BOOK: Ready Player One (2011)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Ready Player OneYear: 2011Author: Ernest ClineLength: 480 pages When Ready Player One came out over a decade ago, I couldn’t wait to read it. A book full of pop culture references was right up my alley, and I enjoyed the connections and clues that fueled the Willy Wonka-style Easter egg hunt. I didn’t think they’d ever be able to make a movie out of it because of all the licenses they’d have to work with, but Steven Spielberg pulled it off in 2018. I’ve long held that this is one of my favorite books, so I decided to re-read it so I’d have a better memory of its events when I jumped into its sequel. My only qualm that arose with this read-through was with the main character. There is some empathy for Wade’s situation, but he often comes across as arrogant and obnoxious. When the consequences of his actions come around to affect his life, it’s difficult to feel sorry for...
Read More

VIDEO GAME: What the Golf? (2019)

by benmweilert1 Comment
What the Golf?Year: 2019Rating: E10+Time Played: 5.27 hours It seems to me that modern indie games fall into two categories: art and humor. While games like Journey and Gris trend toward the art, games like Untitled Goose Game and What the Golf? are solidly in the humor category. Of course, the humor in What the Golf? is best appreciated by those who are familiar with a wide variety of video games. Just off the top of my head, this game references Super Mario Bros., Angry Birds, Superhot, Portal, Metal Gear Solid, and Super Meat Boy. Even without this referential humor, What the Golf? does have enough amusing moments for anyone to enjoy. The biggest problem I found with this game is its difficulty and replay value. Granted, I haven’t found someone to explore the co-op mode on the Switch version, but I completed the base game in just over five hours. Since I also took the time to collect some of the...
Read More

BOOK: Mecha Samurai Empire (2018)

by benmweilertNo Comments
Mecha Samurai Empire Year: 2018 Author: Peter Tieryas Length: 447 pages ***THIS BOOK WAS RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLISHER*** For a genre that’s usually associated with Japanese anime and manga, I haven’t seen many “mecha” novels (or movies, for that matter, with Pacific Rim (2013) being the only notable example). Consequently, when I received an advance reader copy of Mecha Samurai Empire, I was looking forward to reading it. While there were still a few grammatical and proofreading errors in this book—of which I’m sure have been fixed in the final version—portions of the plot didn’t sit well with me. My main qualm is the main character who really isn’t good at anything but still gets to pilot a huge and complicated piece of machinery just because he wants to. A clear and obvious mix between The Man in the High Castle and Neon Genesis Evangelion, the few strong elements of this book were in the mecha battles themselves. The problem is that the references sprinkled throughout...
Read More