Sunday 31 December 2017

Review No. 135 The Legend of Korra - PC (12+)

Strong Points:
Great gameplay
You feel overpowered - like the Avatar should feel...
... But the game can still test your skills
Fully voice acted with the original cast from the show
Lots of collectibles
Pro-Bending is fun and offers a variety of gameplay
Easy to pick up and play, especially the earlier levels, which offers quick bursts of elemental action
Lots of Easter Eggs and references to both shows (The Legend of Aang and The Legend of Korra)
Each Bending style feels different and yet works well together
Great music from the show
Graphics are good...
The Bending styles are mostly balanced...
The details are mostly correct and well thought out (such as the various bending animations)...

Weak Points:
... but could be better
... however, Air is a bit overpowered due to the ease of setting up combos
... but some details are wrong/missed out completely - you can Earthbend on wood for Raava's sake!
Rather short
Feels slightly rushed and, so, never quite reaches its potential as a full Avatar game
No Pro-Bending online or local multiplayer
You can't play as either of the other elements (Fire and Earth) in Pro-Bending
The Naga running sequences can get a bit dull and, in the case of chapter 5 on Extreme Mode, frustratingly difficult
You actually have to lower your power in order to get a platinum medal on Casual Mode
No way to change key-bindings
Would be nice to be able to Bend the environment rather than just 'create' elements
The Jill of All Trades achievement is completely missable and requires you to start completely over again in order to earn it
No trophy or record of your wins in the Pro-Bending arena

Rating: 80%

Warning: slight spoilers for both the game and the show ahead


Friday 29 December 2017

App Review No. 109 Disney: Magic Kingdoms

Strong Points:
Faithful reproductions of characters and places
Has the 'essence' of a Disney Park
Lots to do
Variations to the film's stories add more depth
Pretty good writing
Good pacing
Great animations
Good use of licence
Can get premium currency without purchase with real money
Some event missions are well-incorporated...

Weak Points:
Buildings are too large to allow for proper park set-ups
Too many event-exclusive characters
Some story parts are unlocked with no hints as to how
Voice acting only for the first few characters
Events require quite large inputs of time or money
...Some are not
The characters don't interact cross-franchise enough



Tuesday 19 December 2017

Film Review No. 34 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (12+)

Strong Points:
Subverting the Star Wars tropes...
...Although still definitely Star Wars
Amazing CGI
Great acting from all
Back to puppets for the creatures
Porgs
Set piece after set piece
Final battle
Visual imagery
Opening battle's tension
Some returning faces
Risk taking
Benicio Del Toro's character
Andy Serkis's character
Tense throughout
The film shows a difference in style to T:FA but is still noticeably Star Wars
Focus on other characters
A conversation in two halves
Transitions between scenes

Weak Points:
A shouty start
Some odd bits of film (either too real or CGI)
Sometimes visual representations were questionable
Not sure if all the comedy will hold up
Death count was sometimes overly large

No spoiler review:
Go see it. Even if you don't really know about Star Wars, go see it. You won't regret it

Spoilers ahead:

Monday 11 December 2017

Film Review No. 33 Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

Strong Points:
References to the original series - with slight adjustments
New companions
Good animation
A noticeable score
Risks are taken with the story
Battles...
Incorporating the new Pokémon into the old series
Larger scale than the original series
The dream sequence
Sorrel's backstory

Weak Points:
Pikachu speaking
An odd atmosphere
...Except for missing the final battle
Team Rocket could have been in it more
The dream sequence
Marshadow felt tacked on - didn't really understand his allegiances
Verity's backstory needed to be more fleshed out

Some spoilers ahead:

Friday 1 December 2017

Video Game Character of the Month - December 2017 - E.T. - E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

Video Game Character of the Month
December 2017
E.T.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

Overview:
If infamy was a measure of success, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial game would be the most successful game of all time. Not only did it start the trend of awful movie tie-in games, it nearly single handedly destroyed the video game industry. But I guess the greatest tragedy is that E.T. never got home... At least he has the Video Game Character of the Month to keep him warm. Sadly, it's not a phone. 
And now some more information on E.T.: