The first time I rode up to a Shinto Shrine in the coastal city of Sakai, I was enamored. The gorgeously rendered red Torii welcomed visitors to pray to deities at altars dotting the surrounding holy structures and manicured vegetation. The trimmed grasses swayed in the seaside wind, adding motion and life to the scene. It was a joy to take it all in as I walked in search of three Himorogi, where I would pray for XP. I can only imagine it’s a scene that perfectly recreates the tranquility one would experience in person. It's a special kind of magic that Ubisoft’s many development teams have become masters of.

Thirty-plus hours later, however, the sheen of visiting Shinto Shrines throughout Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ massive open world lost much of the impact it had the first 10 times. Instead, visiting these sites became a robotic act of tedium. I’d stroll up reluctantly, toggling my Eagle Vision, and begin the slow trot to find the two or three spots I needed to visit to get that XP. It wasn’t my definition of fun. But it was one of the most reliable ways of leveling — without running into the game’s many minor frustrations.

My feelings about the Shinto Shrines can be extended to the game as a whole. While there’s plenty to enjoy about this game, from its stunning world to its genuinely fun stealth and combat mechanics, so many little things get in the way of its strengths. While Shadows is an improvement over the last couple of games in the series, it falls short of becoming a new high point.

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When I sat down with legendary scientist, NASA engineer, and sci-fi author Gentry Lee in a crowded Austin hotel lobby, I had one question for him: Are we alone in the universe?

It’s a question that he has spent most of his career entertaining in some form or another, and almost two hours interrogating in the new documentary Starman, which premiered at the SXSW Film & TV Festival last weekend. So naturally, I don’t expect him to have a ready-made answer when I pose the question to him. And sure enough, he looks a little perplexed when this is how I begin our interview.

“You want to know the answer to the question?” Lee asks. But suddenly, a glimmer appears in his eyes, and the most energetic 82-year-old I’ve ever met launches into the first of many spirited rambles that make up our 22-minute conversation.