Digital Chumps

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In spite of its shamelessly formulaic basis, Wedding Crashers succeeds—thanks to superior synergy in acting, clever writing, and a healthy pace (even if most of the movie isn’t as fast-paced and crazy as the opening). While unfailingly predictable (once you get past the fact that it’s a romantic comedy you’re watching), it’s not the results that appeal here, but rather the journey there. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are convincing when essentially playing themselves; with the help of Rachel McAdams and the immortal Christopher Walken, they’re the perfect men for the job. The net result is one of the most enjoyable cookie-cutter yet edgy romantic comedies in recent memory, uproarious and entertaining regardless of its conventionality.

Movies

The Film/Show	Great stuff if you know what to expect. Sure, it’s predictable, but it’s also fantastically rapid-fire and just sadistic enough.
Presentation	Far from the best Blu-ray has to offer, Wedding Crashers is still best enjoyed in high-def. For the most part, colors are accurate, everything’s sharp, and the transfer is clean enough. The Dolby Digital/TrueHD audio is well-mixed.
Extra Features	Besides the slightly longer/racier version of the film that’s included alongside the original theatrical cut, the selection of special features is exceedingly thin. Having said that, the very small amount of material we’re provided is at least done well.

Overall rating:		7.5
The Film/Show:		8.0
Presentation:		8.0
Extra Features:		5.0
Tilt:		9.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
December 29, 2008

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Chrono Trigger is simply one of the greatest videogames ever created, driven by a sense of imagination that is unparalleled in the industry even today. Thirteen years later, this game still shames most modern RPG efforts with its endearing cast, epic storyline, masterful art and level design, flawless pacing and balance, perfect length, and classic soundtrack. It couldn’t be more obvious that the development team responsible for this stellar title consists of the best of the breed, and that their work together on the project was riddled with synergy. With just a few small missteps, this DS version of the classic SNES title greatly preserves—and in some ways, even enhances—the magic of the original. If you’ve yet to experience this work of art, now is your chance… but even if you’re a longtime fan, you’ll likely find enough to love in this reworked iteration to justify serious consideration. Put Chrono Trigger on your list this holiday season and experience the best that gaming has to offer.

Videogames

Gameplay	With textbook-quality balancing and nary a hint of tedium, Chrono Trigger puts most modern RPGs to shame. The new DS enhancements only improve the experience with a cleaner battle interface and other logical additions.
Presentation	Beautiful hand-drawn sprites by famed artist Akira Toriyama are coupled with rich backgrounds for an attractive visual experience on the DS—over a decade later. Mitsuda’s soundtrack, on the other hand, is as phenomenal as it’s ever been, and this time we’re treated to additional tracks that were never included in the original title. The full-motion videos lifted from the PSX version look great, and the new translation is fantastic. Although much of this aspect of the game has been left untouched, that’s also what makes it so great. Few games have endured the test of time like Chrono Trigger.
Value	At a $40 MSRP—ten dollars higher than most DS games—there’s no question that it’s a pricey port. But many of the enhancements are more substantial than they first appear (especially the retranslation), and the game is already so good that it hardly needs reworking to be a success. If you’ve already played the game and the price tag bothers you, don’t feel guilty about skipping it. Just know that this is, in fact, the best Chrono Trigger to date.
Fun Factor	Few games maintain the level of immersiveness that Chrono Trigger manages, with an enchanting story that never slows down and a generous rewards structure that continually encourages exploration. Perhaps it would be enough to simply say that this has been my seventh time through the game—and yet it’s never lost its magic.

Overall rating:		9.4
Gameplay:		10.0
Presentation:		10.0
Value :		7.0
Fun Factor:		10.0
Tilt:		10.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
December 07, 2008

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Season four of LOST may be brief at just fourteen episodes, but it’s the best run of episodes since season one—and that says a lot. Finally we begin to see some of the answers to the seemingly unanswerable enigmas of the show beginning to unravel, and the pace of the action is thankfully accelerated. The show also reclaims its rare breed of creativity with some truly brilliant moments… many of which can be found in the outstanding episode The Constant. In terms of extras, it’s called The Expanded Experience for a reason, and this time, there’s literally a ton of special features—nearly four hours’ worth to be exact, all in lovely 1080i. If you’re a fan of the show—and even if your interest has been waning over the past couple of seasons—The Complete Fourth Season is absolutely worth your time. And if you haven’t started watching yet, take it from me: LOST is quite simply the best thing network television has to offer today.

Movies

The Film/Show	This is some of the best LOST has had to offer over its entire run—definitely superior to what we saw in seasons two and three. The science has finally begun to peek through the fog, and the rampant creativity seems to have been rejuvenated.
Presentation	Always second-to-none; the packaging is standard (high-quality) LOST and the high-definition presentation, both in terms of audio and video, rivals that of the best Blu-rays. This is truly one of the best TV-to-home-video adaptations we’ve seen to date.
Extra Features	For a television collection, this is about as good as it gets. Nearly four hours of special features are provided on the disc, including the entirely unannounced “Lost: Missing Pieces” feature (and not including commentary tracks). Better yet, nearly all of them are fascinating or highly entertaining in some regard.

Overall rating:		9.8
The Film/Show:		10.0
Presentation:		10.0
Extra Features:		9.0
Tilt:		10.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
December 07, 2008

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Season four of LOST may be brief at just fourteen episodes, but it’s the best run of episodes since season one—and that says a lot. Finally we begin to see some of the answers to the seemingly unanswerable enigmas of the show beginning to unravel, and the pace of the action is thankfully accelerated. The show also reclaims its rare breed of creativity with some truly brilliant moments… many of which can be found in the outstanding episode The Constant. In terms of extras, it’s called The Expanded Experience for a reason, and this time, there’s literally a ton of special features—two discs’ worth to be exact. If you’re a fan of the show—and even if your interest has been waning over the past couple of seasons—The Complete Fourth Season is absolutely worth your time. And if you haven’t started watching yet, take it from me: LOST is quite simply the best thing network television has to offer today.

Movies

The Film/Show	This is some of the best LOST has had to offer over its entire run—definitely far superior to what we saw in seasons two and three. The science has finally begun to peek through, and the creativity seems to have been rejuvenated.
Presentation	Always second-to-none; the packaging is standard (high-quality) LOST and the video and audio quality is among the best available on DVD. The menus are as appropriate as usual.
Extra Features	For a television collection, this is about as good as it gets. Three-and-a-half hours of special features are provided on the disc, including the entirely unannounced “Lost: Missing Pieces” feature (and not including commentary tracks). Better yet, nearly all of them are fascinating or highly entertaining in some regard.

Overall rating:		9.8
The Film/Show:		10.0
Presentation:		10.0
Extra Features:		9.0
Tilt:		10.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
December 07, 2008

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Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip is one of the best third-party efforts we’ve seen this year in terms of both gameplay and presentation. Apart from occasionally confusing gameplay with the balance board, its only true caveat is depth, as the overall experience loses appeal before long. Nevertheless, Ubisoft’s fantastic anti-port represents a commendable effort by a third-party developer to embrace the strengths of the Wii without ignoring its inherent weaknesses in terms of processing power and resolution. The balance board implementation is surprisingly fluid, and the graphical presentation is among the most attractive of its type. If sports action is your thing, Shaun White should serve you well—just so long as you don’t expect to still be playing it on a daily basis next month.

Videogames

Gameplay	Well-tuned balance board support sets this game apart as one of the few that truly takes advantage of the powerful Wii accessory. Wii remote-only play (sans balance board) works well also. The only problems arise from the inevitable precision trade-off between board and controller and the occasional confusion with regard to leaning on the board.
Presentation	One of the best-looking Wii titles available, Road Trip wisely foregoes the typical port approach in favor of a cartoony, stylized look that well suits the Wii. The soundtrack is excellent, though a larger selection of tunes would be nice.
Value	While there are several modes of play, for the most part, the game does feel a bit shallow. The tricks system is a bit more haphazard than the standard extreme sports package, and there isn’t enough to do in the single-player adventure mode. A lack of online functionality deprives the game of the unmatched appeal that even simple leaderboards and time trials can provide.
Fun Factor	Once you get the hang of the balance board play, Road Trip is good for a lot of fun while it lasts. The balance board is made for these types of gameplay extensions, and it’s great to see the talented folks at Ubisoft exploiting that to good effect.

Overall rating:		7.8
Gameplay:		8.0
Presentation:		9.0
Value :		6.0
Fun Factor:		8.0
Tilt:		8.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
December 04, 2008

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The Shawshank Redemption speaks to us all in a common language. It tells a story of unshakable hope and enduring friendship in such powerful fashion that at times it almost seems spiritual. For all its markedly bleak moments, the film’s foundational theme of self-empowerment is so radiant that it manages to emerge an inspirational triumph. Wonderfully scripted and masterfully executed, it undoubtedly stands among the true classics of our time—and, arguably, in all of film history. The Blu-ray transfer of the film is all the more captivating than its comparatively blurry DVD counterpart, even if the picture quality can’t rival that of most modern juggernauts. And while the selection of special features hasn’t seen the meticulous attention that a film of this stature probably deserves, this is one disc that is worth the price of admission for simply owning the film alone.

Movies

The Film/Show	A modern masterpiece by all facets of the term. Nearly unmatched in its sense of emotion and self-evidence, it should be experienced by all filmgoers and DVD collectors.
Presentation	While the 1.85:1 widescreen presentation is soft on visual acuity and merely adequate in the realm of audio, Shawshank’s atmosphere is still strongly pronounced in its Blu-ray form. Menus can be somewhat difficult to navigate, though it’s a small nitpick. The Warner collectors’ book format is a nice touch.
Extra Features	Almost nothing has changed since the film’s 2004 DVD special edition, but the existing features are still appealing in spite of their standard-def presentation. The aspect of value has to be taken into account here as well; the price point is quite reasonable for what is being offered, even if it isn’t state-of-the-art.

Overall rating:		9.0
The Film/Show:		10.0
Presentation:		8.0
Extra Features:		8.0
Tilt:		10.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
November 18, 2008

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Last updated: November 18, 2008

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Everyone loves a little classic gaming, and with Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, you get more than just a little. With 34 games in all, it’s easy to forgive the ten or twelve that are merely throwaway material; and while they’ve been released time and time again over the years, this is by far the largest and most affordably-priced collection of Namco arcade titles to date. At least a dozen of the games are classics, pure and simple, and some of the more intricate among the collection can provide hours of fun—or, in the case of nine of the games, even heated online competition via the Xbox Live! leaderboards. If you ask me, old-school gamers have never seen a better compilation from Namco.

Videogames

Gameplay	While it really isn’t the game’s fault, the Xbox controller is just too imprecise for some of these titles. Most of the games themselves are quite good, with several timeless standouts among the pack. Several others, meanwhile, might as well have been cut, but someone out there is bound to appreciate their inclusion.
Presentation	It’s basic, and the XBLA installation sequence is certainly confusing, but once you get the hang of it, it succeeds at getting you from A to B. Apart from the menu system, the game’s presentation succeeds where it counts—the games all play as well as they did on their original hardware.
Value	$30 for 34 games, several of which were originally sold for $5 – $10 apiece on Xbox Live!, is a great deal no matter how you slice it.
Fun Factor	A mixed bag, with some of the games truly awful and others endlessly addicting. Overall, if you’re into classic arcade gaming, you’ll find plenty to like here. For bonus points, pick up a good arcade joystick and play them the way they were intended.

Overall rating:		7.8
Gameplay:		7.0
Presentation:		6.0
Value :		9.0
Fun Factor:		8.0
Tilt:		9.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
November 16, 2008

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The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 is a thoroughly pedestrian romantic comedy that is likely to please fans of the series and few else. If you fit into that category, the DVD can provide you with the essentials… but don’t expect any award-winning extra content either. It’s a barebones release of an average film, and that’s about it.

Movies

The Film/Show	Nothing special for certain, but it gets the job done. Sure, it’s predictable, and yeah, it’s sappy, but if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll enjoy this estrogen-charged popcorn flick.
Presentation	The video transfer is good, with no visible artifacts and accurate color. Audio is equally adequate. Menus are simplistic, but then again, there isn’t much else to showcase apart from the film itself.
Extra Features	The DVD includes literally sixteen minutes of special features divided into three different featurettes… that’s it. It’s as thin as it comes and what’s included really isn’t all that compelling. You also get an obligatory digital copy of the film, but it must be downloaded first.

Overall rating:		5.5
The Film/Show:		6.0
Presentation:		7.0
Extra Features:		4.0
Tilt:		5.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
November 15, 2008

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Last updated: November 15, 2008

23 of 42 people found the following review helpful

6.6 (Average) - If this is your first crack at Animal Crossing, or if you enjoyed the GameCube original and missed out on the DS Wild World, you’ll still find plenty of addicting qualities in City Folk. In spite of some minor gameplay-related regressions, this is in fact the best Animal Crossing to date. The problem is, it receives this blessing purely due to the fact that it successfully combines the better qualities of the first two titles and then lumps more collectible content into the mix—not because it provides any sort of earth-shattering innovation that one might expect from a high-profile, full-price Wii title. Couple that realization with mediocre graphical presentation and recycled musical content and you have something that qualifies, in some regards, as a mere port. The online chat features are great, but the selection of activities is just as thin as ever; and for anyone who’s experienced this before, it’s tough to recommend more of the same. To everyone else: Dive in.

Videogames

Gameplay	A solid, yet rapidly staling, core gameplay can’t rescue City Folk from a crippled online infrastructure that had held so much promise. If you’re new to Animal Crossing, you won’t mind the missteps so much… but veterans will cringe in disbelief.
Presentation	Dated graphics are lightly polished, but still resemble that of an N64 title. Nearly all of the music, on the other hand, is directly lifted from the Nintendo DS title of three years ago. Inexcusably long load times contribute to the frustration.
Value	Tons more collectible content has been added to the mix, with the total number of items now topping 2,400—25% greater than the previous figure. Still, it’s hard not to dream about what could have been had the creative minds at Nintendo approached this project in full force.
Fun Factor	It’s hard to deny Animal Crossing its relaxing yet addictive appeal, however aged. Hardcore fans, however, are bound to find the formula tiring.

Overall rating:		6.6
Gameplay:		7.0
Presentation:		5.0
Value :		6.0
Fun Factor:		7.0
Tilt:		8.0

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Reviewed by Steve Schardein
November 15, 2008

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Last updated: November 18, 2008

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With every successive release of MST3K on DVD I’m invariably giddy. Even my wife, who began her journey positively apathetic toward the show, has come around to truly appreciate what’s available here. If you still recall the days when Mystery Science Theater 3000 saturated the programming at Comedy Central and even weekend syndicated television, you’ll share this enthusiasm; but even if you’re entirely new to the show, there has never been a better place to start. This is one of the best sets to date, featuring a truly fantastic collection of episodes that rarely loses its charm, as well as some fascinating special features. Pick it up today before the alien dinosaurs arrive and rip through all the remaining supplies.

Movies

The Film/Show	Any MSTie will agree that the episodes on this set are not to be missed. Whether you’re a longtime fan or completely new to the concept, you can’t go wrong with nearly anything on this set. The only small gripe is that the laughs subside a bit during the slower-paced and less-poignant First Spaceship on Venus episode, but most people won’t be happy until every last episode is made available. Besides, that’s nothing a little Future War can’t solve!
Presentation	The video quality is about as good as it’s going to get coming from the MST3K archive. There’s occasional noise and even some video tracking visible at the bottom of the screen at times, but it’s nothing that truly detracts from the experience. Packaging, on the other hand, is fantastic, with individual slim cases for each disc decorated by personalized hand-drawn art featuring Tom Servo and Crow.
Extra Features	Some of the best special features ever to be released on a MST3K set. There’s over two hours of bonus content in total with some great personal contributions from the cast.