Here’s my Metro Canada News reviews for the week of June 2nd.
Beowulf: A Translation And Commentary
By J. R. R. Tolkien
Kindle/iBooks/Kobo
Four Stars
It’s the oldest-surviving story in the English language, an epic poem of trolls, dragons, and heroes. Published for the first time, Tolkien’s scholarly translation makes it easier to understand while his illustrations and variations make it more enjoyable too. It’s a demanding read though, meant more for literary students than casual fantasy fans, and enhanced for study with eBook hyperlink references.
RockMyRun
iPhone/Android
Free
Offering DJ mixes to match your running or exercise pace, this workout music service lets you filter tracks by beats per minute, workout length, and even clean or explicit lyrics.
Hello Vino
iPhone/iPad/Android
Free
With thousands of wine recommendations, meal pairings, and gift suggestions matched by occasion, Hello Vino is a beautifully organized app that can remember your wines and scan bottle labels too.
Sleevenote
iPhone/iPad
Free
By hunting down and adding interactive artwork and back covers, Sleevenote makes it easier to browse your music library as a visual, album collection where the tracklistings are always handy.
Watch Dogs
Xbox 360/PS3/Xbox One/PS4/PC
Rated: Mature 17+
4 Stars
If Watch Dogs were a movie it’d be boring. Its hero lacks charm and his tale of vengeance meanders painfully. Thankfully as a game it’s full of car chases and gangland shoot-outs, enhanced with the ability to hack traffic systems and remote-trigger explosions. Chicago is full of people to spy on and its realism creates a wonderful playground for online hacker battles. Accessing secret areas and tracking down others is where things get interesting and I’d happily trade in all the action missions for a game focused just on that.
