Kenobi Mini Honest Review

Episode 1

I don’t really have much to say, I spent the whole episode just in awe of actually seeing Ewan McGregor play Obi Wan once again, something I thought we would never see. We got a good introduction to the inquisitors and Leia so it was a solid episode altogether.

Best Bit: Seeing Obi Wan again

Worst Bit: The horrible chase sequence in the forest

Rating:6/10

Episode 2

I was not too sure on this one. I found Leia particularly annoying in the episode especially during another terrible chase sequence. People didn’t seem to like Reva’s moves when going after Kenobi…I found them pretty cool. My biggest gripe is killing of the Grand Inquisitor so early. I was loving Rupert Friend’s performance and the small changes to his look made him more menacing. It’s sad to see his character put on the sidelines to make way for a weaker character, not saying I don’t like Reva, it’s just I think the Grand Inquisitor was more menacing and was a more believable threat. I enjoyed Haja, he was quite humorous but I was surprised that Reva did not kill him for wasting her time as she came off as quite ruthless from the previous episode. The transition from Kenobi’s face to Vader in the bacta tank was hard.

Best Bit: Kenobi finds out the truth about his former apprentice

Worst Bit: Grand Inquisitor death

Rating:5.5/10

Episode 3

I really enjoyed this episode mainly due to Vader. I liked the Hayden Christensen appearance as well, it’s great to see him return to the franchise. The MVP of the episode was the Sith lord himself Darth Vader who shows how brutal he can be, choking and dragging anyone in site. An epic duel occurred with the former apprentice besting his master as it played out brilliantly, showcasing how rusty Kenobi is and the emotional torment of seeing his former pupil alive. Vader dragging Kenobi through the flames, giving him a taste of what Kenobi did to him was poetic. A few things didn’t sit right with me such as how did Reva beat Leia to the end of the tunnel without crossing paths? And I didn’t like how Kenobi was rescued, surely the troopers could have easily gunned them down or you know Vader walk through the fire in his fireproof suit.

Best Bit:Vader vs Kenobi II

Worst Bit-The Ending

Rating: 8/10

Episode 4

After the heights of the previous episode oh my how this episode brings it down. As soon as Obi-Wan was put into the bacta tank you would have thought some kind of flashbacks to the clone wars were coming and although the parallels with Vader were cool they were not enough. Obi Wan brushes off life threatening injuries in mere minutes. It was awesome to see Fort Inquisitorius in live action but it was used terribly. The awful fight chorography continued, Obi Wan walks in front of some stormtroopers who apparently just don’t see him. Ben and Leia hiding in an awful disguise that none of the hundreds of troopers present recognise. The whole saved at the last minute cliché emerged, it was such a wasted episode that had such potential. Oh and don’t get me started on the runtime

Best Bit: Vader storming in and confronting Reva.

Worst Bit: The whole disguise sequence.

Rating:3/10

Episode 5

The best episode of the series arrives in the fifth instalment of Kenobi. Right off the bat we are gifted clone wars flashbacks in the form of a Obi-Wan & Anakin duel that had me pausing the screen just to take in Hayden Christiansen reprising his role as Anakin. Something I didn’t think we would see after Ep 4. We also had Vader being an absolute menace destroying ships ‘Force Unleashed’ style and defeating Reva with ease, using only the force. My boy the Grand Inquisitor also returned and his smug delivery was golden. My only gripe came again with the ending, why did Vader or even Grand Inquisitor not finish Reva off? Vader has killed for far less and it makes little sense in my eyes other than to set up a potential spin off something I cannot say I would not be interested in. Overall a great 40 minute piece of Star Wars content.

Best Bit: Vader vs Reva

Worst Bit: The battle scene between the rebels and stormtroopers was a bit clunky and more should have died considering how close they were together.

Rating:9/10

Episode 6

Episode 5 was the best episode until the finale arrived. From the start of the promotion of the series, Ewan Mcgregor said we are in for the rematch of the century and boy did we get it. An excellent back and forth with Obi Wan being the aggressor at times but in control but as we saw in the flashbacks once Vader got the upper hand he lost concentration leading to Obi Wan’s comeback and defeating his former apprentice again in another epic encounter. I absolutely loved it, the fight choreography, the planet, the dialogue was top notch and as a hardcore ROTS fan it really tug on the heart strings. Vader’s slashed mask making his voice changed between James and Hayden was a great touch, you could feel the hatred. Also loved the call-backs from “I will do what I must” and Obi Wan doing his trademark Jedi Stance. We also got cameos from the Emperor and QUI GON BLOODY JIN, his first appearance in 23 years. Just before he appeared I was thinking they had missed the mark not having Liam Neeson appear at all. The Luke sub plot was decent as well.

Note: Obi Wan hurling rocks at Vader just reminded me of the unlimited power scene from ROTS but instead of lighting we have rocks, I don’t know why 🙂

Best Bit: Obi Wan vs Vader III

Worst Bit: I’m not too sure to be honest I guess the ending was a bit dragged out I guess?

Rating:9.5/10

Overall Kenobi was never going to surpass my impossible expectations. The series had really high highs but also really low lows. Does this show need another season? No, the writers were treading really thin lines with Star Wars canon already and everything has been wrapped up so hence no need. That’s not to say I wouldn’t watch it, I would be there in a heartbeat watching it on premiere day.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Dr Strange And The Multiverse of Madness Honest Review

The MCU has its most darkest, creepiest and savage entry yet in the franchise with Dr Strange’s second instalment being an thrilling ride that makes itself stand out from the generic feel of superhero standalone movie.

EntertheReviews

View Date:8/05/22 6:00pm

Run Time:2hr 6min

Warning: The following contains massive spoilers for the latest Dr Strange movie

I’ve seen that this film has divided opinion massively, some saying the plot is weak, others saying it was rushed. I have to disagree I really enjoyed this. A main criticism is the overall motivation of Wanda. Those of you who say its weak are forgetting that Wanda has lost everything in her life and is haunted by the events of Wandavison, plus she was possessed at the end of the day. The cameos although not on the fan service levels of No Way home were still decent, although I feel only Reed Richards has the potential for further expansion and the casting of John Kransinki as Reed Richards adds intrigue for the upcoming Fantastic four project. The film itself is visually stunning especially as Strange and Chavez travel from dimension to dimension.

Dr Strange & The Multiverse of Madness is probably one of the last MCU films I was looking forward to seeing, the others being the new Thor & Blade movies as the franchise becomes more and more saturated dishing out content after content. However, that rant is for another day. Onto the main review

The MCU has its scariest entry yet

What really intrigued me about this entry was the rumours from a while back were that the film was going to be more horror influenced which is unheard of in Marvel movies . Then the trailer dropped and it seemed that these supposed horror elements have been toned down. In fact the trailer is very clever as it takes you down a different route of what you think the film is going to be about. For me I thought Dr Strange was being hunted by the ‘time police’ or the illuminati for him messing with time after No Way Home. I am pleased to say the rumours were true and the film had plenty of scary moments and genuine jumpscare moments at times courtesy of Elizabeth Olsen who was outstanding as the Scarlett Witch.

Scarlett Witch the MVP

Now I have to admit I was not the biggest fan of Wanda, I found her quite bland and I never cared for the relationship with Vision. However when Wanda becomes Scarlett Witch, for me she becomes a lot more entertaining. Elizabeth Olsen’s performance was brilliant as she came off as a real force that didn’t look like could be stopped which adds a lot of stakes to the movie, a problem lots of MCU films have. I would say my favourite part of the movie was the barbaric destruction of the Illuminati at the hands of Wanda. Every single kill were unique and brutal, the kills to Reed Richards, Professor Xavier and Black bolt making me physically gasp at the surprising violence, brilliant stuff. The film really pushed its 12 age rating with an arguement it borders the 15 rating, a first for the MCU.

Dr.Strange is everywhere in every universe even in ours!

Despite only appearing in No Way Home and his second film (excluding what if) it seems Dr Strange is everywhere at the moment. Maybe that’s because of the relatively close release dates of No Way Home and Multiverse of Madness with both featuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s sorcerer as a main player. With every appearance I grow fonder and fonder of Strange as he is such an entertaining character. The different powers and moves he uses with his sorcery are endless and that distinguishes him from the rest of the avengers. Although I could do with that typical marvel humour jokes that are really not necessary and make me cringe, but you can’t have everything now can we

Who would Dr Strange be without his trustee charming sidekick Wong. He played a bigger role than I thought as he seems to leave just as things start going wrong, I’m looking at you Shangi Chi and No Way Home. Also where was Shang Chi? He seemed prime to show up at some point and just didn’t which was a little disappointing. Back to Wong, I felt at multiple times our lovable sidekick was going be inevitably killed off by Wanda but somehow seemed to cheat death yet again. You go Wong!

Note: I was not the biggest fan of America Chavez. She was fine but some of her dialogue and delivery was quite cringy and I just wasn’t grasped enough to be interested in a potential solo film/TV show which seems inevitable.

Overall Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness takes the visuals of the MCU to another level with multiple different spectacles of different settings all unique to each other. A tortured, grief written Elizabeth Olsen is the standout performer delivering a chilling performance as the Scarlett Witch whilst showcasing just how damn powerful she came be. Is she dead? Probably not. I hope more marvel films take risks like this one and change from the norm, I would love more horror inspired MCU content like this one.

If you haven’t watched this then I don’t know what your reading this and not watching it right now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Batman Honest Review

Viewing Date: 4th March 2022

The Big Bad Bat is back under a new persona in a extensive reboot that is dark and gritter than the usual standard set by the films past entries

EnterTheReviews

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR ‘THE BATMAN’

Ever since the first trailer had dropped I had very high expectations especially since all clues pointed to a more violent and gloomier version of the Batman, something that fans had been asking for, for a long time. I am a huge fan of the Christian Bale trilogy especially ‘The Dark Knight & Dark Knight Rises’ and I didn’t mind Ben Affleck’s stint but I always wondered what a more violent Batman would look like and this film gives me what I want

Beautiful Scenes all round

The Cinematography throughout the film, was of the highest quality. Shout out to Greig Fraser for this stand out work. Everything just looked great about this film as it really captured the dark but yet still beautiful in its own unique way city of Gotham. It’s best to watch it than to describe it. However I will say my favourite shot was of our hero holding the flare leading a group of people not just away from danger but also leading them into a belief in the Batman , it was really powerful and emphasises my earlier point that Batman is not this well loved superhero that we have become used to seeing in other films. I also loved when Batman is fighting goons in the middle of our club with blasting techno music and blazing red lazers.

Patman as Batman

I always found the casting choice of Robert Pattinson as rather interesting. I’m sure I am not the only one but I judged him heavily of twilight which made me wonder if we would get a moody teenager batman. And to some extent that is correct. I feel as a Bruce Wayne in some scenes he seems like this teenager. However when he dons the suit he makes the batman a total badass, delivering powerful lines while his hard hitting punches that are emphatic and make you feel them every time they connect.

I am glad they decided not to waste time going over batman’s infamous backstory as a child but that they rather opted to add further information to it later in the film with Bruce Wayne’s father potentially being killed off by an orchestrated hit by the mob. The theory that it could have just been a random thug is not brushed off which still allows the possibility for ‘the Joker’s’ events to have taken place in the same era.

It is eluded too many times that Bruce Wayne is thought to be quite the mysterious character in the eyes of Gotham residents so I always find it hard to believe how people fail to discover or at least suspect Batman’s true identify. A secretive billionaire who rarely shows his face despite owning a huge global organisation and a vigilante who uses weapons and vehicles only a billionaire can afford, its not hard to at least think Bruce is an accomplice of some sort.

Zoe Kravitz was a excellent addition to the film as Selina Kyle, she was a total badass at times. Her character is interesting as she shows empathy to people rather than just for herself but she pursues a more violent vengeful approach to helping those she cares for. I really liked Robert & Zoe as a duo but I was surprised the two shared a kiss so quickly, I didn’t feel the romantic connection was quite there yet.

Jeffrey Wright was always going to be a good Commissioner Gordan , I liked him in Westworld and although he takes more of a backseat here, he still offers an enjoyable performance.

The Villains

The film introduced a main antagonist in the Riddler whilst having two sub-villains in the Penguin and Carmine Falcone. I really liked this version of the Riddler, his attire fitted the tone of the film well and Paul Dano got it absolute spot on with a creepy yet sinister performance that has made him an all time favourite villain of mine and I cannot wait for his return. The Riddler I am use to is the versions from Batman Forever and the Arkham games where the Riddler is more louder charismatic personality where as the one presented in this film is more of a hacker who likes to sit and strike in the shadows.

The transformation of Colin Farrell into the Penguin was remarkable, even though I knew it was him I couldn’t recognise him at all. His charismatic smart-guy performance was great in the limited screen time he had. Carmine Falcone didn’t really feel any different from the usual mob boss we’ve become used to in superhero movies but I still enjoyed him.

The Last Hour

The last hour of the film when all the build up of Riddler’s games reaches its climax is for me the best part of the film. I feel at times the film dragged for short sections but I loved every minute of the films climax. The interrogation scene of the Riddler in Arkham was the best scene of the movie both actors performed perfectly and the desperation in Batman’s face as he realises he has lost is exceptional. I am loving the trend of films now opting for the hero to not always swoop in at the last minute and save the day and The Batman continues that trend as the Riddler manages to kill thousands of people while our hero can only watch.

The battle against Riddler’s goons was cool however when Batman injects himself with Adrenaline I felt it was the perfect time for him to lose control and beat one of the goons to death. Over the course of the film we can see the toll it is taking on Batman trying to protect the city, on top of the fact thousands had just been killed with many still in danger, PLUS being shot at multiple times, this could have sent him over the edge and break his no killing stance, I feel this could have created a new plot point for the inevitable sequel.

Two things, one how did the new mayor survive, she got shot and then she was trapped in the rubble but then when saved by Batman she seems absolutely fine, didn’t make much sense. Two, was that two face at the end by Riddler’s cell , I don’t know if my eyes were deceiving me but I’m pretty sure I saw a burnt face. It’s either him or maybe the Joker but I hope Joker is left out of this new universe unless its Joaquin Phoenix .

Overall the Batman is an enjoyable more gruesome tale of a familiar Batman story with an added element of a murder mystery with an excellent supporting cast that seems to outshine the main actor at times. The score is excellent with the main theme being stuck in my head for the next few hours after the final credits. An interesting darker view on the caped crusader that reaps rewards. Looking forward to the next instalments.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Yellowjackets Season One Honest thoughts

A really frustrating first season that leaves with more questions than answers but by no means is this a bad thing.

Yellowjackets Season One

Those familiar with my normal ‘Honest Reviews’ will see that I am trying a new format called “Honest Thoughts” in which my reviews are shortened.

SPOILERS

I managed to binge watch the whole first season of Showtime’s new psychological drama Yellowjackets in around 4 days. When reading the description of the show I saw it combined two of my favourite things football (or Soccer ugh) and survival horror. The premise follows a female football team being involved in a plane crash that leaves them stranded for 19 months in the Wilderness with the series detailing the story of how they survive and how in the present day the survivors are coping as adults. There was a large amount of gore in the show which really added to the the horrors of the situation the girls faced.

Right of the bat I absolutely love the opening grungy theme song “No Return”, accompanied by a hypnotic and chaotic VHS visuals breathing an aura of 90s nostalgia every time it comes on. I have had the chorus repeated in my head for days. Most of the time I skip the theme songs of shows but not this time, one of the best theme songs in a long time.

I must praise the actresses both playing younger and present day characters. My favourites have to be Shauna, Natalie and Lottie but I may have a slight bias as I couldn’t believe that Rose from Two and a Half Men (Melanie Lynskey) and Audrey from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (Juliette Lewis) were in the same show. Melanie sarcastic yet evil genius esque persona is brilliant to watch while Juliette comes off as a total takes no s**t badass who seems no different to her character in the aforementioned Christmas film.

I didn’t like Jackie’s supposed death, was very lacklustre for a main character. I thought it was going to happen in the dream sequence Shauna had in which it looked like all the group members were gonna straight up murder her, I feel that would have been better but then that leans into more the supernatural/ possession side of the show that the writers don’t want to give too much away. I also do not believe how on earth Van is alive. She had half her face ripped off which would have become greatly infected and without medical attention it seems ridiculous she is alive and able to talk normally, unless there are supernatural powers at play keeping her alive???

After finishing the finale I was left feeling frustrated but craving the next season as I had so many questions created with virtually none of them being answered such as. I was gripped after that scene in the first episode which hints that the girls resort to cannibalism in the midst of winter. And so with every passing episode I was waiting for Winter to hit but it never did until the final last moments of the finale.

Some of my questions I need answering:

1-Is Lottie really alive in the present?

For someone who has tried so hard to hide their identity it seems a bit dumb for our blackmailer to reveal their alive so easily

2-Who turns to cannibalism first?

I feel its the four main heroes in the present who start it all with maybe Coach Ben being our first victim. The main is weak and has lost all power and with an enemy made in Misty his future does not look good.

3-Are there supernatural powers at play in the forest?

I think so

4-Does Taissa have a split personality or is she actually possessed by some kind of demon?

Bit of both.

5.Whose heart is in Taissa hidy hole?

The heart seems too big for the Dog’s

6.Who is the Antler Queen & Pit Girl?

Obvious answer in Lottie but this show likes to throw curveballs.

7-Did the cult pre-exist before the crash and how do they have modern day followers outside of the Wilderness?

8.What happened to the rest of the group who are not in the present

Most likely dead but how?

9.How are they rescued?

It looks like the forest wants to keep them there hence Laura Lee’s plane failure and giving the group the bear (who chose to die) as they were on the verge of starvation so that group members would be grateful and begin to honour the forest?.

Conclusion

Overall I enjoyed the flash backs and flash forwards of the show and although the pacing was slow at times it really created a tense atmosphere. At times the show can be really brutal and your invested into seeing how these girls managed to survive such a horrendous situation for such a long time. Bring on season two.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The Book of Boba Fett Review

An intriguing start that becomes glorified Mandalorian 2.5… but this is not a bad thing

Book of Boba Fett Volume one

The finale of Disney’s Book of Boba Fett dropped a few days ago and I had to binge watch the series to catch up. When first announced I was not interested at all, it just looked like another random side show that featured a side character from a popular franchise that Disney wanted to exploit for money, I’m looking at you Falcon & Winter Solider, Loki, Hawkeye. Was the Book of Boba Fett able to change my mind? Lets find out….

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT & THE MANDOLORIAN

From the off, I will say that the Book of Boba Fett surpassed my expectations (although they were not very high”) even before the takeover of the Mandalorian.

Episodes 1-4

The fate of Boba Fett was that he was assumed dead after Return Of The Jedi, that was until he showed up in the second season of The Mandolorian and this show delves deeper into how he escaped the sarlacc pit and his road to recovery. I really liked the Tuskan arc, its believable that the Tusken’s would initially take a stranger captive only for him to prove his worth and gain the trust of them by saving one of their own. Star Wars is really good at making me care for characters that don’t speak a word of English and I ever thought I would care for a group of Tuskens especially after Attack Of The Clones.

The show spends a decent portion of its programming developing the bond between Boba and The Tuskans as they seek to end a spree of killings in the desert and It worked for me as we see Boba training to become back to his best. That’s why it was sad to see them massacred off screen, I think if they showed some glimpse of it, it would have been really powerful as I had become attached to them all.

I see criticisms of Boba Fett becoming too soft in this show and I agreed to until I thought about the fact he stopped with a village of people, become nearly a family with them to find them all brutally killed and with Boba’s history of killing I think this was the last straw and so he wanted peace over war which sets up his motivations for the present day portions.

I was not a fan of the group of hipsters (called the mods i think?) that aided Fett, they did not suit the planet at all and were just boring and unlikable. What were those light up bikes they drove too, deary me. They just seemed like a bunch of bratty teenagers trying to look edgy, why would Boba recruit them? I would say there the worst characters of the show to be honest and I can’t remember any of their names.

Episodes 5 & 6

The next two episodes completely change the focus of the show with the story now following on from the ending of the second season of The Mandalorian. I liked both of these episodes , I enjoyed the intense duel between Mando & Paz Visla for the Darksaber with our hero being manhandled and nearly tasting death. I also liked how we took a deeper look into the background of Mandalore and the children of the watch, the group Mando gets kicked out of after admitting to removing his helmet a big no no.

Episode 6 focuses on the training of our favourite little green friend Grogu as he tries to rediscover his force ability under the guidance of Luke. I’ve always wanted their to be some sort of film or TV show adaption that focused on Luke’s Jedi academy post empire after playing ‘Star Wars: Jedi Academy’ on PC. I enjoyed the training montage as well as the flashback to Order 66 which I am an absolute sucker for. It begs the question who saved Grogu? Hopefully this will be explored in Mando Season 3.

Note: I’m sorry but I don’t think I will ever get use to CGI Luke, it just doesn’t look right at all and his face is creepy at times.

Last episode we also see the live action of Cadd Bane the ruthless bounty hunter known for this time in clone wars and although his run was short lived he was quite the intimidating figure and I didn’t have any problems with his appearance like some did. His death was pretty cool with Boba outsmarting his fellow bounty hunter and delivering a quick fatal stab in a swift maneuverer. A quick death for someone of near iconic status but I’m still satisfied with what we got.

The Finale

I enjoyed the finale for the most part but it had it’s flaws. From my earlier point about star wars making me feel for aliens who don’t speak a word of English, you can imagine i was hurt to see the Gamorians fall to their deaths after being trapped. As much as I liked that our heroes had been betrayed it also exposed one of star wars flaws and that is plot armor. For example after being hit multiple times prior,  Black Krrsantan was pinned down by multiple enemies all armed with weapons who looked like they would kill him and then next scene he appears out of nowhere, gets shot multiple times again and still manages to survive. It just kills tension and credibility really. Furthermore our hipster friends are backed into a corner heavily outnumbered and none of them die. Our heroes then fight back and kill a load of pikes all of which bodies mysteriously disappear as more reinforcements arrive its like a video game. Later on the Rancor throws a whole speeder ship at the good guys and none of them are even injured let alone killed.

Note: When facing the huge shielded droids why didn’t Mando double jump and slam the darksabre into the shield to break it :).

Last episode we also saw the live action debut of Cadd Bane the ruthless bounty hunter known for this time in clone wars and although his run was short lived he was quite the intimidating figure and I didn’t have any problems with his appearance like some did. I feel he maybe could have been introduced earlier in order to flesh out his character more for those unfamiliar with the animated series. His death was pretty cool with Boba outsmarting his fellow bounty hunter and delivering a quick fatal stab in a swift maneuverer.

It may seem I’m just criticising the final but there were plenty of parts I enjoyed:

• Boba & Mando teaming up
• Fennec Shand brutal hanging of the mayor
• Fennec Shand general badassary
• Boba and Cadd Bane standoff
• The Whole rancor sequence
• Grogu in Mando’s gifted armor
• Grogu’s hugs

Note: Is it just me or does Grogu walking around remind you of team America world police?

Overall Judgement

Overall, a decent show that I think surpasses Mandalorian Season one but not season two. Boba the main main seems to surrender the spotlight of his show within the last few episodes which disrupts the pacing of Boba’s story and adds very little to it minus the finale episode. I’m a big fan of Ludwig Göransson and his scores remains of the highest calibre for this show. A fun watch that has it’s pacing issues and flaws but overall brings the action and interesting characters that we all love from the Star Wars universe.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Games to look forward to in 2022

Just as I did with movies, I am back to give you my list of games I cannot wait to play in 2022. This is my onion so if you don’t see a particular game then that may be because I am not interested by it or I have not heard enough about it.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Release Date: TBC (PS5/Xbox Series X/PC)

I am currently playing through the Guardians of the Galaxy game (which is excellent by the way) and I can’t help but feel this is DC’s response to that but this time you can switch between all 4 characters instead of just the one whilsit players have the option to go solo or play with 3 other friends.

The story centres around the Justice League being possessed by Braniac an evil entity and so its up to the bad guys to go on a “suicidal” mission to bring them down. Our 4 antiheroes are Harley Quinn, Deadshot, King Shark & Captain Boomerang .The game is also set in the Arkham universe so expect the plot form Arkham Knight to continue and don’t be too surprised if Batman gets involved at some point.

This game just looks so godamn fun. The combat looks manic as you battle across the rooftops of Metropolis against swarms of enemies switching between characters. The game is confirmed to be open world which is always a bonus. Each character looks and feels unique with Deadshot being your shooter, Harley your close quarters, Boomerang your explosives man and King Shark your brute who is a mixture of the first two. From the trailers the voice acting sounds superb as you get the feeling the game will feature a lot of dark comedic moments like the movies. It’s always refreshing to play as the bad guys especially when your aim is to literally kill some of the biggest superheroes going.

This is a game I will definately be pre-ordering, I just hope there are no delays and we get a release date soon.

UPDATE 02/02/22:”I just hope there are no delays ” of course I’ve jinxed it, the game is now unfortunately scheduled to release in 2023.

God of War Ragnarok

Release Date:TBC (PS5/Xbox Series X)

God of War was my game of the year in 2018 and its ending has generated over 3 years of hype for its sequel. The father and son partnership between Kratos and Atreus is one of the best in gaming history and I’m interested to see where the two go considering the real identity of Atreus is revealed at the end of the game.

The story is set 3 years after the events of the previous game as Kratos and his son seek to find the previously thought to be dead God, Tyr in order to try to prevent Ragnarok from happening. We know from trailers that we expect to encounter Thor and Freya both wanting revenge after the actions of the first game

If the sequel is anything like its predecessors with its beautiful worlds, grasping story and fun combat, then God of War Ragnarok is looking like we may have another gaming masterpiece on our hands.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Release Date: 15th April (PS4/PS5/Xbox One,Series X/Switch/PC)

It has been a long time coming, after months of delays were finally getting the most ambitious Lego game to date with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Be prepared to play all 9 Star Wars Films across multiple different worlds that can be explored at will. I’ve loved every single Lego star wars they have released and this just feels like they have kicked it up a few gears with better visuals, updated gameplay and a ton of more content all on one disc.

With over 300 playable characters to unlock and 9 episodes to play through, its evident there is a lot of content to play with. I have already pre ordered the game so roll on April.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

Release Date: 4th February (PS4/5/Xbox Series X/One/PC/Switch)

The Parkour zombie apocalypse open world bonanza finally gets its sequel after 6 whole years. I really enjoyed the first game as it had a bit of uniqueness to it and it stood out across the other hundreds of zombie games released. I especially enjoyed when it turned to night time as the game became a whole lot more challenging and added an element of tension as you try to find your base.

The Sequel stars a new protagonist (Aiden Caldwell) and is said to have a map 4 times larger than its predecessor with 7 different regions. You will meet different factions whose fates are impacted by the choices you make during the game. The game really seems to be focusing on choices with settlements being destroyed and locations becoming sealed off because of your choices and its something I really like when it comes to story games. I loved the telltale Walking Dead games because your choices impacted the whole game so adding this element to an already solid zombie gameplay is an recipe for a quality game.

WWE 2K22

Release Date: 11th March (PS4/5/Xbox Series X/One/PC)

The 2K wrestling series is back after a one year hiatus due to the disaster that was WWE 2K20. The game looks really good graphics wise with a revamped control system and 2K have already shown a ton of different game modes to play with. Showcase mode, a personal favourite mode of mine features the legendary career of the masked luchador Rey Mysterio. Rey Mysterio career is filled with classic matches so expect a roster filled with past wrestlers from the Ruthless Aggression Era such as Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, Batista, Rob Van Dam and more.*None confirmed yet

Universe mode was always my favourite but it started to feel very samey to all the previous entries so I’m excited to see what has been added to make it more of an immersive experience. For me more cutscenes and rivalry options must be added. The big news which has pleased many fans is the return of ‘GM Mode’. In this mode, you take control as the General Manager of either RAW, Smackdown or NXT, where you are given a budget to hire wrestlers and run your show how you want too in order to win the rating wars against the other brands.

However I will not be preordering this as I remain cautious on the state of the game because of the previous entry so this is one I will most likely wait a couple of weeks for or get on sale.

Sifu

Release Date: 8th February 2022 (PS4/PS5/PC)

I recently came across this game a couple of months ago and it has one feature that has pulled me in instantly. The game focuses on you seeking vengeance on those who murdered your family. Every time you die, you are magically resurrected on the spot, with your strikes becoming more powerful. However your health decreases as your age increases by a specific number of years with each fatality, so if you become too old you die completely, causing you to restart the whole game. Throughout the game you can unlock and practice new skills and abietites to get stronger. I think this is one I will get on sale.

Marvel: Midnight Suns

Release Date: TBC (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Series X/PC/Switch)

A tactical role playing game featuring marvel superheroes? Yes please. As a big fan of the XCOM games and Marvel products you can imagine my joy when it was announced that both elements would be combined for this game. Playing as your own supehreo with the choice of over 40 powers, you join the team that consist of the likes of Iron-Man, Dr Strange, Captain America, Blade, Wolverine, Ghost rider and more. Combat will be turn based like XCOM as you team up with 3 other heroes that you choose. You will also build up your own base where you can interreact with other heroes. I hope they go down the route that these heroes can die permanently instead of potentially just being injured for a few missions so that my tactics will have more consequences. Ill need more details to be revealed before I decide whether to pre-order.

Elden Ring

Release Date: 25th February (PS4/5/Xbox Series One/X/PC)

Everyone in the gaming community seems to be talking about this action RPG. Directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki who’s work includes the souls series, Sekiro & Bloodborne and made in collaboration with George R.R Martin (Game of Thrones creator) its clear to see why many are talking about the huge potential the game has. An open world dark souls game seems to be the best way to describe the game with six main areas to discover in which you will battle various monsters and beasts of all different powers and sizes. Expect stunning visuals, unique locations and enemies and tough methodical combat.

TV Shows New and Returning to Look Forward to in 2022

2022 is lining up to be an exciting year for TV fans such as myself. I have listed MY most anticipated shows of 2022 so don’t expect to see the likes of Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders and Bridgerton, they were not for me. All have been confirmed for 2022 and most have dates. Some parts of the list contain spoilers from previous series which will be shown below:

No Spoilers

Mild Spoilers

Major Spoilers

The Boys Season 3

Release Date: June 3rd 2022 (Amazon Prime)

There is a considerable amount of hype surrounding the next season of Amazon Hit Anti-superhero show ‘The Boys’ because of promises of it being much darker and controversial than previous seasons which seems a hard thing to do. I’m looking forward to seeing Anthony Staar’s Homelander return to the screen and see how much worse he can get. Homelander is easily one of the best antagonists on TV and Starr psychopathic performance deserves a lot more recognition for it.

Snowfall Season 5

Release Date: February 23 (Hulu/BBC?/Disney+?)

One of the most underrated crime dramas is back this year. Snowfall tells the rise of crack cocaine in the states and how one man (Franklin Saint) creates an empire based on America’s new addiction. Little is known about the plot expect that it will jump a few years from season 4 and will occur around 1986 where violence in the streets was ramping up as the LAPD tackle the war on drugs. The new season will also see how Franklin copes with one of his allies becoming his main enemy.

Kenobi (Limited Series)

Release Date: TBC 2022 (Disney+)

I would say this probably just edges the Boys as being my most anticipated show of the year. Revenge of the Sith is one of my favourite films of all time and you can imagine my excitement when they announced a sequel in the form of a TV miniseries with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christiansen both reprising their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker. Not much about the plot has been revealed but we finally get to see how Obi-Wan survived the Jedi purge up until ‘A New Hope’. The prospect of seeing Darth Vader at the peak of his power wrecking havoc across the galaxy trying to find Obi-Wan is a very very very exciting prospect. The “rematch of the century” has been promised by the show’s producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Ozark Season 4 Parts 1 & 2

Release Date: (Part 1) January 21st 2022 (Part 2) TBC (Netflix)

Jason Bateman’s crime drama comes to an end this year with a frustrating season splitting two parter. Ozark has gotten better with every season. It seems this season is setting up for a war with the Bryde family caught in the middle. As expected there will be plenty of bloodshed but It will be interesting to see if the family can come out alive and finally escape the clutches of the cartel.

Peacemaker Season 1

Release Date: 13th January 2022 (HBO Max)

John Cena reprises his role as the Peacemaker from last year’s excellent ‘The Suicide Squad’. Peacemaker was one of my favourite characters from the movie so I am glad he is getting his own show and from the trailer it looks to be funny. John Cena is very underrated when it comes to comedic roles.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Part 2

Release Date: February 20th 2022 (AMC, Disney+)

Robert Kirkman’s iconic zombie show is finally coming to an end and whatever you may think of it, you can’t argue that it is not one of the biggest Tv shows of the past decade. I personally have stop and started the show a few times but I am up to Season 11 however I am waiting for all the episodes to come out to binge watch the whole series so I cannot provide a plot description without spoilers…sorry

Atlanta Season 3

Release Date: March 24 2022 (Hulu/FX)

It really has felt like a long time since we last saw new Atlanta episodes on our screens (2018!). Finally Donald Glover announced his comedy Drama about an up and coming rapper will return this year and it picks up right where season 2 left off with the group heading to Europe. From the trailer it looks like the characters will get into more crazy situations like they have in previous seasons but this time in land there unfamiliar with. I personally can’t wait for the England section of the tour as well as hearing the new music created for the show by Donald & Stephen Glover.

House of the Dragon

Release Date: 2022 (HBO Max/Sky)

Game of Thrones is finally back after a disastrous final season with a prequel set 200 years prior to the original series. The plot focuses on the Targaryen Civil War in which two members of the Targaryen family clash for the throne. I am interested to see Matt Smith performance as he’s someone who I’m not much of a fan acting wise. Would also love to see a Night King cameo, it’s what we deserve after he was shafted in the final season.

Resident Evil

Release Date: 2022 (Netflix)

The Resident Evil movies were a guilty pleasure of mine, by no means perfect but a fun mindless ride at times. Now Netflix are rebooting Resident Evil as a Tv Show with it being set a decade into the T-Virus ravaged world. Lance Reddick has been casted as Albert Wesker which is a great choice as long as he can rock the iconic Wesker look. The zombie genre has been done a million times and the show being produced by Netflix is a worry as the company has had a streak of making boring, cringe worthy shows with some truly awful acting and dialogue… but lets hope that’s not the case with Resident Evil.

Afterlife Season 3

Release Date: January 14th 2022 (Netflix)

Ricky Gervais heart-breaking comedy is back for its final season. Ricky really knows how to pull the heart strings whilst still providing comedy to lighten the mood. The show follows a man struggling to cope with lifeafter his wife passes away. Ricky is my favourite comedian and has created two of the greatest shows of all time in The Office and Extras.

The Afterparty

Release Date: January 28th 2022 (Apple TV)

Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Dave Franco has been murdered at his own party and there are multiple witnesses all of which will give their version of events with each episode. Ben Schwartz (shout out Jean-Ralphio) is in it plus Dave Franco so I’m interested and to think I just cancelled my Apple TV free trial…damn.

Power Book IV: Force

Release Date: 6th February 2022 (Starz)

Power is such a good crime drama, I highly recommend you watch it. Book 4 finishes off from the ending of the original show where we see what happens to Tommy in the aftermath of Power’s finale. Tommy is caught between a drug gang war in Chicago as he looks to move on from his past life. I have not watched book 2 or 3 since they did not really interest me enough to pay for a Starz subscription but book 4 has convinced me to get one since Tommy was one of the best characters on the show.

The Lord Of The Rings

Release Date: September 2nd (Amazon Prime)

The lord of the rings trilogy have been on my watchlist for as long as I can remember but its been difficult to find the time to watch them. However the TV series adaptation is reportedly going to be the most expensive show ever made so expect stunning visuals, beautiful world building and lots of actions. You just have to check something like this out and I will definitely watch at least the original trilogy prior to the airing of the TV show.

Unconfirmed for 2022 but likely…

Mandalorian Season 3

One of Star Wars biggest shows hopefully should make a return this year as we follow our favourite helmeted mercenary. After Season 2 ended with the shocking reveal that Luke Skywalker was the saviour, it begs the question what will Luke do with Grogu and will we see the likes of Ahsoka again?

The Last of Us Season 1

Based on the hit video game, Pedro Pascal will transform the role of Joel into live action as he looks to survive the fungal infected zombie apocalypse with his young partner Ellie. If you’ve played the game you will be familiar with the plot with little indication it will be much different from the video game.

The Idol Season 1

Abel Tesfaye A.K.A The Weeknd stars in his first leading role in this HBO drama about a relationship between a pop singer and the owner of club in L.A who is also the leader of a cult. An intriguing concept plus the Weeknd….. I’m in.

Any shows I have missed? Let me know in the comments.

My Top 100 Songs of 2021 (100-50)

We have had quite a big year for music with plenty of big name artists dropping albums such as Kanye West, Drake, J.Cole, Don Toliver, Young Thug, Dave and many more. Each year I will compose my top 100 favourite tracks of the year.

The first 80 songs will be presented with just the name and artist while the top 20 will have a more in depth view.

Note: This is not my Spotify Top 100 as that playlist contains many songs not released this year

Honourable Mentions

• Kanye West ft KayCyy, Conway The Machine & Westside Gunn-Keep My Spirit Alive Pt.2
• (YSL) Young Thug ft Bslime & Don Toliver-No Surprise
• Bas ft J.Cole & Lil Tjay-The Jackie
• Kevin Abstract ft $NOT & Slowthai-SLUGGER
• YSL & Strick ft Skepta-WokStar

100. Isaiah Rashad ft Young Nudy & Kal Banx-Deep Blue

99.Joel Corry & Jax Jones ft Charli XCX & Saweetie-OUT OUT

The Kanye West remix of the orginal is still superior :).

98.Shouse & David Guetta-Love Tonight

97.Kanye West ft Roddy Richh & Shenseea-Pure Souls

96.Ben Reilly ft Abstract Media & Miseye-Finsta

95.KSI ft Future & 21 Savage-Number 2

Say what you want about him but KSI has produced some decent bangers the past couple of the years.

94.Riton ft Mufasa & Hypeman-Friday

93.Sam Silver ft A$AP Twelvyy & pineappleCITI-Little After Sunset

92.Fredo ft Dave-Money Talks

91.DJ Khaled ft Lil Baby & Lil Durk-EVERY CHANCE I GET

90.KSI ft Lil Durk-No time

89.(YSL) Young Thug ft Strick & Kid Cudi-Moon Man

88.Isaiah Rashad ft Jay Rock & Jay Worthy-True Story

87.Son Diezal ft Raury & Protoje-Saviour

This was recently removed from Spotify because Son Diezal samples artists in his own songs without permission but credits them as a featured artist so it may be a little difficult to find this one. Nevertheless what he created was a banger.

86.WILLOW ft Kid Cudi & Travis Barker- T R A N S P A R E N T S O U L Remix

85.Spinabenz, Yungeen Ace & FastMoney Goon- Who I Smoke

Probably the craziest use of a sample I have ever heard.

84.Kanye West ft Vory-God Breathed

83.Last Night In Paris-Crash

I really recommend listening to LNIP, there a RNB/Hip-Hop group with lots of members. Check out Soiree, one of the best songs of 2018. They don’t release much so its always a treat when they do.

82.Don Toliver ft Baby Keem-OUTERSPACE

81.Ed Sheeran-Bad Habits

80.Doja Cat ft The Weeknd-You Right

79.Tory Lanez-Enchanted Waterfall

78.Last Night In Paris-Drip Down

77.IDK ft SiR-Temporary Love (Extended Version)

Its great when an already good song is made even better with an extended version. IDK & SiR are so underrated.

76.Jason Derulo & Adam Levine-Lifestyle (David Guetta Remix)

75.Brent Faiyaz ft Tyler The Creator-Gravity

We need more Brent & Tyler they work so well on this track.

74.Nicki Minaj ft Drake & Lil Wayne-Seeing Green

73.(YSL) Young Thug & Gunna-Ski

72.Don Toliver-2AM

71.FKA twigs ft The Weeknd-Tears In The Club

70.Trippie Redd ft Juice WRLD-Matt Hardy 999

69.Baby Keem ft Kendrick Lamar-Range Brothers

As stated in my Melodic Blue album review, the ending to this song really holds it back in terms of replayability.

68.Abstract Media-War

Similar to Last Night In Paris, Abstract media remind of an early Brockhampton, a group with versatile members that produce banger and banger. Abstract Media are really talented at creating infectious hooks to their tracks with War not being an exception. Their best work was released last year with Brolic.

67.(YSL) Young Thug & Gunna ft Travis Scott-Diamonds Dancing

66.Kanye West ft Vory-No Child Left Behind

A now iconic track that started the hype around the release of the excellent ‘Donda’ album

65.The Kid LAROI ft Justin Bieber-Stay

64.Young Thug-Faces

63.The Weeknd-Take My Breath

62.Drake ft Kid Cudi-IMY2

61.Lisa-Money

One of the catchiest songs of the year that is let down by the beat switch towards the end of the song.

60.Juice WRLD-Already Dead

59.Young Thug-Contagious

I think Punk disappointed me the most this year especially with the star studded list of features. However the stand out moments had to be faces and contagious both with eloquent instrumentals

58.Elton John & Dua Lipa-Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)

57.Isaiah Rashad ft Project Pat & Juicy J-RIP Young

56.The Weeknd ft Ariana Grande-Save Your Tears (Remix)

55.Joyce Wrice ft Freddie Gibbs-On One

54.BROCKHAMPTON ft A$AP Rocky & SoGone SoFlexy-COUNT ON ME

53.Juice WRLD ft Justin Bieber-Wandered to LA

52.Baby Keem ft Travis Scott-Durag Activity

51.Olivia Rodrigo-Good 4 U

A guilty pleasure it has be said.

50.Drake ft Travis Scott-Fair Trade

That concludes the first 50 onto the next 29 tracks.

49-21

My Top 100 Songs of 2021 (49-21)

The first 50 songs have been blitzed through now onto the next 29 songs. Be warned for early Kanye West domination.

49.Kanye West-Donda

A song not spoke about enough, a beautiful song for his deceased mother

48.Kanye West-Believe What I Say

47.Kanye West ft Vory & Lil Durk-Jonah

46.Juice WRLD ft Clever & Post Malone- Life’s A Mess II

45.Trippie Redd ft Drake-Betrayal

44.Post Malone-Motley Crew

43.Kanye West ft Don Toliver & Kid Cudi-Moon

An angelic hook by Don and a heavenly verse from Cudi, I can see why many people float to this song

42.Kanye West ft Jay-Z-Jail

This may be the return of the throne…chilling

41.DJ Khaled ft H.E.R & Migos-WE GOING CRAZY

40-Arizona Zervas-SNOWMAN

39.Kanye West ft Fivio Foreign & Playboi Carti-Off The Grid

Everyone understood the assignment and hearing Kanye on a drill beat emphasises how he is the most versatile in the game.

38.Belly ft The Weeknd & Young Thug-Better Believe

37.Lil Nax X-Montero (Call Me By Your Name)

36.Kanye West ft Jay Electronica-Jesus Lord

35.Travis Scott ft J.Cole-Mafia

One of the most unexpected collaborations of the year.

34.Don Toliver ft Kali Uchis-Drugs N Hella Melodies

33.BROCKHAMPTON ft A$AP Rocky & A$AP Ferg-BANKROLL

I had been waiting for this song since it was teased in 2018. Its strange seeing BROCKHAMTPON collaborate with artists outisde their own group but they worked well with both members of A$AP Mob.

32.Kanye West ft Playboi Carti & Ty Dolla $ign-Junya Pt 2

31.Kanye West ft Andre 3000-Life of the party

I’m so happy we got this collaboration in the end, two of the greatest artists of all time combining and we finally got the Andre verse on a Ye track we deserved since only getting ad-libs on 30 hours back in 2016.

30.(YSL)Young Thug ft Rowdy Rebel-Came & Saw

29.Tinashe ft Buddy-Pasadena

28.Baby Keem ft Kendrick Lamar-Vent

27.Kanye West-Heaven and Hell

26.Amine-Charmander

25.Don Toliver-BOGUS

I was really disappointed with ‘Life Of A Don’ i found a lot of songs were repetitive and didn’t really stand out apart from a few and BOGUS to me was the biggest hit of the album.

24.Aitch ft Avelino & Toddla T-Party Round My Place

23.Post Malone ft The Weeknd-One Right Now

After initially feeling disappointed with these two huge stars collaborating, this song grew on me very quickly with a very catchy hook. I expect this song to get more recognition in 2022.

22.Baby Keem-16

21.Lil Nas X ft Jack Harlow-Industry Baby

This song is partially ruined by that Tiktok trend with the dad and his son but nonetheless I still love the song especially Harlow’s verse.

Now onto the top 2o, how exciting…

The Top 20

Top 100 Songs of 2021 (The Top 20)

20.BROCKHAMPTON-DON’T SHOOT UP THE PARTY

BROCKHAMPTON used to be one of my favourite musical acts up until iridescence. Since that album, i’ve been let down with each release wth only a few songs standing out. Their latest album is an improvement and ‘Don’t shoot up the party’ is a song I would put on the same quality level as the saturation trilogy. There’s a lot of great energy throughout this song which reminded me of the likes of BOOGIE and JUNKY. Matt Champion verse is a personal favourite of mine as he raps using clever wordplay over the addictive instrumental.

19.Drake ft Future- N 2 Deep

A song split into two with the latter part featuring Future. In the first part, Drake is wanting a girl while the second part is more about getting with the girl but not getting “in too deep” with his feelings. The second half of the song is the highlight for me with addictive chorus and a Travis Scott esque sound that drives the song into a more braggadocios vibe. Future really is excellent in this and I don’t really know why, his part is short and sweet.

18.Slowthai ft A$AP Rocky-MAZZA

I’ve never really liked Slowthai’s music or generally his sound, however the introduction of A$AP Rocky changed everything as the two blended well together with Slowthai delivering a solid verse and great chorus while Rocky delivers one of the features of the year as he rides the synthetic vibrating beat.

17-Charli XCX-Good Ones

A pop song about self sabotage as Charli always picks the bad ones instead of the good ones. I get quite the 80s/ early 90s vibe from this song that is quite short in length which is more to its credit as it does not drag on like a lot of songs can be accused of these days.

16.Skepta-Bellator

Skepta brings the usual energy you expect from a Skepta track on Bellator which has exceptional flows and overall catchy song. A perfect song to get you pumped before a workout.

15.Swedish House Mafia & The Weeknd-Moth To A Flame

The weeknd and Swedish House mafia deliver a banger with low key vocals from the Weeknd over a

14.Trippie Redd ft Playboi Carti-Miss The Rage

I see a lot of people saying they prefer the original version to the now released version but I disagree, one of the best insturmentels of the year with a well delivered verse and chorus by Trippie and Carti did what he had to do too, creating a raging hit.

13.Travis Scott-Escape Plan

I have always been a big fan of Travis Scott’s music, there is rarely anything he releases that I don’t like and Escape Plan is your typical post Astroworld track that delivers because its a banger. It its not broken why fix it?

12.Big Sean & Hit-Boy ft Lil Durk & Bryson Tiller-Loyal To A Fault

Big Sean & Hit-Boy latest EP ‘What You Expect’ seems to have been swept under the carper as soon as it was released. Loyal to a fault is a really excellent track with every verse sounding unique with each voice blending well. Bryson Tiller is the highlight delivering the background vocals on the chrous as well as the closing verse. The music video is also great.

11.Khalid ft 6LACK & Lucky Daye-Retrograde

Khalid realy brings the guitars and strings to create a chilled vibe with some help from some friends. A soulful track that will have the chorus stuck in your head for days.

10.Cochise ft $NOT-Tell Em

Production. Chorus. $NOT feature. These 3 things have made this absolute banger of a song. The slow opening building up the hype to the hard hitting instrumental is something that gets you going. Cochise delivers a repetitive chorus that sticks in your head in a good way. However $NOT steals the show with probably my favourite featured verse of the year which is a dark verse that fits so well with the chaotic drums. Although its short, the verse is still the clear highlight.

9.FLETCHER ft Trevor Daniel-Bitter Remix

A guilty pleasure song of mine i have to admit. A song about two people thinking about their ex partner when their with other people. Its quite an emotional song about breakups especially with FLETCHER hard hitting emotional chorus. I prefer the remix as Trevor Daniel for me adds more to the song as we see the male’s perspective from the situation. The song is a bit of a banger I can’t lie.

8.Iann Dior ft Trippie Redd-Shots In The Dark

This love driven track has both artists in their feelings over a beat created by 2021’s MVP Mike Dean. Especially Iann’s chorus, the song is incredibly catchy. Iann Dior continues to show his potential that he could be the next big thing and shots in the dark is a collaboration that is a step in the right direction in my eyes.

7.Kanye West-New Again

Either version could be on this spot as I feel Chris Brown’s vocals did add a lot but Kanye still does a great job replacing him. I really love the start of the song and then it goes up another level when the beat kicks in as Kanye flows across another excellent Mike Dean produced instrumental. The song will get you screaming “Make Me New Again”.

6.Kanye West ft Travis Scott & Baby Keem- Praise God

A dark nightmarish instrumental with 3 of the biggest names in hip-hop in it? Yes please. Travis and Kanye deliver as usual but the standout is Baby Keem who is slow, repetitive, almost mumbling at the start of his verse which builds for his ultimate explosion into an excellent verse.

5.Skrillex, Justin Bieber & Don Toliver-Don’t Go

A song that kinda went under the radar for me. Hearing Skrillex produce non dubstep songs is something I will probably never get over. Justin Bieber and Don Toliver really shine and the highlight is most definitely when their trading bars on the third verse after both delivering wavy verses of their own.

4.Kanye West-Hurricane

Ahhh one of my most anticipated verses of all time, was finally released. I remember watching the first listening party and hearing Lil Baby’s verse for the first time and nearly losing my s**t. He really does float on this song and I have no idea why people wanted him removed. However obviously The Weeknd steals the show with his angelic vocals and really hits those high notes with a big impact. I do prefer the released version over the original Ant Clemons version, but it was a close call.

3.IDK ft Offset-Shoot My Shot

Now into the Top 3. I need more IDK & Offset music immediately. These two worked so well together both delivering exceptionally smooth verses. I particularly love when it sounds like Offset’s verse is about to end and then he just changes gears and carries on, brilliant stuff. Strong bars and production=Absolute banger this that needs more recognition.

2.A$AP Rocky-Sandman

This song was originally previewed on Yams Day in January and its been a long wait until its full official release. I fell in love with this song as soon as I heard it. The production from Clams Casino was perfect, throwing back to the old Rocky days, it especially reminded me of ‘LVL’ one of my favourite Rocky songs. I love Rocky’s lyrics over the ‘cloud rap beat’ which shows that the chemistry between himself and Clams Casino is still strong. I hope for more Clams Casino production on the upcoming A$AP Rocky album ‘All $miles’.

1.Isaiah Rashad-Headshots (4r Da Locals)

And here it is my number one song of the year. Isaiah was right at the start of this song when he says he’s got a jam because this is the biggest of the year. I have been bumping this song nearly every day since its release. The verses delivered by Rashad are solid but the chorus is so damn smooth with its catchy lyrics and beautiful backing vocals, I just find myself singing it throughout the day. Isiah’s vocals make it so soothing to listen too, this song is perfect to just chill to whether it be in your room, with your friends or just driving around. This is a real classic and takes the number 1 spot as my favourite song of the year.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and feel free to tell me your favourite songs of the year.