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Jurassic Park – The Game Review

November 19, 2011 by Al

‘Security systems have failed and the creatures of the park roam free. Now, a rogue corporation will stop at nothing to acquire the dinosaur embryos stolen and lost by Dennis Nedry. Experience a brand new adventure set during the events of the first Jurassic Park movie and see new areas and dinosaurs in this landmark adventure 65 million years in the making!‘

The Jurassic Park movies are a mixed bag. The original movie captured the imagination of an entire generation (and still holds up today), but the sequels were an excellent demonstration of diminishing returns. They were still fun, but some of the magic had gone. When I heard that Telltale Games (of Sam and Max fame) were taking a shot at making a game set around the original film, I was cautiously optimistic. Movie tie-in games have a pretty poor track record, but Telltale weren’t setting out to make your typical action game, it could go either way.

Thankfully, Jurassic Park: The Game is Continue reading →

Uncharted 3 Review

November 17, 2011 by Al

‘Fortune hunter Nathan Drake is catapulted headlong into an adventure that takes him on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert in a search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands.” This journey pits him and his mentor Victor Sullivan against the occult treachery of a shadowy clandestine organization and its ruthless leader. When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake’s quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.‘

Nathan Drake has become one of the unofficial mascots for the Playstation 3, with good reason. The Uncharted games have been some of the best examples of how great cinematic games can be with the right team behind them. While the first Uncharted game was well received, it was Uncharted 2: Among Thieves that catapulted the franchise into the spotlight, quickly becoming a favourite among critics and players alike. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception certainly had a lot to live up to, but surely the developers at Naughty Dog were up to it?

Well, yes and no. Uncharted 3 is Continue reading →

Web Review – Dragon Age: Redemption – Josmael

October 26, 2011 by Al

‘Dragon Age: Redemption is a six-part web series set in the world of the EA/Bioware RPG Dragon Age. The series tells the story of Tallis, an Elvish assassin, who gets a last chance at redemption when she’s sent to capture a rogue Qunari mage intent on wreaking havoc in the world.‘

Dragon Age: Redemption is certainly an impressive achievement in web video, but thankfully it’s also really enjoyable to watch. Each episode has built nicely on those preceding it and it feels like a nice coherent experience, even though it’s being delivered at the rate of only a few minutes per week.

The party building aspect of the series feels Continue reading →

Blizzcon 2011 Impressions

October 25, 2011 by Al

Every year, more than 20,000 gamers descend on the Anaheim Convention Center to hear the latest news on the Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo franchises from Blizzard. For the last few years, they have been joined by tens of thousands of people from around the world on the Blizzcon livestream; but the viewing experience has always had its share of problems. 2011 was no different, in fact the viewing experience this year was the most problematic that I have experienced. Continue reading →

The Captains Review

October 20, 2011 by Al

‘Since first soaring onto television screens in the 1960s, Star Trek has become one of the most beloved franchises of all time. Now, the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner, travels around the globe to interview the elite group of actors (Chris Pine, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula) who have portrayed the role of Starship Captain, giving fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the pop culture phenomenon as well as the men and women who made it so.‘

William Shatner has made a whole comedy act out of poking fun at his most famous role, but you don’t often hear him or any of the other Star Trek actors talk about the impact that it had on their personal lives. There are plenty of documentaries out there that talk about how obsessed the fans are, or what impact the show made on television, but how does it feel to be a part of something so massive?

The Captains is a very honest, if a little Continue reading →

Web Review – Dragon Age: Redemption – Cairn

October 18, 2011 by Al

With Bioware’s Mark of the Assassin receiving generally positive reviews, their multi-platform strategy with Felicia Day seems to be working fairly well. But will Redemption live up to fans expectations, or be remembered as a failed experiment?

The second episode of the series opens moments Continue reading →

Boardwalk Empire – Ourselves Alone Review

October 13, 2011 by Al

‘When realizing that he might be losing control over Atlantic City, Nucky tries to figure out which one of his men betrayed him. When agents search the Treasurer’s Office for evidence, Margaret tries to dig into her past to help Nucky in the present.‘

Boardwalk Empire continues to go from strength to strength. With the season premiere ending on such a cliffhanger, I knew that this episode was going to be interesting, but it still managed to exceed my expectations. The power struggles are certainly heating up in Atlantic City, and who knows which players will still be standing at the end of the season.

Ourselves Alone never lets up on the tension. Just as things seem Continue reading →

Web Review – Dragon Age: Redemption – Tallis

October 12, 2011 by Al

I’ve always been a big fan of Bioware’s Dragon Age franchise, and when I heard that they had approached Felicia Day to make a web series set in the game’s universe, I knew that we’d be getting something special. Day is a vocal fan of the series, and as the brains behind one of the Internet’s most popular web series (The Guild) she is definitely the right person for the job.

Day’s experience with the medium Continue reading →

Get ready for 8 months of hype

October 12, 2011 by Al

Marvel’s experiment with bringing the Avengers universe to life through several different franchises has been a very interesting one to watch. When they started, nearly everybody scoffed at the idea that the classic comic tradition of crossovers would work when transferred to the cinema. Given that almost every single film thus far has been hugely successful for Marvel, most of those doubters are now silent. Continue reading →

Real Steel Review

October 8, 2011 by Al

‘Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he’s found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.‘

It seems like an odd premise; take a story by Richard Matheson, strip out everything but the overarching sci-fi concept and shove in a father/son bonding plot together with a classic underdog story. On the surface, it shouldn’t work. But Real Steel is one of the big surprises of the year.

I went into this movie with very low expectations. I was hoping that Continue reading →