Geek Culture Reviews

Rob reviews Mega-City Max… Mega-City One, post-apocalyptic city state with an estimated population of 130 million. Across its long tenure as the home to Judge Dredd, the city has been through a lot. From the threat of nuclear war, bloc-wars, and even those pesky Dark Judges - Mega-City One has seen it all. It’s also a cityscape that’s seen it’s fair share of different interpretations throughout the years too. With IDW, DC, Danny Cannon, and Alex Garland all adding their own spin to the 2000 AD world.  While “The Meg” remains a staple within the weekly Prog, and the Judge Dredd Megazine, 2000 AD publisher, Rebellion isn’t afraid to mess with their own formula. Over the last few years this has seen the rise of Regened - an all-ages spin on the Prog. Subsequently Regened has seen its fair share of new content, as well as new takes on classic 2000 AD characters. For example, while Judge Dredd still features in Regened he goes by Cadet Dredd. For the most Regened works and a few of the ...

Re:Play Episode #4 - Rogue Trooper Redux: Reviving a Classic Sci-Fi Shooter… During the last console generation there were quite a few HD remasters, remakes, and rereleases. While some of these were held in high regard (Resident Evil 2), others fell to the wayside (Resident Evil 3), and even more were just plain unexpected. Rogue Trooper is one of these unexpected ones, and back in 2017 Rebellion sent us back to NU-Earth.  In this episode of Re:Play, we explore the resurrection of this beloved game and delve into the reasons behind its enduring popularity. Rogue Trooper Redux brings back the thrilling adventures of the titular Rogue, a genetically enhanced super soldier fighting in the distant future on the war-ravaged planet of NU-Earth. Set against the backdrop of a sprawling intergalactic conflict between the Norts and Southers, the game combines intense action with a compelling narrative, that draws you into a richly detailed sci-fi universe that’s straight out of the long run...

From the magnificently distorted imagination of Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist Matt Lesniewski comes Faceless & The Family… Debuting with a double-sized, 48-page first issue in November, FACELESS (for short) is the latest and greatest masterwork from the New York-based cartoonist who first rose to prominence with his graphic novel debut, THE FREAK from Adhouse Books, earning a 2020 Eisner Award nomination in the process. Lesniewski's subsequent collaborations with New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt - including the acclaimed CRIMSON FLOWER and MIND MGMT BOOTLEG – earned him an even wider audience...but FACELESS represents an even more monumental evolution in Lesniewski's considerable powers as a storyteller and cartoonist.  ‘On the broken and warped world known as the Hand Planet, the wanderer simply called "Faceless" ekes out existence on the margins to escape the shame that cost him his name and his identity. Exiled for his crimes, Faceless now cal...

Rob reviews Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism on Xbox Series X… Spectre of Communism is the third entry in the Strategic Mind series of strategy titles. It’s also my first foray into series - and will probably be my last. While the game has a lot of interesting ideas, its execution is pretty messy. Add in the fact that the game also attempts to glorify a nation that murdered plenty of its own troops - and let’s not mention the conflict in Ukraine.  The story to Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism is pretty standard. Under the orders of Josef Stalin you’re given command of the forces of the USSR. Sent on an series of missions you’ll attempt to disrupt the Nazi war machine, and bring glory to the Motherland in glorious combat. While it’s not a story that’s in anyway gripping, it does offer some insight into the Russian perspective of World War 2, and the state of the world in 1941. Across the narrative you’ll rub shoulders south the “elite”of the USSR such as Stalin - and other h...

Rob reviews Cosmic Debris #2… Back in November 2022, ChronoCat creator Stu Perrins teamed up once again with publisher Markosia to bring us, Space Debris. Weaving an interesting story of assassins, dashing debonairs, and clueless rogues, Perrins (along with artist John E. Murphy ) set off on a madcap adventure across the universe. With inspiration from the likes of Star Wars, and Flash Gordon, Perrins then adds in a dash of Guardians of the Galaxy and Space Balls for a truly interesting take on the classic sci-fi tale.  And with things set to get weirder, let’s rejoin Randall Crux, and Scarlett O’Hara… Thrown reluctantly back together in their search of infamous space assassin Shrek Orlock, Crux and O’Hara find themselves at a loss as to the sly assassins whereabouts. Heading to the planet Skeat (home to floating volcanoes), the duo go in search of an old friend of Crux, who has some unique talents. With the ability to see into people’s dreams, the Dreamweaver Newton Shaw is the ...