Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 18 July 2022 11:28
(A review of
Final Fantasy XII)
Final Fantasy XII is a really great game with a lot of extras to keep you busy for a long time. The fighting system itself has been overhauled - instead of running into random encounters and being transported to a battle screen, the enemies are on the field and you fight them right there. The system does take some getting used to, especially in the beginning when you only have one person in your party. The system works best later on, when the enemies (and you and your party) are quicker, stronger, and smarter, resulting in fast, amazing battles. Any fan of World of Warcraft or other MMORPGs will adapt to this game in two seconds, as it's basically the same fighting system.
I found the weakest link was the story, which is odd because Final Fantasy is known for great stories. It never felt epic to me, and it didn't feel like the fate of the world was hanging in the balance. It had to do more with politics and war (probably because the head guy of this game was the same guy behind Final Fantasy Tactics, which focused less on fantasy and more on warring kingdoms). Also, while the game advertises Vaan as the main character, it's not really so. It makes you wonder why they didn't just scrap him and go with some other party member as the main character, as there are three others with more "main character" story lines than Vaan. The music is also nothing compared to past games. Finally, the only way to make serious money is by selling the "loot" you find off dead monsters. You will find yourself broke often because everything - weapons, armor, magic, Gambits, technicks, EVERYTHING - costs a lot of money.
But those are actually minor grievances once you start playing the game. The sidequests in this game, mainly hunting Marks, are incredibly fun. There are great bosses, the Judge Magisters are cool and intimidating, the voice acting is superb, the cutscenes are excellent, the graphics push to the PS2 to its limit, there are tons of different weapons and spells, the cities are large and sprawling with life, and Gambits - if you like 'em - can be mastered to perfection.
All in all, a great game and a great addition to the series
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 18 July 2022 11:23
(A review of
Final Fantasy IX)
Blessed with an innate sense of history, and tinged with a touch of melancholy, this title provides a fond FAREWELL to the OLD style of Final Fantasy. I will miss it, but that is NOT what impressed me the most about this game. It was the nicely wrought story, the most fully fleshed charachters of ANY 32-bit game, the AMAZING artwork, and the way they wove pieces of the series past into the story and environment. The gameplay is the most addictive in the series since 6, which came out here as 3, but was recently re-released as part of Final Fantasy ANTHOLOGY. I enjoyed the VERY SOUL of this game, an aspect that seemed minor in the previous two entries. This game reminds players WHY they loved the series in the first place.....STORY AND PERSONA. The best music and cinematics EVER to Grace ANY 32 or 64 bit system.
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 18 July 2022 10:21
(A review of
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969))
To understand the controversy behind `On Her Majesty's Secret Service,' one must understand the events so impacting the spy genre by the time of its production in 1969. After the back to back tremendous successes of `Goldfinger' and `From Russia With Love,' every hack producer and distributor rushed to make spy movies. There were serious ones (`The Spy That Came in From the Cold,' `The Ipcress File'), satirical ones (`Our Man Flint,' `The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,' `Get Smart' ), and incredibly silly ones (`The Silencers,' `Last of the Secret Agents,' `Casino Royale'). `Casino Royale' was especially damaging, since it was (VERY LOOSELY) based on a Fleming novel, and used the character of James Bond, 007. In fact, in `Casino Royale,' nearly EVERYBODY played `James Bond'. `If we don't know what we are doing, how will the enemy,' was the explanation `James Bond' (David Niven) gave to explain why MI6 was calling all its agents `James Bond'. To protect their franchise, the producers of the `real' James Bond movies emphasized in their promotion `Sean Connery IS James Bond.' In a demonstration of `gratitude,' Connery up and quit the series, leaving `On Her Majesty's Secret Service,' which was shortly to go into production, without a `Bond.'
Arguably the most ambitious and difficult to shoot of ALL the Bond films (at least to that time), it's a miracle ANYTHING works in OHMSS. Much of the time it works VERY well, though the shaky underpinnings of the first hour frequently threaten to undo it. There is so much choppy editing and dubbed dialogue, one begins to suspect he is watching a foreign film. The second hour plus works much better, all the more surprising since it was shot first. One reason may be that the film went WAY over both shooting schedule and budget, and there was enough made up `bad' press to put a great deal of pressure on the producers, first time director, Peter Hunt and star, George Lazenby. In the middle of it all, Lazenby's publicist announced that Lazenby was not going to do another Bond (Lazenby is credible when he says that announcement was not his idea. One suspects, from the bonus material, that Cubby Broccoli planted that story to discredit Lazenby, should the film fail). Add to all this the films' tacked-on, unhappy ending (planned to be the prologue for `Diamonds are Forever'), which plays completely against the humor of earlier moments, and it's a wonder the film was NOT a dismal failure. Quite the contrary, OHMSS is one of the BEST of the Bond films, filled with nonstop action, outstanding stunts, incredible sound, the best score (along with `Goldfinger') and a credible enough romance to lend it genuine poignancy. Lazenby overcame many tremendous handicaps: having to replace one of the best known and popular actors in the world; he was 28, younger than Connery when he made `Dr. No'; he was completely inexperienced as an actor (OHMSS was Lazenby's FIRST movie, not just his first starring role); his accent (thick Australian outback) and the INCREDIBLE physical demands (Lazenby did many of his own stunts). Considering all this, Lazenby is downright remarkable. Certainly, in my opinion he is better than either the snooty Timothy Dalton or the lightweight Roger Moore were in ANY of their outings as Bond.. The bonus feature on the DVD concludes with strong evidence that Lazenby became a scapegoat, despite the eventual financial success of OHMSS. Lazenby, refreshingly displays no bitterness that his career nearly ended as soon as it began. He's had a reasonably busy career playing character roles and we have OHMSS. Not a bad deal at all.
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 18 July 2022 10:14
(A review of
Casino Royale)
It is better not to think of this film as an official Bond film, because even if it was meant to be, it doesn't feel like one. If anything, it feels like a disjointed spy caper and as a spoof it is one with pluses and minuses.
Casino Royale does have its good points. The locations, costumes, photography and Bond girls look wonderful, even if the editing isn't as good. The music is rousing enough with a brilliant song sung by Dusty Springfield, the opening and closing sequences are memorable, the idea is great, there are some funny bits and there is a great cast, although the performances themselves are uneven. David Niven is amusing, Orson Welles is a good find, Ursula Andress is very sexy and beautiful and Woody Allen provides some of the more funnier moments though these moments are almost too brief to savour properly.
The rest of the cast don't give bad performances or anything, but the material they got should have been better. Peter Sellers's talents in my opinion are not put to good use, there are times when he is funny but there are other times where he does little more than ad libs and he does overdo it occasionally, while some of the cameos are wasted and that includes John Huston as M, who coincidentally is one of the directors of Casino Royale.
What hurt Casino Royale though was the length and the pace. It was much too long and there are some parts that move along at a snail's pace. The film also feels bloated, there are too many characters and the film should have had about three less directors than it did. The film does start off well, but then it becomes very silly, overblown and pointless. The script is weak, with the occasional funny moment outweighed by the too silly, unfunny moment sadly, while the plot meanders all over the place and is very hard to follow and the action while not bad is rather overblown.
Overall, I can see why Casino Royale is seen as a love it/hate it movie. As for me, I had very mixed feelings on this film, and while not terrible, it is disjointed and bloated that is saved by the production values, music and some of the cast. 5/10 Bethany Cox
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 18 July 2022 09:52
(A review of
Final Fantasy VIII)
Final Fantasy VIII was regarded as "flawed" by many Final Fantasy fans upon release. The truth is, they were too busy re-playing Final Fantasy VII to realise exactly what had just be created.
Final Fantasy VIII is not only my favourite game of all time, it's probably the best. To try and explain it right now is very hard, not because of a complex plot or difficult scenario: but because whatever I say will not compare to how much of a masterpiece it really is.
I will however, point out some finer points: The characters are the most in-depth, perfect and different individuals you will ever meet in a video game. They're so developed, they seem real. They interact with each other based on their feelings, and you never for a minute feel like they're video game characters. Best of all, they're likable to a point in which you wish you were part of their gang. I cannot express my "true" thoughts on how much I worship the characters of Final Fantasy VIII: it would be impossible for me to comprehend.
The music is an absolute masterpiece. It's perfect and beautifully crafted. I purchased the soundtrack, and I listen to it on shuffle everyday for a few hours. It always suits the scene or setting, or builds up tension, suspense or just plain excitement. It's awesome.
The plot is not basic. It's complex. It's amazing. It's definitely un-flawed, and people are now starting to realise exactly what's so good about the 8th chapter in the Final Fantasy saga.
If you could have one game to play forever, I strongly recommend this. It's my choice, and I complete it at least 3 times a year to ensure I never forget about it: although that's not very likely.
Overall: The greatest game of all time, without a doubt. A definitive gaming masterpiece for FF fans alike. Pure perfection. (10/10)
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2022 08:07
(A review of
The Last of Us)
A little late to the party, I've recently been playing the brilliant PS3 game The Last Of Us. As with many popular video games, it has inspired a number of 'fan films' online. If you didn't already know, these are small, low budget, short films inspired by the original digit-pixel time- wasters. If you have a look on YouTube, there's thousands of 'em.
I done a search the other day and this one 'topped the charts', so to speak. Even if you haven't played the game, although it'll definitely help if you have, I think there's something to be enjoyed in this.
Set twenty years after a rather nasty fungal infection has decimated humanity, it focuses on Joel and Ellie making their way through a wasted, fading landscape, hoping to make contact with an underground resistance group called The Fireflies. The Fireflies have a medical team that can potentially harness Ellie's immunity to the infection and create a cure, ensuring humanity's survival. On the way they encounter numerous dangers both human and infected. A bit like The Walking Dead, but without the boring six months spent on a farm bit.
As someone who has spent a great deal of time watching films, playing games and making zero-budget splatter-flicks, I feel I can pass a relatively experienced eye over such endeavours.
Starting with the bad: The building used in the film is covered in graffiti. This makes no sense as the infection spread fast and would've left little time for decorative tagging. Lifting dialogue directly from the game feels a little forced when comparable scripting would have worked just as well. The guy playing Joel looks a little young and the girl playing Ellie looks a little mature. The 'Clicker' they encounter basically looks like a normal fella with a cake glued onto his face.
The good: The building used looks very much like the hotel in the game (the level it's based on), and considering this was made on a pocket-money budget, the graffiti is easily forgivable. Both the main actors capture the game's characters style and mannerisms very well. Idiots on YouTube complain that 'Joel' is too young and 'Ellie' is too old. Well, when it was made Jeff Moffitt was 47 and Kate McLeod was (a young looking) 20, so that's guff. They nailed it in my humble. The action choreography was spot-on. It caught the mood of the game. It looks great considering the almost complete absence of budget.
Have a watch, it's ace.
Originally posted at: http://filmplop.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/180614- last-of-us-fan-film-2013.html
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2022 07:54
(A review of
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines)
Warning: SpoilersBloodlines is an ambitious game, for several reasons.
First, it's an action/RPG in which quests often have multiple solutions, allowing players to choose between combat, stealth and diplomacy.
Second, it features an original setting, a seedy Los Angeles of the World of Darkness tabletop games, where vampires and other supernatural creatures hide among humans. I love Tolkien as much as the next ninth-level ranger, but it's always refreshing to see a RPG which isn't about orcs and elves in a medieval-like world.
Third, the player can choose between one of seven different clans, and the choice is not just cosmetic: if you pick an aristocratic Ventrue focused on diplomacy or a seductive Toreador, you'll be playing a completely different game from the player who chooses a monstrous Nosferatu, always lurking in the shadows. To say nothing of the hilariously insane Malkavians.
There is an abundance of great ideas: multiple endings, some of which only available if you made specific choices earlier the game; the necessity to balance the need between feeding with blood and not losing your humanity, while also keeping a low profile (the "Masquerade"); apparently minor choices developing into neat subplots.
What further elevates the game is the writing: wonderfully charismatic characters, with superb voice acting and expressive facial animations, and a creepy story featuring plenty of horror and black humour.
Flaws? Well, even after loads of official and unofficial patches (some remarkable work by fans), the game is still somewhat buggy (although now bugs are not game-breaking anymore). Also, the last act drops the RPG elements and focuses almost exclusively on fights, penalizing non combat-oriented characters - a cop-out for a game which, for most of its course, is so flexible.
There are also a few puzzling bits - a sewer section so drab and unimaginative compared to what precedes and follows it, you wonder what the developers were thinking - but overall this is a must-play classic.
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2022 07:51
(A review of
Grand Theft Auto III)
What can I say, this game rocks.
The basic story is you are a criminal on the run. Your girlfriend and partner set you up after a bank robbery by shooting you and leaving you for the cops. You are busted but during the transportation to jail the Columbians (I think) bust out one of their men from the van, you and another convict (8-Ball) escape too. He sets you up with with Luigi and you start you work in the criminal underworld. The city is made up of three islands. But you can't just go from island to island right away. Yet the story makes sense why you can't. The bridge from the first island to the second is destroyed in the break out. So there is a huge gap in it. And the underground tunnel system project isn't finished yet either. But as soon as you've finished all the major missions on the first island, the bridge is repaired and part of the tunnel system is completed. (you hear it on the radio).
The story line has it all. Betrayal, little bit of love, violence, a little humor, lots of action, and more. This is by far one of the best made games I have ever played. It is so deep in gameplay. You choose when you want to take a mission by going to the proper place and get an assignment. Don't feel like taking a job at the moment? Just walk around the city if you feel like it. People pass you on the street and you hear lots of funny comments. I dub one guy "Village Person" type because he says lines like "There is a place you can go.." and a few other things that sound like lines from a Village People song. There are college students, gang members, Chinese Triads, Mafia, Spanish hoods, hookers, pimps, cops, and more! All the types have their own voices for that type and own lines of speech.
You can beat up people with a baseball bat if you like. Just don't it in front of the cops. They don't like that. Stand around and wait after you killed some one and an ambulance will come and heal that person. Hold off the paramedics for a while and the persons body disappears and a chalk outline appears for while. You can stick your gun in a person's face and hold them up.
All cars in this game can be stolen. Well some are locked so you are out of luck on them. But the car types also have their own driving styles too. Steal an ambulance and take a corner too fast at top speed and you may tip over. Steal a fast can and you may not be able to make the turn and you spin out a bit and hit a wall. Take a different can and you may not be fast enough to out run cops or keep up with the person you are chasing. This is great because cars do not simply have the same driving stlye like they do in games like Driver 2 and such. Plus this has a good physics engine. In some chases in Driver 2 I tried to ram a guy instead of just tailing him. It was like hitting a brick wall. I didn't do a thing to him but I was pretty much totaled. Not in GTA3. You hit them and they will feel it. Lots of cool cars are in the game even an ice cream truck and a small airplane, no wings but it still flys.
Next their is the voice acting. It is superb! Excellent cast! Also in the car you can listen to the radio. different channels to choose from. There is rap, ska, classic rock, opera, a talk radio (my fave), and more. The talk radio is a riot to listen too. There are calls such as one lady complaining about people on cell phones and is even in charge of an organization (ok there are three of them) called Citizens Raging Against Phones. Yes the organization is CRAP. Another guy wants to hire a nanny because he needs to be spanked. It even has guests on it. One is a pimp who runs Fernando's new beginnings and a self help guru/martial artist.
The cities are huge! It would take you a couple hours alone to walk the entire city. Plus their are more things to do in the game than just missions. There are 100 hidden packages scattered across the three islands that make up the city. Find them to have weapons created at your hideouts. Also their are places where you can ramp your car off of for uniqe stunt bonuses. This game is not something you will finish in a few short hours. This will take over 50 hours easily to finish.
This is my all time favorite game. I hope they make another one similar to this and add even more to it. 10/10
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2022 07:38
(A review of
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
Just picked up the PC version of this game recently. I've been waiting months.
I don't play video games so much anymore (I guess it's both an age thing and a time-thing) but I typically make a special effort to get the newest GTA games when they come out on PC. I own the last three (GTAIII, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas) and each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
I liked the hard, visceral edge of GTA III and, of course, the novelty -- it was the first of its kind. I loved the bright, "Scarface"/Mafia-edge of "Vice City," which spoofed a lot of famous movies. Also, the voice talents -- Ray Liotta and Burt Reynolds, to name but two -- were the best of any of the games so far.
GTA San Andreas is good because it has a lot of new additions. The AI of citizens is better. The city is larger, the graphics seem better (at least on PC), the free roam options are improved (you can jump up onto/over gates and houses, now), the radio stations are better and more diverse, etc.
At the same time it's got some problems. For starters, I prefer the style of Vice City's Miami Beach spin-off. San Andreas is essentially set in the early '90s gangsta hoods (what Vice was to "Scarface" this is to "Boyz in the Hood"), and at the risk of sounding racist, I'll merely say I do not think the city is as fun to look at or explore (in most ways). Vice City was great fun to just cruise around your car in, and the setting was really exotic. San Andreas is grungy, run-down and ugly, basically because it's a ghetto and I don't think anyone will deny ghettos are ugly. That's the point, obviously, but it doesn't change the fact that as a game, the settings aren't as nice to look at.
I don't like CJ, the main character, as much as Tommy Vercetti. Tommy was a bada$$: tough, cool, ruthless, savvy, stylish. CJ is a hoodlum, and your point in the game is to "gain respect" and rule your old turf and claim it back from the scum -- to be honest I just found CJ a step down from Tommy. Young Maylay has good vocal talents (he voices CJ) but I preferred Ray Liotta. No, it's not because I'm white. It's because I'm a fan of "GoodFellas." The bonuses are that the world is more explorable and the missions are better, more detailed cars, better radio stations, funner commercials, etc.
Axl Rose supplies the voice of DJ Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith, of K-DST. He's got a lot of good self-referential lines ("As I've said before, all you need's a little patience...") and his quips to callers are great. (One person calls in complaining that '80s rock is dead and he cusses him out.) I found that a nice touch, and rare, since Axl never seems to leave his house anymore. Also, it shows he has a nice sense of humor about himself.
The rest of the radio stations are classic - the commercials are hilarious, the songs are the best yet (I prefer rock music but those who like rap will love it too - it's got plenty).
Overall this is another great GTA game with its own pros and cons. I do overall prefer Vice City a bit just because I really loved where that game was set and everything about it. But then again my original review of Vice City I submitted to IMDb says I liked GTAIII better when I first started playing Vice City, so...
For some people I'm sure the content of this game will be a turn-off, especially the middle-class white Americans who played the previous two famous GTA games. This has much more foul language and is quite gritty.
I didn't like some of it merely because I was expecting better surroundings and I missed the character of Tommy. Hopefully he'll come back in one of the later games, even if it's just a cameo.
But it is a great game and I can't really spot any flaws that would indicate it's "worse" than the others. It's about on par, with some great improvements in graphics and AI in particular. Also, the sound is top-notch and the game seems more realistic. That's always cool.
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Posted : 2 years, 4 months ago on 17 July 2022 07:28
(A review of
God of War)
God of war is an instant classic, its a visceral, exciting, intriguing adventure of a game that grips you in away that few games can .
Playing as kratos (one of the most bad ass game characters ever) god of war invites you to solve the brilliantly conceived puzzles and fight the truly awe inspiring monsters of a game that pushes the PS2 to its limits.
God of war excels in all areas -amazing graphics , a simple but brutally effective combat system, Great character designs, a beautifully haunting score and a storyline that you actually give a hoot about.The only problem (and i stress the word "only") is that it has bad replay value-to get all of the games extra goodies you have to complete the game AGAIN in a pretty darned impossible "god mode". Apart from that though, its all good.
God of war is one of my favourite games ever and if you haven't played it then i suggest you do . Now.
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