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.

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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Overlord II

The Overlord games are designed for those players who long to slip into the armor and cape of an evil monarch and rule over an underworld full of groveling minions. No, it’s not that demonic ruler or the underworld. But the game designers at Codemaster …

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Empire: Total War

Video games are the Rodney Dangerfield of the entertainment world. And sometimes—when they’re digitally inviting kids to shoot cops or puree Grandma’s cat—they deserve every disrespectful frown and growl they get. But there’s an often overlooked gaming …

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Cold Pursuit

This bloody thriller grins bleakly and satirically at the revenge films Liam Neeson has been starring in for the last decade or so.

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Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

The newest Dragon Ball Z video game has hit the shelves with a robust take that! And fans of the series are happy to see it land for the first time on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But just in case you’ve been plugging your ears whenever the sub …

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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2 goes places no other game has gone before. But are they the right places? Because more important than how this game fared at E3 is how it will hold up in your living room.

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Apex Legends

Is this new battle royale title a Fortnite killer? Maybe. But regardless of the answer, there’s a lot of killing involved.

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Gears of War 2

When Gears of War hit the video game scene in the winter of 2006, it instantly became known as the first true example of next-generation gaming on the newly released Xbox 360. The action was innovative and shot full of adrenaline. The story was fast-pa …

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Dragon Age: Origins

The latest fantasy role-playing adventure from the makers of the Baldur’s Gate games invites players into an intricate, engaging epic full of dark foes and murky moral conundrums.

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Halo Wars

Halo is back. And it’s rated T! Gaming fingers are twitching, allowances are being saved, and scores of cajoling teens are making their cases to still-reluctant parents. I just had to find out what this new addition to the franchise has up its heavily …

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