Chesstown King's Reviews and Thoughts

After over 2 years I finally beat Horizon Zero Dawn. It was quite the accomplishment as the game is long. I didn't even do a lot of side quests. I'll try not to give away too much of the story but I'll have to give you some. HZD takes place in the future where the world is ruled by animalistic machines and the people live in tribes mostly. You play as Alloy a young woman of the Nora tribe. Alloy starts as an outsider but eventually becomes "The Anointed" amongst her people. You set off on an adventure to figure out why the world is the way it is. Alloy can run, jump, swim, and also...hide. A lot of fights in Horizon can be avoided by hiding in this tall red grass that's pretty prevalent in the game. Sometimes tho, you'll have to fight. Alloy has a wide assortment of bows and arrows at her disposal. She also has a spear for close quarters combat. There are other weapons too like a sling shot and mini gun, but I found the bows and spear most effective....

I finally was able to beat this stellar Zelda game not too long ago. The game is very challenging yet oh so satisfying when you overcome powerful enemies. The game looked great. There was so much variety in the environments. Unfortunately there's not much variation in the music. You usually just here a minimalist piano track as you travel. I recommend you tackle as many shrines as possible. The puzzles aren't typically too tough but there were a few I had to look online to solve. They are some very creative puzzles to solve. Some puzzles simply test your strength by making you fight a robotic enemy. Speaking of enemies, this game doesn't have a lot but there are stronger/different versions of them. Of all of them perhaps Guardians and Lynels are to be the most feared. The latter feels like boss battles. Guardians can shoot you to death with lasers but with Ancient arrows you can make short work of them. Of course when you beat an enemy you can take their weapons and...

I’ve been playing my Nintendo switch for some time now. I’ll review the system soon. This post is about Super Mario Odyssey and we’ll how amazing it is. The game seems simple on the surface but it’s actually very complex. What makes it very complex is the Magical hat Mario wears. Mario’s Cap (I forget the name) has a mind of its own. You use it to take control of enemies and also to interact with your environment. It’s a really deep system. I found myself taking control of a tank to take on a vicious boss in New Donk City. NDC is a dope city also....it’s basically showing you there are humans in Mario’s world, and well; he’s not human lol. The game seems to have a perfect difficulty as well. As you know I love Zelda botw also but that game is hard af. Mario Odyssey bosses go down in 3 hits....with them getting very aggressive after 2. There was a couple times where I wasn’t sure how to beat a boss....you generally just have to use that magic hat. I haven’t beaten the game yet...

Jeezy returns with yet another hot album. I can't say its better than Church in these Streets but its at least as good. The lyrics are dope as are the beats. Jeezy knows his lane by now and he sticks to it here. I really liked "American Dream" which features J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. Jeezy's last 3 albums have all gotten the following score from me. Thats good but I'm not so sure he could make an album like The Recession at this point. Lyrics: 23 Beats: 21 Depth: 23 Tilt: 23 Verdict: 90

I realize the lateness of this post. But I really want to bring to the attention  the greatness of these 2 videos games.I havent beaten either game yet to date but the reason for that is well....just complicated. Life has gotten in the way.  I got Horizon Zero Dawn about 2 years ago. Its a beautiful game with lots of really cool locations. The fighting system is really dope too. A little 2 dimensional but basically divided between a wide assortment of ranged weapons and your spear. The way the main character interacts with environment is really dope too. There's not a lot Alloy can't do. Alloy's adversaries are tough and varied. I got Zelda Breath of the Wild just last year. The world is really really big. I just love the way the game seems to have so many ways to be played. Its a truly non linear experience. Link has lots of combat options too. I don't really like the way your weapons break and you have to go get new weapons...I've gotten used to it...

https://youtu.be/idCmTqTH6uE Don’t laugh too hard! Lol I was like wtf dude!!!!

The Last Jedi Movie Review The latest entry in the Star wars universe is a very good one. I don’t really think its better than Force Awakens but its great. Last Jedi picks up right after Force Awakens…The movie has good pacing for the most part. However, the infamous pat in the middle is weird but actually necessary to the plot.             Last Jedi has more going on than its predecessor. The movie changes location a lot. I love the way it starts out. There’s a lot of unforced comedy in the movie. It kinda comes off like a Marvel movie. The start of the movie is funny as Resistance pilot Poe jokes and stalls General Hux. I gotta say that I like both Poe and Hux more in this film than in Force Awakens. The Resistance destroys the enemy Dreadnought. The victory is short lived…As the First Order stalks them through space even after they go lightspeed….             ...

Transformers The Last Knight Review                 Transformers 5 had an odd whole to fill. Age of Extinction was arguably the worst movie by far. (But still good) Last Knight is just as long I think and features tons of locations and of course special effects. Mark Walberg returns for a main human role, as Craig Yaeger, but he’s far more important to the story this time.                 I’m not going to go through all the details of this movie. That would be honestly be very difficult. The movie has so many different story locations and a lot happens. Basically, its further into the future and the TRF rules much of the world. Transformers are still outlaws which I don’t understand. Optimus Prime left to find his creator(s) at the end of Age of Extinction, so he’s not around.       ...

Cardi returned in 2017 with another good mixtape. This one is shorter and better. “Lick” is a dope song. “Leave That Bitch Alone” is another smash. I didn’t care too much for “Never Give Up” tho. The album is more of the same. I cannot wait for her first full length album! Verdict: 8.2/10

It was the day of destiny for me when I got my first IPhone a little over a week ago. The phone is big, with a 5.5 inch screen. It’s made for media consumption and to be honest that’s the main reason I bought it. I love Itunes and Apple products. I already have an IPad Air , Ipod touch, and Ipod Classic.                 I like so much about this phone, so I’m going to tell you what I don’t like. Its basic but you have to manually switch between turning mobile data on and off. Android phones do that automatically lol. It’s a small gripe but its something that I don’t like about IPhones.                 Now for the numerous features I do like: Touch ID is blazing fast. Makes my Samsung Galaxy S6’s’ touch sensor look like a snail. The camera is beast. I have barely used it yet tho. The raise to wake feature is really rea...

I can’t front…this is a pretty good album. Jaden comes off like a poor man’s Kid Cudi tho. Yes he does sing on quite a few tracks. His lyricism is B minus worthy but hey that’s passing. The album starts with some weird cinematic tracks. They spell the word blue, but each song is a letter in the word blue at the beginning. “Batman” is good. I really enjoyed “Icon”. The production is pretty polished threw out. I feel he needed more guests, but this is a decent album. I guess it runs in the family. Verdict: 8.4/10

1.        Transformers The Last Night-I really enjoyed Transformers 5. It was a firm step in the right direction despite some serious continuity errors with the first 3 movies. Despite that the cast is great and the action….you know I like that action! I cannot wait for #6. 2.        Star Wars The Last Jedi-This is my 2 nd pick…but I’ve only seen it once, so in the future I may look back and say this was my favorite film. TLJ is amazing by all accounts. The middle part is kinda uneven but I like the fact they made it different than Empire Strikes Back. I think this movie had a couple climaxes. 3.        Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2-This barely beat out Thor, but yeah its really an improvement over the original to me. It is really funny and the plot is really good. I found the movie slightly predictable….but it’s a win for Marvel. 4.        Thor Ragnarok...

OMG this N.E.R.D album is really an improvement over 2010’s Nothing album. The guest spots are really well used like Rihanna on “Lemon” or Kendrick Lamar on “Don’t Do It”. The production is outstanding but the lyrics are just good. Every song is good for the most part. I wasn’t really feeling the last one that much with Ed Sheeran. “Esp” is dope as f***.  This NERD group is very much alive! Verdict: 9.2/10

Miguel comes out with another terrific album. Miguel’s lyrics and singing are great here. The production is even stronger. I really enjoyed songs like “Sky Walker”, “City of Angels” and “Come Through and Chill”. I feel the album needed more guest spots. It comes off sounding really similar to his last album, Wildheart. That’s not necessarily a bad thing either. Overall there’s not much to complain about from a guy who doesn’t have a weak album in his discography. Verdict: 9.4/10

Eminem Breakdown Date: Early 2018 “The Real Slimshady” Rapper albums The Slimshady LP 1999 Top 3-5 Songs: My Name Is, Just Don’t Give a F***, My Fault, Guilty Conscience Album Score: Beats-3.8, Lyrics-4.2= 4 Rapper Stats: Flow-87 , Versatility-86, Relevancy-88 Rapper Rating: 87 Comments-The SLimshady LP featured a young Em, who was at the time just beginning to have popularity. The album is great, as Em paints great pictures with his rhymes. Eminem really showcases his skills throughout the album. He instantly became the best white rapper of all time. But to him, I don’t think that’s enough. The Marshall Mathers LP 2000 Top Songs: The Real Slimshady, The Way I Am, Stan, Criminal, Kill You Album Score: Beats-4.5, Lyrics-5= 4.8 Rapper Stats: F-95, V-92, R-98 RR: 95 Comments-Slim’s best album is just incredible. He storytells with the best of rappers. When he says better than 90% of you rappers out there…..maybe it was a stretch but at the ti...

Taylor returns with another stellar album. She raps with a passing grade on the first song, “…Ready For It?”. “End Game” with Future and Ed Sheeran is terrific. The album is pretty gosh darn good. I didn’t feel it was quite as amazing as 1989, but really, from a technical stand point; the albums are even. Her lyrics are great too. The lead single is so dope. Overall I feel Taylor destroys fellow Pop rivals albums like Katy Perry’s latest offering. Ayo Tayluh I’m happy for you imma let  you finish, but um….yeah…lol. Verdict: 9.7/10

20) G-Eazy: The Beautiful & Damned (92)-I’m not the biggest G-Eazy fan but this is his best album. He’s dope. It dropped a bit from it’s earlier spot tho. 19) N.E.R.D.: No One Ever Really Dies (92)-If I had more time maybe this would be #15…but for now its 19. Great album from Pharrell and company tho. 18) Drake: More Life (92)-This album grew on me. Its really dope. The 3 songs in the beginning flow together so f***in well! (Passionfruit/Jorja Interlude/Get It Together). 17) Vic Mensa: The Autobiography (92)-I love this album but I wasn’t sure I wanted it till I saw other reviews. Its highly personal and introspective. He’s the future of Roc Nation. 16) Eminem: Revival (92)-This is a sequel to Relapse and Recovery. And I think it’s the best of the 3. Sure it doesn’t rank too high but it’s no this list of must listen to albums for the year. 15)Action Bronson: Blue Chips 7000 (92)-AB really killed it with this dope album. It was much better than his 2015 outing,...

The greatest selling rapper of all time has returned after a 4 year hiatus. The album is great, but not quite as great as MMLP2. Albeit the production is solid, and his lyrics aren’t far behind MMLP2. The album starts with “Walk On Water” which features Beyoncé. The song grew on me. This album feels a lot like Recovery which makes sense as it is a sequel to that album. Some songs sound too similar….and too popish tho. “Like Home” Alicia Keys is great. I really like the 3 rd song here. He tries some different rap styles and its dope. The album closer is also really good. Overall I can understand why this album is so polarizing but hey; he’s not slim shady anymore….he’s Eminem. Verdict: 9.2

This woman is on fire! On the first song “Alert”, K showcases her rapping ability which is just what she did on her last album. While her last 2 albums have been incredible, she seems to be in prime form on this album. The production is great too. Her vocal ability doesn’t leave much else to be desired. The album first half is really more uptempo, but the 2 nd half has more thoughtful songs. “Talk to God” and “Run Don’t Walk” are some excellent songs. “Kim K” is a really interesting song too. All in all this might be the best R&B album I’ve heard in 2017. Verdict: 9.9

I’ve been waiting for this album for a long time! And it delivers! Cyhi asked for east coast sounding beats not southern trap rap beats. He is a lyrical beast for sure, but I don’t feel the lyrics are above a 9/10. That production I mentioned is also really good. The album has an incredible amount of cohesion and strong guest features from the likes of Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and Travis Scott. Songs like Nu Africa are dope af, but kind of just what I’d excpect from Cyhi. Overall this is a strong album. He’s going to be around for a while. Verdict: 9.5/10