Geek Culture Reviews

Two Blades, One Beautifully Brutal Journey Through Feudal Japan… Assassin’s Creed: Shadow s delivers the long-awaited leap into feudal Japan with style, power, and purpose. By introducing two protagonists—each with distinct abilities and perspectives—Ubisoft has managed to reinvigorate the stealth-action loop that has defined the series since 2007. It’s a beautiful and brutal open-world adventure, even if some old problems still linger in the shadows. Since Odyssey , Ubisoft have allowed us our pick of a duel protagonist. Odyssey featured our pick of either Kassandra or Alexios, while Valhalla gave us our pick of a male or female Eivor. With Shadows , Ubisoft mixes this up with the decision to introduce dual protagonists with gameplay periodically switching between the two. Naoe, the shinobi assassin, is a master of the shadows (pun intended). She’s agile, silent, and terrifyingly efficient. Her missions are classic Assassin’s Creed fare—slip past guards unseen, scale impossibly tall...

In the long shadow of comic book adaptations, Dredd stands as a lean, gritty, and faithful tribute to one of the most iconic antiheroes in comic history: Judge Dredd. Far removed from the neon kitsch and narrative misfires of the 1995 Judge Dredd film starring Sylvester Stallone, Dredd is a stripped-down, brutal, and grounded take on the lawman of Mega-City One. But more than just a hard-edged action flick, Dredd is deeply embedded in the lore and philosophy of the original 2000 AD comic series. Dredd is a film that doesn’t just adapt the character it’s portraying —it understands him. The being that would become synonymous with the faceless reality of justice first appeared within 2000 AD issue #2 back in 1977, and was the brainchild of writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra . Conceived during a time of political unrest and growing authoritarianism, Judge Joseph Dredd was a dark satire of fascism wrapped in the skin of a futuristic law enforcer. Set within Mega-City One, ...

A Mission Through Time… As the penultimate chapter in what has become one of my favorite Marvel outings of recent years, Cable: Love & Chrome #4 isn’t just good—it’s devastatingly great. With David Pepose on writing duties and Mike Henderson delivering hard-hitting visuals, this issue stands as the most character-driven and heart-wrenching entry in the mini-series yet.  So grab them hankies, it’s time to get emotional!  Due to the storyline of this issue I will be attempting to refrain from any major spoilers. Please read with caution as some minor plot points may be spoilt . The fourth issue finds Cable grappling with a personal and tactical crisis. Avery Ryder—the fierce and determined leader of the Resistance and a key ally (and possible romantic interest)—has been infected with the Techno-Organic virus. This development pushes Cable into a desperate, time-bending mission to save her, forcing him to confront the paradoxes and pitfalls of changing fate. But while Cable...