It's been 4 months since I've done a review of any kind and with good reason,no one blogs anymore.It's FACEBOOK this, FACEBOOK that which is really quite a shame
I don't play as many video games as I used to,why? Becuase usually I'm either too busy reading,sleeping,or doing schoolwork.But there is one video game I can't get enough of here it is
One's things for certain,it's worth much more than the $5 I paid for
Battalion Wars (GameCube)
Developer: Kuju Entertainment
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:2005
Plot: 6/20 (It's completely unoriginal in every way possible,but then again it has few nice twists and come on,it's a purposely satire on American warfare,you can just tell by the the cartoony infantry and vehicles and bad accents so while it's not much it's not a total loss.Basically 2 nations (Frontier and Tundra) make a truce that is quickly broken (by Tundra) thus creating war)
Graphics: 20/20 (The graphics are absolutely stunning,very detailed,the environments are very lush and huge. The actual battalions despite being cartoony still look really good.When the Bombers drop their bombs the explosions are really good.No blood though.)
Concept: 20/20 (Basically you are the commander,and though you don't have a physical appearence you can switch between units.You lead the battalion through a great variety of missions whether it's shooting down gunships or capturing flags or bombarding the artillery.If your unit dies the game nicely switches over to another unit)
Levels: 16/20 (Usually they are all very interesting and the objectives are always differ,the real problem is although they differ sometimes they play out the same [Like Missions 18 and 20] other times they are the same [missions 3 and 8] but they're still amusing and addictive and regardless I can't get enough of them)
Challenge: 14/20 (The problem with this game is first it's waaay to easy [the first levels are tutorials but still] then come about Mission 6 it becomes ridiculously difficult,and it just bounces between easy and hard til' the end. And while the first missions are nice they are I found very hard to learn but easy to master. That kind of thinking has ruined many a video game.Of course now that I've played them so many times all them are simple)
Music: 7/20 (At the very beginning I can hear some of the music but it dies down in the action which is very annoying,but at the very beginning it's very nice,the best music is within the cutscenes though,very beautiful)
Final: 14/20 (It is a fun game,but to be honest it isn't perfect. It's too hard at some points and at others it's too easy,I don't get to hear the music becuase it dies away,I should be glad with the effect but I'm not and some of those missions get repetitive. It's a solid title but it's more about the action than anything else)
The sucess of the first garnered a sequel
BWii: Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)
Developer:Kuju Entertainment
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:2007
Plot: 11/20 (The plot is greatly improved,while it's still not original.Basically after a terrible defeat from the last game, Kaiser Vlad vows vengeance by deceiving all other nations into fighting while he can look for a superweapon that he can use to destroy them all,he begins by deceiving the Anglo Isles into attacking the Solar Empire)
Graphics: 18/20 (Everything looks noticeably better than the first game,but I felt like the environments could've had more detail and they could've taken more time on the vehicles while preserving the lovable cartoony look.The most impressive part is the water effects by far in naval battles)
Concept: 18/20 (Only 3 things have truly changed. First you can now play as a naval battalion,next you can capture all sorts of facilities that will resupply certain types of units,and finally there is an online multiplayer,I haven't played that so I won't give a score. Other than those new additions it's pretty much the same formula.It's also nice that I can now play as a bunch of nations rather than just one)
Levels: 12/20 (This game suffers from the same problems the first game did plus adds more like instead of a variety of objectives,instead you're stuck with Capture this Base,Capture those Docks,however there are a few standout levels like Campaign 2,Mission 3 or the final mission)
Challenge: 8/20 (It's not so much that it's too easy,more so that the challenge depends on if you want to capture the facility or not.If you don't capture any except the one that ends the mission,things will be waaay to hard,but if capture every facility in sight,it's waaay too easy plus you still have the same problems from game 1)
Music: 16/20 (The one thing that was fixed was the music,now the music is not only better than the original,it's a lot more intense and it doesn't die away come a batttle. In the cutscenes it's very fitting for the moment.Although sometimes it's repetitive)
Final: 14/20 (It's still a really good game and the new additions are really nice,the real problem is it hasn't addressed what plagued the original and added some new problems. It also comes off as more about the story than the actual missions. Not to mention the game relies too much on facilities. But hey the plot has still improved and for once I can hear the music and besides I haven't been able to try the multiplayer yet. Currently it feels more like an expansion pack with Wii controls rather than a sequel)
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, August 01, 2009
The Siren Song
This one is the sequel to awesome hit (though not too well known by my peers) The Shadow Thieves it continues the saga of frustrated, sarcastic, and smooth talking Charlotte Mielswetski and her cousin not-so-frustrated,sarcastic,nor smooth-talking Zee who always end up taking on the Greek Gods and totally winning at that.
The Siren Song (Ursu)
Year: (2008)
Publisher:Atheneum
Plot: 20/20 (Our hero from the last book finds herself grounded due to leaving to save the world without those parents knowing,on top of that Zee hasn't been acting like himself and a strange new kid has showed up. Her parents then force her on a History-themed cruise but of course nothing goes well when there's Poseidon and vengeful Phil to deal with)
Characters:20/20 (No creepy Mr. Metos, more of the irritating parents cliche,the same vile Phil but with a twist of egotistical Poseidon and of course the same lovable main characters)
Settings: N/A (I didn't pay much attention to the settings this time,I was too busy lauging at all the humor,or slapping my face in exasperation whenever Maddy said anything)
Writing: 20/20 (It's quite scary,this book was actually as well written as the original,something incredibly rare in books)
Final: 20/20 (Ursu has actually managed to keep the series going with no evident decline in quality,of course this score might only be temporary because I need to back and pay more attention to the settings)
The Siren Song (Ursu)
Year: (2008)
Publisher:Atheneum
Plot: 20/20 (Our hero from the last book finds herself grounded due to leaving to save the world without those parents knowing,on top of that Zee hasn't been acting like himself and a strange new kid has showed up. Her parents then force her on a History-themed cruise but of course nothing goes well when there's Poseidon and vengeful Phil to deal with)
Characters:20/20 (No creepy Mr. Metos, more of the irritating parents cliche,the same vile Phil but with a twist of egotistical Poseidon and of course the same lovable main characters)
Settings: N/A (I didn't pay much attention to the settings this time,I was too busy lauging at all the humor,or slapping my face in exasperation whenever Maddy said anything)
Writing: 20/20 (It's quite scary,this book was actually as well written as the original,something incredibly rare in books)
Final: 20/20 (Ursu has actually managed to keep the series going with no evident decline in quality,of course this score might only be temporary because I need to back and pay more attention to the settings)
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Newsies
I've decided to freeze all those promised ones from all those "Up Next" ones, I think I'm just gonna take requests {At least a week and see where that goes} and while I'll keep the "Up Next feature" it'll work by category rather than by what's in line
Now the one I'm doing right now is a request from Asm,this one is technically a musical but I didn't pay much attention to the songs so I honestly can't comment on that one. Like I said I watched that movie yesterday.And considering it had the dreaded D logo of cheesy fakeness it wasn't so bad.But since it based on real events I shall grade this from a movie perspective rather than as something from the actual thing
Ok enough nitty gritty and onto the real thing
Newsies
Year: 1992
Presentation: 16/20 (The movie actually started off pretty good and kept my attention,it wasn't perfect or near it,but to say it was superb would be an understatement all the same)
Plot: 12/20 (Basically Jack Kelleyleader of the newsie boys {these are the boys that sell newspapers to people and buy from the company for twice that and therefore have to sell a lot of papers to make a living,in this case they sell New York World newspapers} decides to organize a strike when the president of the paper company decides to raise the price for buying the paper to the newsies.While that's a good plot that shows promise it's just barely over modest. The plot is based on a real event and that real event lead to child labor laws so I can't be too critical however)
Characters: 20/20 (All of the characters are well developed,not one seems spineless or lacking,While David does leave some personality to be desired,he good enough besides he's supposed to be "The Brains" anyway. Little Les is a very convincing character,kind of cute {in a less hormonal way thankfully} but mostly innocent which is the real charm of this movie.The villain is just the kind of villain we need,a subtle,nastier,grim one simply putting profits before people.That's the problem with most villains,they're usually psychotic maniacs that set elaborate traps)
Bale's Role: 20/20 (Much more outstanding than his portrayal of Batman,nails his work on being the brawny smooth talker,and kept the charisma the real leader had though the real leader couldn't talk so good,but he was probably smarter)
Pullman's Role: 12/20 (He was really good at being the perfect president in Independence Day (whoops forgot to mention him),but well in this case he seems to portray his character Denton as fuity[the newspaper guy who covers the strike in an important rival paper,then helps Jack make a paper for all children],now I don't know about the real Denton but this guy seems a little to fair-weather and flaky for my likes (I'm not much for the real Denton if the real Denton was like that).But then again he also came off as helpful and willing to do the right thing)
Duvall's Role: 20/20 (He plays greedy,profits first newspaper owner Joseph Pulitzer who in the movie raised the price of the papers making it too difficult for the newsies to be able to feed themselves,he didn't actually make to much of an appearence but for what he did was great,I think he made a cameo in The Godfather as well)
Moscow's Role: 6/20 (He played "The Brains" of it all,but well he just doesn't seem much like the brains either,he seems more like that sidekick that gets in the way and never talks. He seemed to portray the quiet part of The Brains rather than of course The Brains)
Set: 12/20 (It looked old fashioned and sort of like old New York,but all the same it also looked like it could be Paris, Salzburg, or one of those cities on continental Europe.Well at least the old-fashioned part was done right)
Execution: 20/20 (Despite all the misgivings,it was still well executed,the right lines,just the right time to break out in song,all the follies were drowned out by something Kelley said)
Final: 14/20 (Not bad for a post-1970's Disney movie, not only was it well executed,but it also was close to the actual 1899 Newsboys strike.Still the acting left a few things to be be desired but hey when you need a good sleepover movie that leaves you laughing all night this my friends is a good movie.Don't expect too much if want something really boring though or if you want a movie with the most top-notch set.)
Now the one I'm doing right now is a request from Asm,this one is technically a musical but I didn't pay much attention to the songs so I honestly can't comment on that one. Like I said I watched that movie yesterday.And considering it had the dreaded D logo of cheesy fakeness it wasn't so bad.But since it based on real events I shall grade this from a movie perspective rather than as something from the actual thing
Ok enough nitty gritty and onto the real thing
Newsies
Year: 1992
Presentation: 16/20 (The movie actually started off pretty good and kept my attention,it wasn't perfect or near it,but to say it was superb would be an understatement all the same)
Plot: 12/20 (Basically Jack Kelleyleader of the newsie boys {these are the boys that sell newspapers to people and buy from the company for twice that and therefore have to sell a lot of papers to make a living,in this case they sell New York World newspapers} decides to organize a strike when the president of the paper company decides to raise the price for buying the paper to the newsies.While that's a good plot that shows promise it's just barely over modest. The plot is based on a real event and that real event lead to child labor laws so I can't be too critical however)
Characters: 20/20 (All of the characters are well developed,not one seems spineless or lacking,While David does leave some personality to be desired,he good enough besides he's supposed to be "The Brains" anyway. Little Les is a very convincing character,kind of cute {in a less hormonal way thankfully} but mostly innocent which is the real charm of this movie.The villain is just the kind of villain we need,a subtle,nastier,grim one simply putting profits before people.That's the problem with most villains,they're usually psychotic maniacs that set elaborate traps)
Bale's Role: 20/20 (Much more outstanding than his portrayal of Batman,nails his work on being the brawny smooth talker,and kept the charisma the real leader had though the real leader couldn't talk so good,but he was probably smarter)
Pullman's Role: 12/20 (He was really good at being the perfect president in Independence Day (whoops forgot to mention him),but well in this case he seems to portray his character Denton as fuity[the newspaper guy who covers the strike in an important rival paper,then helps Jack make a paper for all children],now I don't know about the real Denton but this guy seems a little to fair-weather and flaky for my likes (I'm not much for the real Denton if the real Denton was like that).But then again he also came off as helpful and willing to do the right thing)
Duvall's Role: 20/20 (He plays greedy,profits first newspaper owner Joseph Pulitzer who in the movie raised the price of the papers making it too difficult for the newsies to be able to feed themselves,he didn't actually make to much of an appearence but for what he did was great,I think he made a cameo in The Godfather as well)
Moscow's Role: 6/20 (He played "The Brains" of it all,but well he just doesn't seem much like the brains either,he seems more like that sidekick that gets in the way and never talks. He seemed to portray the quiet part of The Brains rather than of course The Brains)
Set: 12/20 (It looked old fashioned and sort of like old New York,but all the same it also looked like it could be Paris, Salzburg, or one of those cities on continental Europe.Well at least the old-fashioned part was done right)
Execution: 20/20 (Despite all the misgivings,it was still well executed,the right lines,just the right time to break out in song,all the follies were drowned out by something Kelley said)
Final: 14/20 (Not bad for a post-1970's Disney movie, not only was it well executed,but it also was close to the actual 1899 Newsboys strike.Still the acting left a few things to be be desired but hey when you need a good sleepover movie that leaves you laughing all night this my friends is a good movie.Don't expect too much if want something really boring though or if you want a movie with the most top-notch set.)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Announcement
Well it was great to have a nice few months off,but I'm back again
I've officially lost the paper telling me what to review so I'm all for requests. All I know is I was supposed to review a movie,oh wait I just got a request to review Newsies from Asm.
If you read this blog,please make a comment, PULEEZE?!? I hate it when my blog is read but there's no comment to tell me so,it's very discouraging when you don't know if you have attention or not,and it takes time out of my summer to do this
That's all
-Uber Psycho Tom
I've officially lost the paper telling me what to review so I'm all for requests. All I know is I was supposed to review a movie,oh wait I just got a request to review Newsies from Asm.
If you read this blog,please make a comment, PULEEZE?!? I hate it when my blog is read but there's no comment to tell me so,it's very discouraging when you don't know if you have attention or not,and it takes time out of my summer to do this
That's all
-Uber Psycho Tom
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Shadow Thieves
Unlike most books this book title is literally what it says.It's actually about shadow thieves but it's not quite that simple and I'll explain why soon
I came across this book when I was bored,Asm had told me about this book so i thought I'd give it a go,so I asked Asm if I could borrow it much to her delight. Now onto the review
The Shadow Thieves (Ursu)
Year: 2007
Publisher:Antheum
Plot: 20/20 (Basically you have a sarcastic,smooth talking girl who has things turn on her when a cat appears out of nowhere,then her long lost cousin from England comes over,and then everybody gets some weird sickness which is believed to be a problem from the Underworld oh yes that's right Greek Mythology isn't Greek Mythology in this book.It turns out some demi god has made an army of clay henchmen who then steal shadows to build an army to overthrow none other than Hades who rules the underworld)
Characters: 19/20 (I liked all the characters in the books, we have smooth talking,sarcastic,nerdy Charlotte Mielswetzky and a polite,calm goody-goody who goes by the name of Zee.Mr.Metos is kind of creepy though.My least favorite character is easily Hades becuase he's too lazy and he doesn't seem to care much about what happens all he cares about is keeping the throne and Persephonie. I pity Charon most of all though and maybe you'll agree when you actually read the book)
Settings: 20/20 (I love how the Underworld is depicted as a gray drabby town rather than hell or a land of ice,and the River Styx in which Charon has to ferry the dead over to underworld very nice,it's not really hot lasva like it's been usually depicted as)
Writing: 20/20 (Only a goddess could write like this,until now! OK,ok a little over-the-top but it's quite amazing style how ell everythings described and the sense of humor left in)
Final:20/20 (If all books were this good I wouldn't be able to hold a job for more than a minute. It's not my favorite book but it's certainly a good book with allusions to mythology certainly more fun than say The Odyssey)
Up Next:
Chronologically: Time Bandits (Movies)
Books: Warriorcats:The Original Set
I came across this book when I was bored,Asm had told me about this book so i thought I'd give it a go,so I asked Asm if I could borrow it much to her delight. Now onto the review
The Shadow Thieves (Ursu)
Year: 2007
Publisher:Antheum
Plot: 20/20 (Basically you have a sarcastic,smooth talking girl who has things turn on her when a cat appears out of nowhere,then her long lost cousin from England comes over,and then everybody gets some weird sickness which is believed to be a problem from the Underworld oh yes that's right Greek Mythology isn't Greek Mythology in this book.It turns out some demi god has made an army of clay henchmen who then steal shadows to build an army to overthrow none other than Hades who rules the underworld)
Characters: 19/20 (I liked all the characters in the books, we have smooth talking,sarcastic,nerdy Charlotte Mielswetzky and a polite,calm goody-goody who goes by the name of Zee.Mr.Metos is kind of creepy though.My least favorite character is easily Hades becuase he's too lazy and he doesn't seem to care much about what happens all he cares about is keeping the throne and Persephonie. I pity Charon most of all though and maybe you'll agree when you actually read the book)
Settings: 20/20 (I love how the Underworld is depicted as a gray drabby town rather than hell or a land of ice,and the River Styx in which Charon has to ferry the dead over to underworld very nice,it's not really hot lasva like it's been usually depicted as)
Writing: 20/20 (Only a goddess could write like this,until now! OK,ok a little over-the-top but it's quite amazing style how ell everythings described and the sense of humor left in)
Final:20/20 (If all books were this good I wouldn't be able to hold a job for more than a minute. It's not my favorite book but it's certainly a good book with allusions to mythology certainly more fun than say The Odyssey)
Up Next:
Chronologically: Time Bandits (Movies)
Books: Warriorcats:The Original Set
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Star War: Shadows of the Empire
It's been a while since I've done a review of any sorts at all let alone a video game review.But since it's time for a video game review here I go
Most love the movies,some love the video games,some only like Princess Leia's hair do,and some only like the famous lines "Luke,I'm am your faaather" (I fit in all those categories).Either way it's still Star Wars.If there was ever a franchise that had too many video games for it's own good it would be Star Wars. However with that bad there is good I am going to review one of the good.
This game takes places somewhere in between episodes 5-6,............I think.This was one of the many jewels for the Nintendo 64 and one of the many good games actually made by LucasArts.I came across this game when I randomly went through a drawer of cartridges at Leffler's house.Naturally I put it turned th system on and started playing here's my outlook
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: Nintendo
Year:1996
Plot: 5/20 (The plot is pretty weird,unecessary and it's more like just another weird chink in Star Wars,in a way it's like a bad fanfic plot,in a way. It starts off after the battle on Hoth in The Empire Strikes back,then stuff happens after The Empire Strikes back I don't care anymore)
Graphics: 20/20 (This game though was an early game actually did not suffer from blurriness. Somehow LucasArts managed to make a game with graphics quality that it seemed only Nintendo could do)
Concept: 15/20 (A pretty straightforward concept,use the lightsaber,use it some more and more.Pretty nice and simple)
Levels: 14/20 (Above average levels yes but they got worse and worse as time went by,I preferred the Hoth stage the most)
Challenge: 20/20 (This game offers something most games really don't have any more,CHALLENGE.The first stage was tremendously hard and you can tell it's a perfect 20 and a good game when it's easy=to-learn,hard-to-master)
Music: 20/20 (I love the music in this game,and it was actually orchestrated which was quite rare back in 1996 plus the music is beyond good and evil [not close to Mario but still beyond good and evil]
Final:13/20 ( While it's not good,it's still one of the best Star Wars games out there and still a very solid N64 game and video game for that matter.Wouldn't recommend playing it all the way through more than once though)
Up Next:
Chronologically: The Shadow Thieves (Books)
Video Games: Sonic Game Gear Collection
Most love the movies,some love the video games,some only like Princess Leia's hair do,and some only like the famous lines "Luke,I'm am your faaather" (I fit in all those categories).Either way it's still Star Wars.If there was ever a franchise that had too many video games for it's own good it would be Star Wars. However with that bad there is good I am going to review one of the good.
This game takes places somewhere in between episodes 5-6,............I think.This was one of the many jewels for the Nintendo 64 and one of the many good games actually made by LucasArts.I came across this game when I randomly went through a drawer of cartridges at Leffler's house.Naturally I put it turned th system on and started playing here's my outlook
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64)
Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: Nintendo
Year:1996
Plot: 5/20 (The plot is pretty weird,unecessary and it's more like just another weird chink in Star Wars,in a way it's like a bad fanfic plot,in a way. It starts off after the battle on Hoth in The Empire Strikes back,then stuff happens after The Empire Strikes back I don't care anymore)
Graphics: 20/20 (This game though was an early game actually did not suffer from blurriness. Somehow LucasArts managed to make a game with graphics quality that it seemed only Nintendo could do)
Concept: 15/20 (A pretty straightforward concept,use the lightsaber,use it some more and more.Pretty nice and simple)
Levels: 14/20 (Above average levels yes but they got worse and worse as time went by,I preferred the Hoth stage the most)
Challenge: 20/20 (This game offers something most games really don't have any more,CHALLENGE.The first stage was tremendously hard and you can tell it's a perfect 20 and a good game when it's easy=to-learn,hard-to-master)
Music: 20/20 (I love the music in this game,and it was actually orchestrated which was quite rare back in 1996 plus the music is beyond good and evil [not close to Mario but still beyond good and evil]
Final:13/20 ( While it's not good,it's still one of the best Star Wars games out there and still a very solid N64 game and video game for that matter.Wouldn't recommend playing it all the way through more than once though)
Up Next:
Chronologically: The Shadow Thieves (Books)
Video Games: Sonic Game Gear Collection
Saturday, February 28, 2009
PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,and Atari 2600
I've reviewed quite a few consoles since I started this blog practically all of them by SEGA most of Nintendo's, all of Microsoft's and few in between. The few that I have played but haven't reviewed are slowly being put on the list.
And since the last 2 Sony systems and the first real successful console are up now,well here I go.
I always hated the Sony brand,they've made the market for closed-minded hardcore gamers obsessed with blood and guns and they've always seemed corporately arrogant. Alright onto the review
PlayStation 2
Games: 9/20 (There are a lot of games for this system,by now they're should be enough to fill a garden shed and that's just with 1 of each,with all the copies sold you could fill a mansion,but the main drawback is most of these games are crap like Disney:Sing It)
Graphics: 12/20 (Impressive graphics but primitive compared to the likes of GameCube and Xbox,early games look comparable to the Nintendo 64 [Dead or Alive 2]
Design:0/20 (Looks like an ugly skyscraper,too heavy,and prone to breakage plus it can't read discs half the time)
Technology: 20/20 (In a day when DVD's were rare and expensive,$300 was a bargain not to mention backward compatibility which was all but forgotten)
Final:10/20 (Terrible system but no one can deny the technological aspects of the PS2)
After dominating the console industry,Sony went handheld with the unoriginal name of...............
PlayStation Portable
Games: 2/20 (Not a lot,and not a lot of good in fact like the Lynx I can only name 4 good games Grand Theft Auto:Liberty City Stories,Grand Theft Auto:Vice City Stories,Daxter,and Monster Hunter)
Graphics:19/20 (Graphical marvel the PSP is,it's like putting the Ps2 into a handheld,PS2 wasn't great for it's time but considering the fact most handhelds were still 2D and the DS had N64 based graphics,this is a perfect but 2D wise PSP is no match for DS)
Design: 16/20 (I liked the design on this one,compact and well placed buttons but the thumbstick leaves something to be desired and it could have better battery life)
Technology: 20/20 (The first handheld to use discs instead of cartridges,plus web browser and photos and MP3's this handheld is the perfect multimedia center)
Final:14/20 (The only SONY system I actually can respect in any way,but no match for DS)
Onto the first cartridge based system that mattered,the first 30 million seller,the first system with real 3rd party support it is........
Atari 2600
Games: 12/20 (Don't get me wrong this system has a lot of games and a lot of good games like Pitfall!,Adventure,Night Driver,Space Invaders,Tennis,Kaboom!,Tanks,but it also is loaded with garbage like Pac-Man,E.T. the Extraterrestrial,Karate,Custer's Revenge,and Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Graphics: 9/20 (Atari 2600 was never known for having attractive graphics,earlier games look more like pixilated puke but hey some look pretty good[ex:Ms. Pac-Man])
Design:18/20 (I loved the design,the faux wood style gives me a "right-at-home" feeling but it was too big and heavy)
Technology:20/20 (First system with dettachable controllers,first that could support many add-ons and so much more,easily a perfect)
Final:15/20(Good system,best-of-the-best before 1985 but with a huge storm of inexperienced 3rd party developers making games and throwing em' out into the market,no one could tell the good from the bad which of course helped cause the Crash of 1984)
Favorite Games
PlayStation 2: Final Fantasy X
PlayStation Portable: Monster Hunter
Atari 2600: Adventure
Up Next
Chronologically: Star Wars:Shadows of the Empire (Video Games)
Consoles:Sega Master System and Turbo Grafx-16
And since the last 2 Sony systems and the first real successful console are up now,well here I go.
I always hated the Sony brand,they've made the market for closed-minded hardcore gamers obsessed with blood and guns and they've always seemed corporately arrogant. Alright onto the review
PlayStation 2
Games: 9/20 (There are a lot of games for this system,by now they're should be enough to fill a garden shed and that's just with 1 of each,with all the copies sold you could fill a mansion,but the main drawback is most of these games are crap like Disney:Sing It)
Graphics: 12/20 (Impressive graphics but primitive compared to the likes of GameCube and Xbox,early games look comparable to the Nintendo 64 [Dead or Alive 2]
Design:0/20 (Looks like an ugly skyscraper,too heavy,and prone to breakage plus it can't read discs half the time)
Technology: 20/20 (In a day when DVD's were rare and expensive,$300 was a bargain not to mention backward compatibility which was all but forgotten)
Final:10/20 (Terrible system but no one can deny the technological aspects of the PS2)
After dominating the console industry,Sony went handheld with the unoriginal name of...............
PlayStation Portable
Games: 2/20 (Not a lot,and not a lot of good in fact like the Lynx I can only name 4 good games Grand Theft Auto:Liberty City Stories,Grand Theft Auto:Vice City Stories,Daxter,and Monster Hunter)
Graphics:19/20 (Graphical marvel the PSP is,it's like putting the Ps2 into a handheld,PS2 wasn't great for it's time but considering the fact most handhelds were still 2D and the DS had N64 based graphics,this is a perfect but 2D wise PSP is no match for DS)
Design: 16/20 (I liked the design on this one,compact and well placed buttons but the thumbstick leaves something to be desired and it could have better battery life)
Technology: 20/20 (The first handheld to use discs instead of cartridges,plus web browser and photos and MP3's this handheld is the perfect multimedia center)
Final:14/20 (The only SONY system I actually can respect in any way,but no match for DS)
Onto the first cartridge based system that mattered,the first 30 million seller,the first system with real 3rd party support it is........
Atari 2600
Games: 12/20 (Don't get me wrong this system has a lot of games and a lot of good games like Pitfall!,Adventure,Night Driver,Space Invaders,Tennis,Kaboom!,Tanks,but it also is loaded with garbage like Pac-Man,E.T. the Extraterrestrial,Karate,Custer's Revenge,and Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Graphics: 9/20 (Atari 2600 was never known for having attractive graphics,earlier games look more like pixilated puke but hey some look pretty good[ex:Ms. Pac-Man])
Design:18/20 (I loved the design,the faux wood style gives me a "right-at-home" feeling but it was too big and heavy)
Technology:20/20 (First system with dettachable controllers,first that could support many add-ons and so much more,easily a perfect)
Final:15/20(Good system,best-of-the-best before 1985 but with a huge storm of inexperienced 3rd party developers making games and throwing em' out into the market,no one could tell the good from the bad which of course helped cause the Crash of 1984)
Favorite Games
PlayStation 2: Final Fantasy X
PlayStation Portable: Monster Hunter
Atari 2600: Adventure
Up Next
Chronologically: Star Wars:Shadows of the Empire (Video Games)
Consoles:Sega Master System and Turbo Grafx-16
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Ever After
I've seen this quite a few times with Ma' and if you think it's a regular romance chick flick,you've got it all wrong. In fact I remember one of my 7th grade teachers would always talk about this movie every last time.It didn't mean much learning of Math or anything but hey they're nice little anecdotes that lighten the dullness of class.
I apologize for my slowness,I had every intention of doing this earlier but last time I wasn't too busy or tired.Asm kicked me off to finish her stupid fanfic [alright fine I don't know if it's stupid or not but the point is it's delayed this review]
Alright enough of this ramblin' time to get to the point.
Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Year: 1998
Presentation: 18/20 (Really good presentation,albeit boring but hey few movies have really nailed the beginning)
Plot: 6/20 (The plot was completely unimpressive,but lets face it the whole Cinderella idea is the most unoriginal thing ever,more unoriginal than even fairy-tale spin-offs like Shrek or Hoodwinked)
Characters: 20/20 (The main character was extremely brave,cool,and smart and not the usual damsel in distress and the perfect wife, the prince was the perfect rebel and the perfect "hottie" and he's the clueless one but still lovable.The stepsisters are just like the regular ones well one is the other is simply next in line to slaughter.The stepmom is a much more subtle and secretive villain and quite a lot like the CEOS of Chrysler,Ford,and GM spending too much and blaming the workers and spending like she has it all.The dad we only saw for one scene but the relationship between the 2 was so strong it would make most 5 year old girls cry and captivate most others)
Barrymore's Role: 20/20 (That's right Drew Barrymore,the same Drew Barrymore who played the little Gertie in E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial and Sophie in Music and Lyrics and she totally nailed the role of this daring,intelligent,unfortunate maid who falls for the prince)
Set: 20/20 (They did a bang-up job [yes that's a good thing for those who don't what I'm saying] of filming what's supposed to be renessaince France.They did the best job with the work of the Baroness home though)
Execution: 20/20 (Fantastic,this movie has something for all people willing to look past the title and your treated to humor and romance throughout the film,but the best part was the very end wih the quote "The point gentlemen is not that they lived happily ever after,he point is they lived".Every word and actioon was well timed and nothing seemed slapped in)
Final:17/20 (There is more to it that meets the eye, a good mix of romance of humor get past the unoriginal plot and title and you're in for a treat and I really can't imagine anyone else other than Drew Barrymore playing this role)
Up Next
Chronologically: PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable, and Atari 2600 (Consoles)
Movies: Time Bandits
I apologize for my slowness,I had every intention of doing this earlier but last time I wasn't too busy or tired.Asm kicked me off to finish her stupid fanfic [alright fine I don't know if it's stupid or not but the point is it's delayed this review]
Alright enough of this ramblin' time to get to the point.
Ever After: A Cinderella Story
Year: 1998
Presentation: 18/20 (Really good presentation,albeit boring but hey few movies have really nailed the beginning)
Plot: 6/20 (The plot was completely unimpressive,but lets face it the whole Cinderella idea is the most unoriginal thing ever,more unoriginal than even fairy-tale spin-offs like Shrek or Hoodwinked)
Characters: 20/20 (The main character was extremely brave,cool,and smart and not the usual damsel in distress and the perfect wife, the prince was the perfect rebel and the perfect "hottie" and he's the clueless one but still lovable.The stepsisters are just like the regular ones well one is the other is simply next in line to slaughter.The stepmom is a much more subtle and secretive villain and quite a lot like the CEOS of Chrysler,Ford,and GM spending too much and blaming the workers and spending like she has it all.The dad we only saw for one scene but the relationship between the 2 was so strong it would make most 5 year old girls cry and captivate most others)
Barrymore's Role: 20/20 (That's right Drew Barrymore,the same Drew Barrymore who played the little Gertie in E.T. the ExtraTerrestrial and Sophie in Music and Lyrics and she totally nailed the role of this daring,intelligent,unfortunate maid who falls for the prince)
Set: 20/20 (They did a bang-up job [yes that's a good thing for those who don't what I'm saying] of filming what's supposed to be renessaince France.They did the best job with the work of the Baroness home though)
Execution: 20/20 (Fantastic,this movie has something for all people willing to look past the title and your treated to humor and romance throughout the film,but the best part was the very end wih the quote "The point gentlemen is not that they lived happily ever after,he point is they lived".Every word and actioon was well timed and nothing seemed slapped in)
Final:17/20 (There is more to it that meets the eye, a good mix of romance of humor get past the unoriginal plot and title and you're in for a treat and I really can't imagine anyone else other than Drew Barrymore playing this role)
Up Next
Chronologically: PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable, and Atari 2600 (Consoles)
Movies: Time Bandits
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Netscape Browser and Persepolis
It's been awhile since I've posted any reviews.For that I am sorry,but I have recently started posting on a certain video game forum run by another critic,another self proclaimed critic merely called "The VideoGameCritic" or the "VGC ".
It's been quite some time since my last book,then again I haven't done any Browsers in some time either.I figured I might as well combine them since browser reviews are quite short.
I remember for a long time [since I was 5] when Mom and Dad just got an email adrress and Asm used to always play Sesame Street online,of course we had a different computer [which we used for a good decade until we started too need online,for this computer got replaced in 2001 with the one I use now,both were updated to Windows 98 and we used that for quite some time to. However during all these computer changes,one browser stayed the same and was the main 90's browser. Fine I'll get to it already.
Netscape Browser (AOL)
Presentation: 20/20 (Overall Netscape has had a good presentation it looks just like a serious man's browser [unlike Chrome])
Features: 0/20 (If features were strands of hair on guys head,Netscape would be bald)
Reliability: 20/20 (It was quite reliable for sometime but once the computer switched from dial-up to DSL it always got really slow from the router)
Searching: 20/20 (Certainly a good browser for searching at the time,albeit out of date now [sort of like being 16 in this era and still using vinyl records to listen to music instead of iPods and iPhones)
Final:15/20 (Netscape was out of date but it was reliable and workable and quite easy to deal with,but it wasn't compatible with stuff as simple as conforums.Eventually I ended up upgrading to Opera just get things done)
Now onto a controversial,graphic novel that gives one reader an interesting view of the Iranian Revolution and an odd view of Communism/Socialism.Here we go
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Year: 2003-2005
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Plot: 20/20 (I suppose it's not really fair to give autobiographies a score based on plot,but well the plot is good after all it's about the Iranian Revolution and living in Iran during the times of all those strict standards)
Author's Viewpoint: 10/20 (Rather than scoring by characters I'll score based on authors view because it is an autobiography.I don't completely agree with her view,I agree that it shouldn't be so strict and would probably have the same reaction to all the murders and sexism [It's not really fair when women can't even show any hair or wear sneakers when men can wear stuff so tight you can see everything],then again I don't think she has a lot of morals and she's a bigmouth and quite defiant but then again defiant bigmouths don't really like defiant bigmouths.I also learned quite a bit more aboput Communism and U.S. relations[Were jerks that set up puppets for our interests and we forget that capitalism has made Wal-Mart exist])
Writing: 20/20 (There isn't too much writing becuase it's a graphic novel,but what there is is excellent and i love the metaphors I see)
Pictures: 20/20 (The drawings aren't like traditional Japanese manga but rather in a league of their own,in fact I believe all books by this author look something like these,either way I wish I had her style of drawing)
Final:18/20 (If I wasn't morally baffled by her values I'd give this book a perfect score,oh well it's eye candy and easy reading,I remember reading this 10 times in my Freshman year and 20 times earler this school year)
Up Next:
Chronologically: Ever After or Time Bandits (Movies)*
Browsers: Chrome (Google)
* I think I did an Ever After movie review but if I didn't that's next rather than Time Bandits
It's been quite some time since my last book,then again I haven't done any Browsers in some time either.I figured I might as well combine them since browser reviews are quite short.
I remember for a long time [since I was 5] when Mom and Dad just got an email adrress and Asm used to always play Sesame Street online,of course we had a different computer [which we used for a good decade until we started too need online,for this computer got replaced in 2001 with the one I use now,both were updated to Windows 98 and we used that for quite some time to. However during all these computer changes,one browser stayed the same and was the main 90's browser. Fine I'll get to it already.
Netscape Browser (AOL)
Presentation: 20/20 (Overall Netscape has had a good presentation it looks just like a serious man's browser [unlike Chrome])
Features: 0/20 (If features were strands of hair on guys head,Netscape would be bald)
Reliability: 20/20 (It was quite reliable for sometime but once the computer switched from dial-up to DSL it always got really slow from the router)
Searching: 20/20 (Certainly a good browser for searching at the time,albeit out of date now [sort of like being 16 in this era and still using vinyl records to listen to music instead of iPods and iPhones)
Final:15/20 (Netscape was out of date but it was reliable and workable and quite easy to deal with,but it wasn't compatible with stuff as simple as conforums.Eventually I ended up upgrading to Opera just get things done)
Now onto a controversial,graphic novel that gives one reader an interesting view of the Iranian Revolution and an odd view of Communism/Socialism.Here we go
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)
Year: 2003-2005
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Plot: 20/20 (I suppose it's not really fair to give autobiographies a score based on plot,but well the plot is good after all it's about the Iranian Revolution and living in Iran during the times of all those strict standards)
Author's Viewpoint: 10/20 (Rather than scoring by characters I'll score based on authors view because it is an autobiography.I don't completely agree with her view,I agree that it shouldn't be so strict and would probably have the same reaction to all the murders and sexism [It's not really fair when women can't even show any hair or wear sneakers when men can wear stuff so tight you can see everything],then again I don't think she has a lot of morals and she's a bigmouth and quite defiant but then again defiant bigmouths don't really like defiant bigmouths.I also learned quite a bit more aboput Communism and U.S. relations[Were jerks that set up puppets for our interests and we forget that capitalism has made Wal-Mart exist])
Writing: 20/20 (There isn't too much writing becuase it's a graphic novel,but what there is is excellent and i love the metaphors I see)
Pictures: 20/20 (The drawings aren't like traditional Japanese manga but rather in a league of their own,in fact I believe all books by this author look something like these,either way I wish I had her style of drawing)
Final:18/20 (If I wasn't morally baffled by her values I'd give this book a perfect score,oh well it's eye candy and easy reading,I remember reading this 10 times in my Freshman year and 20 times earler this school year)
Up Next:
Chronologically: Ever After or Time Bandits (Movies)*
Browsers: Chrome (Google)
* I think I did an Ever After movie review but if I didn't that's next rather than Time Bandits
Monday, January 26, 2009
Assorted Legend of Zelda Games Reviews
Let me get one thing straight I love The Legend of Zelda but I believe it to be albeit overrated.I prefer Mario,Donkey Kong,and Banjo-Kazooie series more. But as a video game critic,not "The Video Game Critic" but nonetheless a critic of video games it would be a crime against nature to ignore the greatness that is Legend of Zelda. I've decided to review the 1st,the "best" and the newest.
Our first game was based off of the mountain childhood of Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto which he in turn turned into a video game[of course most top Nintendo franchises were started off this kind of stuff,Pikmin came from his love for gardening,Star Fox came from a Fox statue he saw, it goes on] alright to the point
The Legend of Zelda(NES)
Developer: Nintendo R&D4
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:1987
Plot: 20/20 (Like most NES games of the time, the plot is simple but sound,save Hyrule and Zelda from ganon,it's not a real plot today but in those days it was something)
Graphics: 20/20(The best graphics you get for a NES game in 1987)
Concept: 20/20 (This is one of the few games I know that throws you straight into the lions den with nothing but a knfe and a trash bag[or in this case a sword and arrows],and basically you go around Hyrule and explore and collect,sometimes I wish video games were still so simple.Even the inspired RPG genre isn't so simple)
Levels: 12/20 (I was albeit dissappointed with the levels and found SEGA's counterpart Phantasy Star to have more variety,but at least the levels are fun)
Challenge: 16/20 (I didn't give it this score because it was too easy,no,no,no,NOOOOO!!!!! It was ridicoulously difficult,I wish more video games had challenge but this is overdone)
Music: 20/20 (I liked the music,it was perfect for the game and could put you in the right mood if you needed it)
Final:18/20(Can't grade much else in this game,it is so simle that I must stick with the basics.But sometimes the simple video game is the best video game,which applies to books,movies,and everything to some extent)
11 years later,Legend of Zelda went 3D and the game was released to universal praise,to this day most serious gamers are likely to put his game at the top.Me not so much,I always found it to be too much of everything. But it's still a solid Nintendo 64 title
Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:1998
Plot: 19/20 (I liked the plot but it was somewhat confusing and complicated,it starts off with Link living in the Kokiri Forest waiting to get a fairy which he does but it soon escalates to having to stop Ganondorf from becoming Ganon and taking over Hyrule,oh and then you have to miss childhood,I don't want all this,it was just fine with,SAVE HYRULE FROM GANON!!!)
Concept: 20/20 (The concept is albeit like the original NES game,except rather than getting thrown into the lions den you get thrown right by the lions den with a pocket knife,trash bag,and a pile a prey[or in this case you get some basics done and you get a horse as well])
Graphics:20/20 (Nintendo did a fantastic job turning this into 3D,it's a huge step up from the likes of Star Fox 64 and Super Mario 64)
Levels: 20/20 (These levels were spectalcular,gorgeously animated,completely fun,I really liked the Deku Tree level and that level with Gorons)
Challenge: 14/20 (Not as challenging as I hoped but challenging enough to keep most at ease,Super Mario 64 was harder lets just say)
Music: 20/20 (I love the music,when I first heard it I thought only Mario games could harness such goodness)
Final:19/20(It's a good game but it wasn't as hard as people said it was and the plot was too complicated to completely enjoy otherwise it's amazing)
9 years after ocarina of Time and 20 years after NES hit Legend of Zelda,Legend of Zelda went 3D on handhelds.But rather than starting a mini-saga,Phantom Hourglass completed where Wind Waker left off 4 years ago with even the same graphics.
Legend of Zelda:The Phantom Hourglass(Nintendo DS)
Developer:Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:2007
Plot: 10/20 (It's not futile and it's not bad,the problem is it's waaay too complicated for my liking,the plot as I can comprehend is Link ends up on some Island that was once a tall mountain but the sea flooded. He ends up looking for Tetra but instead runs into some mysterious figure,and that's I far as I can understand)
Concept: 20/20 (Basically you use the stylus to create a route for the ship to go while n the great sea and on land it's just like any other Legend of Zelda,except with stylus and touch screen of course,this is in a nutshell all right)
Graphics:20/20(This game really pushes the Nintendo DS to the limits)
Levels: 16/20 (Not a lot of variety but the levels are fun anyway)
Challenge:20/20 (The hardest game I've played so far on a Nintendo DS)
Music:10/20 (The music was extremely mediocre,I didn' care for it at all but at least the music wasn't sinister like Sonic)
Final:16/20(It was alright but it's kind of like the black sheept of the series,and no I'm not counting those CD-i games)
Up Next
Chronologically: Netscape(Browsers)
Video Games: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Our first game was based off of the mountain childhood of Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto which he in turn turned into a video game[of course most top Nintendo franchises were started off this kind of stuff,Pikmin came from his love for gardening,Star Fox came from a Fox statue he saw, it goes on] alright to the point
The Legend of Zelda(NES)
Developer: Nintendo R&D4
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:1987
Plot: 20/20 (Like most NES games of the time, the plot is simple but sound,save Hyrule and Zelda from ganon,it's not a real plot today but in those days it was something)
Graphics: 20/20(The best graphics you get for a NES game in 1987)
Concept: 20/20 (This is one of the few games I know that throws you straight into the lions den with nothing but a knfe and a trash bag[or in this case a sword and arrows],and basically you go around Hyrule and explore and collect,sometimes I wish video games were still so simple.Even the inspired RPG genre isn't so simple)
Levels: 12/20 (I was albeit dissappointed with the levels and found SEGA's counterpart Phantasy Star to have more variety,but at least the levels are fun)
Challenge: 16/20 (I didn't give it this score because it was too easy,no,no,no,NOOOOO!!!!! It was ridicoulously difficult,I wish more video games had challenge but this is overdone)
Music: 20/20 (I liked the music,it was perfect for the game and could put you in the right mood if you needed it)
Final:18/20(Can't grade much else in this game,it is so simle that I must stick with the basics.But sometimes the simple video game is the best video game,which applies to books,movies,and everything to some extent)
11 years later,Legend of Zelda went 3D and the game was released to universal praise,to this day most serious gamers are likely to put his game at the top.Me not so much,I always found it to be too much of everything. But it's still a solid Nintendo 64 title
Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:1998
Plot: 19/20 (I liked the plot but it was somewhat confusing and complicated,it starts off with Link living in the Kokiri Forest waiting to get a fairy which he does but it soon escalates to having to stop Ganondorf from becoming Ganon and taking over Hyrule,oh and then you have to miss childhood,I don't want all this,it was just fine with,SAVE HYRULE FROM GANON!!!)
Concept: 20/20 (The concept is albeit like the original NES game,except rather than getting thrown into the lions den you get thrown right by the lions den with a pocket knife,trash bag,and a pile a prey[or in this case you get some basics done and you get a horse as well])
Graphics:20/20 (Nintendo did a fantastic job turning this into 3D,it's a huge step up from the likes of Star Fox 64 and Super Mario 64)
Levels: 20/20 (These levels were spectalcular,gorgeously animated,completely fun,I really liked the Deku Tree level and that level with Gorons)
Challenge: 14/20 (Not as challenging as I hoped but challenging enough to keep most at ease,Super Mario 64 was harder lets just say)
Music: 20/20 (I love the music,when I first heard it I thought only Mario games could harness such goodness)
Final:19/20(It's a good game but it wasn't as hard as people said it was and the plot was too complicated to completely enjoy otherwise it's amazing)
9 years after ocarina of Time and 20 years after NES hit Legend of Zelda,Legend of Zelda went 3D on handhelds.But rather than starting a mini-saga,Phantom Hourglass completed where Wind Waker left off 4 years ago with even the same graphics.
Legend of Zelda:The Phantom Hourglass(Nintendo DS)
Developer:Nintendo EAD
Publisher:Nintendo
Year:2007
Plot: 10/20 (It's not futile and it's not bad,the problem is it's waaay too complicated for my liking,the plot as I can comprehend is Link ends up on some Island that was once a tall mountain but the sea flooded. He ends up looking for Tetra but instead runs into some mysterious figure,and that's I far as I can understand)
Concept: 20/20 (Basically you use the stylus to create a route for the ship to go while n the great sea and on land it's just like any other Legend of Zelda,except with stylus and touch screen of course,this is in a nutshell all right)
Graphics:20/20(This game really pushes the Nintendo DS to the limits)
Levels: 16/20 (Not a lot of variety but the levels are fun anyway)
Challenge:20/20 (The hardest game I've played so far on a Nintendo DS)
Music:10/20 (The music was extremely mediocre,I didn' care for it at all but at least the music wasn't sinister like Sonic)
Final:16/20(It was alright but it's kind of like the black sheept of the series,and no I'm not counting those CD-i games)
Up Next
Chronologically: Netscape(Browsers)
Video Games: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Genesis and Nintendo 64
It's been a while since I did consoles my last being a review of the first Nintendo's and PlayStation.I used this order because these consoles had at least 3 things in common
1.All had full support of Squaresoft[now Square Enix](Therefore these were the consoles to come to for RPG's)
2. All sold at least 50 million consoles
3.The other competitors had to mimic with 1st party do o lack of real 3rd party support
However as for SNES and PSX those 2 had bitter rivals that could've come to the top.Because NES was the clear winner with no real competition I shall not compare any of the consoles that attempted to compete but instead the 2 consoles that did.
I already graded the SEGA Saturn(17/20), Dreamcast(19/20) and Game Gear(16/20)
The story of this console began when their 8-bit Master System lost to NES,knowing they had to make a console to take down this monstrosity,becuase NES was 8-bit,they had to make something that was 16-bit[Mattel's Intellivision was 16-bit but you gotta' wonder why no company could make ne like that] but nonetheless they suceeded and called it the MEGA DRIVE but NEC was already marketing the Turbo Grafx 16.In order to take the top SEGA copied Nintendo's policy and made games with celebrity names which ate out TG-16,then to combat the familiar franchises Nintendo and the upcoming SNES they made Sonic the Hedgehog who in America is considered star of...........
Genesis
Games: 20/20 (So much like SNES is has practically the same amount of games and with games like Sonic the Hedgehog,Sonic CD,Phantasy Star 2,Shining Force,Vectorman,Knuckles Chaotix and Golden Axe it was hard to find fault with it)
Graphics:10/20 (This system did not have good graphics,Sonic was alright but really,overall it was mediocre at best)
Design:14/20 (No matter how many revisions,how many sizes, and who knows what, it always looked ugly. However by itself it's also quite durable which is a huge plus)
Technology: 17/20 (Not the best technology,but it was faster at processing games than SNES which is a plus and it was the top man for 2 years,but then SNES came out)
Final:15/20(The system was above average,technologically it was the king for 2 whole years before SNES came out,the system was loaded with some of the coolest games out there,and hey the system was on the market for quite some time,and since there was a flood of system trying to look better,it looked too old within 3 years)
This console is great,so great I named my blog after it most of my favorite games come from it,practically half my top 10 list comes from this system.No console is perfect but this comes pretty damn close to being perfect.This console could've easily won but Nintendo made a few mistakes
1.Cartridges
2.Delayed for too long
3.No real RPG developers were courted
This console was waaay better than anything today and only 3 consoles could even remotely get close to it(Dreamcast,SNES and Nintendo DS)
Nintendo 64
Games: 20/20 (Not a lot of games[especially RPG's] but to make up for it,you've got quality,incredible amount of quality.Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time,Ogre Battle 64,Banjo Kazooie,Star Fox 64,Mario Kart 64,Super Mario 64,Diddy Kong Racing,Turok,Perfect Dark,Quake 64,it goes on)
Graphics:20/20(That system had groundbreaking graphics the later games were comparable to early PS2 titles.Super Mario 64 told you about the system capabilities from day 1.Unlike Jaguar this really was 64-bit.)
Design:20/20 (Durable,most beautiful looking,compact,and attractive console,but it always looked like it needed dusting,though the later colors were great,I for one like the Pikachu N64 even though the game that came with it was donkey crap)
Technology: 19.5/20 (I'd love to give it a perfect score,but Nintendo didn't use CDs because of this the games tended to look albeit blurry and they were expensive to produce.However the N64 controller invented the thumbstick and camera made buttons from day 1,and not to far after to advantage of the hole in the bottom by inventing things like the rumble pack,the controller pack[VMU probably came from this].Internally there was the expansion pack which enhanced the N64's power and graphics even farther(Games like Donkey Kong 64 and Legend of Zelda:Majora's Mask to advantage of this))
Final:20/20(Best system ever and will probably never be trumped but hey there's hope that Xbox 720 or Wii 2 or PlayStation 4 could be on the way to being even more outstanding,but only time will tell)
Favorite Games:
Genesis: Vectorman (20/20)
Nintendo 64: Banjo Kazooie(20/20)
Up Next
Chronologically: Legend of Zeldas (Video Games)
Consoles: PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,and Atari 2600
1.All had full support of Squaresoft[now Square Enix](Therefore these were the consoles to come to for RPG's)
2. All sold at least 50 million consoles
3.The other competitors had to mimic with 1st party do o lack of real 3rd party support
However as for SNES and PSX those 2 had bitter rivals that could've come to the top.Because NES was the clear winner with no real competition I shall not compare any of the consoles that attempted to compete but instead the 2 consoles that did.
I already graded the SEGA Saturn(17/20), Dreamcast(19/20) and Game Gear(16/20)
The story of this console began when their 8-bit Master System lost to NES,knowing they had to make a console to take down this monstrosity,becuase NES was 8-bit,they had to make something that was 16-bit[Mattel's Intellivision was 16-bit but you gotta' wonder why no company could make ne like that] but nonetheless they suceeded and called it the MEGA DRIVE but NEC was already marketing the Turbo Grafx 16.In order to take the top SEGA copied Nintendo's policy and made games with celebrity names which ate out TG-16,then to combat the familiar franchises Nintendo and the upcoming SNES they made Sonic the Hedgehog who in America is considered star of...........
Genesis
Games: 20/20 (So much like SNES is has practically the same amount of games and with games like Sonic the Hedgehog,Sonic CD,Phantasy Star 2,Shining Force,Vectorman,Knuckles Chaotix and Golden Axe it was hard to find fault with it)
Graphics:10/20 (This system did not have good graphics,Sonic was alright but really,overall it was mediocre at best)
Design:14/20 (No matter how many revisions,how many sizes, and who knows what, it always looked ugly. However by itself it's also quite durable which is a huge plus)
Technology: 17/20 (Not the best technology,but it was faster at processing games than SNES which is a plus and it was the top man for 2 years,but then SNES came out)
Final:15/20(The system was above average,technologically it was the king for 2 whole years before SNES came out,the system was loaded with some of the coolest games out there,and hey the system was on the market for quite some time,and since there was a flood of system trying to look better,it looked too old within 3 years)
This console is great,so great I named my blog after it most of my favorite games come from it,practically half my top 10 list comes from this system.No console is perfect but this comes pretty damn close to being perfect.This console could've easily won but Nintendo made a few mistakes
1.Cartridges
2.Delayed for too long
3.No real RPG developers were courted
This console was waaay better than anything today and only 3 consoles could even remotely get close to it(Dreamcast,SNES and Nintendo DS)
Nintendo 64
Games: 20/20 (Not a lot of games[especially RPG's] but to make up for it,you've got quality,incredible amount of quality.Legend of Zelda:Ocarina of Time,Ogre Battle 64,Banjo Kazooie,Star Fox 64,Mario Kart 64,Super Mario 64,Diddy Kong Racing,Turok,Perfect Dark,Quake 64,it goes on)
Graphics:20/20(That system had groundbreaking graphics the later games were comparable to early PS2 titles.Super Mario 64 told you about the system capabilities from day 1.Unlike Jaguar this really was 64-bit.)
Design:20/20 (Durable,most beautiful looking,compact,and attractive console,but it always looked like it needed dusting,though the later colors were great,I for one like the Pikachu N64 even though the game that came with it was donkey crap)
Technology: 19.5/20 (I'd love to give it a perfect score,but Nintendo didn't use CDs because of this the games tended to look albeit blurry and they were expensive to produce.However the N64 controller invented the thumbstick and camera made buttons from day 1,and not to far after to advantage of the hole in the bottom by inventing things like the rumble pack,the controller pack[VMU probably came from this].Internally there was the expansion pack which enhanced the N64's power and graphics even farther(Games like Donkey Kong 64 and Legend of Zelda:Majora's Mask to advantage of this))
Final:20/20(Best system ever and will probably never be trumped but hey there's hope that Xbox 720 or Wii 2 or PlayStation 4 could be on the way to being even more outstanding,but only time will tell)
Favorite Games:
Genesis: Vectorman (20/20)
Nintendo 64: Banjo Kazooie(20/20)
Up Next
Chronologically: Legend of Zeldas (Video Games)
Consoles: PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,and Atari 2600
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Parent Trap(1998)
I would've done The Godfather but I don't remember enough about it to do a review,so instead I've decided to replace that movie with a review of The Parent Trap and no not the 1966 Disney hit,rather the 1998 remake.
The Parent Trap(1998)
Presentation: 20/20(Impressive presentation and excellent beginning dialogue)
Plot: 5/20 (This plot has been done and it's so old practically every TV show or book has done some version of it it's like a sibling version of The Prince and The Pauper,but at least it's done in quite a nice style)
Characters:20/20 (Hilarious characters well developed and every character is lovable[except one who is easy to love to hate])
Lohan's Role: 20/20 (This was made back in the day when Lindsay Lohan was actually a good actress not someone known for being drunk,she was maybe 12 at the oldest,either way she totally pulled the dual roles of Haley Parker and Anne James)
Richardson's Role: 19/20 (Almost sound,still she potrayed Elizabeth James as albeit of a dull character at first)
Quaid's Role: 12/20 (Easily the weak one but hey he's always the weak one and somehow he always end up as a father in each movie[of course I've only seen him in The Day After Tomorrow and Your's Mine,and Our's] oh well he does an acceptable job at being the unsuspecting Dad)
Set: 20/20 (Good set work,theleaky cabin was filmed well and the rest was about as good as it gets for 1998)
Execution:20/20 (The plot is a loss but thankfully it's done in a good style,with badass dialogue,and an ending you wouldn't expect)
Final:16/20(It's hard to not like this movie,but it's not without flaws I mean the plot sucks but the movie wouldn't work without it they coulda' found someone better than Dennis Quaid to play Nick Parker)
Up Next
Chronologically:Genesis and Nintendo 64(Consoles)
Movies: Ever After(1998)
The Parent Trap(1998)
Presentation: 20/20(Impressive presentation and excellent beginning dialogue)
Plot: 5/20 (This plot has been done and it's so old practically every TV show or book has done some version of it it's like a sibling version of The Prince and The Pauper,but at least it's done in quite a nice style)
Characters:20/20 (Hilarious characters well developed and every character is lovable[except one who is easy to love to hate])
Lohan's Role: 20/20 (This was made back in the day when Lindsay Lohan was actually a good actress not someone known for being drunk,she was maybe 12 at the oldest,either way she totally pulled the dual roles of Haley Parker and Anne James)
Richardson's Role: 19/20 (Almost sound,still she potrayed Elizabeth James as albeit of a dull character at first)
Quaid's Role: 12/20 (Easily the weak one but hey he's always the weak one and somehow he always end up as a father in each movie[of course I've only seen him in The Day After Tomorrow and Your's Mine,and Our's] oh well he does an acceptable job at being the unsuspecting Dad)
Set: 20/20 (Good set work,theleaky cabin was filmed well and the rest was about as good as it gets for 1998)
Execution:20/20 (The plot is a loss but thankfully it's done in a good style,with badass dialogue,and an ending you wouldn't expect)
Final:16/20(It's hard to not like this movie,but it's not without flaws I mean the plot sucks but the movie wouldn't work without it they coulda' found someone better than Dennis Quaid to play Nick Parker)
Up Next
Chronologically:Genesis and Nintendo 64(Consoles)
Movies: Ever After(1998)
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