Matthew Renfro | Opinion. Uncensored.

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale Game Review

Thanks to the success of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. franchise, the mascot brawler genre has seen a fair amount of titles in recent years, covering everything from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Cartoon Network shows to Shonen Jump mangas and Konami games. Though some of these titles were okay, none of them ever seemed to capture the same spirit or nostalgia that made Nintendo’s fighter so great, with many being hunkered down by gameplay that was unpolished 0r simply lacking the Smash’s fun feel. And now, with Sony now on its third generation of home consoles, they feel the PlayStaytion brand has a more than adequate stable of iconic characters to create a mascot fighting game. Developer SuperBot Entertainment… Read More →

ZobmiU Game Review

Nintendo consoles have been a consistently strong home to great “E for Everyone” titles and games generally aimed at a younger audience ever since they released the NES back in 1985. With games like Mario, Pokemon, and Kirby leading their pack, the Big N tends to stay away from the grit and gore of more mature titles, very rarely going more “adult” than simple sword-fighting. However, the ever family-friendly company just turned 23 this last September and with age comes yet an ambitious console release in the Wii U. With this new system, both Nintendo and Ubisoft hope to usher in a new era of Nintendo that gives greater attention to hardcore gamers. How do they hope to kick this new… Read More →

Why You Might Not Get Your Wii U At Midnight

The Wii U is, undoubtedly, the biggest and most important gaming release of 2012. The successor to one of the most popular video game consoles of all time – one that ushered in thousands upon thousands of new people into the medium – the Wii U is an industry force on a massive scale. Though it might not have the immediate flash of the latest Halo or Call of Duty title, the proof is there that it will be the face of video games for a number of years to come. Not only is the Wii U the latest home system from the only major hardware-producing company dedicated exclusively to making video games, but it is also the first Nintendo… Read More →

Duality Album Review

On Nov. 15, the mysterious rapper Captain Murphy released his debut project Duality in a rather peculiar fashion. Instead of giving fans a folder full of MP3’s like most would expect, Murphy released a 35-minute short film directed by Xavier Magot. The video is full of strange clips, including footage from the Heaven’s Gate cult initiation tape of leader Marshall Applewhite, footage of marijuana, and even clips from adult films. It’s certainly an interesting experience. However, does all of the intrigue make for a good experience? The music of Duality is almost, for a lack of a better word, psychedelic, with production from Flying Lotus, Just Blaze, and TNGHT to name a few. It matches well with the odd film,… Read More →

Take Me Home Album Review

There would be no One Direction if Justin Bieber hadn’t blown up a few years ago. Though we may still have had a boy band named One Direction floating around the charts, it was Bieber’s surprising success that reinvigorated the idea of “tween heartthrobs” in the eyes of music producers and, consequently, it was that success that gave Simon Cowell the desire to sign and market the band until it reached major Billboard success. And, though the buddies Zayn, Niall, Liam, Harry, and Louis may take on a more pre-pubescent form than their spiritual predecessors the Backstreet Boys, they are (at least in relative terms) every bit as popular to their primarily young, female fanbase as the Backstreet Boys were… Read More →

Lotus Album Review

Known for her extremely powerful delivery and heavily produced – almost Broadway-esque – instrumentals, Christina Aguilera has always been mildly popular. Similar to fellow singer P!nk, Aguilera has never really left the charts, but she’s also never captured America’s full attention like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, or Britney Spears did. After starting her incredibly successful stint as one of the four hosts of NBC’s music competition The Voice, however, it was only a matter of time until the pop singer released a new album to capitalize or her revitalized fame. Sadly, that new album doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, as Lotus is nothing more than a corporate cash-in. First and foremost there are the songs themselves. Oh, the songs. The… Read More →

Top Nine Series That Need a Wii U Revival

Because the most talked about aspect of Nintendo’s new console is, undoubtedly, the intriguing new GamePad controller, many people are forgetting to discuss what the system is actually for. Though the intuitive new controls are certainly worth discussion and debate, it’s also important to talk about the system’s actual video games. And, though Nintendo will assuredly be bringing plenty of new Mario and Zelda titles to the system, other franchises aren’t as sure-fire. And today we’d like to talk about some of those. These are our top nine series that we want to see revived on the Wii U. Viewtiful Joe While not everyone’s cup of tea, Viewtiful Joe was easily one of the most interesting games on the GameCube, both in gameplay and… Read More →

An Omen Album Review

How To Destroy Angels felt like a godsend when they first broke onto the scene in 2010. The love product of industrial musician Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, and longtime friend and collaborator Atticus Ross, their creepily surreal self-titled debut EP had a great sound to it and found a perfect balance between Reznor’s work for The Social Network and his work as Nine Inch Nails. Though not perfect, the EP left many fans, myself included, anxiously awaiting more from the fledgling musical project. And, two years later, we’re finally getting it. But does their new EP An Omen live up to the high expectations they set for themselves? Sadly, the answer is a resounding no. An Omen falls… Read More →

New Gameplay Styles Wii U Should Explore

With the Wii U’s launch date creeping ever closer and Nintendo being…well, Nintendo, many gamers are still wondering what exactly their new, heavily hyped GamePad can or will do. Having recently played with one myself, I have to say there are some pretty interesting possibilities for Nintendo and other developers if they choose the right types of games to utilize it. With the Wii U having three possible controller options, that being the classic Wiimote and Nunchuck combination and the new GamePad and Pro Controller, Nintendo needs to be careful about how they controller use for each game. Luckily for the Big N, having a second screen and control surface isn’t virgin territory. The successful DS line of systems has been around for eight years, giving Nintendo… Read More →

America: What We Voted For

With another Presidential election in the bag, most media outlets will be focusing on only one question: who America picked for president. However, that’s not the only thing America voted on yesterday, and it’s important to look at what else citizens said with their votes. This election, America voted in favor of women, with states electing more females to the Senate than ever before, many of whom faced male opposition. America voted against drug restrictions, legalizing recreational marijuana usage in three states. America voted in favor of gay marriage and the LGBTQ community, with four states passing initiatives in favor of gay marriage and Wisconsin electing the country’s first gay Senator, Tammy Baldwin. America voted in favor of diversity and opportunity, with… Read More →