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Captain Cat
Captain Cat
Casual
Cats rule! Seriously. Just ask the crazy cat lady that lives with me, err… I mean my wife (cue Doug Benson). Cats are natural fisher… cats? Right? And who doesn’t like a great puzzle game. So why not have all three. Mobile users have been living with this kind of excitement for a while now, and they have finally let us console games have some fun as well.

Joking aside, Captain Cat (“CC”), which originally launched on iOS and Android, has made its way to the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. With a price tag of $6.99 on both platforms, the big question is, is a mobile to console port even worth that price tag?

CC is super easy to pick up and play with its simplified control scheme. Playing as the titular character, your end goal is to catch fish using your… anchor? The game starts pretty simple, but introduces new obstacles and adversaries to add to the challenge as you progress. With 4 game modes available, there seems to be plenty to do.

Waspfish, the main came mode, has you making your way through 25 levels of casting your anchor, dodging obstructions and catching fish. Watch for those enemies though, as getting hit could cause you to restart your level. Housekeeper is another mode, also having 25 levels, and it’s essentially the same as Waspfish. It has subtle differences including enemies, and your end goal being to catch a snail that can hide in its shell. Try to catch him while he’s hiding and you’ll have to restart the level. As with many games on mobile, you are scored on your performance on each level in both modes. Your aim is to try and nab a three-star rating by completing the level as fast as possible, in as little moves as possible, while collecting all the coins you can.

Our third mode, Infinite, is exactly what it sounds like. The Captain casts out into the sea where your goal is to get as deep as you possibly can while dodging obstacles and enemies. The final mode is called Perfect. This is by far the most difficult of the game modes. Getting only one cast of your anchor, you restart the level if you miss. It requires some trial and error, but the challenge was welcome and a great mode to get you to think strategy in where to cast.

These combination of modes should keep you occupied for a few ours, and are great for a quick pick up and play game when you only have a few minutes to sneak in some gaming. However, I question why you wouldn’t just pick up your phone and play it on there if it’s a game you really want to play. Although a quick look showed me that the game is no longer on the Play Store and can only be side-loaded via APK from other sources. I cannot speak to the availability on iOS.

Overall, Captain Cat is a fun puzzle game (which is surprisingly missing any sort of leaderboard) that provided some challenging moments and kept me engaged while I was playing. So now we get back to our question at hand. Is it worth the $6.99 price tag? If it’s on the Switch, I would say go for it. It’s the version I reviewed, but it also seems to make much more sense to be able to carry the game with you and play anywhere, versus the stationary nature of the Xbox One.
  
Shat the movies
Shat the movies
Comedy, TV & Film
9
6.0 (3 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Funny (2 more)
Detailed reviews
Presenters are engaging
A look back with a venagance
I have been listening to this podcast for several months to catch up with all the episodes the official blurb is:

"Shat the Movies ask, what are the best 80s & 90s movies? Do you find yourself asking if the movies we loved while growing up were really that good? Have you caught yourself thinking, “why don’t make movies like they use to?” Can you still remember spending your Friday Nights searching for the perfect movie rental at Blockbuster Video? Do you know what Blockbuster Video is? If you answered yes, then this is the podcast for you!

Your hosts, Dick Ebert, Kerri Gross, Gene Lyons, & Roger Roeper will take a look back in time & decide if our favorite films still hold up. Each week, the audience selects from four (6) movie choices that we will break out their race-car VHS tape re-winder and watch the movie that tallied the highest number of votes.

Occasionally, a special guest will join to help break down the craziness that was film-making in the 80’s & 90’s.

At the end of each podcast, The hosts will provide the audience with the number of wipes each movie would take to get off your respective bums. Find a comfortable spot on the sofa, and accompany us for a journey through our vast VHS movie collections."

I enjoy the debate between the hosts and they are different as people so this adds to the content. There are personal stories and some adult content that compliment their reviews. This is my go to podcast for reviewing retro film classics and I look forward to each episode.

Highly recommended!!!
  
Moana (2016)
Moana (2016)
2016 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
A delightful journey
In what is probably not a surprise to those of you that know me well, I keep a list of films that I have seen and a list of "top films I need to catch up with." (I know, that makes me a "film nerd" and I wear that badge proudly). In perusing the list, I saw that I had yet to see the 2016 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Disney animated flick Moana, so thought I'd check it out.

And...I'm glad I did...for I was thoroughly entertained by the story, the characters, the visuals and the music. How is this film not mentioned in the same breath with FROZEN? It is terrific.

Set in the South Pacific, MOANA, the 56th Disney Animated film, tells the tale of...well...Moana...who works with the Demigod Maui to reverse a curse that he started.

Hawaii native Auli'l Cravalho was perfectly cast as the voice of Moana, she is the perfect blend of perky, smart and grounded with a singing voice that is strong and bold. But this film belongs to Dwayne Johnson as Maui. His demigod is brash, egotistical, and cocky...but there is a tenderness and vulnerability to his character that makes Maui lovable and not arrogant and annoying. This is a delicate balance to make and Johnson balances it perfectly. He has a natural charm and charisma that shines through his characterization. I couldn't think of anyone else that could have pulled this role off - oh...did I mention - he sings!

And that is another part of this film that I was surprised by. The music is first rate. As written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway's HAMILTON) and Opetaia Foa'i and Mark Mancina, the songs are joyous, fun and drive the plot and the characterizations forward. AS does the direction by Ron Clements and John Musker. It is a fast paced film that doesn't really slow down for audiences to think too much about the plot or plot machinations...and that is a good thing.

Is it a perfect film? Well..no. I found the character of the Sea Creature Tamatoa (Jermaine Clement) and the accompanying song to be..."meh"...it was a bump in a fun road. And...the way the plot was resolved was not entirely satisfying for me.

But...these are nits...for MOANA is more focused on the journey - and the relationship between Maui and Moana - than the destination. And this journey is a delightful one to go on.

Letter Grade: A

9 stars (out of 10) and you can take this to the Bank(ofMarquis)