X-Files: Ground Zero
Greetings, The X-Files: Ground Zero is a novel based on the television series about two special agents investigating paranormal cases, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. This book was written by Kevin J Anderson, who didn’t write the any of the episodes as far as I am aware. Unfortunately I wasn’t really impressed with this book and I was hoping it would have got me more into the lore of the series. It has a few problems as far as I m concerned, one being the lack of interesting characters.
The plot begins with the death of Dr Gregory, a nuclear scientist, who opened a mysterious letter and was killed via high amounts of radiation despite there being no materials or substances that could set of radiation in the room. Therefore Mulder and Scully are sent to figure out what had caused this and who was behind it. It isn’t long before they uncover a secret project named Bright Anvil and seek answers from Gregory’s ex-assistant, a radical anti-nuclear protestor who attempts to destroy or delay her previous work.
I found that the wording was bland and it wasn’t helped by the fact that the villain who was meant to be portrayed as sympathetic but came across as irritating. Mulder, a character that I actually like in the series, attempts to be funny but his statements are cringe worthy. It takes a long while for the plot to start moving with unimportant events occurring and even then the surprise twist as well as the explanation isn’t overly interesting.
This isn’t exactly the worst novel I have read as most of what I think of as bad doesn’t get reviewed on the blog, but it certainly isn’t something you want to experience unless you are a hard core fan of the X-Files. I have some other X-Files books that should hopefully prove to be more exciting. The seventh episode of the fourth series of the Adventures of Fletch and Roman is up at Warehouse 17.
Plot=5/10
Characters=5/10
Wording=5/10
Overall=5/10
Quote of the day
Oh, you think darkness is your ally. You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn’t see the light until I was already a man. By then, it was nothing to me but blinding! The shadows betray you because they belong to me
Bane
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises
Greetings, The Dark Knight Rises is the third and last instalment in Nolan’s trilogy. Like its predecessors it is dark and gritty, boosting Batman’s reputation again after West’s incarnation and the deterioration of quality in the previous Batman films in the 1990’s which attempted to make it more child friendly. This movie contains a great plot, excellent acting from both the recurring and new comers as well as written script which has developed a few internet memes, most involving the antagonist Bane.
The plot is set several years after the events of Dark Knight, in which an older Bruce Wayne has become a social recluse and physically injured. Batman is no longer needed as Gotham has become more peaceful due to enforcement of the Dent Act, named after the fallen White Knight, Harvey Two-Face Dent. Meanwhile Bane is setting up a criminal system in the sewers in which Commissioner Gordon discovers but is gravely wounded by the mercenary, before escaping his grasp. However the villain now posses Gordon’s speech of resignation he was to give to the public but decided that Gotham was not ready to hear about the truth of Dent’s death.
Bruce is warned by thief Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman that a storm is going to hit Gotham City after he tracked her down trying to steal from him. This storm or revolution would hit the upper classes and which would reward the common people. Wayne trains in order to return to his physical peak and become Batman once again to prevent the storm from coming to Gotham.
Hans Zimmer creates another brilliant score which gets the adrenaline pumping in the action scenes. Tom Hardy as Bane was at times a little difficult to make out but provided an excellent job as the antagonist. I really did enjoy this movie and it left the trilogy on a high note but my favourite of the three has to be the Dark Knight for numerous reasons including Heath’s spectacular performance as the psychotic Joker and the sympathetic downfall of the White Knight into the villain that is Two-Face. Overall it is one of the best films I have seen and its ending suggest that there could be a spin off that doesn’t include Batman. The sixth episode of the adventures of Fletch and Roman is up at Warehouse 17.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Special effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
Do you wanna know how I got these scars? My father was a drinker...and a fiend. And one night, he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not...one...bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. He turns to me, and he says, "Why so serious?" He comes at me with the knife — "Why so serious?" Sticks the blade in my mouth — "Let's put a smile on that face!" And... why so serious?
The Joker
The Dark Knight
Fable 2
Greetings, Fable 2 is the first experience I had of the Fable universe and the land of Albion in which it is set. This is probably why it took me quite a while to get into the game as I wasn’t sure about the lore behind it all or what had occurred in the first game rather than any generic issues such as the combat system. However when I did become more involved the game I began to appreciate it more for your loyal companion and friend that is your dog, its storyline, whimsical humour and noticeable cast which includes Stephen Fry, Zoe Wanamaker as Ron Glass who played as Shepherd Book in Firefly.
The story revolves around the character of Sparrow, the gender of which is chosen by the player at the beginning of the plot and is set 500 years after the original Fable. Sparrow and his sister Rose are poverty stricken orphans who scrape up enough money to buy a magical music box when encouraged by a blind prophetess to do so. When they purchase the music box, they make a wish to live in Castle Fairfax where the town’s mentally unstable mayor named Lucien currently lives.
During that night a town guard brings them to the castle where they meet Fairfax. He conducts an experiment on the children to deduct if they are Heroes, people who have extraordinary powers. Lucien kills Rose and shots Sparrow out the window when he understands that one of them is one of the four heroes that were prophesied to stop his sinister plans for Albion. The young Sparrow is taken under care of the blind Prophetess named Theresa and accompanied by his dog who he rescued earlier on. Years pass and an older Sparrow is ready to take on the quest to find the other three heroes.
One of the great features of this game is that the hero and his dog will physically change with your actions becoming either good or evil. The game will also allow you to build a family and gather a lot of followers provided you use the right social actions. Overall this is a great game, not just because you can see Stephen Fry act as an eccentric semi-villain but for numerous reasons such as the interesting plot and characters. This is a great game that I would recommend to you even if you aren’t into fantasy. The fifth episode of the adventures of Fletch and Roman series 4 is up at Warehouse 17.
Plot=/10
Characters=910
Graphics=8/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
What you have are bullets and the hope that when your guns are empty I'm no longer standing, because if I am, you'll all be dead before you've reloaded.
V
V for Vendetta
Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne
Greetings, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne is a prequel to BioWare’s fantasy videogame Dragon Age: Origins and is set thirty years before the game takes place. It was written by the lead writer of the Origins, David Gaider and is easy to read through due to its enjoyable plot as well as the likeableness of the characters. The story also heavily revolves around Loghain, one of the primary antagonists in Dragon Age: Origins and sheds him in a different light in this novel, depicting him as more of a hero than the villain who he would eventually become.
During the events of the book, Ferelden has come under the occupation of the Orlesian Empire and ruled by the incompetent tyrant Meghran, who is potrayed as childish and selfish. He leaves the running of the country to his mage Severan whether he realizes it or not. The true Queen had been thrown from her crown, gathering up rebels to fight their oppressors while being hunted down. At the beginning of the plot, she is killed by spies working for the Empire who had infiltrated her circle of her advisers. Her son is forced to flee the battle while being pursued by the Orlesians.
When on the run he is found by a group travellers including Loghain, who are actively opposing their rulers. Once the identity of the Prince is found out, Loghain is forced to by his patriotic father to help Maric get to safety while the rest of the outnumbered band of people attempt to fight off the approaching army. As the two once again flee they attempt to find the remainders of the rebel army gather more to the cause to take back the Ferelden throne. Overall this is a very enjoyable novel and I look forward to reading the rest in the series. The fourth episode of the Adventures of Fletch and Roman is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Wording=9/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." I can do those things, because I'm not a hero, not like Dent. I killed those people, that's what I can be.
Batman
The Dark Knight
Prometheus
Prometheus is a prequel to the science fiction classic Alien or a quasi-prequel according to some including the director Ridely Scott himself, and has attempted to uncover some questions raised from the original films such as the origins of the Xenomorphs. Most of the characters are forgettable bar the android David played excellently by Michael Fassbender and the main heroin, Elizabeth Shaw, portrayed by Noomi Rapace who strives for answers about the existence of humans.
In 2089, Shaw and an archaeological team are excavating a site in Scotland. Elizabeth explores a cave and discovers a cave painting similar to symbols other ancient unconnected societies that were separated by sea and vast areas of land. It is therefore revealed that the symbols are a star map that leads the squad to a distant moon in which they hope to find answers about the beginning of humanity. The Weyland Corporation, a shadowy organisation from the series, funds this mission and eventually manages to get the individuals to their destination via the spaceship Prometheus.
While it may suffer from some flat characters with no real drive or motivation and may lack elements of horror that I believed it would entail, it is a great movie to watch as it will keep you entertained the whole way through. I particularly enjoyed David and Shaw’s motivations, seeking out the truth to their existence. In my opinion this is strong enough to spawn a sequel but I don’t believe that it would really add to the story, after all it is best to leave some things unanswered. The third episode of the adventures of Fletch and Roman is up at Warehouse 17.
Plot=9/10
Characters=7/10
Special effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Morpheus
The Matrix
Batman: Arkham City
Greetings, Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to Arkham Asylum which was released in 2009 and includes more villains, who were missing from the original, such as Two-Face or the Penguin from Bruce Wayne’s rouge list. It is an open world game like its predecessor with the addition of optional side missions including challenges from the Riddler, most of which are linked and activate with plot progression. The game focuses heavily on the strange and complicated relationship between the Dark Knight and the Crown Prince of Crime, the Joker. I believe that it has an even darker tone than the original.
In terms of plot, psychologist Hugo Strange convinces the newly elected Mayor of Gotham and former Warden of Arkham Asylum, Quincy Sharp to break off apart of Gotham City from the rest of it. This divided part acts as a high security prison, allowing the super villains to fight each other in a turf war between the Joker, the Penguin and Two-Face. In order to find out what is going on inside the city, Batman as Bruce Wayne gets himself arrested protesting about the prison. Once the Caped Crusader is in he learns that Hugo Strange has a secret operation planned called Protocol ten which will initiate in several hours.
The talented cast suit their roles perfectly, especially Mark Hamill as the Joker who brings a disturbingly dark comedic quality to the character. As well as the voice acting, the music also fits perfectly with the gritty story which helps make it a more entertaining game. I think this one is as good or if not better than Asylum, hopefully the next instalment, of which there have been a few subtle clues will keep up the trajectory of its success. The second episode of the adventures of Fletch and Roman is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=9/10
Characters=9/10
Graphics=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way. Think of our heroes: the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers! Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line! Our influence will stop Saren. In the battle today, we will hold the line!
Captain Kirrahe
Mass Effect
