Xbox Series X – Author Carlo Carrasco

Better than Streaming: Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-Ray Set For February 17, 2026 Release

January 5, 2026January 4, 2026carlocarrasco

Welcome back fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs! Happy New Year also!

If you are looking for a great movie to add to your 4K Blu-ray, be aware that the 1959 classic film Ben-Hur will be released at last on 4K Blu-ray format (including the limited edition Steelbook 4K Blu-ray) on February 17, 2026! The good news here is that the visuals are in native 4K and pre-orders are being accepted already.

For the newcomers reading this, the 1959 Ben-Hur film is one of the greatest historical epics Hollywood ever made and it won eleven Academy Awards for excellence and great artistry. The film starred the iconic Charlton Heston and other cast members include Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet and Hugh Griffith to name a few.

For the 4K Blu-ray collectors and fans of the 1959 movie reading this, posted below are the technical details from the Blu-ray.com page of Ben Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray. Pay close attention to the details…

Video

Codec: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)

HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10

Original aspect ratio: 2.75:1

Audio

English: Dolby Atmos

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0

French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Audio descriptive

Subtitles – English SDH, French, Spanish

Discs – 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Disc, Three-disc set (2 BD-100, 1 BD-50)

Digital – Digital 4K, Movies Anywhere

Packaging – Inner print

Playback – 4K Blu-ray: Region free

I have seen Ben-Hur a lot of times starting with the DVD release of the early 2000s and subsequently on cable TV. It is indeed a great film and I personally am interested in acquiring Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray someday. I can only speculate how the film will turnout visually with the all-new restoration. Will the native 4K visuals of Ben-Hur look sharper, clearer and more detailed than its Blu-ray release? We can only wait and find out.

Based on the Blu-ray.com announcement, Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray has several special features that I saw on its DVD release a long time ago. Most notably, there are two brand new features: Ben-Hur: Anatomy of an Epic, and the Cinematography of Scale.

*The rear of Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray box.*

And I want to point what is very obvious here…the upcoming 4K Blu-ray clearly does not have the most notable collector’s stuff of the Ben-Hur Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set of 2011. The said set (currently priced a little more than $50 via Amazon) has the 64-page hardcover production art book, the 128-page hardcover Charlton Heston: The Ben-Hur Diaries, and even the 1925 Ben-Hur silent movie.

Significance of Ben-Hur

As some of you know already, I am a person of faith and I have uncompromising faith in Lord Jesus, in the Holy Bible and I stand with Israel. That said, what I don’t like in Ben-Hur (1959) are the FICTIONAL PORTRAYALS of Lord Jesus which include Ben-Hur’s encounters with Him. This is because Judah Ben-Hur is a FICTIONAL CHARACTER and the same can be said about most of the other characters in the film. Ben-Hur’s story is entirely fictional written by Lew Wallace to parallel the life of Lord Jesus while showing different parts of Israel and the evil Roman Empire through the eyes of Judah Ben-Hur.

*Chalton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur (left) and Stephen Boyd as Messala (right) in a key scene in the film.*

In other words, the epic Lew Wallace wrote is absolutely NOT BIBLICAL even though he included scenes about the Nativity, the crucifixion of Lord Jesus and more. If you want the truthful record of Lord Jesus – the Savior and Hope of ALL nations – then you should stick with the Holy Bible. With the biblical teachings, you can deepen your faith in Lord Jesus, stand united with Israel, learn to love the Jewish people and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Always remember that the ties between Jews and Christians are biblical.

In fairness to William Wyler and the filmmakers, they did their best to be respectful to Lord Jesus by not fully revealing His face and showing Him doing good (example: helping a suffering Ben-Hur who called out to God). Clearly the people responsible for the movie practiced caution when doing fictional portrayals of the Messiah.

While it has its flaws with regards to dramatizing biblical scenes, Lord Jesus and other elements of history of both Rome and Israel, Ben-Hur of 1959 is a classic movie that must be seen. Some people who saw it only remember it only because the grand chariot race which is still one of the greatest cinematic spectacles ever shown. Even though it is fictional and tries to be release by linking with parts of the Holy Bible and history, Ben-Hur has a story and great performances that deserve your attention. That said, Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray is worth anticipating.

The chariot race in the movie is still very memorable and great to replay. It was done WITHOUT computer-generated images, the stunts and racing were executed with a lot of risks, and a lot of discipline was involved in filming it.

If you have decided already to order a copy of Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray, click here. For the limited edition Steelbook Ben-Hur (1959) 4K Blu-ray, click here.

If you wish to join a group of movie enthusiasts and talk about cinema, cinematic trends, Blu-ray releases and more relevant stuff, visit the Movie Fans Worldwide Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/322857711779576

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 38

January 2, 2026January 1, 2026carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads – including arcade flyers – from the 1980s to the 1990s.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s to the 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Starflight Sega Genesis Print Ad

*Sometimes the very detailed artwork made gamers imagine Starflight as a sci-fi movie waiting to happen.*

By the time it was released on the Sega Genesis in 1991, Starflight was already popular as it was released on varied computer systems and entertained a lot of gamers several years prior. To promote the Sega Genesis version, a 2-page print ad of Starflight was made with a grand-looking artwork of space, spaceships and planets dominating the space. The ad makers managed to utilize the remaining space below the artwork to show selected images, the descriptive text and the game’s box cover to make it clear to gamers that Starflight on Genesis is real and made to be playable. The artwork itself remains a powerful grabber of attention even to this day.

2. Defender Japanese Arcade Flyer

Defender is one of my favorites among the many games of Midway. In recent times, I’ve been playing the arcade version of Defender on my Xbox Series X using the Midway Arcade Origins digital copy I purchased online. As Defender became a massive hit in America, it was released in Japanese arcades with Taito handling the distribution. The arcade flyer Taito came up with used hand-drawn art for the background on the front along with pictures of the arcade cabinet and the arcade cocktail table versions of the game. While the rear of the flyer looks very simplistic, the front remains attractive to look at.

3. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse Print Ad

*Some people found the artwork looking creepy or even terrifying.*

By the year 1990, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was present in several millions of households all over America and there were lots of great games available. Among the NES gamers were fans of the Castlevania game series and Konami went on to release Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse in America. As part of the company’s aggressive promotion, a single-page ad featuring a detailed looking artwork of a gamer getting immersed with the game’s fantasy elements (look at the creepy looking characters, monsters and the game’s hero present) was done. While the artwork was a strong attention grabber, what stood out was the sweepstakes form for gamers to cut out, fill it with their information and mail it for the chance to win a trip to the hometown of Dracula. Do you personally know anyone who won in the sweepstakes?

4. Double Dragon Games Print Ad

*Print ad made with Double Dragon fans in mind.*

When it comes to the console and handheld presence of the Double Dragon games franchise, it was on Nintendo hardware – specifically the NES and the Game Boy – where gamers and the fans could find them. Acclaim Entertainment knew how popular Double Dragon games were with Nintendo gamers and they aggressively marketed Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones and Double Dragon II with a single-page print ad that had great looking painted artwork. Very clearly, this early 1990s ad was made to connect strongly with Double Dragon fans and its presentation still looks very solid even with today’s standards.

5. Konami 3-in-1 Game Boy Games Print Ad

*The excitement of sports is clearly shown in this old ad.*

From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Konami published a lot of games on Nintendo’s wildly popular platform the NES and among them were classics like Contra, Castlevania and Metal Gear. Konami’s support also made it to Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld device (first released in 1989) which itself sold strongly and became the leading platform for portable gaming. As such, Konami made a 2-page print ad promoting NFL Football, Blades of Steel and Double Dribble: 5 on 5 for Game Boy. Cleverly, the ad makers used fancy artworks on the left (reflecting the different sports) side while using the space on the right side for descriptive text, screenshots and game box covers. This fine looking ad has a strong appeal towards Game Boy users and sports enthusiasts.

6. Tengen 6-in-1 Print Ad

*This old print ad is a delight for those who owned a Sega Genesis.*

Back in the 1980s, Atari formed the company Tengen to not only develop games but also publish game for computers and game consoles. During that decade, Tengen published games on the NES but they had trouble working within the strict licensing terms of Nintendo. The two companies would later get into court battles over a series of events within the gaming business. Eventually, Tengen started doing business with Sega and published games on the Genesis console. As part of their aggressive publishing of games on Sega’s console, Tengen came up with this 2-page print ad promoting six different games emphasizing that the fun arcade experiences are coming to gamers’ homes.

7. Dig Dug Print Ad

*Are you aware of the business relationship and trust between Atari and Namco?*

When Atari opened its branch in Japan – called Atari Japan – in the 1970s, they established a partnership with Namco to distribute arcade games there. As they experienced trouble penetrating the Japanese market, Atari eventually sold Atari Japan to Namco which paved the way for their Japanese partner to get into video games. Just a few years later, Namco developed its own original arcade game Dig Dug which became a massive hit in Japan. As a licensing deal was already in effect, Atari distributed Dig Dug in American arcades which the above magazine print ad clearly shows.

8. Sega Genesis Over SNES Print Ad

*Sega directly attacked Nintendo by emphasizing the larger quantity of games and* *varied game experiences that can only be found on the Genesis back then.*

By the time Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991, the Sega Genesis console has been in the video game market for a few years already. In America, Tom Kalinske led Sega and his approach to marketing and resonating with gamers was essentially aggressive. The aggressive approach includes naming their competition and showing why Sega is superior. Given the lead time they had on the North American market, Sega came up with this print ad showing their Genesis consoles having a lot more games than the SNES. Competitive console gaming was very different back then.

9. Atari Jaguar Print Ad

*Did you spend $159.99 on an Atari Jaguar console back in the 1990s?*

In the 1990s, Atari attempted a comeback in console gaming with the Atari Jaguar console. Early on, their marketing emphasized the so-called 64-bit capabilities of the Jaguar to convince gamers theirs is the most powerful console on the market. Sadly, the console failed to achieve strong sales and a huge price cut was executed. To attract customers, Atari came up with this 2-page print ad to inform them of the cheaper $159.99 price while reminding them of the “most mind-blowing, head-exploding games” they can have with the Jaguar. Obviously this ad campaign failed as the Atari Jaguar never achieved commercial success.

10. Side Pocket Print Ad

*The Side Pocket print ad with a subtle touch of sexiness.*

After its original release in the arcades in 1986, Side Pocket was ported by Data East to many consoles and handheld devices in the 1990s. When it comes to promoting the Sega Genesis version, Data East came up with this print ad showing a lady in a sexy dress in the background (head hidden) which instantly created a sexy aesthetic. The large text displayed emphasized the game of billiards supported by the screenshots shown. The screenshot at the upper-left corner shows artwork of a pretty lady smiling at the viewer which added to the sexy aesthetic of the ad.

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Better than Streaming: Do You Have Oppenheimer 4K Blu-ray In Your Collection?

December 26, 2025December 22, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs!

Similar with Godzilla Minus One, it took more than two years to watch Oppenheimer, and I finally did it on 4K Blu-ray. I recently acquired Oppenheimer 4K Blu-ray through Amazon for less than $20.

*Oppenheimer 4K Blu-ray set came with 3 discs. The standard Blu-ray disc of the movie is underneath the 4K Blu-ray disc on the left.*

My personal history with Oppenheimer goes like this. In 2023, the movie was released in lots of cinemas all over the Philippines and there was strong pre-release hype for it. Having seen several movies of director Christopher Nolan, I was interested to watch the acclaimed movie in the cinema. However, something in the back of my mind told me not to pursue it on the big screen.

As time passed, I met with a few friends who claimed to have seen the movie. I told them I have not seen Oppenheimer yet, so that prevented them from revealing spoilers. One of them told me that it is crucial to find the right time and the right mindset to watch Oppenheimer as it heavily tackled not only the history behind J. Robert Oppenheimer and his work on the Manhattan Project (the atomic bomb) but also the thick web of politics and intrigue.

So I took my friend’s advice. When my 4K Blu-ray copy of Oppenheimer arrived, I did not watch it immediately. Eventually, I found the right time to view it on a not-so-busy Saturday night. I had the TV room, the movie and my Xbox Series X (our default 4K Blu-ray player) all to myself.

To be clear to you all, this is NOT a review of the movie. What I can say is that Oppenheimer is indeed a very astonishing movie made with great production values, rock solid performances and intense direction by Nolan. Cillian Murphy is great as the physicist Oppenheimer and the supporting players have such performers like Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Jason Clarke (still great as an antagonist), and Kenneth Branagh (excellent as a mentor) who all delivered fine dramatic performances.

Oppenheimer is not an easy movie to watch and enjoy as it requires you to have enough knowledge about the physicist, the Manhattan Project, World War II and the political climate of the time. My friend is absolutely right that you have to see it with the right time and right mindset because the movie is very heavy with historical and political details. Not only that, the film is very talky – lots and lots of dialogue scenes – and you really have to exert effort to pay attention to all the details. As an information overload-type of film, Oppenheimer can be more challenging to watch than Shin Godzilla.

I had a very engaging viewing experience with Oppenheimer, and the native 4K visuals are great to see! Very clearly, Christopher Nolan and his team ensured the best possible 4K imagery for us viewers and movie collectors to enjoy, and like the past Blu-ray or 4K Blu-ray releases of his other movies, the screen aspect ratio adjusts between the IMAX-filmed scenes and the non-IMAX shots. Being a modern production, I can say that Oppenheimer’s 4K Blu-ray visual quality is as phenomenal as that of Top Gun: Maverick 4K Blu-ray. I am not exaggerating!

With great visuals and a lot of extra stuff packed in, Oppenheimer 4K Blu-ray should be in your list of movies to get on 4K Blu-ray format if you have not acquired it yet. At less than $20 as of this writing, you will get great entertainment value in return.

If you have decided already to order a copy of Oppenheimer 4K Blu-ray, click here. For technical details of the 4K Blu-ray release, click here.

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Remember Trump With Xbox and PlayStation?

December 19, 2025December 16, 2025carlocarrasco

Long before the birth of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and his incredible 2016 US Presidential Election victory, Donald Trump made his presence felt in video games.

I am talking about Trump’s participation in a short video that was presented during the Xbox conference of the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). The video was a parody of Trump’s popular show The Apprentice in which he appeared in a business meeting with the executives of Team Xbox (the real-life Robbie Bach, J Allard and Peter Moore) and Team PlayStation (with actors playing the PlayStation executives).

Back in 2004, as I was anticipating online media coverage of that year’s E3, I visited one particular Xbox website which streamed the said Trump-Xbox-PlayStation video and even offered a downloadable version for Windows media. I downloaded the video, watched it and was delighted ultimately. For your viewing pleasure, posted is a direct-feed video of from the This Week In Gaming YouTube channel.

Next, I posted below for you all another video that is slightly longer, was recorded off-screen at the Xbox conference, and has the live audience reactions that you should listen to. Watch the video below.

Is the 2004 video (titled “The Novice”) entertaining? For me it still is fun to watch again and it is one of the more memorable moves Xbox executed at the E3 (which today no longer exists). It is intriguing and entertaining to see Trump at the center of the video about the console war between Microsoft and Sony at the time.

As an entertainment piece of history, The Novice video is a reminder about how exciting console gaming was back in 2004 (note: intense competition between console makers was the standard of the time) when compared to what happened in recent times. Xbox gaming this year has been disappointing considering the following developments that happened: 50% price hike on the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription service, Xbox Series consoles price hikes, thousands of game developers laid off, the sudden cancellation of unreleased Xbox games, and Team Xbox directed by Microsoft to go full multiplatform with their own games (examples: Gears of War: Reloaded and Forza Horizon 5 got released on PlayStation 5).

Over at the side of PlayStation, Sony itself was embarrassed with its over-budgeted and poorly made game Concord. Concord is easily one of the most expensive flops in the history of video games.

Indeed, a lot has changed since 2004. Trump is now on his 2^nd term as President of the United States solving the nation’s many problems while tackling several matters happening overseas. Sony and Microsoft are still active in the video games industry in different ways and they are still having their respective consoles manufactured outside of America. Console gaming nowadays is getting too expensive.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you find Donald Trump’s participation in the 2004 video with Xbox and PlayStation entertaining to watch? Were you a constant viewer of The Apprentice? Do you own a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console?

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Better than Streaming: Do You Have Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray In Your Collection?

December 8, 2025December 3, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back fellow geeks, Blu-ray collectors and movie buffs!

After more than two years of waiting (refer to my 2023 blog post by clicking here), I finally saw Godzilla Minus One (Japanese title: Gojira Mainasu Wan) for the first time ever and it was on 4K Blu-ray format! The movie turned out to be great in terms of storytelling and spectacle, and the immense fun factor justified the long wait I endured.

To put things in perspective, my anticipation for Godzilla Minus One started as soon as it was first announced by Toho and I patiently waited for the opportunity to watch it preferably inside the cinema or on 4K Blu-ray. The Takeshi Yamazaki-directed film only had very limited screenings in a Japanese film festival held here in the Philippines this year. As I was unable to watch it during the said film festival, I patiently waited for its 4K Blu-ray version to come out. Along the way, I avoided its Netflix availability here in the Philippines (because I prefer 4K Blu-ray over streaming). I also avoided watching the spoiler-filled movie reaction videos of Godzilla Minus One on YouTube.

Recently, I received my 4K Blu-ray copy of Godzilla Minus One which I ordered through Amazon. I waited a little over one year to order it as I anticipated price cuts would happen and I got a good bargain. Check out my Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray blog post of 2024 by clicking here.

Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray came with two discs – the 4K Blu-ray disc which has the feature film only, and the other is a Blu-ray disc that also has the film plus bonus features such as the commemorative special feature, an in-depth look at the visual effects, the event video collection and related content about the Tokyo International Film Festival.

*The Blu-ray disc on the left and the 4K Blu-ray disc on the right.*

*The rear of my Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray case.*

Shortly after receiving my 4K Blu-ray of Godzilla Minus One, I had the living room all to myself in the evening and played the movie’s 4K Blu-ray disc on my Xbox One Series X and had my smartphone turned off to avoid distractions. For two solid hours, I had a very immersive home viewing experience and indeed, Godzilla Minus One looks absolutely stunning in uncompromised 4K visuals. The visual experience is absolutely grand and it is clear that the movie was carefully made by the production team to be so much better than streaming (catering to those who love the theatrical experience and the 4K Blu-ray experience at home).

The storytelling itself is very solid in terms of execution, the balance between build-ups and pay-offs, and the high-quality performances of the actors added depth to the narrative. Of course, the film took its time to show a very visceral Godzilla which is ultimately the biggest danger and the true threat to humanity at a time when Japan is still struggling to recover from all the damage it endured during World War II.

By the time the movie ended, I was more than just satisfied…I was overwhelmed by Godzilla Minus One’s top-notch quality, powerful engagement and high-level entertainment. I will replay it soon! While this is not a movie review, I can say Godzilla Minus One is indeed the as great and as compelling as the 1954 classic film. That clearly means I prefer this movie over all the Hollywood-produce Godzilla movies. As such, I can say that Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray is a must-buy and must-see! I encourage you all reading this to go for it and add it to your collection of movies on physical media!

*Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray is a great addition to my movie collection!*

If you have decided already to order a copy of Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray, click here.

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I Am Replaying The Outer Worlds Again

November 12, 2025November 12, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks, retro gaming fans and other gamers!

As a long-time Xbox fan, I am disappointed with the way this current console generation turned out. Xbox gaming as a whole has changed for the worse this year and millions of Xbox fans got angered over the cancellation of Xbox projects (including Perfect Dark and Contraband), Xbox console price hikes and most recently the declared drastic changes on Xbox Game Pass – including the 50% price hike on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service (watch Team Xbox’s pathetic and tone deaf announcement by clicking here).

I stopped subscribing to XGP since over a year ago, and I had planned to subscribe again mainly to play The Outer Worlds 2 which I had waited for years to come out because I enjoyed The Outer Worlds and its two DLCs (Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos).

But the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price hike of 50% ruined my plan to play The Outer Worlds 2 at launch entirely! I also noticed that none of the Team Xbox executives appeared in the pathetic October 1, 2025, video announcement of the drastic XGP changes.

*Imagine the crashing ship as Team Xbox falling down hard because Microsoft forced them to make decisions and implement changes that made lots of Xbox fans and other gamers frustrated this year.*

By looking at the collective feedback – both critics and gamers – about the newest sci-fi role-playing game from Obsidian, the bugs reported and the current prices, I have decided to pursue The Outer Worlds 2 later. It should be noted that the new game has two upcoming DLC episodes (story expansions) and there is no certainty as to when those will be released. As such, pursuing The Outer Worlds 2 later is the right thing for me to do because rushing for it now does not make sense at all.

What I did recently was I downloaded again my purchased digital copy of The Outer Worlds as well as the two DLC episodes on my Xbox Series X. Previously I played The Outer Worlds and the story expansions on my Xbox One, and replayed them on my Xbox Series X (enjoying the faster load times and improved frame rates) a few years ago.

So this year, I started from scratch again on a new single player campaign. I created a new character – her name is Vanilee – and customized the abilities with intelligence, science, engineering, lockpicking, persuasion, hacking and medicine in mind.

Having played The Outer Worlds a few times already since late 2019, I decided to try other scenarios, find new dialog options (in relation to how I customized my character) and explored the maps in and out again. I had no trouble adjusting myself into the controls and overall feel of the game when it comes to response and precision. Take note that The Outer Worlds was developed by Obsidian at a time when it was not yet acquired by Microsoft/Xbox and Private Division was their publisher.

After going through the quests and side-quests in Edgewater – I diverted power to Edgewater helping Reed Tobson, the locals and convincing the deserters to return home – I entered the Unreliable with Parvati and Vicar Max as my teammates and proceeded to the Groundbreaker in space for further quests, scenarios and more options to build up my team.

*Teammates Parvati and Nyoka in action against a monster in Monarch.*

*Vicar Max attacks an enemy with his shotgun.*

So I kept on replaying the game rediscovering places, interacting with more characters and making decisions. Along the way, I spotted new dialog options emerging in connection with how I customized Vanilee from the start and built up with additional points accumulated for each level achieved. I ultimately reached the maximum of level 36.

Since I first played The Outer Worlds, it was clear to me that Obsidian did not have a massive budget as the creative and technical limitations were visible (examples: some repetitive interior designs, structures that cannot be accessed at all, lack of polish on stealth gameplay, my teammates getting in my line of fire, sluggish reloading, etc.). Instead of massive open-world environments, Obsidian came up with large maps but they ensured that each new location had something new for players to discover. I also admired the effort the developers invested on the art direction as well as making each map look distinct from each other while maintaining an artistic connection with the planet.

*This is from the Murder on Eridanos DLC episode.*

While the gameplay remains good for an RPG and first-person shooter enthusiast like me, what I admired best about The Outer Worlds was how Obsidian came up with connections between scenarios, the characters, the dialog options, and the consequences caused by decisions I made. That being said, I enjoyed watching the visual presentation and narration executed right after concluding the game. The presentation shows the endings of not just the main game but also those of the side quests completed and even the main quests of the two DLC episodes. How my decisions impacted the different factions and scenarios were clearly emphasized. In fact, the endings of the side quests and the two DLC episodes are seamlessly connected with the main game’s conclusion. As such, Obsidian succeeded in making The Outer Worlds worth replaying again.

Having played Starfield already, I realized that replaying The Outer Worlds was somehow a more satisfying experience. In my view, Bethesda tried too hard to make Starfield grand with a more galactic scope only to fail when it comes to exploration and long-term engagement. The Outer Worlds had a much smaller scope but it delivered the depth of fun, exploration, interaction and decision-making that strongly impacted the game’s conclusion.

At the same time, I find my character’s companions in Obsidian’s 2019 RPG more interesting and more engaging than those in Bethesda’s 2023 sci-fi juggernaut because of the following factors – better personalities, more clever writing and better voice acting. I believe it is time for Bethesda to start learning from Obsidian on how to make engaging dialogue and characters.

Right now, I am having a lot satisfaction replaying The Outer Worlds even though it has some flaws as well as creative and technical limitations as Obsidian did not have a very big budget. I wish the game had space battles as well as opportunities for the Unreliable to chase and dock enemy space ships which will allow me and my team to infiltrate. The game lacked mini-games which could have added more variety and fun when exploring the different locations on-foot (examples: the tossball facility in Monarch could have used a sports betting mini-game while the bars could have used card-based mini-games).

On its own, the 2019 game is still a lot of fun to play and the role-playing element remains strong. The Outer World characters are memorable and the developers’ writers added humor to the dialog which prevented the game from becoming too dramatic or depressing. Indeed, The Outer Worlds is worth replaying and those who never played it should go for it!

If you are an Xbox gamer who is interested in The Outer Worlds 2, click https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/the-outer-worlds-2. If you have never played The Outer Worlds for some reason, click https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/the-outer-worlds/bvtkn6cq8w5f

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 107

October 27, 2025October 20, 2025carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Lost Odyssey Revisited – Back in 2008, I played Lost Odyssey on my Xbox 360 console and it was my most anticipated game of the time as I enjoyed playing Final Fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) on different consoles several years prior. In my experience, Lost Odyssey truly is a Final Fantasy game without the name and it remains an Xbox 360-exclusive game that happens to be compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X consoles (still available digitally online). For the newcomers reading this, Final Fantasy creator and former Square Enix producer Hironobu Sakaguchi co-wrote the story of Lost Odyssey and his own independent studio Mistwalker laid the foundation and the other studio Feelplus did the coding of the game. Not only that, famous game musician Nobuo Uematsu composed and scored the music of the Xbox RPG. To find out how the game was conceptualized, how its production happened and why it became an Xbox-exclusive game, watch the selected retrospective videos below.

#2 No Kings Protest Fails – In America, the Satanic Leftists, the woke extremists, the climate change zealots and other pawns of the Democrats organized the No Kings protests which eventually failed. The Leftists hatred for US President Donald Trump is so intense, they became out of touch with reality and they end up hating America. Lastly, many on the Left cannot tell the difference between a president and a king. The Democrats meanwhile are still obsessed with embracing immorality, destroying the traditional American family, empowering Islamic terrorists and support illegal immigrants. Watch and learn from the videos below.

#3 Delicious Meals With Big Portions In Japan – If you plan to do food trips while touring Japan, what exactly will you be looking for among the many food joins there? If you crave delicious food with big servings, there are indeed places to visit, and you can find what they offer and where could visit them by watching the Nippon TV video below. A friendly reminder for all who intend to visit Japan as foreign tourists…always behave yourselves by following local rules and being respectful to the Japanese.

#4 VKunia Reacts To Scary Movie – In 2000, Scary Movie was released in cinemas in America on July which was during the summer blockbuster season. The horror comedy parody film succeeded beyond expectations making almost $280 million worldwide on a budget of less than $20 million. Here in the Philippines, Scary Movie opened on November 1 of 2000 and I saw it that day inside the local cinema which was almost full. I noticed a lot of local moviegoers enjoyed its crude comedy under direction of Keenen Ivory Wayans and the performance of Anna Faris. Recently, VKunia posted her reaction video of Scary Movie and her reactions are similar to how the moviegoers around me reacted on November 1, 2000. Watch her video below.

#5 WarGames Revisited – Back in the 1980s, the Cold War was still hot in people’s minds and information technology (IT) itself was gradually becoming important in America. The 1983 movie WarGames featured a tale about war simulation, hacking, artificial intelligence (AI), the use of super computers for military operations and more. Back then, US President Ronald Reagan saw the film and this led to discussions with members of Congress, advisers and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A review of full nation security was eventually ordered by Reagan. In today’s age, artificial intelligence is very common and it is causing varied disturbances worldwide which makes WarGames still relevant. To see how the movie impacts YouTubers, watch the selected reaction videos below.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 102

September 29, 2025September 21, 2025carlocarrasco

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 CinePals react to Predator 2 – I saw Predator 2 a number of times since the 1990s. I even reviewed the first issue of its 2-part comic book adaptation. Predator 2 was essentially a police story with science fiction elements mixed in and it was a worthy sequel. That being said, I saw a lot of Predator 2 reaction videos on YouTube and in my view, the reaction video by CinePals is the most entertaining one yet. Watch the video below.

#2 How AMD overtook Intel – Do you own a personal computer that has an AMD chip inside it? Mine does not but our Xbox Series X console has. In the world of business, the rivalry between AMD and Intel on CPUs has lasted for decades. While Intel led the industry for a very long time, it has gradually lost market share to AMD over the past several years. The company behind Ryzen and Athlon CPUs bounced back significantly under the leadership of Lisa Su and their alliance with TSMC was a great gamble that paid off well. Watch and learn from the video below.

#3 Do You Like Japanese Pork Cutlet? – When was the last time you had a pork cutlet for a meal? In Japan, their pork cutlet called Tonkatsu is popular and there are lots of food joints that offer it to customers. Tonkatsu is composed of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet, and historically it started during the Meiji era in the late 20^th century. I recently discovered a YouTube video about one particular Japanese food joint that offer Tonkatsu that look large. Watch and enjoy the video below.

#4 Clash of the Titans (1981) Reaction Videos by Rhetorical Thrill and You, Me and The Movies – As a very young boy, I was fortunate enough to have seen the fantasy film Clash of the Titans inside the movie theater. The 1981 film was also the final work of stop-motion visual effects legend Ray Harryhausen and it had Burgess Meredith (the same actor who played Rocky’s trainer in the first 3 Rocky movies) in a key supporting role. I found two entertaining movie reaction videos of Clash of the Titans (1981) from You, Me and the Movies and Rhetorical Thrill. I encourage you to watch their respective videos below.

#5 Get To Know IMAX Better – You may have seen some movies inside an IMAX theater but are you aware of what IMAX really is apart from the experience of seeing a movie on a very large screen? IMAX is a brand, a special film format, a series of large cameras, a chain of special cinemas and an enterprise to say the least. Among the Hollywood directors, Christopher Nolan is the most prominent one who uses IMAX cameras in films like Dunkirk, Interstellar, Oppenheimer and his two last Batman movies. You can learn more about what makes IMAX different from the rest by watching the video below.

#6 Ashleigh Burton Reacts to Iron Eagle – What is there to say about the movie Iron Eagle? A movie about fighter planes and American military culture, the film was released the same year as the more famous Top Gun. I only saw the film on home video but in 1986, I had friends who were raving about Iron Eagle. That said, you should watch Ashleigh Burton’s reaction video about the old movie.

#7 A Look At Silent Hill 2 – Back in 2001, I still remember there was a lot of pre-release hype for the video game Silent Hill 2. Released on the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox console (Silent Hill 2: Restless Dreams), the game went on to achieve big commercial and critical success. To this day, a lot of gamers called Silent Hill 2 as the most definitive game of the entire Silent Hill game franchise. To know more about the history and production of Silent Hill 2, watch the video below.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 100

September 15, 2025September 9, 2025carlocarrasco

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Christine Grace Smith Reacts To A Video About Society Impacted When No Men Are Working – There is something new and engaging to learn about society whenever Christine Grace Smith posts a new video. Recently, she shared her own reaction to a video that explores what would happen to society if men stopped working. This is something that the woke and rabid modern-day feminists do not want you to see. I urge you all to watch her video now.

#2 Metal Gear Games Revisited – In connection with the recent release of Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, it was not surprising that a lot of YouTube videos revisiting past Metal Gear games got published by different YouTubers. Some of those videos I found were entertaining to watch while others were reflective or even intriguing. For the newcomers reading this. The Metal Gear game franchise of Konami started in the late 1980s under Hideo Kojima when he was very young. That being said, I urge you all to take a look at the selected Metal Gear-related videos I shared below.

#3 How Alan Moore And Watchmen Spread The Wokeness Disease In Comics – YouTuber Ranting for Vengeance is back, and this time he strikes hard at author Alan Moore not personally but for sowing the seeds of wokeness in superhero comics with Watchmen as the turning point. By today’s standards, wokeness is the unfortunate new normal in superhero comics and it is a fact that Alan Moore is an anarchist and a Leftist as well. Watch and learn from the video below.

#4 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Revisited – Long ago, there were several comedy films made by Mel Brooks which delivered bouts of humor to moviegoers and raked in varying amounts in ticket sales. In the 1990s, he directed Robin Hood: Men in Tights which my friends enjoyed watching inside the movie theater. While the film is not a classic by any means – not even within the comedy genre – it still managed to entertain YouTubers through their reaction videos. Watch the selected reaction videos below.

#5 The Traditional Types of Food of Japan – While you may have enjoy varied types of food of Japan served through the many Japanese restaurants around the world, are you aware that there certain meals or delicacies of the nation that were simply not made available through those places? That being said, it would be enlightening – and even tasty – for you to visit Japan and try out the more traditional types of food the nation has to offer. Indeed, there are the 100-year food declared in Japan and you can learn more about them by watching the video below.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 98

September 3, 2025August 28, 2025carlocarrasco

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 The Fly Revisited – In 1986, The Fly was released in cinemas and it impacted the science fiction genre, the horror genre and pop culture with body horror presentation under the direction of David Cronenberg. The film, which was a remake of the 1958 original, established Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum as cinematic artists. The movie even became an allegory about AIDS and how people care about those who are living with diseases. That being said, it is not surprising that The Fly became the subject of many YouTube videos in the form of retro reviews, reaction videos and trivia videos. To enjoy The Fly, watch the selected videos below…

#2 Steve Ditko Remembered – Are you familiar with the late illustrator Steve Ditko? He was the co-creator of Spider-Man and he illustrated the first 38 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man comic book series. Unlike the other Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee (who went on to be famous and celebrated a lot), Ditko had a low-key profile and did not want to be interviewed. If you want to learn more about the late illustrator, watch the video below.

#3 Pro-Palestine Activist Riddhi Patel Bashes City Officials And Threatens Them With Violence – I have seen a lot of Islamo-Leftist activists and zealots. Most of the time, they hate Israel and took sides with Palestinians and the Islamic terrorists. Also many of them activists are so extreme, they became entitled, arrogant and disrespectful to higher authorities. In the Communist state of California, the pro-Palestine activist Riddhi Patel spoke to city officials of Bakersfield and went as far as threatening them with violence. She even misused the name of Jesus. In her own words, Patel said “We’ll murder you.” To find out more, watch the video from SaharTV below.

#4 Wood-Fired Rice Balls Served By Store in Japan – Have you eaten any freshly cooked onigiri (Japanese rice ball) lately? I live here in the Philippines and because onigiri is not a common food, my only options are to buy them from the convenience store or from a foreign food vendor. In Japan, onigiri is widely available and customers can avail of them freshly cooked. There is this store in Japan that sells onigiri which are prepared with rice (cooked by wood fire) and fresh ingredients. Watch and learn from the video below.

#5 Meet The Programmer Behind The Classic Game Centipede – While I never had the chance to play the classic Atari game Centipede in the arcades in the 1980s, I played the Atari 2600 port a lot and enjoy it. Because I have a copy of the Atari 50 collection on my Xbox Series X, I am able to play the Centipede arcade version in the comfort of home. For the newcomers reading this, Centipede is a tremendous success in the arcades ending up as one of the Top 4 arcade games of 1982 in America. It was also ported to many consoles and home computers years later. Recently, I found a YouTube video featuring Dona Bailey, one of the programmers behind Centipede.

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