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    Wonder Book

    Wonder Book

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    Tabletop Game

    Oniria — the world of an ancient dragon civilization. Tales describe the land as an idyllic...

Avatar (2009)
Avatar (2009)
2009 | Action, Comedy, Mystery
With a budget reported to be around $400 million dollars and a four year production cycle, “Avatar” by James Cameron is poised to usher in a new age in digital fx and 3d.

The film is set in 2154 and involves a disabled vet named Jake (Sam Worthington), who is sent to the distant moon of Pandora following the death of his brother.

It is learned that Pandora possesses a highly valuable resource that sells on the resource ravaged earth for $200 million a kilo and, which naturally sets off a frenzy of mining on the moon.

With the cultivation of the resource at a premium a facility has been established to ensure a constant mining operation and protect those on the base from the hostile wildlife that is everywhere.

While the wildlife on Pandora is a big issue, it pales in comparison to the issues poised by the native Na’vi who are a blue-skinned race who live in the forests of the moon and are in harmony with the nature of the planet which have caused them to hamper the mining efforts of the humans.

Anxious to keep the mining operations going, and limit the use of brute force to avoid any p.r. issues, a program known as “Avatar” is put into motion which allows select individuals to pilot a surrogate made from Na’vi and human D.N.A. in an effort to get the Na’vi to move and end their opposition to the mining.

It is hoped that the pilots will in time find a way to force the cooperation of the Na’vi after spending time amongst them.
Jake is thrilled with the program as once his remote link is established, he is free to run and jump again and in time finds himself absorbed by the Na’vi who wish to show him their ways as a test of his worthiness after he is separated from his fellow humans.

At this point Jake leads a double life as his surrogate learns what it is to be Na’vi and when the surrogate is asleep, Jake unhooks himself from his control bed, and is back on the base with his fellow humans. Jake is approached by Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), who tasks the Marine to obtain tactical data on the Na’vi should his forces be called into action to force their cooperation. Jake is promised a costly procedure in return which would allow him to regain the use of his legs and live a life outside of his wheelchair.

As time passes, Jake grows closer to his Na’vi mentor Neytire (Zoe Saldana), who aside from being the daughter of the chief is a skilled hunter for her people. At this point Jake begins to question the motives and methods of his people and sees the exploitation and possible massacre of the Na’vi as something he can no longer accept. Jake puts a plan in motion to protect his human and Na’vi friends and what follows is an epic confrontation that is awash in visual splendor and action as James Cameron once again pushes the boundaries of technology.

Some may cite the story as resembling “Dances with Wolves’; and other films that deal with the exploitation of the native races, but the true magic of the film is that it is not limited to the lavish visuals but is instead powered by the compelling characters.

The 3d fx shine as Cameron has created another world with a thriving ecosystem that is as much a character in the film as the flesh and blood and digital creations that power the story.

The film has good supporting work from Sigourney Weaver, and Michelle Rodriquez as well as the fine ensemble cast. The amazing blend of story, digital splendor, and characters all combine to make “Avatar” a truly amazing visual film with a strong message of love, hope, and unity. James Cameron has once again proved that he is one of the true masters of cinema and has crafted a magical experience that enchants and informs.
  
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Vicki Gleave D'Aunay (12 KP) Aug 8, 2019

Great film, the graphic are amazing

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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox 360 version of Doom in Video Games

Mar 20, 2020  
Doom
Doom
1993 | Action, Horror, Shooter
The BFG (0 more)
Kick Some Ass
Doom- such a classic to all, I personally didnt play doom until the 360. Yes you read that right, i didnt play this game until the 360. So lets talk about it.

The gameplay:

Doom is a first-person shooter presented with early 3D graphics. The player controls an unnamed space marine—later termed the Doomguy—through a series of levels set in military bases on the moons of Mars and in Hell. To finish a level, the player must traverse through the area to reach a marked exit room. Levels are grouped together into named episodes, with the final level focusing on a boss fight with a particularly difficult enemy.

While traversing the levels, the player must fight a variety of enemies, including demons and possessed undead humans, while managing supplies of ammunition, health, and armor. Enemies often appear in large groups, and the game features five difficulty levels which increase the quantity and damage done by enemies, with enemies respawning upon death and moving faster than normal on the hardest difficulty setting.

Levels can also include pits of toxic waste, ceilings that lower and crush anything below them, and locked doors which require a keycard, skull-shaped key device, or a remote switch to be opened.

The plot:

Doom is divided into three episodes: "Knee-Deep in the Dead", "The Shores of Hell", and "Inferno". A fourth episode, "Thy Flesh Consumed", was added in an expanded version of the game, The Ultimate Doom. The game itself contains very few plot elements, with the minimal story instead given in the instruction manual and short text segues between episodes.

 In the future, the player character (an unnamed space marine) has been punitively posted to Mars after assaulting a superior officer, who ordered his unit to fire on civilians. Players assume the role of a space marine, popularly known as "Doomguy", fighting his way through hordes of invading demons from Hell.

The Impact/Legacy:

Doom helped define the FPS genre and inspired numerous similar games, known as "Doom clones". It is one of the most significant games in video game history, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest games of all time. It pioneered online distribution and technologies including 3D graphics, networked multiplayer gaming, and support for customized modifications via packaged files (WADs). However, its graphic violence and hellish imagery also made it a subject of controversy.

Doom was influential and dozens of new first-person shooter titles appeared following Doom's release, and they were often referred to as "Doom clones" rather than "first-person shooters". The term "Doom clone" was used to describe the style of gameplay in Doom-style games. While the term was initially popular, it was, after 1996, gradually replaced by "first-person shooter", and the phrase "first-person shooter" had firmly superseded "Doom clone" around 1998. Some of these were certainly "clones", hastily assembled and quickly forgotten, while others explored new grounds of the genre and were highly acclaimed. Many of the games closely imitated features in Doom such as the selection of weapons and cheat codes.

Devoted players have spent years creating speedruns for Doom, competing for the quickest completion times and sharing knowledge about routes through the levels and how to exploit bugs in the Doom engine for shortcuts. Achievements include the completion of both Doom and Doom II on the "Ultra-Violence" difficulty setting in less than 30 minutes each. In addition, a few players have also managed to complete Doom II in a single run on the difficulty setting "Nightmare!", on which monsters are more aggressive, launch faster projectiles (or, in the case of the Pinky Demon, simply move faster), and respawn roughly 30 seconds after they have been killed (level designer John Romero characterized the idea of such a run as "[just having to be] impossible").

So overall Doom is a epic game, and started the first person shooter genre, started speedrunning and started the franchise as we know today. So thank you id software and John Ramero for this game.
  
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Dean (6925 KP) Mar 20, 2020

I played this on the Sega Megadrive 32x 😁

    AmpliTube

    AmpliTube

    Music and Entertainment

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    App

    ***NOW WITH EVEN MORE FREE GEAR MODELS PLUS "FENDER COLLECTION 2" AVAILABLE VIA IN-APP PURCHASE TO...

    Sun And Moon Tracker 3D

    Sun And Moon Tracker 3D

    Weather and Travel

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    App

    With this app you will see where the sun is on the sky when the moon covers it. Check this out. It's...