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If The Sopranos and Batman had a baby, you'd get The Penguin (2024), a gritty, mob-infused dive into Gotham's underbelly with all the darkness and depth that fans crave. Colin Farrell is phenomenal, bringing Oswald Cobblepot to life with raw charisma and menace. He's complex and captivating, making every scene electric. Cristin Milioti shines as Sofia Falcone, balancing vulnerability and strength in a world full of treachery. Together, they bring Gotham's criminal landscape to vivid, brutal life. The Penguin is an unmissable crime drama that takes superhero grit to a whole new level. If you like Batman and Sopranos you will love this show!

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has arrived as one of the most polarizing releases in the beloved fantasy RPG series, and unfortunately, it's not for good reasons. In stark contrast to the original Dragon Age titles-known for their rich storytelling, immersive gameplay, and well-developed characters-The Veilguard feels more like a misguided attempt to appeal to modern sensibilities rather than an addition to the franchise. One of the main criticisms is that it feels alien compared to the original games. Dragon Age: Origins and Inquisition created dark, intricate worlds filled with political intrigue, moral complexity, and the weight of player choices, but The Veilguard jettisons these elements. Gone are the branching narratives, deep role-playing mechanics, and tactical combat. Instead, it offers a simplified, linear experience that feels more like watching an overly long cutscene than playing a game. The story itself lacks the emotional depth and nuance of its predecessors, reducing previously complex factions and characters to stereotypes or bland caricatures. This departure from the core elements of Dragon Age is jarring and leaves fans wondering why they should even care about this story. Another glaring issue with The Veilguard is its artwork, which feels amateurish at best. Dragon Age games have always boasted lush, immersive visuals that brought Thedas to life, but The Veilguard presents visuals that seem half-finished or hastily thrown together. Environments lack detail and atmosphere, giving the impression of a generic fantasy world rather than the gritty, grounded settings fans have come to love. Characters are poorly designed, with facial expressions and animations that feel stilted and awkward. This poor visual presentation breaks immersion and does a disservice to a world that has, in previous games, felt alive and believable. The artwork in The Veilguard is a noticeable step down, making it difficult to stay engaged with the story or even take the characters seriously. The writing in The Veilguard further compounds its problems. Dragon Age is celebrated for its complex dialogue, multi-faceted characters, and intricate lore. In contrast, The Veilguard is packed with clichéd, uninspired dialogue that fails to capture the wit, intensity, or emotional resonance of past titles. Characters speak in long-winded monologues that drag on without adding any meaningful depth to the story or lore. These scenes feel more like mandatory lectures than engaging storytelling, turning the experience into something like an extended HR video. The heavy-handed delivery lacks subtlety, leaving little room for players to interpret or emotionally connect with the narrative. Instead of exploring morally gray dilemmas, The Veilguard often resorts to delivering simplistic, preachy messages, which comes across as pandering rather than thought-provoking. This leads to one of the most surprising and disappointing aspects of The Veilguard: the experience often feels like an HR training module rather than a fantasy adventure. A prime example of this is a scene where a character is made to do push-ups for misgendering someone. While inclusivity and respect are important, this moment feels shoehorned in and unnecessarily performative, detracting from the story's coherence. It's clumsily handled, coming off as a superficial attempt to address real-world issues rather than a meaningful addition to character development. This kind of forced narrative feels uncomfortable not because of the topic itself, but because of how it's presented in a way that lacks subtlety or genuine integration with the plot. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is ultimately a disappointment for fans who expected a return to the rich storytelling and intricate gameplay of previous Dragon Age games. The overly simplistic plot, poor artwork, lack of character depth, and clumsy approach to social issues make this entry feel detached from what made the franchise special in the first place. Instead of delivering a compelling fantasy RPG, The Veilguard feels more like an awkward hybrid of poorly executed storytelling and performative messaging. Fans of Dragon Age are better off replaying the earlier games, as The Veilguard fails to live up to the legacy of the series. For those who grew up with Dragon Age and love the world of Thedas, The Veilguard is likely to feel like a disappointing and alienating experience. It's a reminder that simply slapping a beloved title on a project isn't enough to make it successful. It's the heart, complexity, and respect for its audience that made the original games memorable-and these are sadly lacking in The Veilguard.

Apost-apocalyptic road trip adventure with a narrative focus, stylish visuals, and a unique combat system that promised to mix things up. Unfortunately, after spending several hours with the game, it became clear that Dustborne falls far short of its potential. If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be this: boring.

The game starts off promising enough, setting up a desolate, dystopian world full of intrigue and mystery. However, the momentum fizzles out almost immediately. The narrative, which is supposed to be one of the game's strongest aspects, quickly loses steam. The dialogue is overly drawn out, and the pacing is glacial at best. While I expected the story to develop and unfold in interesting ways, it became a tedious slog of predictable plot points and uninspired character development. The characters, who at first glance seemed quirky and compelling, never really evolve beyond their initial stereotypes, leaving little room for emotional investment.

A large part of what makes Dustborne so boring is its gameplay. The rpg system, which revolves around "blocking" and "being triggered," feels absurdly underwhelming and, frankly, silly. Blocking attacks, while sounding like it could add a strategic layer to battles, is mind-numbingly repetitive and lacks any real challenge or variety. Each encounter feels the same as the last, and you quickly realize that there's little incentive to think on your feet or come up with clever tactics. It feels more like an exercise in going through the motions than a dynamic, engaging system.

As for the "triggering" mechanic, where you supposedly act triggered to gain health and get enemies into certain behaviors or reactions, it's poorly implemented and downright ridiculous in execution. The concept had potential, but the way it plays out in the game feels cartoonish and juvenile. Rather than adding depth or nuance, it comes across as a gimmick that quickly wears thin. Not only does it fail to make combat more interesting, but it also shatters any immersion the game tries to build. You're left wondering how something this silly made it through development without someone realizing how out of place it feels.

Beyond the combat, the game's exploration and world-building also fail to engage. The world of Dustborne is visually appealing (because it's a copy of borderlands), sure, but it lacks any real sense of life or interactivity. The environments, while atmospheric, feel static and empty, as if they're just backdrops rather than living, breathing parts of the game world. Walking from point A to point B quickly becomes monotonous, with little to do in between other than endure yet more uninspired dialogue or slog through another repetitive encounter.

In the end, Dustborne is a frustratingly dull experience. It had all the ingredients to be a fresh and exciting game, but it falls flat in almost every respect. From its slow and predictable narrative to its shallow and silly combat mechanics, the game simply fails to deliver on its promises. If you're looking for a gripping adventure or a deep, meaningful combat system, Dustborne is not the game for you. Save yourself the time and look elsewhere and play bloodborne or cyberpunk.