afterreviews.com
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Assassin's Creed PS3
In the world that you enter through the gateway of Assassin's Creed you become ancient warrior that dispatches death on the peoples of the ancient world. The astounding attention to detail and the insane amount of control you feel that you have in the game give you the realization of what the current generation of video games are capable of. Quite simply if you haven't experienced this game you are missing out, and the positives totally outweigh the negatives of the gaming experience.
The game starts with you captured by scientists and being hooked into a machine that can pull memories out of your DNA. I truly thought that this was one of the coolest ideas I have seen for a game taking place in the past, and it really gave an awesome way for the developers to mix in advanced graphics and icons with a time period that doesn't call for them.
The controls are really easy to slip into, before you know it your bouncing around the game like an expert. I thought it was a mix of Spider-Man and Metal Gear Solid, you can bounce around or sneak and dispatch of your victims as quietly as you want to. One of the first things I noticed that I didn't really enjoy was that you had no rewards for being stealth, which was one of the great things about Metal Gear. I just thought that an Assassin shouldn't be seen.
As you progress through the adventure you gain better weapons and with them tactics, all of which were great. Using the target system with the knife throwing was just awesome and quickly became my favorite way of dispatching my enemies. The detail of the world is unmatched in my opinion. Never have I seen so much going on, so much seamless integration, such a huge world without limits.. The focus system was astounding, listening to someones conversation or following a target got you totally enveloped into the game. Just insane how much detail went into this game.
On to the negatives.. In battle by the end of the game I felt like eveything was just repeating over and over. There wasn't much room for originality. I started feeling as though I didn't have as much control over my charachter as I felt was neccessary. I either push X or O and see what happens. All of the challenges by the end were totally overdone. Save 20 people, jump to 15 rooftops, beat up 5 guys, get to the mission. Do all that 80 times and you win. I felt there could have been a lot more going on, a lot more to do, with every are that opened maybe having something else to do. The roof climbing was a good idea, but very old very quickly. Oh, and the fact that a master assassin can't swim is probably the dumbest thing I have seen. Seriously. Stop putting water where I just die when I fall in. Didn't they learn from Grand Theft Auto?!? The worst thing about the game is the end. You'll find out if you play, but it was just pathetic from my point of view..
Overall this is a worthy purchase, and I do think you'll get your money's worth, but I also think that one time through is enough. At least you can devote a solid week to it and destroy it then trade it in and pick up Uncharted..
**1/2
In the world that you enter through the gateway of Assassin's Creed you become ancient warrior that dispatches death on the peoples of the ancient world. The astounding attention to detail and the insane amount of control you feel that you have in the game give you the realization of what the current generation of video games are capable of. Quite simply if you haven't experienced this game you are missing out, and the positives totally outweigh the negatives of the gaming experience.The game starts with you captured by scientists and being hooked into a machine that can pull memories out of your DNA. I truly thought that this was one of the coolest ideas I have seen for a game taking place in the past, and it really gave an awesome way for the developers to mix in advanced graphics and icons with a time period that doesn't call for them.
The controls are really easy to slip into, before you know it your bouncing around the game like an expert. I thought it was a mix of Spider-Man and Metal Gear Solid, you can bounce around or sneak and dispatch of your victims as quietly as you want to. One of the first things I noticed that I didn't really enjoy was that you had no rewards for being stealth, which was one of the great things about Metal Gear. I just thought that an Assassin shouldn't be seen.
As you progress through the adventure you gain better weapons and with them tactics, all of which were great. Using the target system with the knife throwing was just awesome and quickly became my favorite way of dispatching my enemies. The detail of the world is unmatched in my opinion. Never have I seen so much going on, so much seamless integration, such a huge world without limits.. The focus system was astounding, listening to someones conversation or following a target got you totally enveloped into the game. Just insane how much detail went into this game.
On to the negatives.. In battle by the end of the game I felt like eveything was just repeating over and over. There wasn't much room for originality. I started feeling as though I didn't have as much control over my charachter as I felt was neccessary. I either push X or O and see what happens. All of the challenges by the end were totally overdone. Save 20 people, jump to 15 rooftops, beat up 5 guys, get to the mission. Do all that 80 times and you win. I felt there could have been a lot more going on, a lot more to do, with every are that opened maybe having something else to do. The roof climbing was a good idea, but very old very quickly. Oh, and the fact that a master assassin can't swim is probably the dumbest thing I have seen. Seriously. Stop putting water where I just die when I fall in. Didn't they learn from Grand Theft Auto?!? The worst thing about the game is the end. You'll find out if you play, but it was just pathetic from my point of view..
Overall this is a worthy purchase, and I do think you'll get your money's worth, but I also think that one time through is enough. At least you can devote a solid week to it and destroy it then trade it in and pick up Uncharted..
**1/2
Labels: adventure, games, murder, ps3, stealth
¶ 12:18 PM 1 Comments
Gone Baby Gone Blu-Ray
This is the first Blu-Ray that I have checked out that has a menu system similar to that of a DVD. Most of the other titles simply start with the film right off with a lower third menu style, seamlessly integrated into the movie but this title gives you an alright looking menu with pretty simple controls.
The overall picture quality is great, for the most part it is really crisp and clear, which really works with the film. In certain scenes the grain is overly noticable and in others the depth of field is so shallow that the actors are stepping in and out of focus so slightly that on a DVD in may be missed. This of course helps in the scenes where it is utilized due to the emotion that the actors are conveying.
As far as the commentary Ben Affleck is somewhat boring to listen to, with a medium amount of insight into what went on in making this film, but I may be bias because I still have him in my head as the 'jerk from Fashonable Male' in Mallrats. Not that he doesn't do great in his directing debut, but I know that with his second and third film we will see him become something.
The bonus features are somewhat lacking, but with this type of film it isn't what I am looking for. If they had put two hours of behind the scenes it would have killed it because with this type of drama if the film isn't speaking for itself then a load of extra features aren't going to sell discs for you. All in all a good presentation.
*** ¶ 2:09 AM 0 Comments
This is the first Blu-Ray that I have checked out that has a menu system similar to that of a DVD. Most of the other titles simply start with the film right off with a lower third menu style, seamlessly integrated into the movie but this title gives you an alright looking menu with pretty simple controls.
The overall picture quality is great, for the most part it is really crisp and clear, which really works with the film. In certain scenes the grain is overly noticable and in others the depth of field is so shallow that the actors are stepping in and out of focus so slightly that on a DVD in may be missed. This of course helps in the scenes where it is utilized due to the emotion that the actors are conveying.
As far as the commentary Ben Affleck is somewhat boring to listen to, with a medium amount of insight into what went on in making this film, but I may be bias because I still have him in my head as the 'jerk from Fashonable Male' in Mallrats. Not that he doesn't do great in his directing debut, but I know that with his second and third film we will see him become something.
The bonus features are somewhat lacking, but with this type of film it isn't what I am looking for. If they had put two hours of behind the scenes it would have killed it because with this type of drama if the film isn't speaking for itself then a load of extra features aren't going to sell discs for you. All in all a good presentation.
*** ¶ 2:09 AM 0 Comments
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Terminator 2 Blu-Ray
Standing in the ever expanding Blu-Ray section of the store I was contemplating my next purchase. Glaring across the shelves I saw it. Arnold. One of the major draws to this film was the price. Terminator 2 was easily $10 cheaper than most of the other options at the time, and the thought rang through my head, "What the hell? This is a classic favorite, how can I go wrong?" Well, as far as the quality of the film itself the Blu-Ray version is unsurpassed, but as far as the extra features, I'm glad I still have the DVD.
I was taken back by the amounts of features that were left out. On the last version that I bought on DVD, although it had another disc, I still had over eight hours of extra content, production stills, trailers, the screenplay, storyboards, etc... On this latest incarnation all you get is a couple commentary tracks and the theatrical version. There aren't even the deleted scenes, which blows my mind. I don't understand what they were thinking in putting out this version without at least giving me the special edition option on the disc. Even the picture of Arnold on the cover is over compressed to the point where it hardly looks like the same picture as on the original DVD.
Now, the quality of the print output at 1080p is extremely crisp and
it amazed me at how well the effects look given the near 20 year old
technology they were using when it was shot. I honestly think that I
hardly got my money's worth with this version though, that I have in
fact been cheapened by the wonderful experience I have had growing up
watching this film. If you have a Blu-Ray player and the extra cash, I
would say that you would need to be a hardcore HD fan to pick this one
up, because for around $5 less you can get a lot more for your buck,
except for that extra 1080 push.
*1/2 ¶ 4:34 PM 1 Comments
Standing in the ever expanding Blu-Ray section of the store I was contemplating my next purchase. Glaring across the shelves I saw it. Arnold. One of the major draws to this film was the price. Terminator 2 was easily $10 cheaper than most of the other options at the time, and the thought rang through my head, "What the hell? This is a classic favorite, how can I go wrong?" Well, as far as the quality of the film itself the Blu-Ray version is unsurpassed, but as far as the extra features, I'm glad I still have the DVD.
I was taken back by the amounts of features that were left out. On the last version that I bought on DVD, although it had another disc, I still had over eight hours of extra content, production stills, trailers, the screenplay, storyboards, etc... On this latest incarnation all you get is a couple commentary tracks and the theatrical version. There aren't even the deleted scenes, which blows my mind. I don't understand what they were thinking in putting out this version without at least giving me the special edition option on the disc. Even the picture of Arnold on the cover is over compressed to the point where it hardly looks like the same picture as on the original DVD.
Now, the quality of the print output at 1080p is extremely crisp and
it amazed me at how well the effects look given the near 20 year old
technology they were using when it was shot. I honestly think that I
hardly got my money's worth with this version though, that I have in
fact been cheapened by the wonderful experience I have had growing up
watching this film. If you have a Blu-Ray player and the extra cash, I
would say that you would need to be a hardcore HD fan to pick this one
up, because for around $5 less you can get a lot more for your buck,
except for that extra 1080 push.
*1/2 ¶ 4:34 PM 1 Comments
Superbad: 2 Disc Unrated Edition Blu-Ray
Wow. This was possibly the most extensive blu-ray that I have reviewed to date. Not only do you get the unrated extended edition of the insanely hilarious feature in all its 1080p glory (clocking in at around 120 minutes) but you also get the deleted/extended scenes, gag reels and commentary tracks. And that is only the first disc. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend trying to take all of the extra features in in one sitting, after the film and deleted scenes the girlfriend and I were a little full with the Superbad Experience, but after a good night's rest and a hard day's work watching the bonus disc throws you right back into the hilariousness that is the mind of Judd Aptow and his comedy wrecking crew. The list just goes on, there are auditions, press junkets footage, set diaries, the original table read, and if that isn't enough, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader have an entire "Cop Car Confessions" section that will put you on the floor! I would highly recommend this to anyone who remotely enjoyed the film.
*** ¶ 4:28 PM 1 Comments
Wow. This was possibly the most extensive blu-ray that I have reviewed to date. Not only do you get the unrated extended edition of the insanely hilarious feature in all its 1080p glory (clocking in at around 120 minutes) but you also get the deleted/extended scenes, gag reels and commentary tracks. And that is only the first disc. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend trying to take all of the extra features in in one sitting, after the film and deleted scenes the girlfriend and I were a little full with the Superbad Experience, but after a good night's rest and a hard day's work watching the bonus disc throws you right back into the hilariousness that is the mind of Judd Aptow and his comedy wrecking crew. The list just goes on, there are auditions, press junkets footage, set diaries, the original table read, and if that isn't enough, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader have an entire "Cop Car Confessions" section that will put you on the floor! I would highly recommend this to anyone who remotely enjoyed the film.
*** ¶ 4:28 PM 1 Comments
