Cosmic Cafe at the Highland Library

Dr. Stiffler came to talk to us about atomic structure and he was a phenomenal presenter! He brought a variety of hands on equipment to illustrate his points the video below is two of the teens getting to play with sound waves!

Thank you Dr. Stiffler!

GadgetJax rants about- sorry, I meant 'Reviews': Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

*Note: The following review is centralized around what is often thought of as the most successful Juvenile Fiction franchise in the market. If you like these stories, I would recommend not reading these reviews as they may cause you to a) stop reading this series, b) grow extremely angry at Jax, or c) grow a beard shaped like an anchor. Well, maybe not that last one.*

 I finally got around to reading 'Wimpy Kid 9: The Long Haul' after months of waiting for my hold on it to be processed. I thought it was fairly average. It was defenitely better than Hard Luck - my personal pick for the worst in the series - but it still had a lot of dead weight from previous titles 'Hauled' onto it. I thought that maybe it was just a thing where sequels are worse than the originals because authors run out of ideas, so I decided to go back to read the first in the series. That's when I remembered something that I know a lot of people are going to torch me for...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was never a AAA book to start with.

No, it wasn't even like a 6 outta 10 kind of bad, but rather a really bad book. I know a lot of people call these some of the most influential titles in recent Juvenile Fiction history, but all of that is just because of the audience in mind: stubborn readers.

For anyone who hasn't read anyone of the Wimpy Kid books, Diary of a Wimpy Kid can easily be summarized as the Call of Duty of Juvenile Fiction. It was popular enough to cause so many other authors to copy and paste the same formula Kinney started just as a way of cashing in. So, let's dive in to this mosh pit of a book, shall we?

I usually start a review by looking at the positives of a book, but that's where Diary of a Wimpy Kid fails. The only quality it gets right is comedy. There are a few funny points here and there, but the rest of the comedy comes in the form of toilet humor. I know that's the kind of humor kids like most, but do you know why kids like that? Because the authors always right like that.

It's a case of the media controlling kids into believing something is cool/bad/funny/hip just because everyone else does it. That's why 70% of 5 year old girls like 'Barbie', as it's just a case of the media shoving that kind of product in the face of the consumer - but enough of this. Let's get back to the book.

The art style these books have are 'charming', but lazy. Jeff Kinney is a talented man that has had a lot of experience working on Poptropica.com, so I know he can make his illustrations much better. Goodness, even 'Dork Diaries' - a shameless rip-off of the 'Wimpy Kid' formula - has better looking illustrations than this series!

Now, I know what you're all thinking; "Oh, but Jax, you shouldn't judge a book by the illustrations in it!"

Oh, well, YES I CAN. If a book's main story is centralized around the pictures telling most of the story with snippets of dialogue between each picture, then it's fair game in my line of work. In fact, the Wimpy Kid series feels more like a comic than a book.

I've mentioned this before, but the central reason I hate these books is because of Greg Heffley. He's our main character, so I should care about him and sympathize for him and feel happy for him and all that jazz, right? No. Honestly, everyone, Greg is not only a very snooty and immature character, but the story is told from his perspective and constantly reaffirms that Greg doesn't care about anyone else. Here are little bits from the book where he messes up in being a character I should care for:

-He works on a comic strip with his friend Rowley and ends up quitting on it because he runs out of ideas, leaving all responsibility for the comic strip in Rowley's possession. Then, when Rowley gets popularity for the comic, Greg gets mad at him because he didn't credit him for it - despite the fact that Greg had no involvement in the revival of the comic strip.

-Greg tries to run for school Treasurer. His campaign posters involve nothing but insults towards the other people running for that office.

-He breaks the glasses of another character - Patty, to be exact - by throwing apples at her. The reason why is because he wanted to 'get back at Patty for stopping him from cheating on a state capital quiz.'

-He terrorizes a group of children and Rowley gets framed for it. Even worse in this instance is that Rowley ends up telling his teacher that Greg was the one who caused the problem. A quote from it: "I can't believe Rowley went and backstabbed me like that. I need to remember to give my friend a lecture about loyalty." -_-

Oh, and that's just a pinch of the problems. He does much more than this - so much, in fact, that I would have assumed Greg was the antagonist of the story if he wasn't the one TELLING the story.

Even outside of Greg's morality issues, the story revolves way too heavy on stereotypes. In my book, the only good stereotype that should ever be consistently used to a point of 99% of books making use of it is 'The Five Man Band': A trope that says that any team or group of lead characters should be comprised of 1 leader, a brainy guy, a tough guy, a rival/crush of the leader, and a team pet/friendly guy. Every other stereotype out there is bland and repetitive and really doesn't feel as fresh when everyone and their mother is making use of it. All the 'best' ones in the Trope Bible are here. "Jerk older brother", "Bullied best friend", "Teacher with no defining traits"...

Speaking of which, that's another thing. This book - despite featuring over 50 different characters - makes no attempt to try and delve into the individual personality of anyone but Greg. Why would they do that? I don't want to read a book where the only character with any individual traits is a jerk! Average teachers, average classmates, average family, the gang's all here. Whoop dee doo.

Does the term 'Wimpy' even do justice to Greg's characteristics? The defenition of a wimp is 'to show timidity or cowardice; chicken out.' Yeah, sorry Dictionary.com, but I don't think I would use that term to describe someone who chases kindergarterners around with worms stuck onto a stick. I'm not really feeling it.

Bottom line, people need to stop encouraging Kinney. The more praise the franchise gets, the less time Mr. Kinney will spend trying to ensure quality. This will result in more and more new Juvenile Fiction franchises dropping to the same level of quality as these. People need to start speaking up about this franchise and how it's ruining everyone's perspective on how to appeal to a youth audience. Maybe someday I'll write a book. If I do, I can guarantee that I'll be using Wimpy Kid for reference on what NOT to do. 

GadgetJax Reviews: Sonic Generations (PS3/XBOX360)

In my more recent of years of gaming, I really haven't played a 'new' game that really blew me away. Sure there were a lot of titles that I loved, like 'Super Mario Galaxy', 'Portal 2', and even 'Super Smash Brothers 4'. However, I ended up receiving Sonic Generations for Christmas of 2014, and it was defenitely one of the grandest experiences of my gaming life.

Let me momentarily say this: Sonic Generations is not a perfect game. There is no such thing as a perfect game. That said, however, Sonic Generations does such a good job of combining old school Sonic conventions with the new that it ends up feeling so close to perfect without actually reaching it.

I would touch up on the plot of this game, but it's defenitely the weakest point of the experience. It's every crossover plot ever written: A portal appears out of nowhere, sucks Modern Sonic and his friends up, and then they get Time Travel'd all the way to 1991- or more specific, Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic The Hedgehog game. Modern Sonic teams up with Classic Sonic to defeat Modern Dr. Robotnik, who has allied himself with Classic Dr. Robotnik. Yeah, it's predictable on every corner, but a Video Game honestly doesn't need to have a story to be good.

Sonic Generations is split up into 2 gameplay styles. Act 1 levels are played as Classic Sonic and feature 2D Side-scrolling gameplay. These levels focus on tight platforming and run at a fairly smooth pace, providing a solid experience that is just as good as the original Genesis titles. Act 2 levels are played as Modern Sonic and focus on a combination of 2D AND 3D platforming. The Modern levels also focus primarily on speed rather than tight platforming, making the game feel like one long marathon.

The beauty of Sonic Generations and it's gameplay is in replay value. While the main game is rather small, featuring only 18 Acts and a few Boss battles, the game makes up for this in the level design itself. Every level features multiple routes that encourage playing through certain levels over and over to find the route that is the quickest and/or most enjoyable to play through.

Speaking of beauty, Sonic Generations features a really well done graphical display. Everything is colorful and feels distinct within each level. Even levels with similar appearances have enough color variation to feel like fresh each time. The character animations do end up feeling a bit out of place in certain cutscenes because of how they incorrectly contrast the level they are in, but because of how the story means nothing to the actual gameplay, this is easily ignored.

The sheer amount of fanservice this game features (I don't mean in the filthy kind of way) is absolutely crazy. There are tons of unlockeable music remixes, some of which from the more obscure titles in the franchise. Remixes are featured from games varying from Sonic Advance 3 to as far as Knuckles Chaotix, and there's even a remix from Sonic Mega Collection, which was just a compilation title!

Oh, but Sonic Generations is not perfect, like I mentioned. In fact, because of how much good there is in the game, it makes the bad portions feel even worse!

First off, all the levels in the game are inspired by levels from previous Sonic games. For the most part, that's fine, because the level selection is fairly strong. Chemical Plant, City Escape, Planet Wisp, and more are all good choices, but WHY IS CRISIS CITY IN THIS GAM-

Sorry, lost my train of thought. Now, Crisis City from Sonic '06. This level is beyond broken. It is just way too flip-flopped and there is little consistency. This is especially true to the Act 2 version of the level, because of how the level keeps switching between speed-based platforming and precise platforming. A good analogy for it would be riding your bike at 20 mph down a straight path, but out of nowhere there are a bunch of precise turns you have to make, meaning you need to slow down and lose that incredible experience of speed.

Also, this game introduces a very unenjoyable mechanic called 'Skills'. They act as sort-of power ups that you can equip that give you bonuses. The problem? Most of Sonic's trademark moves from previous games can only be accessed by using these 'Skills' the one that angers me most is the one skill that prevents you from having to take time to get up after taking damage. Sonic is the fasting thing alive, why would HE need to take his sweet time just to recover?!? He doesn't do that in any other Sonic game in existance, not even Sonic '06 or Sonic Shuffle, so why does he have to here?!?

Challenge Mode is also a thing here. Every individual Act has 5 Challenges that are 'optional' to play through, meaning that there are a total of 90 of them in the game. They keep the game lasting long enough so it doesn't feel like an unsatisfactory purchase, but some of them are really bad to play through.
Ones that come to mind are the Doppleganger races.
I normally like rival races in games, but in these races, it's just to see who gets to the end. Since your doppleganger isn't affected by anything you do, and you aren't affected by it, it turns the missions into average Time Trials with a shadow running alongside you to show if you're doing good or bad. That's boring.
Also, I say 'optional' to play through with very loose air quotations because the game requires you, once every few levels, to beat a few of these Challenges in order to reach the next leg of the game. It throws off the pacing so much that I just end up completing all the Challenges for that Act at once, just because I don't like to have to leave missions un-finished. My Completionist side is ruining my Sonic experience :(

And finally, the boss battles. There are a few cool rival battles within the game that act as a sort-of 'Sub Boss', which are really enjoyable, but the rest are just average. Many of them often involve waiting, and more waiting, and MORE waiting. As Arin Hanson once said: "Waiting isn't hard, but it gives off the illusion of difficulty because it causes the battle to become an ordeal."

Still, don't let any of the above issues derail you from getting this game. It's otherwise perfect, and on the same level of quality as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which is my favorite game ever! I wouldn't say that you NEED to get a PS3 or XBOX360 just to have this game, but anyone who ever gets either of those consoles needs to make sure that they get this title to go with their bundle.

Sonic Generations earns my seal of approval any day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfUoXJzff2I

Teen Movie ROAST!

This is a clip from the ROAST of a popular Disney film that we had on Valentine's day.

We had a particularly good time getting to throw our "snowballs" at the screen!

GadgetJax Reviews: Big Hero 6 by Walt Disney Animation Studios

Big Hero 6 is a really great movie. Yes, it is. I'm not trying to butterscotch up this movie as a joke, it really is quite good.

The premise is, as strange as it seems, not so simple. It's about a young boy named Hiro Hamada, who likes to compete in a special kind of sport that involves combat between small robots. Kind of like Pokémon, honestly. His older brother, Takeshi, creates a special kind of robot for healthcare named 'Baymax', and Baymax later inspires Hiro to create his own personalized robots that can benefit mankind, outside of the robot combat that he's so familiar with. I really can't say much about the story and the plot without spoiling it, so I'll leave it at that. It may seem straight-forward at first, but it really isn't the obvious "Good vs Bad" plot you would expect.

 For being an animated movie about robots, Big Hero 6 is actually quite emotional. There are many sudden tear-jerking moments, and the plot can get a bit difficult to follow if you are a younger viewer.
 This movie also has a lot of comedy. A lot of it. The best part about it is that the comedy is usually used for relief, allowing viewers to quickly get a bit of a chuckle after a tense moment.
 The animation quality is just as stunning as Frozen, which was really the only part of Frozen I enjoyed.(It's a long story, but anyone who hasn't heard my Frozen opinions can see them here: It mixes just right with the cartoony vibe of the movie and the serious tone of the plot, though it stays away from the realistic tone used in things like 'The Adventures Of Tintin'.

So, I finally found something to review that's perfect, right? No. I mean, I did do a review of Tangled back in the day that I gave a perfect score, but that was prior to me moving to my writing phase. I didn't really have a good concept of critical reviewing at the time, and now I've grown to realize that there is no such thing as a perfect game/movie/book. So, what are the biggest flaws in Big Hero 6?
 First off, the comedy can become grating in many spots. There are at least a total of 3 parts in the movie where an entire movie is dedicated to a slow-moving joke. It really throws off the pacing of the movie, and while the jokes are still quite funny in those parts, they do overstay their welcome.
 Oh, don't even get me started on the 'Supporting' characters. Y'know, pretty much everyone that isn't the hero, his robot, or the villain. Many of them have one-sided personalities that can get quite annoying, especially since this movie follows the obvious trope of a 'Five-Man Band' plus a robot.
 Lastly, the music. Unlike Frozen, Big Hero 6 doesn't really have a song that just 'sticks' to it. Yet, I personally like that choice, because I do NOT need a second 'Let It Go' in my life. Thankfully, the choice of outside group music is still good, especially a quick joke revolving around 'Eye Of The Tiger'.

Even with the decent amount of flaws it has, Big Hero 6 is still a great movie. It comes to home video pretty soon, so if you're around the library in the next month or so and you see a copy of it, pick it up. It's defenitely worth your time.

GadgetJax's Top 10: Favorite Video Games!

Around here, I'm usually known as 'The guy that only reviews things he doesn't like', and it isn't a lie. Like I've mentioned, I prefer to tackle things that I think are bad, because comedy is richest when it is derived from something that isn't pleasing.

However, instead of being the usual me, I want to step out of my comfort zone and do something different. Something that is, dare I say it, ENJOYABLE! (dun-dun-duuun) And, honestly. I don't think that I can find anything more enjoyable than Video Gaming.

I've never personally done a Top 10 here before, but like I said, that comfort zone is pretending to be on a coffee break today. He isn't here, so I can make this list however I like. So, my personal Top 10 Favorite Video Games I've ever played! Any rules for this list? Just one. I'm only list 1 game per franchise, so don't expect to see 2 or more 'Sonic' titles on here.

So, as 'The Black Eyed Peas' always say, "Let's get it started in here!" Top 10, go!!!

#10 Pac-Attack (SNES, GENESIS)

Pac-Attack is nothing more than a simple puzzle game. Think along the lines of something like 'Tetris' or 'Dr. Mario', and you should get the picture.
Tiles and Ghosts are falling down, and you direct them to the bottom of the screen. Once in a while, a Pac-Man will start falling, and it will eat any ghosts in his way. The game is simple, relaxing, and absolutely a blast to play with friends, thanks to the inclusion of a nifty 1 on 1 mode. Combine it with a catchy soundtrack, and I'd say that Pac-Attack is quite a pleasure.
My family has owned the game ever since the days of the original Sega Genesis, and I've played it ever since I was three. Any age should be able to find out how to play quickly, and even a grand-parent could learn it, earning this number 10 spot easily.

#9 Dance Dance Revolution Extreme (PS2, ARCADE)

Music games, you love 'em or hate 'em. Me? Love 'em. It is kind of hard to grasp them if you aren't talented in the rhythmic category, but DDR Extreme is still a blast.
All you have to do is hit notes as they rise to the top of the screen, while following the beat of music. The reason I chose DDR Extreme over any other DDR game for this list is because it has my personal favorite selection of songs to play to, including 'YMCA'.
The more curious thing about DDR Extreme is that even though the Arcade version was Japanese exclusive, many spots in the USA have cabinets for the game, including Six Flags Great America. If Six Flags can import DDR, you KNOW they have good taste. Don't question it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkiD66ASXMQ

#8 Cave Story (PC, Wii, 3DS,)

Many games can take a huge team to develop. Some games even require the work of several companies! How many people made Cave Story?
Just one man, named Daisuke 'Pixel' Amaya.
While the game does have a very simplistic art style, this can be forgiven easily thanks to pretty much everything else in the game. As the name implies, Cave Story has a very grand tale that contains many heart-warming moments, along with even a few plot twists that might jerk a tear out of you.
The gameplay is incredible, mixing up Metroid-Vania exploration with the brilliant projectile combat from the Mega Man and Contra franchises. The worlds are varied, the weapons are all unique, and that soundtrack.
THAT. SOUNDTRACK.
Cave Story is brilliantly composed, with a varied amount of tracks that always mix up the tone of the game in just the right way. Some are catchy, some are dark, and others just feel so nice.
If you haven't played Cave Story yet, there is literally no reason not to. The original japanese game is a free download from the creator itself, and you can probably find a translation patch for it without much difficulty. The game has also seen several re-releases on WiiWare, Steam, and just a few years back, a 3D remake was released for the 3DS. All the versions are great, so pick up at least 1 of them!

#7 Gunstar Heroes (GENESIS)

Most of my descriptions for the other games on this list have all been because they mix solid gameplay with a very nice atmospheric feel.
Well, Gunstar Heroes takes those games and throws them into a First Class airplane sent to Norway, because this game is crazy!
Gunstar Heroes is a mess, in a good way. It was developed by Sega alongside Treasure, a company that is famous for many cult classics like Dynamite Headdy, Sin & Punishment, and even Alien Soldier.
This game is truly madness incarnate. The game starts up quickly, you choose a weapon and level, and then go. Enemies are all over the place, the soundtrack pumps up every moment of the game, and everything is just, WOW. Literally, the best word to describe this game is with the word 'wow'.
Oh, and the boss battles. If you want to play a game just for boss battles, play Gunstar Heroes. Right now, guys. The boss battles are awesome.
Couple everything I just mentioned with a fantastic 2 player mode, and I don't really think anyone can call this game 'bad'. It may not be my favorite game on this list, but is probably one of the most flawless of the bunch.

#6: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GameCube)

Mario is the Mickey Mouse of gaming, really. Pretty much every Mario title out there is great, and Paper Mario TTYD is my favorite.
I'm not really an RPG guy, but I can really say that Paper Mario TTYD does an excellent job of mixing story telling, unique art styles, and swell combat. Everything is user friendly, and isn't hard to learn at all.
Experience Grinding is nowhere to be found here, which really allows the user to control the pace of the game. Do you want to continue your quest, or do a side quest first to obtain a new item? The little choices like that help make the game feel fresh in spots that would normally feel mundane.
Paper Mario TTYD (I should stop calling it that) is almost like a children's pop-up book. Everything is so delicately crafted, and anyone that can still afford a copy of this game should defenitely play it. It is worth it in every way.

#5 Pokémon TCG 2: Here Comes Team Great Rocket! (GBC)

If it wasn't painfully obvious by the constant notes I leave at the end of my entries, then I'll say it again: I love the Pokémon Trading Card Game to death. So much so, that this game is the only entry in the list that was exclusive to Japan!
So, if this game is Japanese, how have I been able to play it? Simple. English Patch, works every time.
Onto the game itself, it's the Pokémon TCG, no duh.
Here Comes Team Great Rocket features Base Set, Jungle Expansion, and Fossil Expansion from the first game, and much more. The biggest addition to the game is the inclusion of Team Rocket, the set released after Fossil. In addition, many cards that were originally Japan exclusive, like the Vending Machine cards and promos from the Ivysaur vs Wartortle Deck Set are available, and it really helps make the battles feel varied, based on the kind of deck you choose to play.
Outside of the cards themselves, many of the players you fight against in the game have their own rules on how to play against them, such as Lightning Types doing more damage, or Special Energy not allowed. The little things like this help this game go from a simple TCG to a curious melting pot full of lots of creative ways to play.

#4 Little Big Planet 2 (PS3)

If my 6-year old self knew what LittleBigPlanet was, he probably would have fainted from happiness.
I love Level Editors. A lot. I've always wanted to make my own game, and thanks to Little Big Planet 2, I've been able to create so much.
Little Big Planet, as a franchise, isn't about the main campaign and the standard platforming it features. It's about that amazing Creator mode. I'm serious when I say that if you can think it, you can probably make it in LBP2 in one way or another. An battle tank? Sure. A jet-propelled sled? Probably. An entire castle to explore through? Go right ahead. I've been able to create a headset that fires blobs of glue that cement themselves into traversible platforms. Yeah.
There is nothing else like Little Big Planet 2 in terms of creativity scale. There is so much you can do in this game, if you know how to.
Do you know limitless this game is? I found a playable level that recreates the entirety of the first dungeon from the first Legend Of Zelda game.
There. Is. No. Comparison.

#3 Super Smash Brothers (2014) (Wii U, 3DS)

Nothing can even begin to descripe Super Smash Brothers, and it is honestly the greatest Nintendo franchise in existence.
Super Smash Brothers has a perfect blend. Unlike more complicated fighting games like Street Fighter and BlazBlue, Super Smash Brothers plays out more like a platformer game where you fight other players. The controls are really simple to pick up and learn, allowing for pretty much anyone to start winning within a round or so.
Because of the near-endless amount of customization, you can change the game from an ultra competitive 1 on 1 match, to a randomized 8-player brawl with randomly spawning items. On the more technical side, Wii U/3DS Smash excels over Melee and Brawl because of how much balance there is in the speed. Melee was too fast, Brawl was too slow, but this one is just right.
Oh, and the character roster? Probably the best of any video game ever made. You have your popular guys, like Mario, Link, Sonic, Pac-Man, Pikachu, but then there are the more obscure ones and fan favorites, like Mega Man, Robin, Ness, Shulk, Wii Fit Trainer, and more. The sheer amount of diversity in the choice of characters is so grand, that pretty much anyone could find someone that they can cling to.
The soundtrack may just be one of the most diverse ever written. In addition to several original compositions, the game features several remixes of songs from other games, of many vary genres.
Super Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS is kind of hard to really give a true opinion on, because you really have to go into the technical portions of the Smash chronology to really be able to make opinions about it. So, I will leave you with this:
Super Smash Brothers for Wii U and 3DS is my favorite Nintendo game ever made.

#2 Mega Man Battle Network 6 - Cybeast Falzar (GBA)

When I started getting older, I'd say about 10 years old, I went through a phase where I started noticing flaws in video games much easier. Many of what used to be my favorite games, like Mario Party 5, Sonic Adventure 2, and movie tie-in games. Yet, there was one game that I could just go and play any time, and I would feel nothing but happiness...
As I've said before on this blog (An obscure DS vs PSP post) and elsewhere, I really love Mega Man Battle Network 6, more specifically the Cybeast Falzar version. The gameplay is kind of like an RPG, but throws so many curveballs into the mix that the game ends up feeling like nothing else.
Battles are done on a 6x3 grid, and fights are played through in a complex formula revolving around 'Battle Chips', which are kind of like Pokémon cards to a certain extent.
Just like the Pokémon TCG, the huge amount of Battle Chips is what allows for complex design when building your strategy, and the game has a very futuristic art style and soundtrack that compliments each of the characters very well.
The story is very difficult to understand if you haven't played through 1-5, but it is quite an interesting conclusion to the series.
Mega Man Battle Network 6 is a greatly underrated game, and it's a shame that not many people have played it. Considering that Battle Network 1 and 2 have already come out as downloads for Wii U, it's just a matter of time before the eShop sees the release of this one. It's defenitely worth the price, as I've spent 100+ hours on this game already!

#1 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (Genesis, PC, GameCube, Wii, PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox360, DS)

Sonic is a great platformer series. It combines complex platforming with incredible speed that can literally be found in no other game. On the top of that Sonic pyramid is Sonic 3 and Knuckles, which is my favorite game ever made.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 was originally planned to be a complete title, but it had to be cut in half because of release date deadlines. The second half was later released as a sequel called 'Sonic & Knuckles', which featured a special bonus cartridge slot that you could connect many other games to. So, what would happen if you connected Sonic 3?
Boom, now you can play Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Not only does it allow for the entirety of the game to be played in 1 straight save-enabled file, but it allows you to play as any of the 3 characters, along with many new soundtrack changes and slight variations to certain levels.
As for the game itself, It's brilliantly designed to the point of near-perfection. Every level is unique, and none of them are dull. Because of the endless supply of alternate routes in each level, the game allows for lots of creativity in the choice of traversing through each level.
Just like every other game I've listed, the soundtrack is great. However, what makes it so great? Well, a very special person helped compose it. A fellow you might know by the name of Michael Jackson.

I have already played through and Completed Sonic 3K at least 7 times, and I would be willing to do it again any day. In fact, I think I might do that right now.

If you happen to have a favorite video game, leave your thoughts below. The viewership is what helps this blog stay alive, so all opinions are appreciated!

GadgetJax Reviews: 'Frozen', by Walt Disney Animation Studios (This gun be good)

Okay, everyone. Real Talk. Have you ever seen a movie that you really liked, but then started hating for 'no reason'?

I think there really isn't any point in me drumming up suspence anymore, since you already know what I'm reviewing. You read the title, so why am I trying to act impressive?

No reason, I just like to over-do things. But I'm telling you, the only overdone thing here, is my toast. :)

So, Frozen. *takes a deep breath* I'm going to try and be as unbiased as I can during this review. I'm going to acknowledge what it does right, what it does wrong, and I won't be bashing it to a pulp just because I don't like it. Oh, and one more thing...

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

So, Frozen. The plot is standard Disney fare. Princesses (Anna and Elsa) get caught up in some problem, needs help from some wandering guy (Kristoff) with an animal, exactly what you'd expect from Disney. The animation is done really well, and the attention to detail is quite impressive in certain scenes! The dialouge stays funny when it needs to, but still transitions into the serious portions without any real contradiction. Another thing that makes this movie 'memorable' is the characters themselves. Olaf has some of the best lines in the entire Disney franchise, and his curious-yet-naive personality fits him really well! Also, the soundtrack for this movie is quite catchy.

Now, for what I don't like... *Inhales like crazy*

While I know that a lot of people like positive reviews, I'm going to tell you all real quickly 2 reasons why I choose to usually review things I don't like.

Reason #1: "All comedy is derived from grief". I like being funny when I do these reviews, so choosing a book/movie/topic that I'm not fond of allows me to express myself in a way that is humorous to the audience.

Reason #2: "It's easier to tell you why a car doesn't work, rather than why it does work". What it means is that it is much easier to tell you the flaws of media, rather than what makes it good.

So, with that out of the way, let's get straight to the broken car reviewing- er, Frozen. No, I don't plan on reviewing cars...

First issue, this soundtrack is TOO catchy. Some of the music is nice and upbeat, but other songs get grating over time because they feel either out of place or too slow to match the mood. The (in)famous 'Let It Go' is something that I enjoyed only a few times before starting to hate it because of how slow the lyrics are, and the logic behind it. So, Elsa was isolated in her castle, she escapes it to feel 'free', but her idea of being free involves isolating herself into another castle? I don't understand the logic behind that.

Next problem, some of these characters aren't the greatest. Actually, what I mean to say is that everyone is a great character EXCEPT Anna. She isn't a mean character, but she does little to progress the plot, and it often feels like she impedes the story, rather than progressing it. Her foolishness got her hurt by Elsa in the intro, HER stubborness drove Elsa off the edge and made her flee Arendelle, HER persistence got her hurt by Elsa in the Ice Castle, HER cluelessness got her to get Hans into the Castle to take over, oh, and speaking of Hans...

This movie did not need a villain. It really didn't, and the movie would have been much better without one, since the whole conflict of the movie revolves around Elsa, who is NOT a villain. Until his unveiling near the end of the movie, Hans is one of the most likeable characters in the entire movie. Him revealing to be the villain feels like a Last Resort effort on the behalf of Disney, because he steps out of characteristics that have already been established. Also, he did NOT know about Elsa having ice powers until AFTER the blessing request that he made with Anna, so that means that Hans must have been a good guy, but changed his mind during the event of the film FOR NO REASON. I imagine this choice like this:

Phil: Well, looks like we're just about finished with the script for Frozen!

Franklin: Looks nice so far! Wait a minute, I just realized something... we don't have a villain!

Phil: Okay, but it's too late to introduce a new character to the plot, so what should we do?

Franklin: Let's throw darts do decide which character turns evil!

Phil: Sounds great!

-_-

Back on the subject of Anna, she does do a few things to help progress the story, such as purchasing those tools for Kristoff and saving Elsa's life near the end (before getting chilled), but she just feels like a dead weight to the plot. Not a 'Jerk' kind of dead weight, similarly to characters like 'Patrick Star', but enough to make you mad at her after 2 or 3 viewings of the movie. I know none of the problems she caused were voluntary on her part, but if you were to discover that your sister had magical Ice powers and then she proceeded to freeze the entire region, wouldn't you start focusing more because the situation is tense?

And that's all I got to say for Frozen. I wouldn't say it's a bad movie, but it defenitely doesn't deserve all the money it makes. Highest Grossing Animated Film? Yeah, that doesn't seem at all like a scam. So, if I don't like the movie, then why did it sell so well?

It has 2 Princesses. Olaf is funny. Let It Go is catchy the first time through. But that's about it.

I don't give scores to my reviews anymore, but if I honestly had to grade Frozen, I would personally give it only about a 7/10. It's good when it's good, but bad when it's bad.

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