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
Skyfall
Greetings, Skyfall is the latest James Bond film and the third in which Daniel Craig portrays the iconic agent known as 007. For me it is definitely the best of the latest three and one of the strongest in the series so far. The new direction in which a grittier and darker Bond has taken resulted in two dodgy movies in my opinion, in order to get it right but it has finally paid off in a spectacular tribute to fifty years of the world’s most renowned factious spy.
The plot is relatively simply but a nicely told and captivating one nonetheless. While on a mission Bond and fellow agent Eve, are tracking down a stolen hard drive which contains the identities of undercover N.A.T.O insurgents. Eve accidently shoots 007 when he is chasing the hired thief in a physical struggle, causing James to fall off a bridge and presumed dead. When he returns to Britain out of shape and washed up, the MI6 building in London is attacked in a terrorist bombing with the attacker leaving a sinister message for M.
It is good to see that the James Bond films have notable and charismatic villains again. Skyfall’s Silva played by Javier Bardem, is similar to the mentally unstable Joker from Batman, particularly the Dark Knight film’s version. While it is a great experience to watch, I feel some of the scenes could have been cut near the beginning as they didn’t seem that important in the greater plot, but that is only a minor criticism. There are various references to the earlier Bond movies which is a fitting tribute to 50 years of the global phenomenon that is 007. I look forward to what the new Bond has to offer, which is not something I would have said a few years ago after Casino Royale.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Special effects=9/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
I'm not a monster though I do sometimes work for monsters.
Simon Gruber
Die hard: With a Vengeance
The Quiz Part 4
Greetings, the Quiz returns for the fourth time. As always it is based on the previous three with a total of ten questions based mostly on games, television and movies as well as other categories. I imagine the questions are trickier since the last time. If you feel like it, give it a shot and see how you cope. Hope you enjoy it as I aim to make the quiz an annual event for my blog, hopefully being around the month of November.
1. In Portal, what do the initials of GLaDOS mean?
2. Who said this? - “You don't fear death. You welcome it. Your punishment must be more severe.”
3. What did the initials of the USSR stand for?
4. The film Happy Gilmore focuses on what sport?
5. Dr Zoidberg is a character from what television series?
6. How many actors played Bond in the official films?
7. What is the name of this character?
8. Who is the main character in the Mass Effect series?
9. What is the name of the show about stranded survivors on an island who survived a plane crash with one of the main actors being Terry O’Quinn?
10. Who played the villain Hans Gruber from Die Hard?
Spoilers
1. Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System
2. Bane
3. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
4. Golf
5. Futurama
6. 7
7. Frodo
8. Commander Shepard
9. LOST
10. Alan Rickman
Quote of the day
Are you saying I am a resentful person? I really resent that!
Rimmer
Red Dwarf
