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The Walking Dead (2010)
The show dies and then keeps on limping
As many others have said this show is pretty fantastic up until the end of Season 5, with only some minor flaws until that point. The story telling, characterisation and acting are all top form. Gut wrenchingly sad in some cases. I couldn't get enough and binged my way through most of it.
Season 6 marks a significant drop in quality but still manages to be entertaining. After that it's pretty painful going. I'm midway through season 9 and at this point it's safe to say the show is dead. The writing is poor and in some cases moronic, the main cast is reduced to mostly 2nd or 3rd rate actors and the story arcs are uninspired. Mainly just Neegan and the threat of Neegan.
A particular flaw of the show for me is how Carol becomes a special forces expert in combat and survival. There is no explanation for how this happens other than she toughened up after the loss of her child. I can see someone becoming mentally and physically stronger but her knowledge and combat abilities skyrocket to the point of being totally unbelievable. I genuinely enjoyed her raid on the cannibals, this made complete sense and although cunning was well in the capabilities of anyone with a bit of guile. However, later on she is practically dodging bullets. She was also cast way too old for the role they have given her.
This show could have been an all time great but instead decends into a formulaic gore porn fest.
The early seasons are too good to give the show as a whole anything less than a 7.
Dune (2021)
Pleasantly surprised
I'm not a big fan of the books. I stopped after the 3rd as the foresight / magical and religious aspects became more than I could bear.
However, in the context of having read those books I think this film does a great job capturing the mysticism and intrigue without getting too bogged down in the detail. It flowed nicely, focusing on important characters and stunning visuals. The scale of the conflict is accurately depicted in some of the best sci-fi battles scenes of the last decade.
I can see how the end of this film and the speed of if might put off viewers with no prior knowledge, but I loved the pacing and visuals. A breath of fresh air in the modern blockbuster world.
Theme Park (1994)
Of its time
As a child running a park was very exciting but I didn't really get a chance to play the game on the family computer so I never really got to grips with the game. When I got a bit older I had many hours of fun with Theme Hospital and Theme Park World, so when I saw it available online I had to buy it.
Unfortunately, this game has not aged well for me. The interface is so convoluted and really doesn't add to the enjoyment of the game. Having to order stock in all the time is the most annoying mechanic. Building multiple of the same ride gets quite boring fast.
It was obviously a revolutionary idea at the time but they made a lot of necessary changes to later entries to the series. It should be a 1* for gameplay but it gets an extra 1* for nostalgia and significance.
Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (1994)
Ticked off the bucket list
Warcraft 2 is where I began my Warcraft RTS journey and I had always wondered what the original game was like.
Now that GOG.com have kindly provided a version that works on modern PCs I've been able to experience the classic for myself.
At first the game is surprisingly clunky. Each action must be instructed by hotkey or clicking the panel in the bottom left. Even scrolling around the map requires a left click when the scrolling arrow appears. The graphics are extremely pixelated on a modern screen and take some getting used to. I thought I would be in for a tough ride. However, you do become used to the controls and visuals.
The micro is maddening sometimes, although it is possible to have some exciting battles with the AI.
The path building system was thankfully dropped in later entries to the series but there is fun to be had planning building placement so as not to cause traffic jams for peasants.
The missions have some interesting variations; basic build a base and conquer the enemy, army assault of an enemy base with no reinforcement and even dungeon crawler levels.
The map designs are interesting enough and invite the player to hold certain positions of the map as gold mines run out. Or in dungeon maps their maze like structure is designed to sap resources but the background artwork tells you a story along the way.
Maybe I'm biased because of my love for warcraft 2 & 3 but I thoroughly enjoyed Orcs & Humans. A little too easy maybe but both factions are well designed and it was a joy to be transported back in time and experience the world of warcraft at its inception.
Kung fu (2004)
A perfect mix of satire and genuine love of the king fu genre
I find myself coming back to this film time and time again. I personally really enjoy a good Kung Fu / martial arts film. I also enjoy the the more magical and less realistic films.
Kung Fu hustle takes every trope in the book and exaggerated them almost to the point of being ridiculous. The story of rags to riches, arrogance to humility and a heart warming love story. Every character is entertaining and unique. The action is both slapstick and brutal. The martial arts action is actually some of the best I've seen, if you don't mind a more anime feel to it.
It really encapsulates everything I like to see in a martial arts film. I want more!
Bio Hazard (1996)
An all time classic
When I first played this as a child it truly terrified me. I had nightmares about the zombie turning around for weeks. The diary of the man slowly changing as his thoughts became more simple with each day's entry really haunted me.
I never managed to complete the game as a child, so I have recently replayed it as an adult. As can be expected the horror didn't have quite the same effect on me being older, as well as the graphics being very dated.
The voice acting and dialogue are also hilariously bad. I didn't really notice this when I was younger but now I can see a lot of the charm that has kept people coming back to this game.
The puzzles are in no way difficult, the main difficulty of this game is inventory and ammunition management. In this way the gameplay keeps you on edge. You must often choose to dodge an enemy instead of kill it, if you are playing as Chris at least.
Honestly, I had a great time. Dated graphics really don't bother me. The story is fun and interesting and the gameplay is engaging. I can't wait to play through the rest of this truly iconic series.
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (2013)
Fun with plenty of content
To begin with. All I really want is a DW2 remake with new maps and additional playable characters. Please!
That said, this is my favourite of the franchise since DW2. Having only played DW2, DW3, DW4, DW5, DW6 and this one (DW8). I will probably end up playing DW7 at some point as well...
Pros:
- Loads of content, I'm over 70 hours in and no where near complete.
- Musou mode follows actual 'romance of the three kingdoms' story.
- Nice character design
- Some good voice acting
- Objectives are fun and influence the battle in a big way. There are many ways to play the same battles.
- Ambition mode - interesting new mode allowing you to play more with your favourite character / faction. It can get a bit monotonous though.
- Nice level design - Not just open plan maps with some forts scattered around.
- Good graphics and cinematics
- It's Dynasty Warriors
Cons (IMO)
- Endless enemies - killing normal troops in this game has become all but pointless. Unfortunately as is the case with most games after DW2 the game is focused solely on killing enemy officers. This game is more about running through countless enemies than cutting them down. Even if you spend the time to kill some they just spawn around you depending on what battle events have been completed / officers slain.
- Character Musou - As much as I like following the actual romance of the three kingdoms I also really enjoy playing an individual characters story within that overarching story. They have also removed all the fun of unlocking new characters after each completion.
- Way too many weapons 1 - you pick up a weapon from every enemy officer you defeat. There is a cap on the total number of weapons you can own, which seems to be randomly generated. So to 'unlock' all the weapons in the game you have to periodically spend about 40 mins selling all the chaff weapons you dont need or want.
- Way too many weapons 2 - I have no idea what the recent obsession is for finding a new type of weapon for every new officer they introduce. Fighting styles, okay, but 3 different types of Fan? Lu Su literally has a rake!? The weapons for some characters are just getting ridiculous. Please take me back to DW2 when there were just various types of realistically sized spears and swords (with the odd strategist and his fan :P )
- Way too many weapons 3 - each officer now has 2 weapons. You can pick any weapon. But picking anything other than the officers main weapon is worse than picking their main. Which makes this option pointless.
- Weapon fight mechanics - because you can pick 2 weapons to encourage you to use both of them you now have advantage or disadvantage depending on the element associated with your or your enemies weapon. This means rather than using skill or timing to win a fight you just swap weapon until you have advantage and end up getting an auto multi-slash attack that can't be blocked. Alternatively just keep swapping weapons to constantly knock down your opponent and deal damage at the same time.
- It is EASY to kill Lu Bu - You know a Dynasty Warriors game is way to easy when you can kill Lu Bu on your first encounter with an un-leveled character. Just avoid his musou and you'll get him. The game ignores if you beat him at hulao gate as well. Literally no reward, which I guess makes sense as it is no real achievement...
Fight Night Round 3 (2006)
The best boxing game I've played
I haven't played a huge amount of boxing games but this is the only one that has ever made me feel like I'm in the ring. Playing this with a friend will have you both sweating by the end.
The controls have been perfectly balanced so that speed fighters can dance around their opponent to stay on the outside and the counter punching mechanic allows the slower sturdier fighters to get hard shots off. You can wear down the faster fighters by working the body and you can take out a bruiser by collecting points.
The fact that you can make the choice to play in this way shows that skill over chance is what will win a fight in this game. Unlike later editions which have been oversimplified to the point that the fighter's style and stats are the most important factor. As long as you have the better stats fighter you will win.
The punches are just so satisfying. This is probably what has kept me hooked on this game for so many years.
Character creation in this game is also great fun and their faces can be pretty hilarious between rounds!
Shin sangoku musô (2000)
Iconic
This is it, this is where it started, and I was there. I have so much nostalgia for this game. I still own my original PS2 copy and have been reliving it recently by unlocking all of the characters.
Obviously Dynasty Warriors is a well known title at this point with 9 iterations at this time of writing. However, when I first played DW2 I didn't even realise DW1 existed, just a standard side on fighting game.
Dynasty Warriors 2 was a release title on the PS2, an era where a new console release marked a significant upgrade in development capabilities. So I can't stress enough the mind blowing scale of fighting in a real time battle on a huge map like this. The hack and slash elements may seem simple now but the 3D movement, environments, character designs and mechanics all felt like you were being transported to those battlefields.
Later titles have failed to capture the pain and drudgery of fighting through the hordes of enemies and managing to survive the enemy generals against all odds. There was a steep learning curve but it was all the more satisfying for it.
This game will always hold a special place in my heart.
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
A good film but not thought through in places
So this is a difficult one for me to review. It has all the makings of a great film. Great cast, great performances, high production and an engaging mystery to follow with some interesting twists and turns.
Unfortunately, I do have some issues with this film. The main character just feels devoid of emotion. I know he's being a 'tough guy' but Ed Harris as Remy does a fantastic tough cop whilst also managing to express feeling in the performance. Having said that Casey Affleck does give a great performance in his conversation with Morgan Freeman towards the end of the film.
Michelle Monaghan as Anie feels practically redundant. Towards the beginning of the film she joins him on the investigation and even speaks on occasion but the character quickly falls back into just a conscience for Patrick.
There are a couple scenes which bug me, the gangster Cheese not doing anything to an unarmed man threatening him to his face for example. Or the bar scene at the beginning; why not speak privately to someone that is 'snitching'?
The latter half of the film does pick up a lot with some pretty hard hitting scenes and emotional performances, now that some of the twist and turns start to reveal themselves.
Lastly, the final twist. It's just a bit odd tbh. Okay, so the girl's mother was irresponsible and had made some mistakes. But the mother did care for her child, even if she was fairly absent. And the daughter had a caring auntie and uncle around her, which is the whole premis of the film. It just feels a bit extreme of the Uncle and all of the involved police to want to do this.
I did enjoy it and there are some moments where it really does shine. Remy dieing on the roof for one, pun not intended. But I'm unlikely to watch it again.
I Am Mother (2019)
Fairly unique dystopian sci-fi
If the film wasn't released in 2019 I would have thought it was filmed during COVID, given the tiny cast. What a great job they did with so few.
This film does a great job exploring the dynamic of emotional attachment to AI and the possible flaws of humanity's understanding and interpretation of intelligence.
The twists and turns are all very exciting and Mother's motivations are intriguing from start to finish.
The world design is perfect. It is so believably futuristic. Everything looks modern but practical and effortlessly immerses the viewer. Especially the robot design which mimics many of the robots already in development today.
Apart from the ending which felt slightly rushed, a thoroughly enjoyable film.
Dragon Age: Absolution (2022)
Great action and animation
The story is a little light but they pack a lot into the few episodes that there are. It's very short and I managed to watch it all in one session.
The action and animation is really quite good and the voice acting is surprisingly decent. So surely we have the makings of a great show?
I've seen some other reviews perfectly summarising the problem with this show; it feels like joining a DnD campaign halfway through the story. Although the characterisation is good, it's thrown at you all at once and doesn't really give you time to build empathy with the characters. The supposedly emotional scenes just seem to be lacking something, maybe the music? The music always seems so generic and barely appropriate for what is happening on screen.
Having said that the characters are all well written and make for a good dynamic in both action and dialogue.
An enjoyable series with fun action scenes and a compelling narrative. I hope Netflix stick with this one.
Beastars (2019)
Highschool drama furry crap
I imagine people bothering to read reviews for this show are unlikely to agree with me but I thought I'd post this as a warning for people expecting a more traditional anime.
The show kicks off with a murder which raises the illusion that this show is going to have an interesting mystery to follow.
The main protagonist is a large wolf which leaves you wondering whether he will turn out to be the killer. Especially as his instincts flair up on occasion.
However, the people (animals?) in this show just carry on with life like normal, after the murder. There appear to be no police of any kind in this world as no one is investigating the murder or even asking questions about it. I've been watching this highschool drama club show for 5 episodes now and I can't take anymore.
Resident Evil (2022)
Teenage trash
This show had some good moments. Mainly the scenes involving Paola Núñez as Evelyn and the late Lance Reddick as Albert Wesker. Particularly Lance as whenever he was on screen I felt like I was watching something compelling.
There is a coherent story to follow. However, I only really made it through the whole season knowing there was only 1 to watch...
Most of the main characters are really quite grating on screen. The attitudes and actions of characters feel like they belong in a cheap Christmas film in some cases. Wah my dad is a working professional... Wah I'm such a pushover. Are we supposed to empathize with these pathetic whining early teens? The show is rated 18. That suggests to me it should be targeted at people that age and above at least. They focused way too much on the young characters. I'm not entirely sure why.
I find the casting of this show really puzzling. You go from world class / amazing actors like Lance and Paola, to an acceptable Siena as Young Billie, to just painfully watching Ella and Tamara as Jade and Adeline as older Billie. These are all main characters, I don't understand why there is such a disparity in acting ability, unless they just ran out of budget with Lance and Paola.
I think poor acting from the majority of core cast members is why this show is so disliked. Compile that with some lazy / uninspired writing and you have this mess. I can't say I'm disappointed it was cancelled but I am sad for the resident evil franchise.
The Midnight Gospel (2020)
Animation is fun, dialogue is pretentious rambling
I'm not really a huge fan of podcasts which is probably one reason I didn't vibe this. The dialogue is just an endless stream of verbal diarrhea, the kind of stuff you expect to hear around a coffee table at 3am.
The animation is quite fun and interesting but it isn't fun enough to keep me sitting through this drivel.
The humour just falls flat as well. I imagine if you are a stoned teenager it might be okay. Even then there are much better shows you could be watching. Check out robot chicken or anything by adult swim if you want to enjoy some 'off the wall' insightful but witty creative humour.
Unleashed (2005)
Good but not great
The concept of this film is a pretty good one but it feels a little cheap and poorly put together.
Of the cast that actually speak more than 5 words, the acting is pretty good. Morgan Freeman gives his usual stellar performance. Bob Hoskins is probably the star of the show as the Don.
The scenes seem to jump around like a comic book film. The emotions of the characters are a little hard to empathize with. Whether thats the enigmatic benevolent blind old man who hangs around in gangsters abandoned warehouses full of pianos(!?) and is apparently extremely wealthy for a man that tunes pianos... Or his 18 year old public school daughter that lusts over the abused middle aged killer, Danny.
The action scenes are also decent, as is expected of a Jet Li performance. However there isn't much build up for the BBG, just a guy in white with a robe that was seen lurking earlier in the film.
Although the film is fun and does a good job focusing on the recovery of Danny in a loving environment, the action side of the film feels a bit forced and not on theme.
Labyrinth (1986)
Imaginative and fun
I don't think I'm really the target audience for this film but I can see why it might have been fun to watch as a child.
The puppets and set design are of the usual creative standards of Jim Henson.
The dialogue and choreography on screen give everything a certain pantomime fantasy feel.
The story had all the main tropes of an 80s fantasy quest. The main character meeting friends along their journey etc.
Mainly the sound design and music let this film down. I had a hard time understanding the lyrics of most of the songs. I'm also not a fan of Bowie's music...
The story was acceptable enough but it felt a bit cobbled together. Almost more like a music video or fever dream than a coherent fairy tale.
Enjoyable but overall not fantastic.
Theme Hospital (1997)
An unfinished masterpiece
This game holds a special place in my childhood. It was the first management style game that I enjoyed, having tried but never got to grips with Theme Park.
Theme Hospital streamlined a lot of the configuration i.e. Prices of treatments and research resource allocation etc. Which made this game much more accessible for children.
This meant that you could get on with the fun parts. Laying out and building your hospital, reading the funny observations about and then hiring staff, observing the whacky illnesses and treatments of your patients.
The humour and immersion is what makes this game so special for me. The description of illnesses in the game still make me laugh even now. Also the satire cynicism of private healthcare is now apparent to me as an adult.
I recently went back and completed this game for the first time. Having not got this far as a child, I never realised that the final levels are just not finished. The announcements don't always line up with the correct hospital equipment and the DNA resequencers can only be used in an emergency. They are particularly hard to utilise as once you have researched the equipment, the emergencies have been and gone before you could treat them. It is still possible to complete the levels with these bugs but it is a little frustrating nonetheless. Maybe if I replay again I'll build more research rooms early to account for it. I also had to replay a couple levels because patients or staff would glitch into random rooms or get stuck in corridors. Sometimes rebuilding a room or widening a corridor could fix this but it wasn't fun having to deal with that kind of issue.
Finally the soundtrack makes it easy to sink hours into this game. A must for any management game in my opinion. I feel like music designed for games is almost an outdated concept these days. Before developers could rely on visuals and celebrity voice actors they needed engaging gameplay with interesting mechanics and immersive sound to lead you through it.
I highly recommend this game but the bugs can get a little frustrating towards the end.
The Bad Batch (2016)
Let down by poor writing
Starting with the positives. The casting, acting, set design, art style are all pretty good. Everything looked authentic, each character was unique and well delivered. I notice a lot of people think it's slow but I actually think that's one of its best features. Some scenes were quite tense or serene and thought provoking, which were probably the most enjoyable parts of the film for me.
The world building is quite average and fairly poor in places. The reason for people living in this lawless land is half heartedly explained about half way through the film, and isn't an exciting revaluation.
Also the actions and motivations for some people in the show seem completely unnecessary when there is a practical haven with no draw back called Comfort. Why would you choose to be a cannibal when you can live in a town with electricity, normal food and parties? And the cannibalism of Bridge Town is portrayed as a necessity for them to survive. Not just a bunch of people that eat people for fun or other arbitrary reasons.
Lastly, the biggest flaw with this film was a random romance between a woman who suffered mutilation from the cannibals, and hated them, to then flall in love with one purely because he's big, muscly and draws pictures. Like sure, he loves his kid, but he's a murderous cannibal. And given the fact Comfort exists, he has CHOSEN to be a murderous cannibal.
All in all, the art direction feels great but the writing and cohesion of the film as a whole is a big mess.
Red Faction (2001)
PlayStation's answer to Half-Life
A real masterpiece for its time.
This game really set the bar for what I expect in a game, even now. Gripping story-line, good voice acting, some puzzles, immersive environments and even some humour thrown in.
Surprisingly the gameplay and graphics still hold up today. Which even for an FPS isn't always the case. It actually feels a little more challenging than a lot of modern FPS, without being frustrating. You have to be steady and aim your shots in a similar way to Counter Strike (on PC with no auto aim). However, there aren't kick back patterns to memorise.
Literally ground breaking destructible environments in an FPS was mind boggling to me as a child. My friends and I would play entire death matches on the max time settings just to dig tunnels, then try to link them up underground. Which seems ridiculous given that these days you can just turn on any number of sandbox games that allow you to tunnel and build but hey, at the time we thought it was awesome.
If you like sci-fi, FPSs and don't mind some old graphics I cannot recommend this game highly enough.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (1998)
Great game, but doesn't quite live up to its predecessor
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus is almost everything you can hope for in a sequel. It stays true to the original in terms of imaginative story and interesting art design. Also the mechanics are a very organic progression on the original game, allowing you more voice commands to interact with other mudukons. As well as posses pretty much every other creature you come across, then enjoying their interactions with the world and creatures from their perspective. New animals and environments are introduced as well as more cinematics. All in all its a great sequel to a great game.
Having said that, I have some gripes. As mentioned by the developers this game feels a little rushed. The puzzles don't have quite the same mind boggling difficulty of the first game, there isn't a lot of trial and error in order to figure out how to progress. There are good puzzles but it feels like they have gone for quantity over quality in this game.
The voice acting and character dialogue feels much more... goofy. Its still fun and quirky but the original game felt much darker in comparison, even though it was also very silly in places.
Finally, a personal gripe of mine, in the first game Abe's voice commands would trigger certain responses from sligs, now the sligs just respond with "What?" to every command. A bit of a shame, not sure why they took this out. These interactions were a fun little Easter egg in the original.
Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997)
One of the best platform games ever made
What I liked:
- Writing
- Game Mechanics
- Artwork
Dungeon Keeper (1997)
Dungeon crawler role reversal
A rare mix of RTS, management SIM and RPG with some first person action thrown into the mix.
On paper this games sounds like an insane mix of concepts but it works so well.
You are a dungeon keeper which means building and managing a dungeon to attract or capture minions to do your bidding. You can do this from overhead, RTS style, or you can take control of individual minions. You'll find a mix of the two will be required to complete the game.
Ontop of building rooms and commanding minions, you have the ability to cast spells. These are crucial in battle and should not be ignored.
Your opponents are either the good folk of the land, usually personified as the cliche group of adventurers; warriors, mages, thieves etc. Or other dungeon keepers vying for control of the land.
The writing has the right amount of humour for what story there is. That being said the story is not important at all to enjoying the game.
Really what holds this game up against the test of time is the dynamic playstyle and clever level design. There are so many ways to complete the mission objective and I usually needed to try a level a few times before I could complete it.
This game was a great experience and I will definitely revisit it.
Spider-Man (2002)
Entrancing storytelling
I recently rewatched this film as an adult. As a child it felt like an obvious transition from the 90s cartoons to the big screen and I loved every second of it, the action and storytelling all true to what I knew and loved about Spiderman.
As an adult I have been able to fully appreciate just how weird and whacky this film is. Sam Raimi really managed to capture a comic book feel in all aspects of the film. The dialogue and delivery is melodramatic without feeling silly. The action was punchy and over the top without feeling unrealistic. The costume and set design feels fantastical without looking odd. I don't think we have seen this level of subtle surrealism in a Marvel film since. Not even the sequels in this trilogy get it right.
Even though the casting and acting is great all-round, Willem Dafoe steals the show, with a perfect performance for both Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin. Special mention J. K. Simmons for his famous J. J. Jameson.
I'm sure I will come back to this film time and again.
Diablo (1996)
A true classic
Hailing from glory days of Blizzard, when they could do no wrong, an iconic classic was made. Diablo.
There is something quite charming about this game. The graphics, art style, voice acting and sound design in general, all add up to a wonderfully immersive experience.
Finding and collecting loot is so satisfying in this game, as it goes a long way to helping you on your quest.
The three playable characters provide very different experiences. The random generated dungeons also provide a great feeling of exploration into the depths with every playthrough.
Although the dungeons were fun, they were certainly unnerving on my first playthrough of the game. I found myself looking forward to the return to town, to chat with the villagers and learn more about the story, gain new quests and stock up on gear. Tristram really feels like a haven but the music keeps you on edge throughout. When I was younger I never felt safe in town.
The original diablo stands far above later additions to the series, which focus on character builds, collecting endless piles of loot and walking through tides of enemies.
No, Diablo 1 was all about the journey. A classic but engaging fantasy story of a hero's struggle Vs the ultimate evil. I wish more games had this horror RPG style.