Wednesday 21 September 2016

Film Review No. 13 Hell or High Water (15+)

Strong Points:
Very strong performances from all
A satisfying end
Realistic in its setting and presentation
Funny at parts, dark at others
Nice pacing
There is no good and bad side
Great chemistry between both sets of partners
The everyday parts were just as thrilling as the action parts

Weak Points:
A slight 'Deus Ex Machina' to allow the motives to work
Some storylines could've been explored slightly more
The bank's motivations and problems could be lost under everything else

Nitpicks:
Are there really that many guns there?

Some slight spoilers ahead:

Friday 16 September 2016

First Impressions: The Crew

Ah, Ubi 30, how we love you. The 4th free game in Ubisoft's birthday celebrations, The Crew was not a game I was expecting to be able to pick up due to its comparable young age compared to Prince of Persia: Sands of Time and the original Splinter Cell. But here we are, an open-world multiplayer drive-em-up with a story. Awesome.

Wednesday 14 September 2016

First Impressions: Payday 2

Note: having only played offline so far, my opinions may be slightly different to the ones in the full review when it comes out. Having said that, though, I can honestly say I'm having a very fun time with Payday 2.

Tuesday 13 September 2016

Review No. 123 Dishonored - PC (18+)

Strong Points:
Many ways to dispatch enemy
Lots of choices which affect story and gameplay
Nice art style
Great powers
Replayability
Good voice acting
4th mission offers a nice change for stealth missions
Great atmosphere
Can make you really think about your choices - you are not always the hero

Weak Points:
Amount of stuff to do in the first and second chapter (after prologue) can be overwhelming
Certain choices are black and white - even if you make a third option
The beginning can feel slow as you have limited powers
Quite large difficulty spikes
Has Bethesda's classic clunky animations
The enemy AI can be intermittent
Saving a civilian who then walks straight into danger again really hinders the job
More weapons and powers favour the lethal approach
Difficult to find enough mana potions, to begin with



Thursday 1 September 2016

Film Review No. 12 Suicide Squad (15+)

Strong Points:
Strong acting from all - especially Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Jay Hernandez
Great introduction to the characters, for the most part
Vivid style
Great music choices and sound design
Nice CGI
Humorous
El Diablo's story was good
Cameos and Easter Eggs of other storylines, past and future, in the DCEU
The text messages between Harley and The Joker
Batfleck

Weak Points:
Between the accents and them speaking quietly, words were lost
Some characters needed development
Very little build-up between introduction and all out war
Some camera angles and editing could've been better
Difficult to understand without prior comic book/film knowledge

Nitpicks:
Deadshot's dream

Some spoilers ahead:

Video Game Character of the Month - September 2016 - Newton Bill - Hill Climb Racing

Video Game Character of the Month
September 2016
Newton Bill
Hill Climb Racing


Overview:
Newton Bill is a young uphill racer who wants to be the very best (like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test to... ahem, sorry, I got a bit carried away there) and is prepared to master all matter of vehicles from a Jeep to a Tank to a Sleigh and throw himself into a great variety of deadly environments from the Countryside to the Moon to Ragnarok itself just to achieve his dream. And yet no matter how many Neck Flips, Insane Air Times and Levels he completes, his dream is always just that little bit further ahead and just that little bit further away than his fuel supply allows. So, we here at GamesAppsAndReviews have decided to give him another award to keep him going - the prestigious Video Game Character of the Month award!
And now for a bit of information on Newton Bill: