David Shimomura

Last Week’s Comics

Last Week’s Comics 4/4/2018

By Sara Clemens and David Shimomura • April 4th, 2018

Team Unwinnable share their thoughts on Saga # 50 and Dark Nights Metal # 6.

A woman in a large white dirty tshirt and cargo pants, wields a bat at a dog running away gleefully with an assault rifle in its mouth. Behind her in the dust is a bleeding man.

Far Cry 5: Taking off the Engagement Blinders

By David Shimomura • April 2nd, 2018

That’s the trap of engagement and enthrallment. At 100mph the flaws dissolve in the motion blur.

two figures, their eyes whited out and the bottom of their faces obscured by solid opaque black face paint.

Mute: Sci-Fi is a Genre, Not a Setting

By David Shimomura • March 26th, 2018

The story of a man searching for his lost love in a city hostile to him is novel. But its not necessary to tell this story in the future and Jones does nothing to connect the futurey, robotic set dressings with the actual story.

Jared Leto, with his android face and a back full of Japanese style tattoos, peers off in the middle distance slightly over one shoulder.

The Astonishing Banality of Cinematography in The Outsider

By David Shimomura • March 12th, 2018

Even as Leto becomes immersed in this world, falls in love, and treats himself to bath time with his bros, the camerawork and direction reinforces how inappropriate the whole venture is.

The Ritual Fails to Close the Circle

By David Shimomura • March 6th, 2018

You can probably turn The Ritual off at the 66-minute mark.

A woman with curly, natural hair and a stunned wary expression on her face looking out with a glitched out screen behind that says "System Error"

Cloverfield and the Art of the Cinematic Universe

By David Shimomura • February 19th, 2018

The Cloverfield Paradox is a bad film with very good marketing.

Sally Hawkins standing as her character in Shape of Water in a 1950's dark blue green accented kitchen a large window open in the background.

The Space of Water

By David Shimomura • February 5th, 2018

All together the spaces in The Shape of Water feel not just believable but contribute Michael-Stuhlbarg-levels-of-performance.

Last Week's Comics

Last Week’s Comics 1/31/2018

By Sara Clemens and David Shimomura • January 31st, 2018

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on Kingdom of Skulls # 1 and Doomsday Clock # 3.

On a pathway, a boy walks with a blue bowl, statues pointing him the right direction.

Gorogoa, a Lesson in Learning

By David Shimomura • January 22nd, 2018

Stu might think that Gorogoa is magick but I’d say that it’s language.

Last Week's Comics

Last Week’s Comics 1/17/2018

By Ian Gonzales, David Shimomura and Sal Lucci • January 17th, 2018

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on Batman: Creature of the Night #2, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero # 246 & 247 and James Bond: The Body # 1.

A small castle surrounded by green farmland. This is a screenshot from the game They Are Billions, originally taken by Steam User Killer Rabbit

An Exercise in Being Prey

By David Shimomura • December 18th, 2017

They Are Billions is a game about becoming a bigger, fatter, juicer piece of meat and being surrounded by starving hordes.

Commentary

A white hooded character holding a future tech gun looking to the left .This is a still from Destiny 2.

Destiny 2: The Big Empty

By David Shimomura • December 11th, 2017

Destiny is a world completely devoid of the things that make a world worth playing in.

Commentary

The Insidious Capitalism of Games

By David Shimomura • December 4th, 2017

In a game, enough is never enough. We’re rewarded for our ambitions, for working hard to achieving great things without any of the restraint placed on us in our every day lives. But how many games reward us for improving the world we enter as we vastly benefit from it?

Last Week’s Comics 11/29/2017

By David Shimomura, Sal Lucci and Michael Edwards • November 29th, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on Doomsday Clock # 1, Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil # 2 and Swordquest # 5.

A large blonde man with a large gun and a sheepskin jacket looking sternly at the camera.

The Heart of Wolfenstein 2 is a Voice

By David Shimomura • November 27th, 2017

But for the minor shortcomings of The New Colossus it should be said that B.J. Blazkowicz’s internal monologue and Brian Bloom’s voice acting is among the best of 2017.

Last Week’s Comics 11/22/2017

By David Shimomura, Sal Lucci and Michael Edwards • November 22nd, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on Punisher Max, Bankshot and James Bond: Solstice.

Three teenage boys looking shocked on a couch.

American Vandal Feels More Real than True Crime

By David Shimomura • November 20th, 2017

Is the truth worth it and at what cost, especially when exposing it leaves those who sought it with little more than a story to tell.

Mario in a rainbow poncho and sombrero, running away from something to the right.

Video Game Journos and Giving Mario a Pass

By David Shimomura • October 30th, 2017

Mario in a sombrero and poncho fails the basic “my culture is not a costume” test. He’s wearing a costume that is a caricature of a stereotype.

A still from the game Little Red Lie, with red RPG characters. Below is text that reads "the way I see it, Dystopia is nothing but a distraction from a reality that will be even worse"

Little Red Lie is an Unflinching Look at Capitalism’s Failings

By David Shimomura • October 23rd, 2017

The value of Little Red Lie is in how it defies the conventions of game and play.

A series of fake captions arranged across a background. The largest and most legible read: "HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE AGE OF XBOX ONE", "HOW HURRICANE VICTIMS ARE HURTINGS BECAUSE THEY CAN’T PLAY OVERWATCH", GAMES AND OBAMACARE: WHAT ABOUT THE GAMERS?", "HOMOCIDE IN DC AND THE RISE OF THE JAPANESE RPG", "Just like us: How does Trump’s cabinet game? ", "CIVIL FORFEITURE AND THE SONY PLAYSTATION 4", "What does Global Warming Mean to You, A Gamer? "

The Game Take is the Worst Take

By David Shimomura • October 2nd, 2017

It’s hard to watch sites pat themselves on the back super hard for only the tip of the iceberg.

a dark haired Japanese man leans up against a car, a large rock formation cutting like a ribbon across the sky in the background. This is a still from the game Final Fantasy XV.

The Unspoken Glory of Tardiness

By David Shimomura • September 25th, 2017

Coming to things late lets you take it at a pace all your own, a pace dictated by nothing more than how you feel on that day or in that week.

Red lips in a white face with a ruffle behind, a red balloon partially consider the face. This is a still of Pennywise from It.

2017’s It Isn’t Scary, It’s Frightening

By David Shimomura • September 11th, 2017

It’s strangest quality as a film is that it’s a horror movie that is simply not very scary. While the line between scary and not is porous, subjective, and obtuse, it’s up to a movie to either define its terms or define itself in relation to existing ones.

Last Week’s Comics 8/30/2017

By Ian Gonzales and David Shimomura • August 30th, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on this week’s James Bond: Moneypenny One Shot and last week’s Thor special, Generations: The Thunder.

Sonic, his legs a circle of red below him, runs along a green rolling hill in a pixel art style. This is a screen from Sonic Mania.

Sonic Mania is the Apotheosis of Fanmakes

By David Shimomura • August 28th, 2017

Its nostalgia that’s not been weaponized by corporate culture against those of us who do have rosy feelings about times since gone.

Last Week’s Comics 8/16/2017

By Sara Clemens and David Shimomura • August 16th, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on The Wicked + The Divine # 30 and James Bond: Kill Chain # 2.

Idris Elba in a long coat and a shoulder holster, walking with a young boy through a yellow brown field. This is a still from the movie the Dark Tower.

The Dark Tower and the Razor’s Edge of Mediocrity

By David Shimomura • August 14th, 2017

The Dark Tower does something few other films are able to accomplish, it’s a perfectly “alright” film. It sits comfortably on the razor’s edge of mediocrity,

Last Week’s Comics 8/9/2017

By David Shimomura, Sara Clemens and Michael Edwards • August 9th, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on Injection # 14, Sex Criminals # 20 and KISS # 10.

The Darkside Detective is a Short, Brilliant Occult Game

By David Shimomura • August 7th, 2017

That’s what makes this game so special. In a very perceptible way, The Darkside Detective is like a kind of poetry.

A Magikarp on the ground next to the boots of a blue clad character in a red hat. This is a stlll from the game Magikarp jump.

Magikarp Jump is the Best of Nintendo Mobile

By David Shimomura • August 1st, 2017

And its brilliant. It’s just simple, unintelligent fun with no remorse for itself.

A woman with her head thrown back. a text bubble comes from her with "AAAAA" visible, and her hair is thrown back and floating suspended in the air. This is a screenshot from the Astonishing X-Men #1

Last Week’s Comic 7/26/17

By David Shimomura and Sal Lucci • July 26th, 2017

Team Unwinnable Reviews Astonishing X-Men #1 and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #5.

a demonic head with teeth and giant green glowing eyes. This is a still from the Dimension 404 series episode Polybius.

The Real Horror Behind Dimension 404’s Polybius

By David Shimomura • July 24th, 2017

Dimension 404’s Polybius tries to assault your senses with nostalgia. All your old friends are there.

A single cabin, lit in a white snowy plain. This is a screenshot of the comic James Bond Kill Service #1

Last Week’s Comics 7/19/2017

By David Shimomura and Michael Edwards • July 19th, 2017

Team Unwinnable reviews James Bond: Kill Chain # 1 and Generation X # 4.

The Architecture of a Generic Star Wars Planet

By David Shimomura • July 17th, 2017

What makes a Star Wars building feel like a Star Wars building?

Yes, I Played a Fighting Game for the Story

By David Shimomura • July 10th, 2017

Injustice 2 is the best fighting game story ever written. Injustice 2 is the worst fighting game story ever written.

A man in a cape, eyes obscured, arms crossed at the bottom of the frame. This is a cut from the cover of Swordquest.

Last Week’s Comics 6/28/2017

By David Shimomura and Michael Edwards • June 28th, 2017

Team Unwinnable shares their thoughts on last week’s Crosswind # 1 and this week’s Swordquest # 1 and KISS # 9.

The cast members of the game Mass Effect Andromeda gathering together on a couch.

How Many Fetches to Andromeda’s Emotional Core?

By David Shimomura • June 26th, 2017

Movie Night is beautiful because it makes good everything good about Mass Effect. In a way, it’s the most Mass Effect mission.

Black Bolt charging toward the camera, his back illuminated by oranges and dark blues. This is art from Black Bolt #2.

Last Week’s Comics 6/21/2017

By Sara Clemens, David Shimomura and Sal Lucci • June 21st, 2017

Team Unwinnable reviews Bitch Planet Triple Feature, Nancy Drew & the Hardy Boys: The Big Lie and Black Bolt in this week’s Last Week’s Comics!

Spider-Man moutned on the side of a wall in a slightly heroic looking pose. This is a promotional image for the 2018 game Spider-Man

Spider-Man in Arkham New York City

By David Shimomura • June 19th, 2017

In a way, it seems fitting that Spider-Man would find himself Batman-ing through his own game in 2018.

an old computer (maybe a commodore 64) a radio, and a monitor with a sticky note attached. This is a screenshot from the game "Stories Untold"

The Beautiful Deconstructionism of Stories Untold

By David Shimomura • June 12th, 2017

Stories Untold rides the nostalgia about as hard as anyone could. Its font calls out from a time long passed. And yet…

Cover art from the Wicked and Divine issue. A figure, dressed in toga and laurel crown is lit in a sort of blue with a uplifted hand covered in blood. Behind the figure it looks like there are orange flames rising, and in front of him is the text, slightly opaque that reads "The Wicked"

Last Week’s Comics 5/24/2017

By Sara Clemens and David Shimomura • May 24th, 2017

It’s All Kieron Gillen Day at LWC. Team Unwinnable discuss last week’s The Wicked + The Divine: 455 AD and this week’s James Bond: Service.