions. You must defeat a certain number of enemies on the map, or "attack" an enemy building and turn it back to the good side within the time allotted. Destroying the enemies on the map is pretty straightforward. You have a lock-on attack where you jump on their heads, and you can do it very quickly in rapid succession. Aside from occasionally running out of paint points at the worst possible time, I never had much trouble with the combat. More challenging are the missions where you attack the buildings. To do so, you must collect a certain number of paint points (let's say 50) and they have to be a certain color. It will show you right on the screen. It'll look like, for example, a pulsating green circle with 50 on it. So you need to be green, and you need 50 paint points. You have to roll around and pick up enough paint points to get you up to or beyond 50. While you're doing so, you want to think about the best possible route to take to get you to the color you need. You want to be green when you hit 50. Not red. Because you need to be green to defeat the building. Once you have 50 green, you jump up, use your lock-on attack, and latch onto the building, hitting x repeatedly to pump your 50 paint points into the building. Once you've done so, the building gets its color back, and everyone starts celebrating.

This sounds like a lot to take in, but it really isn't that tough. You start out as a colorless ball. You pick up paint. You paint everything you see from black and white to color. You accept side missions. You complete them. You earn points. You paint some more. You earn more points. Eventually you earn enough points to unlock the gate at the end of the level. The levels in this game are quite long. Many take 45 minutes to an hour to complete. And you can't save mid-level. When you sit down with this game, you need to make sure you're setting aside enough time to complete a full level. This is one of the only drawbacks I found with this game.

There's still so much I'm not talking about, like how there are these pods that appear from time to time, and when you crush them, they rejuvenate an entire in-game neighborhood. It's always so satisfying to crack these open. I also haven't mentioned all the hidden collectibles, like the style markers. I haven't mentioned how each stage has a blimp that flies around. If you paint it in each level, you get a trophy.

I also haven't mentioned how you can get spattered by black ink. When I died in the game, it was mainly because of this shit. Getting hit with ink rapidly drains your paint points. If it hits 0, you die. You have to quickly find water and jump in to wash yourself clean before the countdown reaches the end. It always put me into a panic when I'd get hit with black ink. Makes you freak out and just start running around like a goon for a little bit. But the more I played, the more I made sure I knew where there was water at all times.

I can't keep going on and on, and telling you everything there is to know about this game. It would take forever. But in case you can't tell, I really had a lot of fun with this. It's so addicting. And I keep saying this, but it is so satisfying. 



 
Graphics:

For being an older game, it looks great. I enjoy the art style of the game. It's got a little bit of that cell-shaded feel to it. Reminded me of Jet Set Radio, as I said in my opener. Very hip, and graffiti inspired. But in a way, it also reminds me of a lot of Super Mario Galaxy. Maybe it's the litte Raydians running around. They remind me of the star guys from that game. The way they sing and dance and party when you restore color in an area is very adorable. I like watching the progression of the city as you turn each level from grey to vibrant and colorful. Let me say it again: it's very satisfying.




Sound:

Not only do the game's visuals remind me of Jet Set Radio, the music does, too. It's vibe music. It's very chill and laid back. Each level has a different style of music, too. For example, one level can have a Caribbean beat to it, while the next has an old timey piano vibe. My wife would always say how much she enjoyed the music and listening to the game when I was playing it. And I agree. I love it.

What is best about the music is how you can actually interact with it. When you paint a building, it plays a musical note for a half second. If you string together painting a bunch of buildings in a row, it puts all these notes together and adds to the beat of the music. It's hard to describe in words exactly what it is that I am describing. But it's very satisf--- I'm not going to say it.




Overall:

This was such a pleasant surprise. I liked this a lot. How have I never heard of this game before? I can't believe it's been out since 2008, and I only heard about it at the tail end of 2025. If my mom had never bought this game for my kid as a Christmas gift, I still would never have heard of it.

I can't recommend it enough. It is one of the more creative games I've played in a long time. Once things clicked with me and I started to fully understand its mechanics, I was like "wow this is such a brilliant game." I haven't played anything like it. Is this what Katamari is like? I suppose I should check out that series some day.

As much as I enjoyed the game, I feel I should pump the brakes somewhat. There are only 10 levels. You do the exact same thing in each level. Aside from the architecture of the different areas of the city, the main objectives are always the same for each level. Paint things. Do missions. Earn points. Unlock gates. Get to the level exit. There is little to no variety to be found here. Once you've made it past, say, level three or four, you've essentially seen the whole game. And it's not like the story is interesting enough to really keep you hooked.

I also don't see a whole lot replay value to be found here. I've gone back and replayed a few stages just to nab some trophies and collectibles. But now that I've done so, I don't see much reason to come back to the game. Just the thought of having to play through some of these hour-long levels and paint all these things I've already painted before is somewhat unappealing to me. Maybe I will some day, but it is going to be a long time.

All that being said, I can easily recommend De Blob to anyone like me who hasn't played it before. Am I nuts for having never heard of this game for all these years, or are there other people out there like me? I'm interested to see if I'm in the minority on this one. But yeah: De Blob. You should play it. It's fun. I had a great time with it.

Until next time!


THE GRADE:
B+



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Monday, January 19, 2026

Re-Review #25: Tomb Raider: Legend

Tomb Raider: Legend
PlayStation 2


For my initial review of this game, click
>HERE<


I first played through Tomb Raider: Legend back in May of 2015. If you are interested in my thoughts, I posted the link to my initial review above. In my review, I talked about how the game was too short and how it was relatively easy compared to the classic Tomb Raider series. I liked the game, but I wasn't crazy about it. I raced through it in about 6 or 7 hours, and then I was done with it. I ended up giving the game the score of a C+. This usually indicates that I found the game to be just slightly above average. My memories of the game agree with this. Thinking back, I can only remember the game as being "all right". I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, either. It was fine. That's about all I can really remember about it.

I hadn't intended to play through this for a second time. But I recently played through Tomb Raider Anniversary, and I really liked it. I didn't like that game when I first played it. I thought: if I can change my mind on one game, maybe I could change it for the other? So I decided to come back and play through this one more time, while trying to keep an open mind about things.

I ended up liking it a lot more this time around. I think it was a matter of adjusting my expectations. I didn't expect this to be a world beating title. I just wanted to play through it and have fun. And that's exactly what I did.

It's a fast moving game. The puzzles are easy. The combat isn't too overly difficult. It's a game that moves along quickly from location to location. And then before you know it, the game is over. It's short, but it is action packed.

If you are coming into this game expecting it to be like the classic PS1 games, you are going to come away disappointed. It's a more action oriented and cinematic experience. It is also a very forgiving game. I won't say it holds your hand, but it makes things much easier on you than its predecessors. I remember when this game first came out, it was essentially a complete reboot of the Tomb Raider series. They made it more like Prince of Persia than anything else. So I can forgive them for not quite finding their footing with this one. I think Anniversary was a lot better, and it perfected the things that this game laid the groundwork for. I can't speak on Underworld, the third game in the PS2/3 trilogy. I played it a looong time ago, and I can barely remember anything about it. I looked back through my PS3 trophy list and can't find this game on it, so I must have played it before trophy support was offered, which was common for a lot of early PS3 games back in like 2007 or 2008. But I assume it takes things and improves on them even more.

Would I recommend this game to others? Yes, actually. If you're a Tomb Raider fan, you have to play this no matter what. If you're a fan of the action/adventure genre as a whole, then you'd probably enjoy this as well. If you're expecting a 40+ hour epic, you've come to the wrong place. Compared to video game "masterpieces" out there, this is more of a Michael Bay movie than anything else. Or maybe a superhero movie. It's fun, it's fast paced. You enjoy it as you're watching it. But when it ends, you'll find it left very little impact on your life. One week after finishing it, you've forgotten it completely.

That said, I still enjoyed it. I can see why I gave it a C+ the first time I reviewed it, but I also liked it a little bit better this time around.


THE GRADE:
B


The C+ and the B scores average out to a B-, which is probably a bit more indicative of where this title lands.



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Tuesday, January 13, 2026

VHS Tape #27: Marty Rocks + Howie too



For those unfamiliar, this is an ongoing series of blog posts where I document what is found on the contents of the numerous VHS tapes I recorded back in the pre-internet era. I still have about 20 or so more to go. You can see a complete list of the tapes so far at the bottom of this post.


(00:00:00)

Ken Jennings finally loses on Jeopardy

G4 game clip montage
 - Grand Theft Auto 3
 - Conflict: Vietnam
 - Pokemon Red Blue
 
Big Brother 6 clip where April checks out her HoH room

Hilton Griswold sings 

Rockstar INXS
 - Mansion show recap where the contestants sing a new INXS song, and pick their songs for the week
 - Ty Taylor: You Can't Aways Get What You Want
 - JD: Suspicious Minds
 - Marty: Wish You Were Here
 - Jordis: Imagine
 - Mig: Live And Let Die
 - Suzie: Bohemian Rhapsody

Rockstar INXS results show
 - Last night recapped
 - Marty and Suzie both get encores
 - Contestants reactions are shown after they return to the mansion
 - JD is in bottom three and sings This Time
 - Ty in bottom three and sings The One Thing
 - Jordis in bottom three and sings Listen Like Thieves
 - Ty eliminated and plays the race card

(1:22:02)
 
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Visitor". Best Star Trek episode ever! The last few minutes of the show before this are recorded too since I had to set the timer on my VCR to get this. The commercials are also not edited out.

(2:23:36)

Big Brother 6
 - April's friends and family members talk about her
 - James evicted and interviewed by Julie Chen
 - Howie wins HoH and is forced to nominate Beau and Ivette on the spot

Tiny clip from a Wisconsin Badgers football game against Bowling Green. Booker Stanley gets a carry filling in for Brian Calhoun.

COPS
 - Crazy drugged up shirtless stands on a roof and has to be taken down by the police. I'm pretty sure I have this on another tape. I think I only recorded this because its the full thing whereas the beginning was missing from the other clip.

(2:49:10) 

Big Brother 6
 - Howie and Janelle play with lightsabers
 - Ivette nominates Howie and Janelle :(
 
Clip from Inspiration Time with an old woman playing a funny musical instrument

Rockstar INXS. Contestants sing 2 songs each - an original song, and a song picked by America
 - Recap of contestants posing for photo shoot
 - JD: Come As You Are and Pretty Vegas
 - Suzie: I Can't Make You Love Me and Soul Life
 - Mig: Hard to Handle and Home In Me
 - Jordis: We Are the Champions
 - Marty: Everlong and Trees

RINX results show
 - Contestants interviewed
 - Group song Us performed
 - JD sings the encore of Pretty Vegas
 - Footage of contestants reactions after last night's performance episodes
 - Contestants interviewed again. Blah blah blah
 - Jordis in bottom 3 and sings I Need You Tonight
 - Suzie in bottom 3 and sings Never Tear Us Apart again. This is the second time they assigned this same song to her in the bottom 3 which is kind of weird.
 - JD in bottom 3 and performs Mystify
 - Jordis leaves
 
(4:06:32)

Animal Planet clip of a show called Pet Star. There's a dog where we don't see his special talent, a dog riding a skateboard and a squirrel riding on water skis. The audience has to vote on which one they like the best and of course they pick the dog that I didn't record his talent. I was rooting for the squirrel. 

Survivor Guatemala preview on the TV Guide channel. Tom Westman hosts.
 - Rafe, Morgan, Breanna, and Amy are interviewed
 - They go behind the set of the Guatemala Tribal Council
 - Jim, Cindy, Brandon, Danni, Blake, Brooke, Margaret, and Judd are interviewed
 - Art director of Survivor is interviewed and behind the scenes stuff is shown
 - Inside look at the creation of an immunity challenge
 - Contestants speculate on who the returning players will be
 
Tiny brief clips from the Simpsons and the Christopher Lowell Show

Big Brother 6
 - Ivette's girlfriend and family are interviewed. Her girlfriend likes Janelle and hates Ivette's obsession with Cappy.
 - Howie evicted

Ozzy Osbourne sings Crazy Train at a New England Patriots game

Carrie Underwood on TV raising money for hurricane Katrina victims

Big Brother 6 clip of Howie coming to the jury house. There is tension between some of the jurors.

Rockstar INXS
 - Recap of the mansion episode, where JD gets a family visit and INXS asks the contestants interview style questions
 - Suzie: Interstate Love Song and What's Up
 - JD: Pretty Vegas and Money
 - Marty: Trees and Creep
 - Mig: Paint It Black and Kiss From A Rose

RINXS results show 
 - Marty voted by fans to perform an encore of Trees
 - JD also performs an encore of Pretty Vegas, this time a stripped down version
 - Clips from the mansion after last night's performance show
 - Contestants chit chat with INXS. More blah blah blah
 - Suzie, JD, and Mig (finally) in bottom three
 - Suzie: Suicide Blonde
 - JD: By My Side
 - Mig: What you Need
 - Suzie eliminated
 
(5:53:55)

BB6 finale
 - Recap of the season's events
 - Janelle joins jury house and they discuss which of Maggie/Ivette deserve to win
 - The jurors question the final 2 and begin placing their votes, but the tape ends before they finish
 


END OF TAPE



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Monday, January 5, 2026

Video Game Review #605: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Xbox


Nostalgia Factor:

I first played this game back in... hmm. I want to say it was 2005 or 2006. I remember buying it at a used video game store by my house. It came packaged together with Tetris Worlds on the same disc. I remember thinking how that was such an odd combination. Star Wars and Tetris? Uh, okay.

To be completely honest with you: I barely remember anything about this game. I didn't think it was anything special. I remember playing it. I remember it being composed of mainly flying stages. I remember beating it. That's about it. To be fair, this was during the heavy drinking phase of my life, which I like to bring up on this blog from time to time. I don't remember much of anything that happened during that timeframe.

What happened to my copy of the game? I ended up trading it in for something else. Like I said, this game was only mediocre in my opinion, and it didn't seem like something I'd want to play through again.

Let's jump forward about 20 years into the future. I randomly stumbled upon this game when looking for something to play online. Immediately, it caught my interest. I'm always intrigued by games that I know I've played, but I do not remember anything about. I decided to take the plunge.

Would I find this game to be any better here in 2025, or would I still find it to be completely unremarkable? Let's find out.




Story:

I didn't pay much attention to this game's storyline. It is very inconsequential. I was more focused on the driving and the shooting and the blowing shit up side of things.

But if you must know, the game is based around the Clone Wars (obviously). The earlier stages cover the events on Geonosis that take place during Attack of the Clones. But the majority of the game focuses on Clone Wars battles that take place after the movie, and before Revenge of the Sith. Completely uncharted territory, if you've only seen the movies.

The main goal of each level is usually pretty simple. It's normally something like destroy a base, protect a ship, wipe out all enemies, that kind of thing. Don't come into this game expecting a deep narrative, or any kind of interesting plot twists. It plays things very safe. It's just you and the Republic fighting against Separatist droid armies. It's like if you plucked a few random episodes out of The Clone Wars TV series and made a game about it. Although this came out before the series.




Gameplay:

If you like vehicle-based shooters, this is the game for you. There are some on-foot levels, but they are few and far between. Thank god, because they aren't good. The controls for them are quite questionable. It is very clunky. Fallen Order or The Force Unleashed this is not. If the entire game was just these on-foot sections, you are looking at one of the worst Star Wars games ever made. Luckily, there are only about two or three on-foot sections the entire game. The rest is all flying. The flying is definitely the meat and potatoes of the game.

You're going to take control of a large number of vehicles in the game, from speeder bikes to tanks to walkers to fighters. Each vehicle handles differently. The buttons all do different things for each one. The controls are never explained in the game. And since I was playing a digital version of the game, I didn't have access to an instruction manual. I suppose I could have looked one up online, but I decided to just roll with it instead and figure things out on my own.

Luckily, it is not too difficult to figure out. Each vehicle generally has a fire button and a zoom button, where you can lock onto enemies with your blasters. Each vehicle generally has missiles you can fire. Some vehicles offer special perks, like shields, the ability to speed up or slow down, or powerful laser attacks that serve as a secondary weapon. And of course, each vehicle handles differently as well. A walker is not going to move the same as a speeder bike, obviously.

Each stage is relatively short. Some can be beaten in less than five or ten minutes if you know what you are doing. There are 16 stages in total. It took me a week or two to play through this game, because I was only doing a stage or two before bed each night. But if you really wanted to sit down and dedicate some time to the game, you could probably beat it in a day or two. Maybe even in one sitting if you were truly dedicated.

While the game is short, it is tough. Some of these battles can be quite intense. You are under constant bombardment, and you take damage left and right. I found myself dying quite often, and having to replay large chunks of the game at a time. That's kind of annoying. If you use save states *wink wink* you don't really have to deal with that. But yeah. I play everything on the normal default setting, and I found this to be a super tough game. Especially right at the end. There's a stage where you have to protect a squadron of walkers and I tell you: it is a son of a bitch. The final boss is insane also.

If you are persistent, you'll eventually power through with trial and error. Once I "learned how to play" I was able to breeze through most of the game pretty quickly. Move slowly. Stay at a distance. Use your zooming ability. Don't be shy with your missiles, as the game is relatively generous with refill power ups.

When the action is time sensitive, like with an escort mission, my strategy would change a bit. I was big on strafing and laying waste to the enemy with as big of a bombardment as humanly possible. Then I'd fly away, regroup, and come back for another pass. You always want to have a strategy. You never want to blindly just fly in, especially when there are a lot of enemies to fight. You can go from having a great run to getting completely obliterated in seconds. So you have to be careful. But you can't be too careful, or you'll run out of time.

All in all, I found this to be a relatively fun, but shallow experience. I can see why it didn't stick with me when I first played it. It's a decent game, completely forgettable in the long run.




Graphics/Sound:

It looks like Star Wars. It sounds like Star Wars. I don't have much to complain about here.

The graphics are fine. This clearly an Xbox/PS2 era game. Things look okay on the surface, but when you start examining them closely, you can see the rough edges. But its fine. I didn't decide to pick up and play this game for its graphics, not that they are bad by any stretch of the imagination. It is a perfectly serviceable looking game. The most impressive thing visually is probably the scope of some of the battles, and the size of some of the ships you must face.

The music, on the other hand, is great. This game doesn't limit itself by only using music from the prequels. It uses music from the original trilogy as well. It really adds a sense of fun and excitement to the game. I'm sure the prequels have fine music, but aside from Duel of the Fates, nothing stands out much compared to the soundtrack of the original movies.

Sound effects are great, too. All the normal Star Wars effects are present, from the piercing sound of blaster fire to the hum of a lightsaber. Voice acting is okay... for the most part. Line delivery can be a little stiff, but the characters mostly sound like their film counterparts. Obi-Wan is my favorite. He is quite zesty in this game. 



Overall:

I liked this game. I didn't love it, but I liked it.

My problem is that it is so utterly forgettable. It's similar in structure to something like Star Fox, or even the Rogue Squadron games. But it has absolutely zero personality carrying it. There's nothing memorable here. It didn't even do much for me as a Star Wars fan. In one week, I'll have forgotten basically everything about the game.

But as I said, I still liked it. It's challenging. I like the mission variety. Never at any point was I like "wow, this game sucks!" as I was playing. It's a perfectly short, enjoyable game. It just doesn't do much to stand out. There's honestly not much else to say about it. 

If you like vehicle-based Star Wars games, you will probably like this, as I did. If you aren't a fan of the genre, you'll be missing absolutely nothing if you decide to skip this. 

Will I ever play this game again? Nah. It's like the video game equivalent of cotton candy. You like eating it. It's enjoyable while it lasts. But when you're done, you are still hungry. And five minutes later, you've moved on with your life, the cotton candy long forgotten. As much as you liked the cotton candy, you're never going to think back on it and be like "wow, that was so good!" 

So while I can't give this game much more than a slightly above average score. As much as I enjoyed it, it did almost nothing for me. And I certainly will never be coming back to it again.


THE GRADE:
C+


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Thursday, January 1, 2026

Video Game Review #604: Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Tomb Raider: Anniversary
PlayStation 2


Nostalgia Factor:

I remember being extremely hyped for Tomb Raider: Anniversary when it first came out. I was a giant fan of the original Tomb Raider, and I was just dying to see what a remake would look like with the technology of 2007. Unfortunately, I didn't end up liking the game. It changed too much. I was expecting a fresh coat of paint, along with a few gameplay tweaks - kind of similar to the recently remastered Tomb Raider games. Instead, I looked at Anniversary as a "dumbed down" version of the original. It was too forgiving. The puzzles weren't obscure enough. Too many parts from the original were just completely skipped over. It made things too easy. There was an added focus on climbing and acrobatic jumping, similar to what I had seen in Prince of Persia. There were also a bunch of QTEs. The entire game was not what I had been expecting.

I played the game. I made my way through it. I beat it. I traded it in at the used game store and got something else. I wouldn't play it again until now, in 2025. General consensus online is that this is a decent game. I was beginning to wonder if I hadn't given it a fair shake the first time around. I decided to come into it with an open mind and give it my honest, objective opinion.

Let's see how that worked out.




Story:

The storyline is pretty much exactly the same as the original Tomb Raider. Lara is hired by Natla to help find three pieces of the Scion, an ancient artifact. Once the pieces are brought together, it is supposed to give the user great power - or some shit like that. Anyway, you find out later on that the lady you are working for is actually an ancient Atlantean who had been buried but recently unearthed by nuclear testing.

This version of the game fleshes out the characters a little bit more. Natla's henchmen take more of a starring role. I like the Malibu's Most Wanted looking white boy in a durag. And the Barrett looking MF with the milky eye. That being said, I've never been too overly interested in the storyline in any Tomb Raider game. This one is no exception.




Gameplay:

This game is much easier to pick up and play than the original Tomb Raider. I could immediately see why some people may gravitate towards this game when given a choice between it and the OG Tomb Raider. The controls are explained right away in the first portion of the game. It takes place in a snowy area right before you enter the caves. It explains how to run, jump, climb, swing, etc. You get a much better idea how to play this game from its first five minutes than you do the entire mansion sequence in the OG Tomb Raider.

Gameplay is very fluid. It's not stiff or rigid like the original game. Jumping and grabbing onto ledges are easy to pull off. You won't be mistiming jumps and falling to your death nearly as many times in this game. The puzzles are also a lot easier to solve. Part of the thing that gave the original game longevity was the obscurity of its puzzles. Finding out where you were supposed to go and what you were supposed to do next was a big part of the challenge. I won't say that this game is "hand holdy" because it is not. But I didn't find myself getting stuck nearly as much this time around.

Overall, this was a surprisingly fun adventure for me. I expected to hate it based on my past experiences. But I liked it a lot more than I ever thought I would. It's a relatively short game, too. I don't know what my actual numbers were, but I can't imagine that this game takes more than 12 hours to play through. If you are looking for something fun and relatively breezy to play through, I can't recommend this enough. In fact, it is currently free on PlayStation Plus right now (depending on when you are reading this).

Before we move on, I want to talk about my five year old son's experience with this game. I fully expected to play through this game by myself. No one in my household likes Tomb Raider. Plus, I thought this game would be too hard for a kid who only has ever played Untitled Goose Game and Scrat's Nutty Adventure. But when I was playing through one of the levels (the dinosaur level), my kid came into the room and started watching it. He fell in love with the game, and immediately wanted to go back and see all the old levels and play through them with me. After we were done doing that, we forged ahead. And we made pretty deep progress into the game with each other. We ended up making it to the last Egypt stage before he lost interest, and wanted to go back and replay some of his favorite levels. He loves the dinosaur level, the Midas level, The Coliseum, and St Francis Folly in particular. I had to play through St Francis Folly like five freaking times in a row with him, because it is his favorite level.  

But I was surprised with how well he did playing this game. He's never played anything as "advanced" or complicated as this. But he did surprisingly good with the controls. He was great at navigating as well, and helping to figure out puzzles. Although his interest in the game was short lived, I think playing this game did him some good as far as his development goes.




Graphics:

Even though this game is 18 years old now, I still think it looks pretty darn good. Obviously, it doesn't look as good as anything that would come out today. It's clearly a PS2 game. But I don't care. Never once did I think "wow, this game's graphics are really detracting from the experience." I think it looks perfectly fine. Lara moves well. The environments are beautiful. The whole game is very atmospheric overall. No complaints from me.




Sound:

The sound design has always been one of the greatest strengths of the Tomb Raider series. This game is no different. It really helps create an atmosphere for each of these levels, from dank and creepy caves to lush ancient temples. The music is good, too. I like how it cranks up whenever there is an intense moment. During more subdued game sequences, it helps sell the atmosphere even more. My son would often say "The game is creeping again" whenever the faint, creepy music would start playing. 




Overall:

I have no problem admitting that I judged this game far too harshly when it first came out. I understand why I didn't like it as much. It didn't meet my expectations of what I wanted it to be. With all the changes, I was never going to like it. But I think I handled things the right way. Put the game down. Come back to it later. Set aside those expectations. Give the game another chance. Judge it on its own merits.

On its own merits, this was a pretty fun game to play through. I would have enjoyed this game regardless, but my son taking such a vested interest in it was the icing on the cake. He really enjoyed playing old levels over and over again, and finding all the secrets. Exploring every nook and cranny. That's something I never would have done by myself. It helped me look at the game from a new angle.

If you judged this game harshly like I first did, I implore you to come back with an open mind. This game deserves another chance. It's a top 5 Tomb Raider title for me.



THE GRADE:
B+


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