Here’s my Metro News reviews for the week of June 22nd.
LEGO Jurassic World
PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One/Wii U
Rated: Everyone 10+
People are eaten, but no one really dies in this humorous brick-building parody that organizes the four movies into explorable parks and story-driven levels. It manages to find an entertaining balance between the chases and jumps scares that can be effectively frightening and the silly jokes about sausages, port-a-pottys, and bad puns.
The main strength is in the variety of characters, which include children as well as adults, and their specializations that lead to hacking, tracking, para-gliding, diving into poop, and of course, building dinosaur skeletons. All create co-operative puzzles fit for two-players.
The dinosaurs come in an impressive range of sizes too, from rodent-like Compys that can travel through pipes right up to sauropods as big as whales that force the game’s camera to rise way up, up, and up. There are underwater Mosasaurs and flying pterosaurs, I only wish the game’s vehicles could be so different. There’s plenty of them, but few stand out as the Gyrospheres.
Part of the joy of the LEGO games is the freedom to unlock and explore extras, which isn’t easy to do at first. The explorable parks won’t unlock until you’re at least an hour or two into the game and then the maps are so poorly labeled with incomplete information, it can take even longer to get settled in.
Although it doesn’t capture the same grand, cinematic feel of the LEGO Lord of the Rings games, which are bound to remain as the fan favourite, LEGO Jurassic World has to be commended for juggling the many different elements of its franchise into an activity adventure that’s fun on many levels.
Do Not Sell At Any Price
By Amanda Petrusich
Kindle/iBooks/Kobo
In deciding to join the hunt for the world’s rarest 78 rpm records, Petrusich’s must-read journey leads her not just into the eccentric, standoffish world of devotional collectors, but into the dreamlike nuances of recorded sound and the mournful voices hidden within old vinyl, like exotic ghosts of the past.
Bonza National Geographic
iPhone/iPad/Android
Free/$1.19
Combining jigsaws with word searches, this collection of crossword puzzles includes National Geographic themes of travel, humanity, wildlife, and planet Earth. You get one free puzzle every day, some complimentary packs to unlock, and then it’s $1.19 each packet.
Panna Cookbook
iPad
$11.99
Seeing is learning. That’s the thinking behind this 100 video recipe cookbook where a variety of Chefs take you through the steps while sharing stories and techniques. Well organized by grains, meats, sweets, and alcohol, every meal includes its prep time and portions.
Oral-B App
iPhone/iPad/Android
Free
Given the impact dental hygiene has on your overall health, it’s important to give your teeth proper attention. This handy guide will time you to brush for two minutes while giving you news headlines video tips.
