Exploring the Frustrations Surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II

Julian Meush November 16, 2017

Star Wars Battlefront II officially launches tomorrow. What should have been an overwhelmingly exciting day for gamers and Star Wars fans alike is instead mired in a controversy. Microtransactions, specifically loot boxes, have reportedly poisoned the games multiplayer and people aren't happy. I look at the reason why so many gamers are frustrated by EA's microtransaction strategy.

What EA's Star Wars "Update" Really Means

Julian Meush October 18, 2017

This week EA announced that there would be major changes coming to their much anticipated action-adventure Star Wars game. Along with that news we learned that they would be closing Visceral Games, the studio who had been working on the game since 2013. I examine what their curt press release says about the future of the game, the publisher and the games industry as a whole.

Playstation VR Impressions

Julian Meush August 16, 2016

Playstation brought their VR headset to town so I swung by their demo booth to check it out. From underwater shark encounters to 3D puzzle games Sony came with a diverse line-up of VR titles. Not everything blew me away though, check out my impressions to learn more about my experience with what many people are calling "the future of gaming".

Pokémon GO: One Trainers Journey to "Catch em' All"

Julian Meush July 19, 2016

Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm. It’s boosted Nintendo’s stock by over 25% and it hasn’t even been released worldwide. With over 10 million daily active users and growing it’s quickly become the newest mobile gaming craze, and one that looks to stick around a lot longer than Flappy Bird. Having only just been released in Canada on July 17th, we here at the ToB Podcast are about a week behind the phenomenon that’s been sweeping the US. But now that it’s here and I’ve had just under 48 hours to sink my teeth into it I’m ready to document my experiences going forward. Stay tuned to this blog post, as I’ll be updating it as the days go by with my latest thoughts and new screen grabs as I try to catch em’ all.

Harnessing Gaming's Potential

Daniel D'Souza March 2, 2015

Some exciting food for thought. We're all aware of the problem solving and coordination skills video games can endow, this TED talk considers other more unorthodox benefits and their social applications.

American Redemption - Expolring the Similarities Between American Sniper and Red Dead Redemption

Julian Meush January 28, 2015

While watching American Sniper something dawned on me. I'd seen this story before, in a game I'd played years ago. Red Dead Redemption was released in 2010 and remains one of my favorite games of all time. After realizing the similarities between the film and the game I jumped at the chance to look at the phenomenon that is American Sniper through a Red Dead coloured lens.

Apr 23, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 5 & 6

We’ve reached the halfway point of the season and with it comes a tonal shift back to the roots of Star Wars animation - 'The Clone Wars'. With the arrival of the Empire, the focus shifts away from Maul and his dealings and toward the pair of Jedi as they are now in the crosshairs. The noire tone takes a back seat, next to Maul, as things become more pulpy, mixed with an impending doom that is reminiscent of the final season of 'The Clone Wars'. The set-piece action sequences get an injection of scale and danger, which is exciting, and some of the early seeding of characters like Rylee start to pay off. While maybe a bit different from the previous 4 episodes, the quality and the stakes remain high (well... for every character except Maul I suppose). Join Julian and Rachel as the unpack it all in excruciating detail.

Apr 15, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 3 & 4

Now that the premiere is out of the way, the team at Lucasfilm Animation can focus on driving the story forward with authority. The pacing is much improved this week as time feel more evenly dispersed across the characters. There's a greater concentration on characters who can wield a lightsaber and it's appreciated. No shade to the crime syndicate storyline, but we've kind of seen all that already (it was quite literally a 'Clone Wars' arc). The action remains strong while taking another step forward with lightsaber duels joining the mix. Plus, the fast cutting from last week seems to have been dialed back, which is appreciated as it provides more clarity in action scenes. For example, Devon's engagements with Maul are gripping, and with the additional time provided to Master Daki, the stakes feel ratcheted up. Kevin Kinner's music remains a highlight, the illusions to the Anakin vs Obi-Wan Mustafar theme was a particular highlight. In general, there is still room for more character growth, especially with characters not named Maul, who really can't/won't change - but happy to proven wrong! This show feels like it's in full swing already, which is good because next week things look to be really heating up as we hit the half way mark. Julian and Rachel unpack it all!

Apr 9, 2026

SSSW - Maul: Shadow Lord - Chapter 1 & 2

It's been some time since we've been able to sink our pointy teeth into a meaty Star Wars animated project. Since the finale of 'The Bad Batch' all the way back in May of 2024, all we've had to tie us over were anthology installments of varying quality. Praise the Force, that wait is finally over with the release of 'Maul: Shadow Lord', the latest full length series from Lucasfilm Animation. The series marks another technical leap forward for the animation studio, taking their patented visual style and adding another layer of detail and artistry that jumps off the screen. The story follows the titular, Maul shortly after the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, he's looking for revenge and the series wastes no time dropping us right into the thick of things (3 car/speeder chases in 40 mins is impressive). And while we know much of Maul's criminal dealings (and most of the rest of his life actually), the introduction of a new Padawan into the mix, another apprentice-to-be for Maul, adds a layer of intrigue to an otherwise underworld focused story. Join Julian and Rachel as they unpack Chapter 1: "The Dark Revenge" and Chapter 2: "Sinister Schemes", in intricate detail.

Apr 8, 2026

Bonus Episode - ToB Film Club - Slap Shot (1977) - Review + Commentary Track

In honour of Matt strapping on the goalie pads again for the first time in many years (and not completely pulling his groin), it only made sense to revisit the classic hockey comedy, 'Slap Shot' from 1977. This isn't the first time seeing the movie for either Julian or Matt but it's been a long time so there are plenty of questions still to answer. Here's a few examples: How well shot are the hockey scenes? Does the movie feature more or less actual hockey than 'Heated Revelry'? Does the plot and/or humour hold up all these years later? All these questions are answered in time, but we're also trying something new this month. Instead of a traditional movie review, Julian and Matt decided to go a layer deeper and add a full commentary track for the movie as well. So enjoy the full review, which takes place, before, during, and after the movie itself, and sync up your own copy of the movie (there's a countdown before we start) to get the full experience!

Exploring the Frustrations Surrounding Star Wars Battlefront II

What EA's Star Wars "Update" Really Means

Playstation VR Impressions

Pokémon GO: One Trainers Journey to "Catch em' All"

Harnessing Gaming's Potential

American Redemption - Expolring the Similarities Between American Sniper and Red Dead Redemption

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