2025 – The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

Although the threat of COVID-19 hasn’t affected release schedules as much this year, apart from lingering effects, changes in Hollywood have had, and will continue to affect, how we engage with films. We’ve settled into a combination of theatrical and streaming, which lets up (hopefully) avoid spending money on films that we don’t think it will be worth spending money on. We still saw a lot of films this year, and ended up playing a lot of newer game releases, but only a select few have made it onto this list. As usual, only films and games that we’ve actually engaged with have a chance to end up on this list and foreign works only take the US release date into consideration.

2025 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

Although my moviegoing experience remains a mixture of theaters and streaming, in contrast with previous years, I’ve ended up going through the former a lot more, especially in the back half of the year. As a result, many more movies stood out to me than form previous years, for better and for worse. While I have also played a lot more short free games on Steam, I was able to play more affordable console games this year though rising costs have still made me more selective.

Each list is presented in no particular order, with links to reviews where applicable.

Top Movies

The Bad Guys 2

The first The Bad Guys film took the core of the book series and put it in a different direction, one which quickly became one of my favorite movies. The sequel takes this same approach and goes even further with it, quickly making it one of my favorite film series to the point of preferring its more grounded, yet still funny, direction over the books. Here’s hoping the series continues this momentum, especially with Pierre Perifel at the helm.

Thunderbolts*

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe having lost its way after Avengers: Endgame with its largely aimless and disappointing Multiverse Saga, Thunderbolts* was a pleasant surprise. With its interesting plot and characters, as well as some John Wick-inspired battle choreography, this film is essentially what happens when you focus on quality over quantity.

Tron: Ares

After waiting 15 years for a new Tron film, Tron: Ares delivers in terms of pure spectacle and a banging soundtrack courtesy of Nine Inch Nails. While the writing could probably have been better, it is nonetheless a very straight-forward plot that moves at a decent pace, with Jared Leto delivering a solid performance as Ares. Despite its box office performance, I would hope that this doesn’t cause the franchise’s third chance at life to get derezzed prematurely.

Frankenstein (2025)

For those who crave a more book-accurate depiction of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation delivers. Although it takes its own liberties with the source material, they still ultimately serve this take on the story, backed by some excellent casting and practical effects in addition to compelling pacing. While watching on the largest screen possible is more ideal, it’s still a must-see either way.

Chainsaw Man– The Movie: Reze Arc

 

As a fan of the Chainsaw Man anime, I went into the canon Reze Arc movie expecting something of similar quality and it did not disappoint. While it is still a shonen series at its core, featuring beautiful animation and a very catchy opening song (“IRIS OUT”), the film uses it as a means to tell a surprisingly engaging and emotional tragic love story that advances the plot of the anime in a meaningful way.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional [Sans Music]

As a fan of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan drama, I found this to be a solid addition to the saga, even if it’s not quite as good as Rohan at the Louvre. Despite its shortcomings, it has some great Venetian scenery, perfectly captures the suspense of the original one-shot and Issey Takahashi remains the perfect choice for the title character.

Zootopia 2

The long-awaited follow-up to Zootopia takes what worked about the first film and runs with it, and even improves upon what didn’t work while it’s at it. In addition to further exploring Nick and Judy’s character dynamics, we also get a more in-depth look at the city of Zootopia itself and its seemingly endless storytelling potential that has yet to be properly tapped in to. Against all odds, it’s easily one of Disney’s best movies, not to mention sequels, in recent years.

Top Games

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Following in the footsteps of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 comes a remake of the following two games in the series. Between the two games presented, the handling of Pro Skater 4 has proven to be the most divisive of the two due to fundamentally changing how it plays to fit more in line with Pro Skater 3, even creating a few new levels to compensate. The soundtrack is also largely different from the original, at the request of the bird man himself. Despite this, I still had fun with it and anticipate an eventual foray into the Underground duology. You can’t really go wrong with a good Tony Hawk game.

Tron: Catalyst

I may be biased about Tron tie-ins due to there being long gaps of time without any legacy support, but I thought this game showed there was a lot more to explore with the setting, even if it’s on a different Grid altogether.

Once Upon a Katamari

After 14 long years, this game proves that the Katamari franchise is officially back and better than ever, sporting familiar gameplay against some new ideas and a lot more inventive level variety. Here’s hoping the series keeps rolling forward in the years to come.

Honorable Mention

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Keita Takahashi’s laTesT game brings wiTh iT a loT of The whimsey seen in Katamari Damacy, alongside an ouT-There buT no less unique concepT ThaT only he could pull off. While The game may have underperformed, and isn’T withouT jank, iT is no less an inTeresTing experience ThaT fans of his games will enjoy.

Top Disappointments

A Minecraft Movie

The world of Minecraft presents a lot of storytelling potential, and yet it’s first foray into feature films goes the route of “safe” and bland. While Jack Black is clearly having fun with it and the creation aspect does factor into the plot in some way, I felt a lot more could have been done with it and the game’s unique setting to make it truly stand out.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

While it manages to stay consistent with its parent series’ world and tone, the fact that Ballerina wasn’t originally meant to be a John Wick movie shows through. Although it still does some things right, Eve Macarro is simply not as compelling a character as John Wick. The biggest issue, however, is a cameo from Wick himself that gets explained in a scene that was ultimately cut, resulting in his appearance as-is muddying the timeline. Not a bad movie, but not one of the franchise’s best.

Elio

Just as Pixar was starting to get its groove back with Inside Out 2, Elio is a reminder that the studio is not the powerhouse that it once was. Although there is a light at the end of the tunnel with its emotional climax, the largely uninteresting plot and characters are not worth the journey to get there. The upcoming Hoppers has potential to right the ship once more, but the way this film turned out tempers my expectations.

Shadow Labyrinth

A dark platformer based on Pac-Man sounds interesting on paper, but it ultimately fails in execution. Aside from not bearing much resemblance to the Secret Level episode promoting it (“Pac-Man: Circle”), the majority of the game bears little resemblance to Pac-Man at all, to the point that you start to wonder why it needed to be a Pac-Man game in the first place. Even hardcore fans of the IP may want to consider looking elsewhere for their Pac-Man fix.

Little Nightmares III

Despite being a different studio, Little Nightmares III had potential to bring the Little Nightmares franchise one step forward, but ended up bringing it two steps back. Between a less interesting plot and a dreadful single-player experience that can easily lead to soft-locks, with no option for couch co-op, this entry is difficult to recommend to even seasoned players.

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional [Music]

Despite enjoying the film overall, one huge knock against it is the cacophonic and ill-fitting AI-generated soundtrack, which “composer” Naruyoshi Kikuchi proudly admitted to around the film’s theatrical release in Japan. Thankfully, some human-created music still made it in, but should the drama series continue and Kikuchi remain on-board, I sincerely hope he does better by the fanbase and deliver more authentic music next time.

Tron RUN/r (PC)

During a drought of Tron media following Tron: Legacy, Sanzaru Games developed Tron RUN/r, which introduced the franchise to the endless runner genre. When I first heard about the game, without looking into it further, I will admit that I didn’t bother with it because the title made it sound like a mobile game, only for me to learn during the leadup to Tron: Ares that it was, in fact, a PC/console game. On seeing you could still buy it on Steam, I waited for a sale to purchase the Deluxe Edition bundle that includes all DLC and starts you with 11,000 Bits, the in-game currency. While my personal dexterity and endurance was only able to carry me so far, I’m still glad to have finally played this game.

Tron: Ares

Note: This review contains spoilers for Tron: Legacy.

About fifteen years after the release of Tron: Legacy, and coincidentally about fifteen years after the start of this blog, Tron fans finally witnessed the release of a third film, Tron: Ares. Although Legacy director Joseph Kosinski had plans for a sequel, which would have been known as Tron: Ascension, it entered development hell due to a combination of Tomorrowland bombing at the box office and Disney’s buyouts of Lucasfilm and Marvel, though the company never outright cancelled it. Around 2017, plans shifted to the Jared Leto-led sequel that we have now, with a different writer (Jesse Wigutow), director (Joachim Rønning) and composer (Nine Inch Nails) to boot. As a fan of the franchise, I felt hyped going in despite the chosen lead, as I simply felt glad that Disney gave us more Tron at all. However, now that I’ve actually seen Ares, in IMAX 3D no less, I can happily say that although it’s not the best written installment, it was well worth the fifteen-year wait.

Tron: Catalyst (PC)

Two years after the release of Tron: Identity (Identity), developer Bithell Games would return to the Tron franchise with a new game, Tron: Catalyst (Catalyst), as part of the greater buildup to Tron: Ares. Since there was a general drought of Tron content at the time of the announcement, I was excited for it in part due to liking Tron: Identity, but bought it after it came out as part of a Steam sale and only recently got around to it. While the gameplay may be different, the storytelling remains one of the developer’s strong points and made me invested in seeing more.

2023 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t as much of a threat as it was back in 2020, I still take precautions to avoid infection, though my interest in seeing films in a theater has become less about whether or not I can and more about whether or not it seems worth it, now that our household has integrated streaming options for newer titles. That said, between both streaming and the theater, so many films came out this year that I liked that my list was difficult to pare down, but I am overall satisfied with my final list. Due to various circumstances, however, I didn’t get to play too many new games this year, but I did manage enough to still put a list of my favorites together.

Each list is presented in no particular order, with links to reviews where applicable.

Top Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

 

 

Following the end of the Infinity Saga, the quality of subsequent MCU films has overall been on a decline, but I was still dedicated to seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy sub-series through since it had generally remained consistent, and also since the third film would be the last Marvel would see of director James Gunn before his move to DC. Not only did Vol. 3 provide a surprisingly emotional arc for Rocket Raccoon, it also has arguably the best MCU villain since Thanos in the form of the High Evolutionary, thanks largely to a stellar performance by Chukwudi Iwuji. For those who have been following the Guardians’ exploits and/or want a good dropping off point from the seemingly-endless Marvel train, this is a must-see.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

 

As someone who has only a general idea of D&D, not to say I haven’t tried to dip my toe in it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film going in, but came away wholly enjoying it thanks to its well-timed humor and having the general atmosphere of a D&D session in a good way. I enjoyed it so much that I not only bought every D&D transforming Diceling figure with the Honor Among Thieves branding, but it also made me seriously consider giving the game itself another shot.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

 

 

After seeing how good Bumblebee turned out, I gained a renewed interest in the Transformers film series as it began to pivot in a new direction, especially with its sequel Transformers: Rise of the Beasts finally venturing outside the franchise’s then-overextended stay in its G1-inspired comfort zone. While my expectations were tempered with cautious optimism going in, said expectations were exceeded thanks to its well-written human cast and its expanded robot cast somehow feeling decently well-balanced. One ending scene even has me excited for what’s to come in this new universe, though I first hope that the upcoming Transformers: One animated prequel film can maintain the same level of quality.

Oppenheimer

 

 

Films such as Oppenheimer are not usually my speed, especially ones with hefty runtimes, but I went to see this anyway, and in the highest quality possible, so I could be a participant in the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Despite my personal feelings on these types of films, and much of it consisting of people talking, I was actually hooked from start to finish and was particularly blown away by the surprisingly-tense nuclear bomb test scene. This scene alone is the main reason to see it in the best quality you can, something the sold-out 4K sets can attest to, though I would still strongly recommend this film anyway.

Gran Turismo

 

 

While video game movies usually attempt to adapt the game’s premise to the big screen, with mixed results that have gotten steadily better in recent years, Gran Turismo takes a different approach by adapting the story of a real-life event surrounding the game, with a few liberties taken for the sake of dramatization. The result is far better in its own right than one might expect, with a very suspenseful racing story that even those (such as myself) with no familiarity with the game itself can enjoy it, as well as a multitude of Easter eggs for those who are.

Rohan at the Louvre

 

While this film already grabbed my interest as a fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spinoffs, I found it to be both an excellent adaptation of the original one-shot and a solid suspense film on its own merits, thanks in no small part to the spot-on performance of Issey Takahashi in the role of Rohan Kishibe. Fortunately, this film is also written in such a way that anyone who is not familiar in any way with the world of JoJo can enjoy it, succeeding where the live-action Diamond is Unbreakable film fell short. Although not required viewing for this film, I would also highly recommend newcomers to watch the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan live-action drama, which this film shares a universe with and also successfully divorces itself from JoJo, if they can.

Top Games

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

 

 

In a pleasant surprise for April Fool’s Day, a new Sonic the Hedgehog game was released for free, placing the characters in a visual novel mystery about Sonic’s death, though the events turn out to be more mundane than initially let on (at least at first). For a free game, it has some amazing production values on all fronts, with some funny and clever writing that makes it a joyful ride from start to finish.

We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie

 

Part of Bandai Namco’s latest series of remasters of older Namco games included Katamari Damacy Reroll, which already excited me as a fan of the series, but I was even more surprised by the announcement of We Love Katamari Reroll and became further interested by the new Royal Reverie content. Much like the first, this is a remaster done right and the most ideal way to play this classic title, featuring cleaner visuals and several quality-of-life changes to bring the addictive gameplay to newer audiences, along with some new levels that expand on the game’s lore. While I would like to see the Katamari remasters continue, I would also hope the fact they made a second remaster means more of a full-on revival for the once-dormant IP.

Tron: Identity

 

 

It’s not too often we get any new Tron media since the franchise was put on hold after Tron: Legacy, so the announcement of a new Tron game at D23 Expo got me very excited for having any new media at all. While a choice-driven visual novel mystery might not be to everyone’s liking, with the main gameplay outside of that being Identity Disk puzzles, Tron: Identity has some very intriguing world-building and characters, as well as a great soundtrack, that makes it worth playing for anyone starving for new Tron content prior to the upcoming Tron: Ares.

God of War: Ragnarök – Valhalla

 

In celebration of God of War: Ragnarök’s one-year anniversary, the game received a bit of DLC content that serves as an epilogue to main story and mixes things up with rougelite gameplay, all for free. Said gameplay loop provides an extra challenge that can be freely adjusted to one’s desires, backed by a short bit of story that satisfactorily caps off Kratos’ character arc in the Norse games as he learns to make peace with the actions of his younger self. While a must-play for fans of the series, it is strongly recommended you brush up on both the Greek and Norse games if you care about the plot.

Top Disappointments

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

 

 

Where the original Shazam! film felt like a step in the right direction for what the DCEU could be, Fury of the Gods felt like a step back, with an overreliance on computer effects and a more complex storyline that takes away the more intimate focus that helped the first film stand out. While not one of the worst DC films out there, it is certainly one of the weakest and is more likely to disappoint fans of the original.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

 

 

The Ant-Man sub-series of the MCU isn’t one of the strongest, starting with a pretty funny first film and followed up by a less-well-written second installment whose main redeeming factor is its relationship with the Infinity Saga. Now that the MCU is in the midst of the Multiverse Saga, Quantumania represents everything wrong with the MCU at its current point, with a plot that takes comic book logic to its absolute extreme even by Marvel Studios standards and a setting that feels more like Star Wars than Marvel, not to mention weak villains, convoluted multiverse logic and a reliance on the viewer having seen a bunch of TV shows locked behind a Disney+ paywall. Unless you’re wholly devoted to the Marvel lifestyle, you can safely skip this one.

Bluey: The Videogame

 

With the immense popularity of the Australian animated series Bluey, to the point of it even getting a successful stage production, a video game adaptation seemed inevitable. Sadly, Bluey: The Videogame can't live up to the quality of the cartoon, mainly due to its severe lack of content for the asking price ($40) that can be beaten within an hour, maybe two or three if you make the time to gather all of the collectibles and Trophies. The voice acting and music are all there and the art style is faithfully recreated, but these alone do not make up for the janky animations and odd glitches that make the end product feel oddly rushed. I did not pay full price for the game, and neither should you (I got a physical PS5 copy on sale for $25), but I could tell I would most certainly have felt ripped off if I did.

Tron 2.0: Killer App (Xbox)

Note: This review contains spoilers for Tron and Tron 2.0

Back in 2010, Disney released Tron: Legacy, the official sequel to the 1982 film Tron, which had gained a cult following at the time. While most modern Tron fans would know of Legacy (often erroneously labeled a reboot) and maybe its spinoff media, including the criminally underrated Tron: Uprising, few today may remember that Tron once had a different official sequel, a video game appropriately titled Tron 2.0, as far back as 2003. Monolith Productions, perhaps best known now for F.E.A.R. and the Middle-earth games, developed the original PC version of Tron 2.0, which would receive two mobile versions (subtitled Light Cycles and Discs of Tron) developed by Lavastorm Analytics, an Xbox port (subtitled Killer App) developed by Climax LA (who would later develop Silent Hill: Origins and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories) and a Game Boy Advance prequel (also subtitled Killer App) developed by Digital Eclipse. All versions of the game received mixed to positive reviews from critics, though the game unfortunately didn’t sell very well and the publisher, Buena Vista Games, dropped support for the game two years later.

My own memories of Tron 2.0 date back to around the year of release, or maybe a little later, when I saw a boxed copy on a retail shelf and never picked it up despite liking the original Tron. Even after I got into Tron: Legacy (Legacy) and its related media, I still had that memory in the back of my mind and found myself growing more curious about what could have been. This year, I finally sated my curiosity through the Xbox port (henceforth referred to as Killer App for the purpose of this review) in time for not only the thirteenth anniversary of this blog, but also, coincidentally, the twentieth anniversary of the game itself. While the Xbox Killer App version has some technical issues, likely brought on by the porting process, I found myself having a fun time and curious about what could have been for the franchise if it had continued in this direction.

Tron: Identity (PC)

Around the release of Tron: Legacy, Disney had given the franchise a good amount of legacy support, only for the IP, and plans for a third film, to be put on ice following the under-performance of Tomorrowland. In recent years, and following a string of rumors, Disney is officially bringing Tron back with a third film, Tron: Ares. Prior to this, a new game in the franchise was revealed at a recent D23 Expo, a visual novel known as Tron: Identity, which instantly caught my interest due to its interesting premise and a lack of Tron content in the interim, though I opted to wait until it was at a discount through the most recent Steam Summer Sale (with some Steam Wallet funds applied) before playing it. While I did overall enjoy the game, I’m not sure it would have been worth it if I bought it at full price.

Second Look - Tron: Legacy

Note: The following review contains spoilers for Tron: Legacy.

In the nine years since starting this blog, we’ve looked at hundreds of movies and games as part of our never-ending journey through pop culture. Now, we’d like to honor the blog’s 1000th review by looking back at the film that started it all, Tron: Legacy. Since it had been eight years since our last viewing, we went into this with relatively fresh eyes and found that while it held up pretty well, there are still certain persistent flaws.

Second Look - Tron: Evolution (PS3)

When I first decided to contribute to this blog nine years ago, my first review was a review of the video game Tron: Evolution, which was released to coincide with the movie Tron: Legacy. In my original review, I was a bit harsh towards the game, however with the impending milestone of 1000 reviews, I decided it was time I give the game another shot and possibly do it better justice. Though I did remember my initial complaints from my first playthrough, I got past them on my second playthrough, via New Game +, by actually getting better acquainted with the controls. Once I had done that, I found myself actually enjoying the game for what it is, effectively taking back most of the things I said about it last time.

Tron: Evolution - Battle Grids (Wii)

When initially playing Tron: Evolution, I was aware of its sister title Tron: Evolution – Battle Grids, however I did not own a Wii at the time and I admittedly wrote it off as just a minigame collection. When writing my re-review of Tron: Evolution, however, I discovered that the story of Battle Grids, as simple as it is, is actually important to the narrative of the game, and so decided to seek it out and actually play it for full context. Despite running into some technical difficulties during my playthrough, I got some enjoyment out of it, more so after I figured out what my earlier issue was.

[OLD] Tron - An Instant Sc-Fi Classic

In honor of this blog's 1st Anniversary on December 18, I have decided that it would be appropriate to try and review the original Tron, since the site's very first review was for Tron: Legacy. Tron was one of the very first feature films to integrate computer graphics with live action, helping to pave the way for feature length CG films like Pixar's Toy Story. While Tron, released in 1982, did initially fail at the box office, it gradually became a cult classic, spawning a franchise that has birthed numerous video games, comic books, and even the aforementioned sequel released 28 years later. After re-watching this movie again, I think I can see why it became such a hit later on.

For anyone who doesn't already know, the story is about a software engineer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who attempts to hack into ENCOM in order to locate evidence that the company's Senior Executive, Ed Dillinger (David Warner), had plagiarized several of his video games in order to get where he is today. When he is thwarted by the Master Control Program (MCP), and with Dillinger tightening security as a result, he manages to sneak his way into the company building using lower level access, joined by Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lora Baines (Cindy Morgan). When he tries to locate his evidence on a company computer, the MCP takes control of a digital laser to digitize Flynn and punish him in the ENCOM mainframe. The rest of the plot unfolds within the mainframe, bringing to life countless visuals, such as the Light Cycle and Identity Disk, that would later become staples of pop culture and parody.

While the story does actually get easier to follow each time I view it, there are still some small things about it that bug me. Early on they establish the main characters and use the time to add some sense of depth to them, but in the last third they introduce two characters that we are suddenly supposed to care about, with no real indication of who they are outside of their server function. Without taking that into account, the story is very slow paced throughout, leaving me more tired than involved as it went on. However, it does manage to keep a mostly consistent narrative and stay within its own confines by establishing the main aspects of the digital world and sticking with them, making the events more plausible in return.

Even with the iffy story, the actors play out their parts very well. David Warner and Jeff Bridges help to let the audience know that there is definitely some history between them, with Ed Dillinger portrayed as a cautious and worried individual in contrast with the confident and more laid back Flynn. Even Bruce Boxleitner and Cindy Morgan show off some acting skill in their parts, although even the titular Tron is more of a minor character behind Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn.

Of course, the most recognizable and memorable aspect of the film is in its visuals. While the CG may look very primitive by today's standards, what they were able to accomplish with it is actually pretty impressive for what they had back then. The methods of transportation are very recognizable now, mainly the curvature of the Light Cycles and Solar Sailer, and the angular Recognizers and ships also help to create some visual variety. The backgrounds are also very believable as computer space given how they might have envisioned it at the time. However, there sometimes seemed to be too much going on when many intricate patterns were onscreen at once, and some of what was shown seemed to be thrown in simply because they could do it, like a brief scene where spider-like programs appear from the ground for no apparent reason. In any case, what we are presented with now seems to give off a distinct charm that makes the look of the cyber world more intriguing decades later.

As a last note, the score by Wendy Carlos is good on its own as well. While we can do more with synthesizer technology these days, what had been done at the time in combination with the London Philharmonic Orchestra goes well with the events taking place, creating the appropriate mood and maintaining the right atmosphere. It's hard to ignore how impressive Tron's music is, especially since it would later inspire Daft Punk's take on the music of Tron: Legacy.

While Tron may be limited in some ways by what was available in 1982, and very dated as well, it is by no means a bad film. It's not my favorite, but its relevance in pop culture today would make it hard not to recommend at least one viewing to see what it is. When you do get to see it, I guarantee that you'll be impressed one way or another, and likely gain the urge to play a video game version of the Light Cycles.

[OLD] Second Opinion - TRON: Legacy

This game has been re-reviewed. Read it here: https://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-look-tron-legacy.html

As a fan of the original Tron movie, I was looking forward to its then-upcoming sequel, Tron: Legacy, last year. It was around this time that I discovered Daft Punk, and their involvement with the project got me even more excited for it. When I first saw this sequel in the theater, I left with the same feeling of amazement that I had when I saw the original when I was younger. Recently I watched this movie again, and I still enjoy it as much as I did the first time.

The story here is easier to follow than the first, though it admittedly has a few holes in it. For instance, they make the portal to the real world out to be difficult to reach, yet there's a Solar Sailer, a means of transport in the Grid, conveniently headed straight toward it. Otherwise, while it was a little predictable the first time around, I still liked the simplicity of the plot compared to the original.

The visual effects are among some of the best I have ever seen in a movie, especially one from 2010. Parts of the Grid felt more organic and free than in the first Tron, especially the beams emitted by various vehicles such as the iconic Light Cycle. On the other hand, the effects used to make C.L.U. appear as a younger Jeff Bridges dipped into uncanny valley quite a bit, but the effort shouldn't go unrecognized.

What really carries the movie is the music, made entirely by Daft Punk save for a couple existing songs. Their appearance in the actual film as a pair of DJ's in the End of Line Club makes their contribution a little more amazing, and I was really excited to see them on the big screen for the first time. The soundtrack by itself is a must-have for any Tron or Daft Punk fan, though I find it amazing how hard it is to acquire every track. In any case, it matched the events on-screen, especially inside the Grid, perfectly.

Tron: Legacy is a simply amazing sequel that outshines its predecessor in just about every way. The story and effects work really well, even with a few setbacks, and the music is a perfect blend of old and new that is a stunning listen by itself. If you are a fan of either Tron or Daft Punk, this a movie that should not be missed.

[OLD] TRON: Evolution - System Error

This game has been re-reviewed. Read it here: https://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-look-tron-evolution-ps3.html

Being a fan of the original Tron movie, I was really excited to hear the announcement of Tron: Legacy, and that Daft Punk, one of my favorite artists, was making the soundtrack. As this was going on, I also heard about the game, Tron: Evolution, billed as taking place between both movies. I wasn't too sure about playing it, with the reputation of movie-licensed games, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. After playing it, I think I can safely say that while it was somewhat enjoyable, a few things could've used some work.

As stated, the story takes place between both movies, specifically after Tron: Betrayal, the comic book prequel the Tron: Legacy. Kevin Flynn has discovered a race of programs, called ISOs (Isomorphic Algorithms), which no one programmed. Though Flynn believes they are integral to the Grid, Clu, an avatar he created to watch over things in his absence, has doubts about this. The player takes control of a program created by Flynn, a Monitor called Anon, in order to help him investigate the murder of an ISO named Jalen, believed to have been caused by Clu.

The main story of the game helps to explain some key points that occur during the second film, such as why Clu despises ISOs. At some points, it even takes place during scenes near the end of the comic and during the second film's flashback sequences. I won't give any spoilers, but overall, it felt like it for the most part fit in with the Tron universe.

The graphics were actually pretty good for a movie-based game. However some parts of the scenery felt a little repetitive and could've used a little more variety. The aesthetic, however, was enough to distract me from this, as the look of the Grid impresses me every time I see it. Despite the slight repetitiveness, the game still drew me into the world it created.

The sound of the game is also amazing. The music, composed by Sonic Mayhem, Cris Velasco, and Kevin Manthei, was done rather well, and hopefully I can obtain the vinyl for it. For fans of Daft Punk and Tron: Legacy, a couple of their songs from said movie, The Grid and Derezzed, appear in the game, the former in the main menu and the latter appropriately in the End of Line Club. The voice acting was also done well, with Quorra and Tron voiced by their respective actors from the second film. Jeff Bridges does not voice Kevin Flynn or Clu in the game, though Fred Tatasciore offers a great sound-alike.

The gameplay, on the other hand, was decent, but had problems of its own. To begin with, your weapon in the game is an Identity Disk (referred to in-game as a Light Disk), which comes in four different varieties: the Heavy Disk, which offers more power during a ground slam; the Bomb Disk, which creates a blast and damages nearby enemies when thrown; the Stasis Disk, which slows down enemies when hit; and the Corruption Disk, which corrupts enemies and makes their health loss your gain. The effects of these disks, switched at will with the D-Pad, come into play when the Triangle/Y button is used with a shoulder button. You have to use certain disks at certain times to damage certain enemies, but when you're not forced to use one, you will find a favorite in no time.

There are 3 different control schemes: On-Foot, Light Cycle, and Light Tank. The On-Foot controls, used for most of the game, are pretty tight and fairly easy to use. The Light Cycle controls are done well, but it can actually become hard to steer at times. The Light Tank, however, is a bit difficult to handle, as much of its actions depend on the direction of the in-game camera. This game is also Playstation Move compatible, but I am unable to comment about it, as it is unclear when you are able to use it and how.

My main complaint about the controls is the in-game camera. This camera is a free-roaming one, but the way it works leads to problems during play. The X-Axis is inverted while the Y-Axis is not, and the only way to alter the camera is to invert the Y-Axis. This leads to frustration in that it often does not point in the direction you want it to and it tends to zoom in on your character a bit too closely.

On a lighter note, the game features a straight-forward Level-Up system. You collect EXP by killing enemies, which increases your Level, or Version. When you gain a new Version, you also gain Memory that can be redeemed for Upgrades for Anon at certain points. This also can apply to Online play, as some Upgrades can aid your teammates in battle.

Overall, this game isn't exactly that great, but its decent for a movie game. I'm not sure exactly who to recommend it to, but for sure I believe any hardcore Tron fan will enjoy it. The best way I can say to experience this game is to play it after watching one or both movies, using the Collector's Edition Tron controller. If you purchase the Collector's Edition of the game and don't like it, you will at least get a kick-awesome Light Cycle replica by Sideshow Collectibles, complete with display case.

[OLD] Tron: Legacy - Great Visuals, Sometimes Predictable Story

This film has been re-reviewed. Read it here: https://trophyunlocked.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-look-tron-legacy.html

Some of you may recall the original announcement of the new Tron movie. It was first teased three years ago at San Diego Comic-Con, with new information presented every year. Of course, the closer the movie got to the target release date, the more hypable material they threw at their captive audience. Having seen the original Tron, I was always wondering how exactly they would be able to follow it up. Once I began viewing the trailers and had heard the announcement that Daft Punk did the score for the movie, I got more into it. As the release date approached, I just couldn't wait any longer. The night before going to the theater, I sat through the original Tron on DVD for comparison. After coming back from my showing, I can honestly say that I absolutely loved the sequel better than I did the original.

From a visual standpoint, they improved everything greatly. Everything about the cyber world in the sequel looked more streamlined and appeared more like what it might actually look like if one were to dive in it. It was very mesmerizing to say the least, and I loved how the colors practically bounced off the surface. Design-wise, everything was very sleek, which I felt was more pleasing to the eye. Everything from the design of the iconic Light Cycles to the designs of the characters was very cool to look at, offering something that you just can't find yourself looking away from.

Likewise, the special effects really took advantage of current technology. Every computer generated object on screen, that would be most of them, moved with a lot more fluidity. I loved how everything acted with more freedom than their counterparts from the original. It really gave me a better sense that it was all happening right in front of me.

Now for the story, I have a few words of my own. I think it's safe to say that a lot of people reading this had a hard time keeping track of the stroy of the original movie. It could be challenging to figure out exactly what had just occured in the movie. In contrast, I believe the sequel was actually much easier to follow, maybe even a little too easy at times. Occasionally, I could predict what would happen later on in the movie, and be right about it. While I give the writers credit for being fairly original, there were some cliches thrown in that gave it a somewhat formulaic feel to it. This isn't neccesarily a bad thing, as I thought it might have done more good to the movie than harm. I would like to point out, though, that there were a couple of moments in the movie where I was confused. The first was when Sam Flynn picks up a Light Cycle baton from a derezzed program. I expected this to have come in handy at a later point, but it was never used, as one might expect. The other was near the end of the movie when Kevin Flynn is inexplicably abe to use an ability he had never used previously. Perhaps I shouldn't think about it too hard.

To call the soundtrack "great" would be a complete understatement. I believe Daft Punk was the perfect choice of composer for this movie, as they completely nailed the muscial score. Every moment with some kind of BGM was perfectly accentuated by their infectious beats and ability to mix with an orchestra. Sure, the music was outside their normal territory, but there is more than enough here to enjoy. I can almost guarantee that you'll walk out of the theater humming one of the songs to yourself, or at least in your head. To that end, it would be wise to purchase the soundtrack. They sometimes don't play the entirety of tracks in the movie, so buying the soundtrack would enable you to enjoy the songs as they were intended.

On a sliding scale of Flash versus Substance, I would would put the orginal at more Flash and this movie closer to the middle. The story falls a little thin at times, but is much easier to follow because of this. However, you might be hyped for the movie based on visuals alone, which is what the movie excells at. Either way, this is a movie definitely worth watching, especially in 3D.

Now to be fair, while the original was difficult to follow, it had very impressive effects and visuals for its time. This is especially impressive because it was the first movie to ever use CG. While the animations seem limited compared to today's effects, you have to really think about the limitations they had then and the fact that they were able to accomplish something despite such limitations. I think it is definitely worth checking out for the visuals alone, as well as a great view at what they believed the future might have been like from an 80's perspective.