Contributor: Bob Hoose

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

Assassin’s Creed II

The assassin is back with more bloodletting tools and loopy biblical conspiracies. Paging Jason Statham … and Dan Brown.

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Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

It may not be long before more people will have played a video game about the battles of World War II than actually fought in them. WWII is without question the battlefield of choice for combat-crazed video games. There are well over 100 different titl …

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Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree

I read once that men are born instinctively knowing how to do three things: Spit. Scratch. And lift heavy objects. Maybe that’s why TV exercise programs aren’t as popular with males. It’s not that we couldn’t use the workout. It’s just that our mindset …

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Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol

I’m personally not a fan of American Idol. I know, I know, some of you are thinking, “What’s wrong with this guy?” I’m used to it. My 15-year-old daughter wonders about my sanity, too. It just doesn’t make any sense to her. When I walk into the kitchen …

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Prince of Persia

If the words Prince of Persia bring to mind evil alter egos, slo-mo dismemberments and belligerent bloodletting, then you’re in for a surprise. All that dark carnage was featured gameplay of 2005’s Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, but the Prince has …

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Enemy Territory: Quake Wars

In the late 1990s first-person shooters such as Doom and Quake were hitting their stride and urging fans to team up with their buds in multiplayer deathmatches and war-games. Hard-core gamers roamed vast futuristic terrains while dreaming up intricate …

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Scarface: The World Is Yours

It was time for me to play Scarface: The World Is Yours. And like many times before, I sat down with my game controller in hand and thought, “It’s my job to play video games. Is that cool, or what?” Right about then, my wife stepped into the study, saw …

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Ninja Gaiden II

When I heard the word ninja as a kid, all kinds of cool shadow-leaping wonders filled my imagination. I’d think of a black wrap-around costume, exquisite swords, whisper-quiet—almost superhuman—tumbles and flips, and, of course, those ninja stars that …

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Far Cry: New Dawn

A cautionary tale filled with gore, gush and delusion. But what exactly should we be cautious of?

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Fighting With My Family

This film’s crude content side may not hurt as much as a chair to the head. But it still leaves a nasty mark on this otherwise inspirational story.

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Happy Death Day 2U

The pic’s sarcastic treatment of suicide, paired with its misogynistic deadliness, makes it even more disquieting than the original.

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Kingdom Hearts II

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, The Little Mermaid and a whole host of other Disney darlings dip their toes into the anime world in this ‘Kingdom Hearts’ sequel.

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The Beatles: Rock Band

The Beatles finally have their own Rock Band! So is our gaming guru crooning “yeah, yeah, yeah,” or moaning “for no one”?

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LEGO Rock Band

Just how do little plastic LEGO rockers stack up in the Rock Band big leagues?

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GTR 2

Since the days of the Model T, people have asked, “Why do guys name their cars after women?” The sneering comics among us might answer with something like, “Because a car will last longer than their next relationship,” or “They want a girl they can con …

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