Didn't see anything like this so I thought I would post it. I was also originally going to just post this as "The Book Review Thread", but perhaps people aren't like me, reading 5 books a week. So instead, you get this. Instead of just being about books, it can be about music, television, movies, products, games, etc. Post a small review and what you thought of something. If your review is particularly long, put a tl;dr summary.
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Ok, since I like writing this kind of stuff I'll be reviewing the book written by Jaycee-Lee Dugard, it is an autobiography on her 'stolen life' as the book titles.
Jaycee was abducted as a young child when she was 11 and was never seen from anyone's eyes apart from her two daughters and Phillip and Nancy Garrido, her abducters. She was gone for over 17 years, and like I say, she had 2 children. I admit this book is a bit gruesome at times because assaults were performed on her. The kind nobody likes to talk about... However I did enjoy reading it and it was definetly an eye opener on how some people are made to live their lives. If you don't like gruesome stuff (Not all the book was gruesome) Definetly don't read the book. Luckily, after 18 years her identity was truly revealed and Jaycee-Lee Dugard she was again.
Graphics: Absolutely stunning. Even on an Xbox 360, it's beautiful. Of course, the downside of the new id Tech 5 engine's megatextures (having to load them each time you go somewhere) comes up a lot, but that was most likely because I didn't have enough space to download the game onto my Xbox, which is recommended to make the loading less frequent. Even without downloading it onto the system, though, loading times were lightning-fast. I was very impressed.
Sound: Pretty good. Background music is not really something that stands out too much (aside from a few instances), but it's certainly not bad. The weapons and vehicles sound spot-on, however. I experienced some wonky sound issues on the second disc, though I'm not sure if this is just a fluke, an issue with my second disc, or something that could have been avoided if I could have downloaded the game onto my Xbox. Sometimes sounds happened a second or two after they were supposed to (like people talking after their mouths were already moving, or explosions going BOOM after the flash happened).
Gameplay: Flawless. The weapons feel amazing and powerful. The vehicles have a lot of "oomph" to them. The shooting aspect is perfect, though this is to be expected from id. At first I was unsure if I'd like the driving aspect of the game since I don't like racing games, but it was executed perfectly and was very enjoyable.
Story: I actually found the main plot to be interesting. I've read reviews of people losing interest or just not liking it, but I was hooked. But... The ending. I've spoilered it below for those who still want to play the game.
What a terrible ending. This is coming from an id fan and someone who isn't hard to please. While the ending is perfect as a cliffhanger, it makes for a terrible and insanely abrupt conclusion to an extremely enjoyable game. Of course people reply with "there will probably be DLC" or "that's what Rage 2 will be for," but that shouldn't have to be the case. An ending like this - especially since it's coming from id Software, which is known for some amazing final bosses - is just unacceptable.
Before going on the final mission, people around the town speak of a "60 foot tall monster" (or something like that) and you're given the most powerful weapon in the entire game. But... There was nothing. No big final boss. No bigger, stronger enemy to justify even using the strongest gun (I saved all of my ammo for a big boss, and never even got to use the gun). I don't think it's unfair to say this was perhaps the biggest "HA HA, GOTCHA!" moment in recent video game history. I'm starting to think the title Rage was meant for this ending all along.
To make matters worse, unless you saved before entering the final town, you can't ever go back and play through the Wasteland to get what you missed. You're left to start an entirely new file. It's hard to blame someone for not making a file before entering the final town. There's no "Once you go, there's no turning back" message like most games have (and for the games that don't have that message, you're able to go back). The closest you get to that message is a character saying the typical "Many have entered, but none have ever left" message, which in every single game I've ever played means my character would be the first to go in and leave. Which is probably what happens after the credits finish rolling, but you can't play after that.
Ultimately... This is by far the most disappointing ending I've ever experienced, and there was absolutely no reason for it. And on top of that, to have all of my hard work just sitting there for me to only be able to look at and go, "Gee, wish I would have made a separate save file..." Just awful. I'm still in shock they found a way to ruin one of the most enjoyable games I've played in a long time.
Overall, an excellent game (except for what I said in the spoiler). If I had to give it a score out of 10, it'd be either an 8 or 9. Would've easily been a 10, though. :/
I've been reading quite frequently now that college has started. I go through 3-5 books a week now lol. Last trip to the library seemed to have a bit of a post-apocalypse theme. One that particularly caught my eye was Nomansland.
It's about this post-apocalyptic community that's comprised completely of women. The main character, Keller, is training to become a Tracker and protect the borders of their island from the enemy. Who is the enemy you might ask? Men. Yes, men. They're a really strict society that is trying to ban anything that might cause sin. They're not even allowed mirrors or decoration. The apocalypse, you might ask, seems to be a nuclear holocaust. They speak often of mutants and how the "Tribulation" (apocalypse) involved rods of fire raining from the heavens. The main character and some other girls find this old house full of stuff before the Tribulation. Very sinful stuff, like magazines with images oooooh. It's really an interesting book, I enjoy what-if situations like ths. Sadly the characters were forgettable. For a first novel from this author, I give it a solid 8/10. Go ahead and pick it up if you like stuff like this.
Breaking Bad just ended its fourth season and I find it easily safe to say that it IS the best show on television right now, and one of the best shows of all time. When you have legendary shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, LOST and the like to compete against, at this point you have to be an absolutely breathtaking show to even hold a candle to these. Breaking Bad easily does that. Breaking Bad is the story about a man, Walter White (Bryan Cranston), and his journey from a law-abiding citizen to a criminal. It's impossible to mention Breaking Bad and not talk about the acting. Bryan Cranston has won three Emmys three years in a row for his role as Walter White and they are more than deserved. Bryan Cranston is the best actor to ever grace television in my opinion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Mqb-5BYpg Watch this scene. It's from the second season. It is not even the best moment of the show, but there are no spoilers in this scene. It's so powerful that if you ever take my advice about anything, please let it be that you watch this scene and try watching the show if you like it.
Breaking Bad has always been filled with metaphors, symbolism, allegories, and other literary devices. Season four was absolutely no different and took these to the next level. This is a show that can be broken up and analyzed for hours just based on specific events that occur in each episode. Just some of the scenes in season four were so powerful and iconic that they are instant classics.
For example, Gus getting his face blown off, Gus poisoning all of Don Eladio's men, Walter going crazy in the crawl space scene, and Jesse describing his "problem dog".
Just thinking about these scenes makes me want to watch them again because that's seriously just how amazing this show is.
Season four focuses on, without giving too many spoilers away, the aftermath of
Gale's shooting (yes there's a character named Gale in the show, how awesome is that?)
, and Walter becoming a darker person. There are so many literary devices that are employed to tell the story of this season and as the season progresses things become more and more complicated and so much more interesting. The character development is so rich and deep. Also, the music for this season? Awesome.
I can't stress how much you have to see this show. The first three seasons are on Netflix now. I've seen the first three seasons twice now and every time I watch them I find something different. The dialogue presented to these characters and the way the actors (most notably Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Giancarlo Espisito) bring the characters to life is unbelievable.
WATCH. THIS. SHOW. I can't say enough about it. I would say more, but I don't want to spoil anything, and I also want to keep this short and sweet. This show is a 10/10, and it WILL win even more Emmys this year, as it has for the past three years in a row.
Ok, since I like writing this kind of stuff I'll be reviewing the book written by Jaycee-Lee Dugard, it is an autobiography on her 'stolen life' as the book titles.
Jaycee was abducted as a young child when she was 11 and was never seen from anyone's eyes apart from her two daughters and Phillip and Nancy Garrido, her abducters. She was gone for over 17 years, and like I say, she had 2 children. I admit this book is a bit gruesome at times because assaults were performed on her. The kind nobody likes to talk about... However I did enjoy reading it and it was definetly an eye opener on how some people are made to live their lives. If you don't like gruesome stuff (Not all the book was gruesome) Definetly don't read the book. Luckily, after 18 years her identity was truly revealed and Jaycee-Lee Dugard she was again.
I'm not even that fond of reading, but I read this book for our Non-Fiction unit in A-ELA at school. I'd have to say that it is one of the best, if not the best, book that I have ever read. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants a great read that will keep them thinking for some time.
Oh gosh seems like all my threads die. Maybe it's cuz it took me so long to read through this book.
This book captivated me from the start. The imagery is perfection, this may be Campbell's first novel but it is a masterpiece. The story is riveting, the characters are believable, the tone is dark, and it all feels so REAL. It's incredibly complex, and absolutely thrilling. It takes place in a city called Deepgate, a city of chains. It's suspended by huge chains over a great abyss, where the god Ulcis is said to live. The people of Deepgate worship Ulcis and cast all their dead into the abyss, so that He may build an army to retake Heaven. The story mainly centers itself around Dill, an angel who is the last of the Temple's Archons. He's descended from Ulcis's herald himself, but sadly he is naught but an enigma. He's not even allowed to fly. It also involves a scounger whose daughter was murdered, somewhat of a failure of an assassin, a maddened and murderous angel, and a poisoner who wants to bring all of Deepgate down around him. It's quite a thrilling story, and has plenty of twists along the way. I recommend it highly, a 10/10 for me.
So instead, you get this. Instead of just being about books, it can be about music, television, movies, products, games, etc. Post a small review and what you thought of something. If your review is particularly long, put a tl;dr summary.
