Ben there, Dan that!
Greetings, Ben there, Dan that! is a point and click puzzle adventure by a company that was called Zombie Cow studios at the time. The player takes control of the character Ben in order to use objects to advance through the levels, which can be difficult at times, especially later on. His comrade Ben offers his services of flipping light switches and providing humour, although at the expense of being capable of doing much else. The game is in the style of a cartoon and often acts as such in its humour.
The plot is quite strange to say the least, the start of the proper story starts with Ben and Dan attempting to fix their television with a coat hanger as an antenna. They are teleported to an alien ship when hit by a lightning bolt, hence the two have to find the way home through various dimensions using certain materials to solve problems to progress. While they are stuck in the space ship, aliens come to London and news of their arrival spreads throughout the world. Through certain scenes it is revealed they are behind the transportation of Ben and Dan in order to complete their plan which is revealed near the end.
This game is quite fun and original with many strange areas to explore. The characters are interesting and sometimes their aid or downfall is necessary to accomplish the mission. It has a sequel named Time Gentlemen, Please, which I am looking forward to. I would encourage anyone to buy this if they were looking for a puzzle game. The tenth chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=8/10
Characters=8/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
My dear Frodo, Hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn all that there is to know about their ways in a month and yet, after a hundred years, they can still surprise you.
Gandalf the Grey
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Little Big Man
Greetings, Little Big Man is a film made in 1970 with Dustin Hoffman and earns the reward Super duper fantastic 100% the best. It is set in the Wild West, centring around the main character Jack Crabb, who develops throughout the plot with his many experiences and stages of life. The movie has many themes running through it including comedic and tragic scenes which together make it a highly enjoyable experience. Dustin Hoffman acts excellently during the film, capturing Jack’s personality completely.
The storyline begins with Jack and his sister at a young age being the only survivors of an Indian attack on their convoy, they are found by a passing tribesman who brings them to his camp. During the night Crabb’s sister manages to escape leaving the main individual by himself but it is soon revealed that tribe members do not intend to hurt the young boy and so Jack spends several years in their presence. At one point he is fighting the Americans as an Indian but is eventually captured and revealed to be white. Hence he is brought back into the civilised world and begins a new life, meeting interesting characters who continue to reappear though the plot.
One of the aspects I like about the film is that not all the Indians are seen as villains like the majority of Western entertainment but are viewed rather positively. On the other hand the Americans are portrayed as sinisterly motivated and without remorse. This is definitely a movie to keep an eye out for. The ninth chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=10/10
Characters=10/10
Special effects= 10/10
Overall=10/10
Quote of the day
Do you have any...complimentary fresh garlic?
Sam
Sam and Max: Season one
Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven
Greetings, Mafia: The city of Lost Heaven is a third person shooter game which begins in 1933, about the syndicates who illegal controlled parts of society through different methods. The storyline begins with a taxi driver who is down on his luck called Tommy Angelo being unfortunately caught up in the middle of a fight between to two families. The player will experience the game through the taxi drivers’ point of view. Two members who are later revealed to be named Sam and Paulie force Tommy at gunpoint to drive them away from the fight, therefore lose their attackers.
Once the rivals are left behind, the two mobsters in their gratitude tell Angelo to receive a reward at Salieri’s bar the next day. He agrees to meet the Don the following day, due to his performance in the getaway and he is offered a position within the family. With the thought of riches beyond his dreams he accepts and becomes a member of the organisation. One of the most interesting aspects about the game is Tommy’s struggle against the life of the mobsters, his emotions become increasingly emphasised throughout the game. This makes him one of the most human characters in the story line because he makes mistakes and realises that the lifestyle is wrong.
The controls are a little difficult to handle at the start but it becomes more fluid and easy going eventually, it is a reasonably long game so there is plenty of time to get used to it. It is heavily based around transporting from one place to another and has some old music to add to the atmosphere while driving. Graphics are dated now but were probably a high standard in their day. Overall this is definitely a game to buy, with an interesting setting as well as, a group of entertaining characters. The eighth chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Graphics=7/10
Overall=9/10
Quote of the day
It's an ambigram. It's the same image forward and backward. Now, that's common for a symbol like Yin and Yang or the swastika, but that's a word. That Illuminati ambigramatic symbol has been considered a myth for 400 years. Supposedly, in the 16th Century, some artist created it as a tribute to Galileo's love of symmetry. It was only going to be revealed when the Illuminati had amassed enough power to resurface and carry out their final goal.
Robert Langdon
Angels and Demons
Dark Tower: The Waste Lands
Greetings, the Waste Lands is the third book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. The first two novels, the Gunslinger and the Drawing of the three, where reviewed earlier on in the blog. It still follows the same odd storyline about Roland the Gunslinger and the new characters introduced in the previous plot in search of the Dark Tower. It still has not been revealed why they are in search of the Tower only that all of the worlds are falling apart and all will be lost if they do not reach it in time.
This one is the weirdest I have read so far but it should be kept in mind I haven’t looked at other Stephen King novels, most of which involve a supernatural twist. The beginning of the Waste Lands is set up to find another adventurer, a boy called Jake who was in the original book. Roland and the other travellers, Eddie and Susannah must race against time to find a portal to our world. This is in order recruit the latest member of the team. The ending of the novel implies to me that the series will eventually become mad beyond understanding but gripping none the less.
As with the previous books, King builds up the story for most of the novel with few fights spread across it and has a great action scene at the end. This isn’t a criticism, in fact it works quite well when he focuses and writes in great detail about events that may not seem exciting but are important to the story, as well as characters. The words seemed to fit together nicely, creating a good atmosphere and it isn’t difficult to understand. I am eager to read the following novels and hope that answers will come in due course. The seventh chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Wording= 8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
Residents of Joker Asylum are all required to follow one simple rule. Failure to follow this rule will be punished by death, no 'ifs', 'ands', or 'buts'. And do you know the best part about the rule? It's a secret!
The Joker
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Super 8
Greetings, Super 8 is a recent film by Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams which revolves mainly around a group of young teenagers. The actors portrayed their roles to an impressive standard despite the fact that it was probably most of the casts first major movie. The special effects are also favourable, especially scenes with conflict and the ending.
The plot in the whole is rather simple but I feel the young teenagers’ developments, particularly the main character Joe, are more important and satisfying than the larger storyline. It is set in the 1970’s beginning with the accidental death of Joe Lamb’s mother in a processing plant, Lamb struggling with the loss of his mother is one of the main themes occurring throughout. After some time has passed it is revealed that he is part of a team of youthful individuals trying to win an amateur film championship. Filming a scene of a zombie horror movie at a train station, a car pulls out on purpose in front of an incoming military train causing a crash.
All of the team survive, finding out that it was a teacher at their school who had caused the collision, he is apparently still alive warning the children to run before the army catches them and therefore executing them. It isn’t long until the military realise that something in the cargo is missing when they arrive at the scene of the crash and discover there were others at the track during the time of the attack on the train.
The story is quite entertaining but the effect doesn’t last the whole way the film. I have doubts over the ending, believing it similar to E.T which was a problem as the monster is harder to defend due to the fact it killed many individuals. All in all it is an enjoyable experience and probably one of the better movies of the year. The sixth chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=7/10
Characters=7/10
Graphics=8/10
Overall=8/10
Quote of the day
That's good, just keep rubbing your head. That'll turn back time
Joey
Friends
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Greetings, I know that a few readers are not fans of the superhero genre but I feel that Batman: Arkham Asylum deserves a mention. The game is well received by many critics and it isn’t hard to see why, everything seems to fit perfectly. I particularly like the dark edge which has been given to the Caped Crusader in recent media such as the films, this darkness is carried on into Arkham Asylum. I feel that is more in tune with the character, Batman or Bruce Wayne, due to the events that shaped him into the hero he is.
The plot is rather simple but later extends into something much bigger. At the start the usual prison in which the rivals of Batman are contained is damaged in a fire, meaning all prisoners are to be transported to a Lunatic Asylum on an island named Arkham Asylum. The Dark Knight had caught the Joker before the story even begins and delivers him to the island not far from Gotham City. Batman escorts his enemy to his cell, along with other Asylum Personnel but the Joker breaks free and soon takes control of Arkham. The Caped Crusader is stuck in the Asylum and must confront many of his worst foes if he hopes to regain power over the facility.
The map is quite large and some areas have riddles, trophies and challenges from the Riddler, as well as tapes covering some thoughts or interviewers of different characters. These are not essential to complete but there are achievements for doing so. The combat can be quite hard, especially if the enemies are armed with machineguns and should then be taken out silently. All actors portrayed their roles brilliantly but Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, brings a new level of insanity to the Joker. In conclusion, this is a brilliant game and is a must have for any fan of Batman. The sequel promises to be as entertaining as the original. The fifth chapter of Unforgotten Rivalry is up in Warehouse 17.
Plot=8/10
Characters=9/10
Graphics=9/10
Overall= 9/10
Quote of the day
Daniel... Do not wish to interfere with operation of ship, but perhaps you should pull up sharply...
Rorschach
Watchmen
