Reviews Written by James
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October 15, 2006
HE WAS BETTER AS IRON MAIDEN'S FRONT MAN
Pros: The title track, and the extra dvd that comes with the album
Cons: everything else
I heard the album's title track on Paul Di'Anno's myspace site and I liked what I heard. i would have downloaded the song for 99 cents, but the dvd included the video for the title track as well as an interview with Di'Anno about his time with Iron Maiden, including why he left them. Even with the DVD, this cd isn't worth it...at least, not a the present price.
All of the tracks except the last two are re-releases from a 2001 album Di'Anno did called "Nomad." Between the two, I would recommend this version (because of the DVD), but again, I would wait until the price drops significantly before buying it. I do believe, however, that if you're a fan of megadeth or pantera, you may like this album more than I did because many of the songs sounded like they were heavily influenced by those two bands. If you're interested in Paul Di'anno, just buy all the works he was Iron Maiden's front man (circa 1979-1982). He was at his best then. ... -
October 12, 2006
THIS ONE IS REALLY UNDERRATED
Pros: dvd-wise: as good a quality dvd as any; movie-wise: great visuals and audio effects, well-done story telling, despite liberties taken.
Cons: dvd-wise: a few more features would have been nice; movie-wise: some of the acting was a little off.
Most people in this category tend to rely solely on the movie and not talk about the dvd itself. I'll talk about both.
First the movie: This movie is probably one of the most underrated movies I've seen. I think a lot of people looked waaaaay too deep when it came the liberties taken. In this case, however, I think the liberties taken were for the best. For instance, in "The Iliad"(where the movie is base from), Patroclus is not Achilles cousin, but his best friend & lover; however, we all know how most of hollywood regards homosexuality, and in this case, the change was irrelevant. Furthermore, the trojan war actually lasted 10 years, as opposed to the two weeks that it was portrayed as in the film. This is what the majority of the critics complained about, but the book only talked about the events of the last fifty days of the war; so, this discrepancy is pretty irrelevant as well. The book also makes references to the olympian gods which are real in the story, whereas in the film, they were worshipped, but never seen (much like our gods today). Although it would have been nice to see them, I think the quality of the story would have diminished if any attention had been paid to the gods outside of referencing them. The acting, good in most cases, bad in others. Orlando Bloom actually wasn't that bad...but he's definitely not the best actor around, and Brad Pitt's acting ranged anywhere from tolerable to quite good. Overall, a very good movie that puts Gladiator to shame in many areas, especially the fighting.
As for the DVD, not much to say. Its good quality like it should be. As for the features, it loses a few points for not including any deleted scenes or bloopers (my personal favorite feature), but it gains a couple of those points back with the 3D-animated guide to Greek myths where it talks about the most important olympian gods. It provides some interesting information for those who are interested in that sort of thing (like me).
Bottom Line: Troy is a movie that deserves more accolades than it received and with the price for this DVD being less than $10 in some places, I think it would be a worthy buy. ... -
October 7, 2006
This game is as fun as the heroine is hot!
Pros: detailed storyline, diversive bosses, fatalities.
Cons: game can be ridiculously hard at times.
This game basically has everything that the first one had and more. There are fatality moves now that can be executed while your feeding for the purpose of building up the rage meter. There are also killing puzzles where you fight an enormous amount of enemies and have to throw them into a particular part of the areal your in to proceed to other areas. The game can get hard to the point of frustration at times, but this only happens in the later areas of the game (which makes sense) and even then, it's only against certain enemies. The game also include various features, most of which are available when you finish the game, including alternate costumes and a level select.
The game is a direct sequel to the first bloodrayne, so it would be better to play that one first, although its not required.
This is one of the best 3rd person over-the-shoulder action games ever made. It makes tomb raider seem even more overrated than it already is and the heroine in bloodrayne 1 & 2 is much more attractive. The game is very gory though, so if your one of those people who is against excessive gore in video games, pass this one up; otherwise, you should buy this game, especially now since you can get it in many places for under $20. You won't be disappointed, especially if you've already played the first one. ... -
September 26, 2006
One of the Greatest Adventure Titles in History.
Pros: Among other things, one of the most innovative concepts for a video game.
Cons: Camera tends to move at the worst possible times to less than optimum angles.
Other than the camera issues (which are few and far between), this is game is one of the best game i've ever played. The concept is innovative and the designers did a great job on the visuals and sound. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes adventure games, but is looking for something a bit more original. ...
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Scariest Survival Horror You'll Ever Play
Pros: The story, the voice acting, gameplay. This is how a survival horror/thriller is supposed to be made
Cons: Graphics are sometimes a little bit TOO dark...
This is one of those games that will scare you even if you have all the lights on. It puts Resident Evil 4 to shame in terms of the suspense, not just due to the creepy monsters surprise entrances, but the music & sound. This game plays like a suspense thriller you've seen on TV, except you're controlling the character. You play a character named Torque who was convicted of killing his ex-wife and their two children. All of the evidence was circumstantial, but his defense was that he blacked out and couldn't remember a thing. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by lethal injection. One of the great things about the story is that you never really know if Torque was really guilty or not. The truth depends on how you play the game. There are three different endings. Which ending you see depends on how you interacted with others throughout the game. Did you help them, kill them, or do a little of both? The game plays like a first person shooter like doom, quake, halo...with the exception that this one actually has a story. You can do many of the same things that you can do in other 1st person shooters, and you can find an assortment of weapons, items, and healing agents to help you through each level. There is also an option to change the camera to a 3rd person view. Believe me, it's better in 1st person because you have better control in a fight and the game is more realistic. The graphics are done well...perhaps too well at times. The game is supposed to be dark; so, it is reasonable to assume that there will be plenty of dimly lit areas in the game. Some of the areas, however, are TOO dark though. Fortunately, you can find flashlights (w/ plenty of batteries to power them) and flares to light your way. The graphics slow down a bit when fighting multiple enemies, but you'll be fighting during those times; you'll barely notice the slow down. The audio is flat-out creepy...and I mean that in the best possible sense. In the Resident Evil series, you only got freaked out when a monster suprised you, but not in the Suffering. Remember how I said earlier that Torque "blacked out" and couldn't remember anything about his family's murder? Well, that whole "black out" thing is a focal point of the entire game. Among the various weapons Torque has at his disposal, he can turn into a huge beast when his insanity meter becomes full. You don't have this ability on the first level; that's the introductory level. Starting with level 2, you meet some of the main characters in the game. In addition, you start getting these weird visions pop up on the screen. Some of them occur when you hit a trigger, such as opening a door into small office-type room. However, there are others that just happen for no reason at all while your walking. This is when the suspense hits you like a hammer. It's freaky enough when the vision flashes and makes a screechy noise, but the vision itself is disturbing. It's up to you to figure out what the visions mean...if anything. The game has some interesting extras as well. There is a "making of" documentary for the game as well as a documentary for the real-life prison that the prison in this game is based off of. Even if you don't believe in ghosts and spirits, it's an interesting documentary to say the least. The best extra, however, is the addition of a new level that serves as a prologue for the game. The game can now be bought new for $10 - $15. I highly recommend playing it. It's the epitome of what the survival horror genre is supposed to be; however, this game is extremely controversial based on its content both visual and audio. This is one game where the mature rating is probably an understatement. If you love survival horrors...and you don't have kids, then turn out all your lights (better yet, wait until midnight first) and have the greatest scare you'll ever enjoy. ...