Fable 3
Greetings, Fable 3 like the previous instalment in the series contains a notable cast, which is mainly British, with actors and actresses such as Michael Fassbender, Zoe Wanamaker, John Cleese, Stephen Fry and Simon Peg to name a few. Like Fable 2, the player can chose the gender of the main character and how they will react to different situations, these decisions will change the physical appearance of the hero to either angelic or demonic as the game progresses.
The plot is set fifty years after the events of the second Fable and the death of either the King or Queen, depending on the player’s choice previously. Power is handed down to the eldest son Logan, who abuses his position as monarch in the industrial age of Albion. Logan’s sibling soon realizes that the current king cannot be allowed to continue his tyranny of the citizens and flees the area to gather together forces for a rebellion. The hero begins his journey for revolution with his canine friend, comrades Sir Walter Beck and loyal butler Jasper in search of allies to join his fight.
Most of the decisions have more of an impact on the ending compared to those in Fable 2. The desired conclusion will also depend on how well you can control your finance through different methods such as buying and renting houses or businesses. The game contains whimsical humour most notably from the main characters Stephen Fry’s immoral character Reaver and Simon Pegg’s Ben Finn.
This Fable builds upon the other two by adding new enemies to combat and locations to discover, while reinventing old ones. It also keeps a few characters from previous titles and creating fresh ones. Overall, I really enjoyed this game as much as the second, both of which aren’t supposed to live up to the first one. Therefore I am eager to play the original due to the good reviews I have heard about it.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
Bagginses? What is a Bagginses, Precious?
Gollum
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey
Greetings, the Hobbit: An unexpected journey is the first part in the long awaited trilogy that serves as a prequel to Lord of the Rings films. A lot of hype was built around it due to the success of its predecessors and while I believe it isn’t a bad film, I don’t think that it stood up to the same reputation as the others for a few reasons. The most prominent factor is that my expectations were too high due to the quality of LOTR and ultimately I couldn’t stop thinking that it didn’t feel as grand an adventure as what I had already seen previously.
The plot follows the general structure from the Hobbit novel or at least a third of it, as well as containing moments that set up for the events for LOTR’s storyline. Gandalf enlists the originally reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, into an adventure to help reclaim the Dwarf’s lost home which is now under the control of the Dragon, Smaug. Once Bilbo takes his chances on the expedition, the crew set out on a dangerous path with many hostile events lying ahead.
The film was shot in 48 fps but as I have not seen that particular version, I am therefore unable to give my opinion on it. Another criticism would be of the Dwarven characters, while it was staying true to the novel, I still had problems in telling the difference between them. Only a few seemed to stick out of the team with some distinctive personality traits but that may have been because I recognised the actors who played them such as James Nesbitt. Another problem was duration, I felt that some scenes didn’t add to the story but rather were unnecessary and took away from the experience.
The last criticism, is the overuse of CGI which led to some of the fight scenes to appear a little off. The computer generated Goblins aren’t as visually impressive as the Orcs in LOTR who were portrayed by extras. This review comes off more negative than my actual views on the film, while it has faults it has many good features as well. For instance the actors played their parts brilliantly, as well as containing many humorous jokes that kept the film flowing nicely most of the time. I look forward to the two sequels but won’t place as much expectation on them.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Special effects=7/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the day
Shakespeare, in the park? Doth Mother know you weareth her drapes?
Tony Stark Iron Man
The Avengers
Little Brother
Greetings, Little Brother is a novel written by Cory Doctorow which was inspired by Orwell’s dystopian 1984 with many similar themes occurring in the two books. It is set after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. In this version of the world, the DHS has become overprotective and paranoid with the possible threat of terrorism, having a presence in everyday life.
The story follows teenager Marcus Yallow, a talented hacker who skips school along with his three friends in order to play a game in the city. While out in San Francisco, a terrorist bomb destroys Bay Bridge with the DHS responding swiftly. Marcus and his companions attempt to find safety as instructed by the DHS, in an underground train station, however it is cramped with other civilians fleeing the scene and so the four try to leave the area. However one of Yallow’s comrades, Darryl is fatally injured as a passerby stabs him. They eventually make it to the streets to find some medical attention by standing in front of a moving van. Those inside the vehicle grab them, blind folding them in the process.
The characters are brought to a secret location along with hundreds of others. Once inside the island, they are psychologically tortured through various techniques in order to break their spirit and confess to being involved in the attack. After a while three of them including Marcus are released, with Darryl’s fate unknown. However their freedom came at a price, they were under surveillance and would be recaptured, never to return if they spoke of their imprisonment. Yallow disregarded the threat and decides to use his hacking abilities to lead a revolution against the DHS.
It is a nicely written book read from Marcus’s viewpoint, which explains the technical aspects of the plot including hacking methods used against the DHS. Overall it is a good novel with likeable characters and admirable goals in a dystopian society ruled by an unscrupulous government. I am under the impression there is a sequel coming out which should prove interesting with the way it was finished.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Writing=8/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the day
Do you have any...bulletproof edible underwear?
Sam
Sam and Max: Season 2 Beyond Time and Space
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
Greetings and welcome to the first blog update of the New Year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the last instalment in the Modern Warfare series and follows the same storyline that the other 2 prequels put into motion. While I believe that it is a perfectly good game, it suffers from repetitiveness as one of its problems. The majority of it is set in cities such as London and Paris which gets a little tiring as a good portion of number 2 was located inside invaded American cities, which feels much the same.
The plot isn’t that complicated as it has only a few threads to follow. At the end of Modern Warfare 2, America and Russia are in conflict after a CIA operative was framed and murdered for a massacre in a Russian airport. As the Russian army is pushed out of America they decide to invade Europe’s key cities using biological weapons and their armed forces, the other side of the storyline is to hunt down and kill the villain behind the new World War, ultranationalist Makarov who sought revenge for the fall of his country. The campaign last only for a few hours, with the main selling point being the multiplayer aspect.
Few of the main characters return to the story mode from previous games such as Soap MacTavish and Captain John Price, leaving the game with a lack of strong appeal as the characters have very little personality compared to the likes of NPCs in other games. As usual, it is visual pleasing experience with big sweeping landscapes to explore for enemy intelligence. At the end of the day it is a good game that is quite enjoyable in the main storyline but it starts to feel a little repetitive.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=7/10
Quote of the day
We have positive ID on Batman. He is kicking all kinds of ass down there.
Tyger 4
Batman: Arkham City
Happy New Year, 2012 review
Greetings, just a small update wishing you a happy New Year. 2012 has been an interesting year with events such as the Olympics, something I thought we pulled off quite well, considering the difficult times. In terms of entertainment it has been a decent year with the return of Bond after the new grittier direction the series has moved towards, a fitting tribute to fifty years of 007 on the screen. Other big films include the Hobbit which I will be reviewing next year and the conclusion of Nolan’s trilogy with the Dark Knight Rises.
I don’t believe I have played any 2012 games bar Mass Effect three which I have strongly mixed feelings towards especially the ending. Next year will be an important year for EA and BioWare, I believe many fans will stop playing their games if Dragon Age three is not a success. I already have Walking Dead and intend to get Dishonoured at some stage. Next year blog updates will include reviews such as Fable 3 and Alpha Protocol. Anything you are eager to experience in the following year? I am looking forward to 2013 and what it will provide, hope it’s a good one. Happy New Year!
Quote of the day
I don't care where I fight. As long as I get to hurt someone.
Grunt
Mass Effect 2
Merry Christmas 2012!
Greetings, this is just a small update wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Usually I would have a special Christmas episode of the adventures of Fletch and Roman but as you already know it was completed earlier this year with forty issues and four specials. Despite this, I intend to keep writing stories for the winter Write Wise challenges, with Cogworld being the first entry that had aspects of the holiday within it.
Whether it will be a brand new or part of a series such as Edward Kanen as well as Guardian, there will be a tale involving Christmas. I’m looking forward to what the New Year will bring, the second annual and I will have plenty of new posts on this blog. Happy holidays!
Quote of the day
Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year!
Roman and Fletch
The Adventures of Fletch and Roman Christmas Special 2011
