Reviews Written by Don
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February 4, 2007
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February 4, 2007
More than I could have hoped for
Pros: An excellent addition to the Puppy catalog
Cons: ummmm. . .can't really think of any
Mythmaker is an album that will grab you within the first 5 seconds of Magnifishit (track 1) and likely not let go until the end of the final track. All the noise, loops and samples are masterfully placed. . .if you're into your music on the noisy side and served up with imagery of maggots, rotten meat and excretia, you'll be right at home.
Longtime fans should be quite pleased. I see this album as a return to form in context to the reasonable, though not stellar, Greater Wrong of the Right. I truly cannot wait for the tour. ... -
November 12, 2006
Can you save Boingburg from The Plob?
Pros: Solid gameplay, good strategy, fun exploration
Cons: Weak story -- but hey, it's about slimes!
I've spent quite a bit of time playing through this game. Overall it's quite fun, its a action RPG in which you play a slime that has, through no fault of his own, bumbled into the task of saving all of Slimedom.
There's a fair bit of exploring, minor puzzle solving, and an extreme amount of collecting. Of of this builds up to giant tank battles in which you and your team (which you build up over time) have to go head-to-head with a successive number of Plob bad-guys.
The difficulty seems to level off as you play the game, with subsequent bossing being seemingly easier than earlier ones. But, honestly, the game mechanics don't really get old too fast because the game is really fun to play -- give it a shot! ... -
November 12, 2006
A fantasic piece of music
Pros: complex, catchy, excellent lyrics, great music
Cons: Billy Budd hasn't grabbed me yet
I purchased Vauxhall several months ago and it hasn't left my playlist since. No album has grabbed me to this degree for about 10 years. . .each song, for the most part, is simply a fantastic piece of work.
If you like Morrissey, but forgot to pay attention to his music until recently. . .do yourself a favor and pick this disc up. It will likely supplant You Are The Quarry and Ringleader of The Tormentors. . .at least for a while. ... -
November 12, 2006
Good game that may not be for everyone
Pros: Deep game mechanics, fun online play
Cons: Time sink, lo-fi graphics, shallow mission system, lame in single player mode
The online mode is the bread and butter of this game. . .there are many things to do. After ten hours of play, I have barely scratched the surface. There's plenty to learn, plenty to customize, the community is mostly accommodating and the gameplay is fun -- if not somewhat repetitive.
I found the offline mode to be unimpressive. The story didn't engage me and once I got into the main part of the game (the protagonist becomes an official member of the GUARDIANS), I switched to online mode and never looked back.
If you're expecting great graphics here, you will be disappointed. Actually, based on movies and such that I had seen, I expected a much better looking game. Its no exaggeration that the Xbox360 version looks only slightly better than the PS2. At first I felt ripped off and regretted the purchase, but ultimately the gameplay won me over.
Phantasy Star Universe isn't for everyone, but if you're looking for a fun online game for the Xbox 360, it's worth a look. ...
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Oddball collection of minigames
Pros: Oddly addictive and funny
Cons: Some of the games really are work!
I bought Work Time Fun (WTF) as part of my yearly purchase of those "best games no one played", which are part of the dubious awards given by many gaming websites and magazines. I'm a big fan of eclectic Japanese titles like Incredible Crisis and Katamari Damacy, so I decided to give it a go -- particularly because the gameplay movies were so funny.
The premise behind the game is that you're at work and the mini-games are your job. You get humorous emails from other people that supposedly work with you, and you earn money for doing well in the games. Some of the games are extremely repetitive and really are like work, e.g., the pen factory or the chick sorting. Other games are simple yet fun, like 4 Fingers.
Along the way you use your hard earned money to collect new jobs, toys and tools from an array of prize machines. I've opened up a fair bit of games, but there are plenty more to get -- it also helps that my son is addicted to 4 fingers, so he earns money for me as well.
Overall. . .this is a fun, though not terribly deep game. It's great if you need something mindless to pass short periods of time with. . .and its guaranteed to generate at least a few laughs. ...