So it’s spring. It’s as a good as any to go outside and do things. Hiking, swimming, jogging, yard work…
On second thought, I have allergies. 😛
For this month’s Staff Picks, we stay indoors as we enjoy various movies, video games, and other sundries that will help us avoid the great outdoors. Or not. I mean, we’ll have time to go outside when we feel like it. Summer’s coming soon anyway, right?
andi guinness – Rebel Galaxy
“If there’s one thing I’m a sucker for, it’s space combat games. Nothing’s more fun than flying around in either a giant boat or a little bird blowing up other ships. Rebel Galaxy, which came out over a year ago, takes all that and adds some Western flavor to it.
The main storyline is standard fare – pick up ancient powerful relic, suddenly everyone’s after you. But you can play it like an upright citizen, a cunning trader, or just someone who likes to destroy everything in their path. There’s a lot of weapon customization going on in the game, and many ships to play with and factions to mess with. It even plays out in how you talk to everyone. Fun times.”
Inari Aono – Samurai Jack
“If you haven’t been watching Adult Swim’s adaptation of everyone’s favorite time travelling swordsman, you are missing out on one of the biggest television comebacks in a lifetime. After waiting thirteen years from the ending of season four, Jack fans finally have their final season! Samurai Jack has aged like fine wine and targets its audience accordingly. While the show stays true to its roots, Tartakovsky puts a darker spin on Jack’s outlook of the dystopian future. In order to survive this nightmare, he must break his vow, he must kill.”
Alexaazuline – Better Call Saul
“Out of all the characters in Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman was one of my favorites. You can imagine how excited I was when it was announced that he was getting his own spin-off series.
Better Call Saul takes place 6 years before the infamous Heisenberg stepped onto the scene. Before he claimed the name Saul Goodman, he was Jimmy McGill, a rookie attorney that hustled to make a name for himself. It’s fun to watch his character slowly evolve and you see first hand how he ended up representing criminals and ultimately the most notorious of all in Albuquerque.”
shad – The Wheel of Time
“As a huge fan of epic fantasy, I was absolutely stoked by the news that my all time favorite series, The Wheel of Time was finally getting a TV adaptation! The 14 book saga encompasses the coming of age story akin to genre staples like Lord of the Rings and The Song of Ice and Fire. An enormous number of morally ambiguous characters, dark and deep rooted lore and great character development speaks for itself. Definitely keep your eyes peeled for more news on the show. And here’s hoping it doesn’t end up like the Shannara Chronicles.”
Bianca Rose – The Seven Deadly Sins
“If you want to read The Seven Deadly Sins, it’s a 213-book (and still ongoing) shonen adventure. I’m on chapter three (send help). But the Netflix Original adaptation of the Seven Deadly Sins proves the production company can add anime experts to their resume. Though a little tropey in the beginning as we go city by city to locate our heroes, by the end you’re hanging on the edge of your seat. The characters show a lot of growth for only having twenty four episodes. It’s a shonen, but it’s not afraid to be dark, bloody, sad, and overall slightly manic and unpredictable. It’s only got one season and an OVA (though Funimation and Netflix have promised a Season Two eventually) but it’s worth the watch.”
Franaus – Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
“Kendrick is definitely one of if not my all time favorite hip hop artist. His latest album, released last week and with a great name – DAMN. – is genius. True to his form, the LA based artist speaks of political and social unease as well as his usual introspective and “humble” style. This is definitely one of his best. Check out the video of “Humble” just to get a taste. It combines explosive lyrics with an insane clip. Only got one word for this – Damn…”
Elayn Wilde – Godzilla
“Now that you’ve probably seen Kong if you planned on doing so, and hopefully stuck around for the post credits teaser, it’s time to go back to the King of the Monsters, Godzilla. After the previous atrocity, the 2014 release of Godzilla was like make-up sex for kaiju fans. After watching it again, I noticed more little easter eggs that I completely missed during the nerdgasm of watching it the first time. It’s just a shame we probably won’t see the loveable lizard again for another two years.”
[What, no love for Godzilla Resurgence? 😛 -Ed.]
Belaal – EVE Online
“With the massive number of games being released these days, through places like steam, and crowd-funding campaigns, it can be a little difficult to find a game that will always be there. EVE Online, again and again, has proven to be that game. The development team is constantly working on new content, and updating old. Players have direct representation in the development of the game through a group of fellow players, that they elect, to make sure development continues to reflect the wishes of the player base. Aside from all of that, Eve is an incredibly versatile and massive in scope. After four years of playing, I still have not experienced all that the game has to offer. No matter how many times I rage quit the game, (which I have, many times) I will always find my way back to the terrifying embrace of the EVE universe.”
The Dude – Designated Survivor
“Maybe US politics have gotten too insane for you. Maybe you feel like it couldn’t get any worse. Well, it can get worse. For instance, the Capitol Building could get blown up and every single congressperson, senator, cabinet member and supreme court judge could die. Not to mention POTUS. During arguably one of the darkest chapters of US political history, Netflix manages to release a series about even an even worse political landscape. It falls to Keifer Sutherland, the designated survivor during the president’s State of the Union speech, to lead the nation through a time of unprecedented crisis. House of Cards this is not. In fact, the series has some profound flaws. It is nonetheless entertaining and worth a watch.”