Halo 3 (2007)

9.5 It’s been a long time since I have played a videogame and come away without a negative thing to say. In fact, until I played Halo 3, it had really only happened three times. Earning a perfect score isn’t an easy thing for a videogame to accomplish; they’re much longer and more involved than…

The Conscience of America

There comes a time when we must put aside our pride and our individual wishes and goals in order to do what’s right. The United States of America has reached the threshold of one of those times. Ever since Bernie Sanders entered the race in his bid to become the Democratic nominee for president, I…

The Clash – London Calling (1979)

***** I hate double albums. One of the worst trends in music since the fall of vinyl is the over-lengthening of LPs. The best ones are typically about 10 songs long and no more than 40 minutes in length; just enough time to hook the listener and deliver memorable songs before tiring with a litany…

Halo 3: ODST (2009)

9 By the time Bungie began work on Halo 3: ODST, they had been producing Halo-based content for almost 10 years and the window of their continued devotion to their IP was beginning to slip. They went out with a big bang the following year with what I still consider to be the pinnacle of…

Burnes’ Turns: October 1-5

This week’s Burnes’ Turns is easily the longest as I included an entire album in addition to four other songs I’ve enjoyed throughout the week thus far. There isn’t really much of a common threat this week except that I think every single one is great. “11 p.m.” – Kazumi Totaka, Asuka Ohta There are times…

Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

***** There have been many so-called “revolutionaries” across music history, but none, I would argue, more prolific than Bob Dylan. His early Folk albums were classics, no doubt, but when he plugged in and alienated his musically conservative fans, he opened the door to a new world of influence. Highway 61 Revisited, the first of Bob Dylan’s…

Burnes’ Turns: September 24-30

Thanks to Rolling Stone and WWE (an odd combination to be sure), this week was largely about the ’60s, which is pretty much indisputably the best decade for music in our country’s history. However, it’s the much newer “Sirens” and “Piano Man” that are old to me, presenting an interesting dichotomy for my picks for…

Halo 2 (2004)

9.5 After completing Halo: Combat Evolved, I was left with many more mixed feelings than when I finished Halo: Reach. Though the gameplay in Combat Evolved was tight, the level design left a lot to be desired, the story was largely bland, and I often lost track of what exactly I was supposed to be…