It's not every day that I give up lounging around furiously tapping at my keypad and munching on Jaffa Cakes, but today I ended up lounging around at Sarah's house instead, furiously patting the dog and munching on onion rings with ten others. It was her birthday so, here's her little mention.
I've been lazy recently and forgot to update after I went to see Zodiac, so I'll give that a newly formatted review in a moment along with the glorious Half-Life 2: Episode 1 on PC.95%
"Masterful"
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Zodiac
It was him! No, wait...
Put simply, Zodiac isn't what you expect to see. If you're looking for a modern day, fairly simple slasher flick with a very slightly unique angle, you're looking in the wrong place. Zodiac is in fact a tangle of interesting developments and twists that holds fairly firmly and doesn't let go for around two and a half hours, which, arguably is a rather long time for today's standards yet it's two and a half hours that'll keep you suspended in thought.
The film's protagonist, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (The Day After Tomorrow) is a local newspaper's cartoonist who soon becomes so wound up in the whole mystery that he eventually devotes most of his life to solving the crime, and we only truly find out until the very last moment of the film. The acting is pretty damn well played and the writing lacks in some areas but is otherwise convincing. There's some comedy thrown in amongst the web of lies and constant chasing, and it works to effect.
However, make sure you watch it at home; the length is quite frustrating when your bladder's bursting. Also, I'd only recommend it to people with patience and relatively broad minds.
72%
"Curious"
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Half-Life 2: Episode One
Ruddy hell, it's back!
There's only one thing to say about the Half-Life saga. It RULES. And Episode One is no exception.
Ok, excessive formatting and ranting about how great it is over. Actually, it's not over. I love Episode one. I decided that as a end of term treat I'd buy it via Steam for a drastically reduced and reasonable price of £5. I downloaded it, plugged in and I didn't let go for around four hours, the length of the full game on average. It starts with the result of the aftermath of the main game, with one of Earth's enslaved city's main power core malfunctioning thanks to the game's lead protagonist and player, Gordon Freeman, leader of the rebel re- Oh, why am I bothering. The story is too hugely inventive and masterfully crafted for me to explain, but A fine gentleman by the name of Chan K has compiled the entire saga's storyline here.
The game is a rip-roaring rampage of rebellion and waging war that never ceases to amaze; at one point, I'm navigating a beautifully crafted monolith of a citadel, the next I'm running through darkened suburban car parks infested with raging zombies, and then later I'm taking down a war of the worlds style three spider tanks (striders) solely with an RPG. You are assisted by the scarily human-like Alyx, daughter of Eli Vance, yo- I'm sorry, I'm doing it again. I just love the story so much, it drives me to blabber on and on. The graphics looks stunning even if they're running on my fairly simple PC, the whole system feels wonderful and I was drawn in all the way; I don't think I can actually wait for for Episode two but at release prices, I'm going to have to wait until it was lowered like this.
95%
"Masterful"
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Whew, that's alot of reviewing out of my system... I could have said alot more about each but It's quarter past eleven and I'm watching the fifty films to see before I die, which has inspired me to create my own list. Except I've narrowed it down just a tad. So here's my five films you should see and probably haven't.
5. Braindead
It's gotta be said, this film isn't for the faint of heart; at it's time it was the goriest movie ever created if you ignore underground cult shockers like the Guinea Pig series. It's one bad ass horror B movie.
4. Shallow Grave
Can't stress enough how this is the perfect thriller; money, eccentric characters, a dead body, a twist ending... Perfection of mystery for me.
3. The Thing
Ok, so It was quite popular. But alot of my generation havn't seen it and it still remains one of my favourite films, most notably because of the bafflingly effective technology... No CGI here, all anamatronic monsters.
2. The Warriors
Classic cult 70's film about street gangs that is beautifully choreographed and should be viewed by all.
1. Without a doubt the best film of 2006 and my favourite film of all time, Children of Men is an instant classic that I'll never forget.
God, I'm chirpy today. Well, that's all from me for now. Peace out.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Webslinging, and a baby birthday
A double whammy update today, generally revolving around my weekend after SATs, which went pretty darn well to be honest.
SATURDAY
Well, I was up early, so I spent most of the morning jumping between Sky TV and MSN. i was at dad's, by the way. I'd arranged to meet Zoe, Hannah, Alice and later Jack at the train station at 4, so when the time came Jack called round and we head off. Wasn't too long before all five of us were on the train, which is always good fun, hooking legs around each other and all that general malarky. I'm not suggesting it was a lesbian fumbling session, just alot fun. Anyway. We got there and were planning to get pizza first and catch a later showing, but there was one on at the time, so we dashed for popcorn and then inside, just in time for the opening credits. Now might be a good time for a review!
------------------------------------------------
Spider - Man 3
Like juggling bad dudes with web-covered hands
The first two movies were great. The third is no exception.
Since we were a little late in the first thing I saw was the opening title, which is always an opening less frustratingly pointless than most action films. It begins with a montage of the first two films alongside opening credits, which is handy for those like me that saw the other two films quite a while ago.
The story is, well, what would you expect? A superhero, a general superhero plot, a superhero's fiance, and not one, but three super villains. You've got Flint Marko, AKA Sandman, the guy who actually shot Ben Parker, Peter's uncle. Whilst on the run, he sort of, bonds with sand in an experiment at some secret place. then you have the New Goblin, Harry, who's father was killed by Pete in the first film. Although he swears revenge, he's Peter's best friend, and a blow to the head gives him temporary amnesia... Hi jinks follow.
Lastly but, in my opinion, the best of the three, is the almighty Venom. Eddie Brock is shunned off the Daily Bugle department after Pete blows the cover of one of his fake photographs. An alien symbiote that bonds with Parker's suit earlier in the film latches onto Eddie when he tails Parker, who is tearing off the suit. Brock transforms into Venom, large teeth, eyes and tongue, and teams up with sandman. The final battle ensues and I'm not giving away any more details.
The camera work is a brilliant demonstration of modern day ingenuity, with Spidey having his own personal cameraman tailing his Web-Slinging antics all the way through NY. The dialogue isn't the greatest but it suffices, and though one of the scenes is dreadfully corny, It still makes for great viewing. Whether you're a fan of Spider - Man in general like me, or just want to see a film for all the family, I recommend the third to most people.
SATURDAY
Well, I was up early, so I spent most of the morning jumping between Sky TV and MSN. i was at dad's, by the way. I'd arranged to meet Zoe, Hannah, Alice and later Jack at the train station at 4, so when the time came Jack called round and we head off. Wasn't too long before all five of us were on the train, which is always good fun, hooking legs around each other and all that general malarky. I'm not suggesting it was a lesbian fumbling session, just alot fun. Anyway. We got there and were planning to get pizza first and catch a later showing, but there was one on at the time, so we dashed for popcorn and then inside, just in time for the opening credits. Now might be a good time for a review!
------------------------------------------------
Spider - Man 3
Like juggling bad dudes with web-covered hands
The first two movies were great. The third is no exception.
Since we were a little late in the first thing I saw was the opening title, which is always an opening less frustratingly pointless than most action films. It begins with a montage of the first two films alongside opening credits, which is handy for those like me that saw the other two films quite a while ago.
The story is, well, what would you expect? A superhero, a general superhero plot, a superhero's fiance, and not one, but three super villains. You've got Flint Marko, AKA Sandman, the guy who actually shot Ben Parker, Peter's uncle. Whilst on the run, he sort of, bonds with sand in an experiment at some secret place. then you have the New Goblin, Harry, who's father was killed by Pete in the first film. Although he swears revenge, he's Peter's best friend, and a blow to the head gives him temporary amnesia... Hi jinks follow.
Lastly but, in my opinion, the best of the three, is the almighty Venom. Eddie Brock is shunned off the Daily Bugle department after Pete blows the cover of one of his fake photographs. An alien symbiote that bonds with Parker's suit earlier in the film latches onto Eddie when he tails Parker, who is tearing off the suit. Brock transforms into Venom, large teeth, eyes and tongue, and teams up with sandman. The final battle ensues and I'm not giving away any more details.
The camera work is a brilliant demonstration of modern day ingenuity, with Spidey having his own personal cameraman tailing his Web-Slinging antics all the way through NY. The dialogue isn't the greatest but it suffices, and though one of the scenes is dreadfully corny, It still makes for great viewing. Whether you're a fan of Spider - Man in general like me, or just want to see a film for all the family, I recommend the third to most people.
84% - "Ka-pow!"
Story - 8/10
Acting - 7/10
Dialogue - 6/10
Music - 8/10
Value - 7/10
------------------------------------------------
Ok, so it was a great film, made better by me and Jack laughing everytime the russian landlord or his mole - carrying daughter came on screen... Hysterics and cries of "EI HHHAVE MOLE "erupted.
Pizza followed. Between the five of us, we spent about six pounds each on a large pizza, a medium pizza, wedges, breaded mushrooms, nachos, another starter I can't remember, 4 drinks, and 4 desserts between us. not bad, eh? It was about 10 o'clock by the time we were out and at the train station, and the way back was even funnier than the way there... Lots more leg fights and diving about.
SUNDAY (TODAY)
Today is Alfie's birthday! He's my baby cousin who tomorow is a whole one year old. He got a brilliant Elmo chair, a swing and lots of other goodies. Just thought I'd throw in a quick mention for him.
Well, that's all for now. I'm updating the site a bit. Oh, and if you search on google "alternateview myspace" You get my blog link. Yahoo!
- BG '07 out.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Reviews: Sand, tombs and the IRA
HELLO.
I thought I'd bring myself to do another update as I promised you some reviews.
Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time
.nuf fo stol syawlA
I'll admit now, before the big delivery last week I'd never played a Prince of Persia game, except the original, and that put me off for life. But after remembering laying Tomb Raider: Legend a while back, and how I'd heard they were similar, I gave PoP a shot.
... I was impressed. The graphical level isn't hugely important for SoT as it's quite an old game now, with two sequels. The storyline can sometimes be tricky to remember but It's basically a royal Arabian scandal gone horribly wrong, with sand demons and the lot. The game sees you swinging, crawling, jumping, ducking, dodging and diving past traps and enemies alongside a slightly useless companion... Your typical platform/adventure game then. I'm currently about 35% of the way through the game and I noticed a few cool features.
The dagger of time, I think, is a nifty little tool that transforms battles from a dull slice-and-dice-athon to a matrix style swordclanger. When you die, you can (usually) reverse time so that you can change the outcome and live to see another swarm of sand mummies. You can also freeze enemies in sand, before diving over them and slicing them straight in half, which is always a rare delight.
However, the game's not without it's downsides. The sidekick that comes in a little later on, Farah, can be extremely annoying. I'll find myself happily carving enemies, and the next minute I have to restart because she's too thick too run away from them. Her bow adds virtually no benefit to combat either. The camera angles can also be a little tricky sometimes and result in death from spiky pits, but a quick time reverse and that's all O.K
How about value? Magnificent. I picked this up in a triple pack of all three games, for £10. That's just £3.00 odd for a rip roaring tale of bravery and swinging on poles. Go for it.
I thought I'd bring myself to do another update as I promised you some reviews.
Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time
.nuf fo stol syawlA
I'll admit now, before the big delivery last week I'd never played a Prince of Persia game, except the original, and that put me off for life. But after remembering laying Tomb Raider: Legend a while back, and how I'd heard they were similar, I gave PoP a shot.
... I was impressed. The graphical level isn't hugely important for SoT as it's quite an old game now, with two sequels. The storyline can sometimes be tricky to remember but It's basically a royal Arabian scandal gone horribly wrong, with sand demons and the lot. The game sees you swinging, crawling, jumping, ducking, dodging and diving past traps and enemies alongside a slightly useless companion... Your typical platform/adventure game then. I'm currently about 35% of the way through the game and I noticed a few cool features.
The dagger of time, I think, is a nifty little tool that transforms battles from a dull slice-and-dice-athon to a matrix style swordclanger. When you die, you can (usually) reverse time so that you can change the outcome and live to see another swarm of sand mummies. You can also freeze enemies in sand, before diving over them and slicing them straight in half, which is always a rare delight.
However, the game's not without it's downsides. The sidekick that comes in a little later on, Farah, can be extremely annoying. I'll find myself happily carving enemies, and the next minute I have to restart because she's too thick too run away from them. Her bow adds virtually no benefit to combat either. The camera angles can also be a little tricky sometimes and result in death from spiky pits, but a quick time reverse and that's all O.K
How about value? Magnificent. I picked this up in a triple pack of all three games, for £10. That's just £3.00 odd for a rip roaring tale of bravery and swinging on poles. Go for it.
88% - "Impressive"
Gameplay - 9/10
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 6/10
Music - 8/10
Value - 10/10
Gameplay - 9/10
Story - 7/10
Graphics - 6/10
Music - 8/10
Value - 10/10
Now, this would be where I did a review of Myst for PSP. However, I found it so dull and disappointing, I traded it in for Tomb Raider: Legend, also on PSP.
Tomb Raider: Legend
She really is a legend.
Some say that the PSP port of TrL was a little worse, due to the lack of another analogue stick and slightly worse graphics. However, the content actually increased as far as I know, and after about a quarter of the game I'm happy to be back in Lara's comfy bosom.
Ok, I already mentioned the graphics. To be fair, they're a little more square than the console versions, but hey, does the DS have the FULL game port? No. The story is as it always has been; Treasure, tombs and tigers, with added spikes, stones and very large guns... And this time I'm talking about the weaponry.
The game was a huge breath of fresh air after the dog-crap-worthy Angel of Darkness on PS2, which was in no way related to raiding tombs - you instead shot your way through hordes of numb skulled thuggish guards. The story in TrL sees you after Excalibur, the fabled mighty sword in relation with King Arthur, Merlin and all that. The control system seems to be leaked from Prince of Persia, with less running up walls and reversing time. There ARE guns, and human foes, but nothing ridiculous. No rocket launchers to use against superhuman soldiers. You've still got climbing, many forms of rolling and diving, and extremely cute outfits that fit the re-designed Lara snugly.
However, from what I've learned, the game seems to be quite short. I've done about a quarter of the game in a few hours, which is a shame, seeing as how the few hours were fun. However, the disappointing length is made up by collectible treasure, 3 difficulty levels and time attack modes.
All in all, I'm happy I traded the desperately frustrating Myst in. I'm having fun with the greatest English fiction character ever created all over again. Bliss.
Tomb Raider: Legend
She really is a legend.
Some say that the PSP port of TrL was a little worse, due to the lack of another analogue stick and slightly worse graphics. However, the content actually increased as far as I know, and after about a quarter of the game I'm happy to be back in Lara's comfy bosom.
Ok, I already mentioned the graphics. To be fair, they're a little more square than the console versions, but hey, does the DS have the FULL game port? No. The story is as it always has been; Treasure, tombs and tigers, with added spikes, stones and very large guns... And this time I'm talking about the weaponry.
The game was a huge breath of fresh air after the dog-crap-worthy Angel of Darkness on PS2, which was in no way related to raiding tombs - you instead shot your way through hordes of numb skulled thuggish guards. The story in TrL sees you after Excalibur, the fabled mighty sword in relation with King Arthur, Merlin and all that. The control system seems to be leaked from Prince of Persia, with less running up walls and reversing time. There ARE guns, and human foes, but nothing ridiculous. No rocket launchers to use against superhuman soldiers. You've still got climbing, many forms of rolling and diving, and extremely cute outfits that fit the re-designed Lara snugly.
However, from what I've learned, the game seems to be quite short. I've done about a quarter of the game in a few hours, which is a shame, seeing as how the few hours were fun. However, the disappointing length is made up by collectible treasure, 3 difficulty levels and time attack modes.
All in all, I'm happy I traded the desperately frustrating Myst in. I'm having fun with the greatest English fiction character ever created all over again. Bliss.
85% - "Welcoming"
Gameplay - 8/10
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 7/10
Music - 7/10
Value - 8/10
The Crying Game
Funnily enough, It's not a game.
Well, it's true. When I told the guys and girls at school they all assumed it was some game where you had to cry to win. Sorry to disappoint, although I'm guessing it made a few soppy ones cry back in the day. I'm here to give a brief review.
Ok, so the story is... Actually, It's not simple. The first half is about a black British military officer (Forest Whitaker) who is captured by IRA agents and held hostage. The second half is one of the agents chasing the soldier's old... Partner, the seemingly beautiful Dil. There's some real talented acting involved. And I mean that - some of the best I've seen. Whitaker's accent seems very false but other than that I was swayed.
There's not too much to see about The Crying Game. I recommend it to anyone mature enough to take it in.
Gameplay - 8/10
Story - 8/10
Graphics - 7/10
Music - 7/10
Value - 8/10
The Crying Game
Funnily enough, It's not a game.
Well, it's true. When I told the guys and girls at school they all assumed it was some game where you had to cry to win. Sorry to disappoint, although I'm guessing it made a few soppy ones cry back in the day. I'm here to give a brief review.
Ok, so the story is... Actually, It's not simple. The first half is about a black British military officer (Forest Whitaker) who is captured by IRA agents and held hostage. The second half is one of the agents chasing the soldier's old... Partner, the seemingly beautiful Dil. There's some real talented acting involved. And I mean that - some of the best I've seen. Whitaker's accent seems very false but other than that I was swayed.
There's not too much to see about The Crying Game. I recommend it to anyone mature enough to take it in.
79% - "Unique"
Story - 7/10
Acting - 10/10
Dialogue - 8/10
Music - 6/10
Value - 7/10
Well, that's all the reviewing I'm doing for now, I need to go and check my E-Mail. A few side notes.
1. My Auntie Sue is getting married, congratulations!
2. I got an E-Dog... Look it up.
3. SATS this upcoming week.
4. I got Myspace. Yuck. www.myspace.com/alternateview
5. I have Monday off. B'doing!
Story - 7/10
Acting - 10/10
Dialogue - 8/10
Music - 6/10
Value - 7/10
Well, that's all the reviewing I'm doing for now, I need to go and check my E-Mail. A few side notes.
1. My Auntie Sue is getting married, congratulations!
2. I got an E-Dog... Look it up.
3. SATS this upcoming week.
4. I got Myspace. Yuck. www.myspace.com/alternateview
5. I have Monday off. B'doing!
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