MOBILE GAME REVIEW: REBEL SKY (2016)

Rebel Sky is a semi-unique game that I played. It is a free fee-to-play game that is a mixture of real-time strategy and lane attack/defense (similar to Clash Royale). It does some nice and interesting things but, full disclosure, I have already uninstalled it.

In Rebel Sky, you choose a commander from one of three factions (Marines, Junkers and Robotic Angels or something like that) and then build up a deck of units from your faction and mercenaries. During a battle, you cycle through this deck and use energy (like elixir in Clash Royale to deploy your units). Once deployed, they march towards the enemy, attacking targets and the enemy base until they or the opponent die.

The first interesting thing is how you deploy your units. You can either deploy straight out or construct as a factory (takes 30 seconds) which would then spawn a unit every 30 seconds. It is an interesting choice for instant units versus long term gain. The other interesting change is when time runs out, it comes down to last unit standing. All this would make you think that the game would be interesting.

However, the progression and paywall hit this game way too soon. After unlocking some basic units, the rate of unlocking slows down to a crawl. When you keep facing higher end units, and you keep trying to use the weaker mercenary units to plug the holes in your forces, it starts to grate. Although, like with Clash Royale, you can mitigate this with skill to a certain extent.

For those who don't mind paying and advancing on the semi fee-to-play, then this game is a unique game I have played that has an interesting mix of mechanics. However, the paywall came far too soon for me and the grind was too much.

3 out of 5 Rebellion Waffles

MOVE REVIEW: MAGNIFICENT 7 (2016)

The Magnificent 7 is a remake of an old western which is a remake of an old samurai movie. The original movie is considered a classic, and the new movie is quite long. The question is if the new movie is any good. The quick answer is: yes, it is really good.

For the sake of brevity I won't bother comparing it to the originals but let it stand on it's own merits. In this, Denzel Washington is a bounty hunter (warrant officer) who gets involved in a battle against a mining magnate who is trying to take over a town and killing people in cold blood. In his quest, he recruits 6 other highly-skilled men to help take back the town.

Of course this is achieved through violence. And the cast does not disappoint. All the seven are really good and get their own personality and style of fighting. They also all have their demons and pasts, but this movie doesn't make the mistake of dwelling on these. Instead, it simply alludes to them and keeps the movie going at a good pace.

The gun fights are where the movie is best, but the movie recognises that having weight behind each shot is what makes them stand-out. The only weak character is Chris Pratt, but this is because the writers rely on him to get by on his charm and maybe give him slightly too much screen time compared to the others. This is not the fault of the actor, but outside of one random line about being haunted (which isn't followed through by his actions), the character he plays is perhaps the weak link in the movie.

However, even with this weak link, the rest of the movie is exceptionally strong. This is definitely a movie worth checking out and not just another remake relying on nostalgia. Yee-ha.

4.5 out of 5 Gun-slingin' Waffles.