Wolfenstein

Greetings, the 2009 version of Wolfenstein is a sequel to the previous game called Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and sees the return of B.J. Blazkowitz in his role as the protagonist. The game follows the previous plot loosely with a few recurring characters and references to it but mainly sticks to the new storyline. Unlike other games, the 2009 version is relatively open world with both normal as well as supernatural Nazis and resistance fighters in conflict in the streets which is filled with collectables including documents, gold and tombs of power.  The gold can be used to upgrade the various weapons unlocked as the player progresses throughout the game.

The story begins with B.J foiling Nazi plans to attack London and escaping the enemy ship with a strange crystal. He returns to his employers who lead an organization dedicated to stopping the Nazi factions experimenting with the paranormal. B.J. is debriefed for his next mission, to help the Kreisau Circle push their rivals out of the city of Isenstadt and preventing the Nazis, lead by General Zetta, from searching for mystical crystals. During his adventure, Blazkowitz discovers the supernatural Thule Medallion and uses it as a weapon against his enemies.

The game is entertaining but not ground breaking. The characters are rather one dimensional and forgettable, existing only as to serve as a plot piece. The various types of enemies keep the game play fresh, with some requiring special tactics to kill them such as the heavily armoured AIs. The powers of the Thule Medallion can come in quite useful during combat and some are necessary to complete puzzles, for instance the ability to effect time or switch from one dimension to another. Overall it is quite an enjoyable experience but not a revolutionary one, having said that the upcoming sequel looks similar to this while remaining interesting. 

Plot=6/10

Characters=6/10

Graphics=7/10

Overall=8/10

Quote of the day

Have you ever fired your gun up in the air and gone "ahhrgh"?

Danny Butterman

Hot Fuzz

Mass Effect: Ascension

Greetings, Mass Effect: Ascension is the sequel to Karpyshyn’s novel Revelations and is set after the events of the original Mass Effect’s conclusion.  Khalee Sanders is the only character to return from the previous book as the story introduces new characters and expands on the lore of Cerberus that was mostly ignored in the first game. It is also the first piece in the series to mention the existence of the Collectors, a species which become more prominent later on. While I believe that Revelations was the better of the two novels due to the involvement of Anderson and Saren, two important characters from the video game, Ascension is still an enjoyable experience.

T he plot revolves heavily around a young autistic girl named Gillian Grayson who has biotic powers that indicate a lot of potential for the human race. She is placed by her father, Paul Grayson, into an academy for biotic children in order for Gillian to master her abilities. In the facility Gillian is placed under the care and instruction of Sanders and chief of security Hendel. Unknown to them, Paul is actually an agent of the pro-human paramilitary organization known as Cerberus with the intentions of testing experimental drugs on his daughter to further advance the cause of his company. When Gillian starts acting unusually due to the performance enhancing drugs, Kahlee and Hendel uncover the Cerberus operation and attempt to escape from the Illusive man’s clutches.

The novel introduces characters, factions and species that will shape the major events in Mass Effect 2 and 3. The novel is interesting as it only mentioning Commander Shepard’s actions in passing attempting to focus on other aspects of the Mass Effect story such as the development to key locations such as Omega and generally adding to the lore. Overall, I really enjoyed it and if you want to delve deeper into the Mass Effect universe the books are an enjoyable way to do so.

Plot=7/10

Characters=8/10

Wording=8/10

Overall=8/10

Quote of the day

You don't fear death. You welcome it. Your punishment must be more severe.

Bane

The Dark Knight Rises

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