Yakuza Kiwami (2016 / 2017)

Yakuza Kiwami (JP: 2016 / WW: 2017)

Genre: Action/Adventure | Players: 1 | Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (SEGA)

Kiwami (meaning 'ultimate' or 'extreme') is an updated, overhauled and expanded PS4 remake of the very first Yakuza game, which was a PS2 exclusive title that received its western release in 2006, a year after its original Japanese release.

With it being the first game done over it'd be natural to assume that it's a perfect jumping on point for new players, but that's not quite the case. It does an okay job at being such, but there's a small number of sub-stories that follow on from occurrences in the previous year's Yakuza 0 (2015), a prequel game set in 1988, seventeen years before Kiwami. So if you want to be clued-in with regards every minor plot thread, you'll need to have played Yakuza 0 first.

The downside to that approach is that Yakuza 0, though set earlier in time, is a more accomplished and varied game. The devs did a tremendous job updating most parts of Kiwami, but lessons learned from and since the original game and its sequels, particularly regarding mission structure but also in storytelling and event timing, mean that for some players Kiwami's ageing game engine may feel dated and clunky by comparison.

The Sandman: Volume VII (1994)

Brief Lives (1994)

Author: Neil Gaiman | Illustrator: Jill Thompson | Page Count: 256

"You lived what anybody gets, Bernie. You got a lifetime. No more. No less."

Volume VII of X in the Sandman saga is a big one, nine chapters long. It uses the extra space to tell a different kind of story, to give the narrative room to breathe, and within that same space it gives characters room to grow.

The girl with the coloured hair wants to find her missing brother, who up until now has been mentioned many times but rarely seen. It's a road trip, both in essence and in actuality. What do all good road trip stories have on common? Character growth and change.

The concept of 'change' is Volume VII distilled to a single word. There's change for Dream; for the worlds he inhabits; and for the Endless, forever. If consequences are ripples, then they're potentially perpetual when the pond that the stone is cast into lacks boundaries.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)

Dir. Bill Meléndez

As a child I was never very fond of the first half of the animated version of C. S. Lewis' most famous work. Even now, as an adult, I feel the same.

And while the traditional static backgrounds are fine, the actual character animations atop them are very poorly done, especially the eyes.

The second half of the film, however, despite the same dodgy line work and the overpowering Christian allegory, I loved and even today I feel it's the best part. It's then that the story really picks up the pace and the Pevensie siblings, with their four different hair colours, are no longer required to be the main focus of the story, a task for which they aren't particularity well-suited.

The script is adapted from the revised US edition of the novel. If you're stuck with the Region 1 disc, then you have a different voice cast than the rest of the English speaking world - except for Aslan, the best of the bunch, who's voiced by British actor Stephen Thorne in both versions.

Tremors: Films (1990— )

Tremors: Films (1990 - 2018)

Waterworld (1995)

Waterworld (1995)

Dir. Kevin Reynolds

The quick and easy way to describe Waterworld is to liken it to the Mad Max films but on water instead of land. However, what many people neglect to say is that, while there are moments that are indeed reminiscent of the good Mad Max film, i.e. The Road Warrior (1981), sometimes Waterworld is more like the travesty that was Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985), and the world doesn't need any more of that.

It's set during an undefined future date in which the polar ice caps have melted. The resultant elevated sea levels have left most of the world covered in undrinkable sea water.

The Mariner (Kevin Costner) is an inhabitant of that world. A drifter with a trimaran, he travels from place to place trading commodities (salvage, dirt, etc) with the small pockets of human civilisation that are scattered around. He's a guarded loner, avoiding human interaction as much as possible.

The Sandman: Volume VI (1993)

Fables and Reflections (1993)

Author: Neil Gaiman | Illustrators: Kent Williams / Shawn McManus / Stan Woch / Duncan Eagleson / Bryan Talbot / John Watkiss / Jill Thompson / P.Craig Russell | Page Count: 259 

"Death was a little older than Dream. Things had the potential to die before they had the potential to dream."

Volume VI of X in the Sandman saga is another collection of standalone stories. It's about twice as long as the previous such collection, Volume III: Dream Country, but arguably only half as good. In fact, overall, I feel it's the worst TPB of the ten original volumes.

There are nine stories in all, four of which are known collectively as Distant Mirrors, and three of which are known collectively as Convergence.

The Distant Mirrors section, featuring historical figures, offers little of interest for the average reader. Except perhaps Ramadan, the 50th issue of the series - the lingering revelations after the last page is turned and P. Craig Russell's beautiful art help raise it above average.

The Convergence section is mostly uninteresting, except for the lengthy Orpheus tale, which is essential to the overall arc of the series.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Season 5 (1996–97)

Star Trek: DS9: Season 5 (1996–97)

26 episodes, approx 44 minutes each

Looking back, quite a lot of significant events and reveals happened in S5, but not all of them are in episodes that I'd call completely memorable. Along the way we learn more about some of the primary cast members, and a few of the secondary ones get more screen time than they'd had previously.

The threat of the Dominion/Founders builds, with both the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar on the front line.

A trio of old faces make a return, separately, and stay around for differing amounts of time. Interestingly, all three influence Sisko's moods, with one of them being a lot more direct than the other two.

As before, the best episodes are the ones that revolve around either Odo or Garak, or is that just my bias showing? Yes, they're two of my favourites. But let's not forget the Chief, who also gets a lot to do.