Wordsmith's Anvil

Image courtesy of Owlcat Games "The God Emperor protects!" I know what you're thinking, but no, not that one.     Every so often, a game comes around that demands 10 to 15 hours of your time. This isn't one of them. Rogue Trader requires ten times that amount, easily, in order to see the story unfold in all the meaningful directions that it can.     I would like to preface my review by saying that I knew next to nothing about Warhammer 40K when I started up the game. I really only found myself drawn to the title because of my love for Owlcat's previous two entries in the Pathfinder world. That being said, Owlcat once again does a great job of putting the lore of their assigned universe into their work, and after 140 hours of gameplay I feel like I'm decently well-versed in plenty of the God-Emperor's vision of humanity's future. The Good Rogue Trader starts off where your main character is handed over the reins to the titular position by means of a...

Image courtesy of Stormind Games I haven't really had the opportunity to write a review on something less than stellar. Until now, that is. Batora: Lost Haven is an indie game that attempts to tell a grand story but doesn't commit enough to make it happen. In the story, you play as Avril, a teenager girl in a post-apocalyptic world. Her name and character alone make me want to start belting out questions like "Why'd ya have to go and make things so complicated!?" but that really wouldn't fit in with the narrative here. If anything... the game is the opposite of complicated. Now that my Lavigne reference is done, I should note that the game's Avril comes along with all the angst that could be expected of her, but that's not necessarily true all the time. Her mood swings have her enter into philosophical moments where she comes across as more wise than what we had seen just five minutes prior. This kind of bipolar nature actually goes well with the rest...

  Photo Courtesy of Netflix Due to the success of the Netflix show Drive to Survive , Formula 1 has become something of a household topic in recent years. But growing up in my household... it was always there. For as long as I can remember, motorsports have been a big part of my family. Instead of watching football together on Sundays, we would watch races. School projects involved studying aerodynamics as they relate to Formula 1 cars and making huge posters so that I could break down components like how front and rear spoilers and downforce contribute to the car's overall handling. As a family, we would discuss the logistics of getting a go-kart and hitting professional tracks, going on tours, and someday making it to IndyCar or, fates-willing, the illustrious Formula 1.      I was 7 years old when Ayrton Senna died, and to hear my mother reminisce on the topic one would think that a member of the family had passed. A distant one, to be sure, but someone that the e...