Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and Revelations
Greetings, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Revelations are two spin off games following the adventures of Ezio after the events of Assassin’s Creed two. While I generally have enjoyed the series so far, I am concerned at how far Ubisoft intend to stretch it out as it is already getting somewhat stale and repetitive in terms of plot as well as game play. In my opinion, only a few characters are memorable and interesting enough to make the player care about the future of the franchise. Another problem is that the assassins are becoming more technologically advanced with weapons such as bombs in Revelations and as a result it is less entertaining.
The plot of Brotherhood is rather simple in comparison to the sequel, Revelations. As Ezio with the Apple of Eden and his uncle Mario escape from Templar forces, they are tracked to their home town by Cesare Borgia. The Templers attack the small community, Mario is shot and killed by Cesare, while a wounded Ezio is forced to flee. The apple is once again falls into Templar hands during the assault. The young assassin makes his recovery in Rome, hoping to avenge his uncle and retake what was stolen from him.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=7/10
In Revelations, an older Ezio travels to Constantinople in search of the keys to open up Altair’s library in Maysaf. During his adventures he has to fight Byzantine Templars and gets caught up in a conspiracy involving a struggle for the title of sultan. A side plot also exists involving Altair, the protagonist of the first game, and his troubled life after the original Assassin’s Creed. Mini-games are also include as the player has to face an invasion of Byzantine soldiers on an Assassin complex.
New features in the games include the use of horses for transport in Brotherhood, the ability to recruit assassins to kill guards and removing Templar influence in an area by destroying their towers. Players can also invest in local businesses and purchase monuments to allow the economy to grow. In return they will receive money to buy new weapons and other items. Overall I preferred Revelations to Brotherhood but am still cautious as to how far the series will be stretched. I have heard mostly negative reviews surrounding Assassin’s Creed 3 which is set during the war for Independence between the 13 colonies, her allies and the British Empire.
Plot=8/10
Characters=7/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
Over?! Why, my dear, delusional Dark Knight, it hasn't even begun!
The Joker
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Moonraker
Greetings, Moonraker is the third book in Ian Fleming’s famous series about the British spy, James Bond. I have read as well as reviewed the two previous books on this blog and came to the conclusion that I didn’t enjoy Casino Royale or Live and Let die as much as I hoped I would. I stated that if Moonraker failed to grab my attention I would be giving up on the series. Unfortunately it followed in the same footsteps as the other two for the reasons that it just isn’t a joyful experience or that interesting to read. In my opinion its age is starting to show and there are other more immersive novels to delve into.
The plot is reasonably straight forward and takes place shortly after the end of the Second World War. With the world in chaos due to the advancement of nuclear weapons in the hands of various countries and the return of the USSR as a rival, Britain needs to defend itself. Entrepreneur Hugo Drax constructs the Moonraker with the help of ex-Nazi scientists, a missile intended to ensure the safety of the British people in the event of an attack. 007 is sent to investigate the project and its leader after the suspicious murder of the current chief of security by a German worker. As Bond digs into the case further, he realizes that there is more to it than the initial impressions the press gives, indicating that Hugo is not as innocent as he seems.
It is a short book, not even 200 pages long, but it is rather dull. Understandably due to the time it was written in, the Germans and soviets are not portrayed in a very positive light which makes it similar to the racist and sexist undertones in Live and Let die. Overall, the characters are pretty flat and the plot is slow to move to anywhere remotely interesting. So I would suggest that you avoid the series as a whole as speaking for myself, I haven’t enjoyed a single 007 novel by Ian Fleming/ If you want to get your Bond fix I would suggest playing the video games, reading other 007 novels by different authors such as Sebastian Faulks or the films which seem to have raised their standards.
Plot=6/10
Characters=7/10
Wording=6/10
Overall=6/10
Quote of the day
Look at that, Mrs. Hudson. Quiet. Calm. Peaceful. Isn't it hateful?
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock
Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse
Greetings, Sam and Max: The Devil’s Playhouse is the third game created by Telltale centred upon the Freelance Police. Like the previous titles in the series, there is an overarching storyline that comes together through the various episodes. This third season consist of only five episodes, one shorter than the original game but the same number as the second. Most characters return for an important role in a puzzle or are at least mentioned in passing. A few new individuals are introduced with varying levels of importance. As a result the game develops existing characters and explains the origins of the one of the main enemies in the second game, the vampire Jurgen.
The story is more absurd than the last two, which is quite an achievement. At the very beginning, Max discovers a discarded toy on the street near the office belonging to him and Sam. Once he touches it, it is revealed that he has latent paranormal powers that are activated by interacting with the toy. Once he comes into contact with it, Max sees a vision of the future in which earth is invaded by an intergalactic warlord named Skun-ka'pe, who happens to be a gorilla like creature.
In his vision, Max is warned by a voice that the device he used came from a mystical container known as the Devil’s toy box as well as suggesting there are other tools scattered around earth. Shortly after, Skun-ka'pe arrives in search for the toys in the hopes of ruling the universe by using them. It is up to Sam and Max to stop the gorilla and find the toys of power before anyone else does.
Many locations that were in the previous games such as the Office and Bosco’s general store were removed in exchange for other areas and it gives the player a larger map to explore than the previous games. I really enjoyed this season as it was up to the same high standard as the other titles in terms of humour, plot and the general experience.
The ending itself was contradictory to the light hearted and whimsical theme as it was quite serious but it also provides a lot of possible plot threads and characters to explore in future games. There are also two endings to choose from but it really shouldn’t have an impact on a possible fourth season. However, I’m not sure if there will be a next game, at least to be released soon, as Telltale is focusing on the second Walking Dead. Overall I really enjoyed playing it and hope there are other Sam and Max tales to be told.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?
Yuri Orlov
Lord of War
007: Blood Stone
Greetings, 007: Blood Stone is the one of the latest James Bond videogame created and was released before Skyfall. Unlike the previous videogame, Quantum of Solace, it has its own storyline that take place a few years after the film and was the last game developed by Bizzare Creations before it was shut down. While the experience was short, I felt it was a lot better than the last 007 game and strengthens my belief that the new direction that has been taken with Bond is paying off. In my opinion the film series had noticeably slumped in quality since Casino Royale. Unfortunately Bloodstone finished with a cliff-hanger and that is unlikely to be resolved due to the collapse of Bizzare Creations.
The plot is straightforward until the twist at the end which leaves some questions. At the beginning of the game 007 stops a terrorist incident from occurring in Greece where it was holding a G-20 summit. After the title sequence, Bond is sent on a new mission that would have dire ramifications on a global scale if the spy could not stop the sinister scheme. One of the United Kingdom’s top scientists, Malcolm Tedworth, disappears and is believed to have been kidnapped by an unknown threat. He has access to dangerous information on Bio-weapons.
007 tracks the scientist’s location to the catacombs in Istanbul. Tedworth, unable to resist the pain any longer, eventually surrenders to the torture conducted by his captors and provides the terrorists with a password before being executed. With the password the mercenaries are equipped witht the knowledge of how to build advanced weapons that could unleash catastrophic damage. Bond pursues the villains along with leads as he travels across the globe trying to unravel who was behind the kidnapping and the motivations behind it.
The conclusion hints that there is a large scheme at hand, which may have been a reference to the upcoming events of Skyfall. The game is a third person shooter and gives the player the opportunity to take out the hostiles AIs with stealth attacks. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench return to their respect roles as James and M. On an additional note, the chase scenes are entertaining with plenty of obstacles to avoid such as oncoming traffic and it is an element that I don’t recall being in the last Bond game. To accompany the main story line there is also a multiplayer section. While the campaign isn’t overly long I did enjoy it and would encourage you to buy it if you are a fan of 007.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
There's some men coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first.
James Bond
Skyfall
Comanche Moon
Greetings, Comanche Moon is a Larry McMurtry novel and is the second story in the Lonesome Dove series but was the last one written. After the events of Dead man’s walk, Woodrow Call and Augusts McCrea are still serving the Texas the rangers but this time under the command of the adventurous Inish Scull. Like the prequel I thought it was well written, especially when characters such as the native tracker Famous Shoes used broken English as he was speaking or when other individuals use sloppy English to give the atmosphere of a relaxed western setting. On a side note, the lazy dialogue gives the characters a bit more personality.
There are several plot lines as it is a large book with around 800 pages to read. It begins with the two main characters Woodrow and Gus on an expedition along with several others including Inish Scull as well as Famous Shoes following the trail of native horse thief Kicking Wolf to the north of the country. After a while, Inish Scull’s horse is stolen by Kicking Wolf who plans to ride it to Mexico and trade it to trade it to a Mayan bandit known for his cruelty to those that come near his territory. Inish Scull sends his company back home, giving Call and Gus the honour of being captains and tasked with leading the men back to Austin. Meanwhile Inish and Famous Shoes travel by foot to catch up to Kicking Wolf.
Buffalo Hump a once a great and feared Comanche leader decides to launch a great raid against the settlers as he knows his growing old ad that the whites will eventually win. Without the Texas rangers to fend off the attack, the settlements are vulnerable. Buffalo Hump also attempts to deal with his rebellious son, Blue Duck, who he suspects would try to overthrow him now that his strength was fading. There are several other storylines but these are the two are the most prominent as well as mentions of the oncoming Civil War.
I really enjoyed the experience and it has raised high expectations for the original Lonesome Dove novel. Comanche moon establishes the story for the sequel by introducing the bandit Blue Duck and that he is a wanted man for the Texas rangers, Woodrow and Augusts. If you are into Westerns I would recommend it as well as Dead man’s walk.
Plot=7/10
Characters=9/10
Wording=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
Shiny! Let's be bad guys
Jayne Cobb
Serenity
Alpha Protocol
Greetings, Alpha Protocol is a spy RPG by Obsidian Entertainment and follows the customizable protagonist Michael Thorton. Despite a rough start for a few reasons including the save system and the timed conversations, I did eventually grow to like it. The player can often choose if they plan to get passed the level with stealth or combat. There are plenty of NPCs to interact with but most have small roles in the game or little in the way of personality. However, there are some characters that are memorable including Stephen Heck, Albatross, Brayko and several others.
The story is relatively simple with a few twists and turns to keep the atmosphere fresh. It begins in the training grounds of Alpha Protocol, a secret intelligence agency which does not officially exist. After completing a series of tests for three separate specialists named Mina, Parker and Sean Darcy, Michael is then assigned his mission. Thornton is assigned to kill terrorist leader, Shaheed who was accused of destroying a plane full of civilians. However once he reaches his target, the terrorist claims that he had bought the missiles from the US military corporation Halbech.
Michael is warned by a fellow member of Alpha Protocol, Mina, that Halbech is in control of the agency and that a missile strike is bound for his location. Shaheed and the field agent survive the attack, but Thorton is believed to have been killed in the incident. After this, Michael begins on his mission as a rouge spy by building up alliances with various factions and people to prevent Halbech president Leland from creating another Cold War and accidently igniting a real one. The plot is mainly set in four different locations including Moscow, Rome, Taipei and in Saudi Arabia.
The problems I had with the timed conversations include that there isn’t a long enough period to make a decision and think about the consequences it will have on the plot or your allies. A different concern I had is when Thorton acts in a certain way to receive trust and approval from the range of people. This means that Michael doesn’t have a consistent character but is suave with one NPC and by the book with the next. All in all despite its problems I did enjoy it and would encourage you to give it a go if you haven’t already.
Plot=7/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the day
Firstly, any worker that so much murmurs another complaint will be shot. Secondly, Any worker who takes more than a three second break, Will be shot. Lastly, any worker who breaks any other rules I have yet to formulate, Yes you guessed it. Will be shot.
Reaver
Fable 3
