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Debbiereadsbook (1189 KP) rated Memory Lane (Pine Cove #5) in Books
Mar 13, 2021
I loved that everyone plays a part here!
I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 5 in the Pine Cove series, and while not necessary to have read the other 4, I would personally recommedn that you do. It will give you a better feel for Pine Cove, and more importantly, for the people who live in it, and just why what happens here is NOT the norm for this town.
Jay is Robin's brother. Angel is his best friend from childhood and Jay has loved Angel since that day on the bridge, 16 years ago. Now having Angel so close, Jay is struggling to keep his feelings hidden. Then when Angel has an accident at work, and loses some memory, Jay steps up to look after Angel and puts himself in a world more hurt. Angel, on the other hand, remembers Jay. Jay is the first thing he says when he wakes up, and he remembers all the places that he and Jay went to as kids. ALL his memories revolve around Jay. Everything he feels, revolves around Jay. Is he attracted to Jay?
I enjoyed this, I really did but it doesn't pack the punch that the first three books carry.
Oh don't get me wrong, it's a wonderfully written, well told book, but it doesn't sucker punch you quite so much and I kinda missed that.
The love Jay has for Angel is palable, right from the start, and that carries right through the book, even if it thought it might cost him their friendship. Angel's feeling for Jay are a little less. . . . romantic but nonetheless intense. It just takes Angel time to filter all the noise in his head from his ex, to see what he really feels for Jay; how MUCH he feels for Jay.
I loved the fact that it's on the bridge, when Jay fell in love with Angel, that Angel lets his feelings really come out!
I could see what had happened to cause the accident coming at me, just as soon as the instigator makes themselves known causing trouble. I didn't think they quite go as far as they do though!
I loved that everyone plays a part here. Robin and Dair; Scout and Emery, Swift and Micha, and Ben and Elias: they all take part to some degree or other. Kamran too, and something happens here that makes me wonder what is going on with him!
And halle-flipping-lujah! Ava and Peyton finally FINALLY admit, out loud, in front of everyone, what they mean to each other and I still want them to have a story!
So from this book, I want two more: Kamran's story and Ava/Peyton's! Greedy? Moi?? I don't know what you mean!
A great read, though, all in all!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elewhere**
This is book 5 in the Pine Cove series, and while not necessary to have read the other 4, I would personally recommedn that you do. It will give you a better feel for Pine Cove, and more importantly, for the people who live in it, and just why what happens here is NOT the norm for this town.
Jay is Robin's brother. Angel is his best friend from childhood and Jay has loved Angel since that day on the bridge, 16 years ago. Now having Angel so close, Jay is struggling to keep his feelings hidden. Then when Angel has an accident at work, and loses some memory, Jay steps up to look after Angel and puts himself in a world more hurt. Angel, on the other hand, remembers Jay. Jay is the first thing he says when he wakes up, and he remembers all the places that he and Jay went to as kids. ALL his memories revolve around Jay. Everything he feels, revolves around Jay. Is he attracted to Jay?
I enjoyed this, I really did but it doesn't pack the punch that the first three books carry.
Oh don't get me wrong, it's a wonderfully written, well told book, but it doesn't sucker punch you quite so much and I kinda missed that.
The love Jay has for Angel is palable, right from the start, and that carries right through the book, even if it thought it might cost him their friendship. Angel's feeling for Jay are a little less. . . . romantic but nonetheless intense. It just takes Angel time to filter all the noise in his head from his ex, to see what he really feels for Jay; how MUCH he feels for Jay.
I loved the fact that it's on the bridge, when Jay fell in love with Angel, that Angel lets his feelings really come out!
I could see what had happened to cause the accident coming at me, just as soon as the instigator makes themselves known causing trouble. I didn't think they quite go as far as they do though!
I loved that everyone plays a part here. Robin and Dair; Scout and Emery, Swift and Micha, and Ben and Elias: they all take part to some degree or other. Kamran too, and something happens here that makes me wonder what is going on with him!
And halle-flipping-lujah! Ava and Peyton finally FINALLY admit, out loud, in front of everyone, what they mean to each other and I still want them to have a story!
So from this book, I want two more: Kamran's story and Ava/Peyton's! Greedy? Moi?? I don't know what you mean!
A great read, though, all in all!
4 solid stars
**same worded review will appear elewhere**
National Parks of America: Experience America's 59 National Parks
Book
To celebrate America's amazing national parks, Lonely Planet, the world's leading travel publisher,...
Darren (1599 KP) rated Skinwalkers (2007) in Movies
Jul 25, 2019
Story: Skinwalkers starts as Varek (Behr) leads the hunt for a young boy for his werewolf pack, joined by Sonja (Malthe) he learns the location of Timothy (Knight) which takes him to small town to collect him.
Varek didn’t count on Timothy being under the watch of another prepared werewolf pack led by Jonas (Koteas) and his daughter-in-law Rachel (Mitra) who wasn’t ready to learn the truth that on Tim’s 13th birthday everything changes in the battle.
Thoughts on Skinwalkers
Characters – Varek is the leader of the werewolf pack that wants Timothy dead to stop the event he will cause, he hunts calmly through the film knowing how to get ahead of his enemies, though he is unaware of his connection to the child. Jonas has been protecting his nephew for years now, knowing what he means to the species, he has built the team his truss around him to make sure he is safe. Rachel is the mother of Timothy, she thinks he is just a normal kid and that she lives in a normal town, he must learn fast how to cope in this world filled with werewolves and protect her son. Sonja is the deadliest fighter on Varek side of the war, she enjoys hurting people and we see her take pleasure in this.
Performances – Jason Behr as the conflicted werewolf is good to watch, he shines on the bad boy side of this story, though when he must show the other side of the emotions we see him struggle at times. Elias Koteas is strong for his role which is one that we often see him in. Rhona Mitra does well in the reluctant heroes being the strong need to learn to battle mother figure in the film. everyone else in the film is fine without needing to be anything special, they fit their roles well to help the story flow.
Story – The story here follows two warring werewolf packs that know the importance of a child for both their existences, so basically something we have seen before only with a modern style to it. The fact the story does feel like an introduction to a much big world building idea is promising and while it isn’t the film’s fault we didn’t see the next chapter, it does show us how story telling can think ahead of time. If we are being honest this is a by the book storyline, it doesn’t bring us anything new to the werewolf mythology it just tries to keep it in the modern world.
Action/Fantasy/Horror – The action sequences are mixed bag because we have shoot-out which are routine and lack the peril for certain characters, while the fights show the effects that two werewolves fighting would have on each other. The fantasy world of werewolves living among humans is nicely done, showing two sides to them, though the horror does seem weak because we never feel terrified by what we are seeing.
Settings – The film uses the settings in a mix of quality and generic, the small town gets the big surprise with everyone being part of the protection, then we hit the road and its nothing we haven’t seen before.
Special Effects – The effects for the werewolves and wounds look nice, its just most are hidden from the full effect of the shock.
Scene of the Movie – Town stand off.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There are a few blink and you miss it moments.
Final Thoughts –This is a by the book werewolf film, it has good moments, it has forgettable moments and ends up feeling like the pilot for a television show.
Overall: The werewolf genre done safely.
Varek didn’t count on Timothy being under the watch of another prepared werewolf pack led by Jonas (Koteas) and his daughter-in-law Rachel (Mitra) who wasn’t ready to learn the truth that on Tim’s 13th birthday everything changes in the battle.
Thoughts on Skinwalkers
Characters – Varek is the leader of the werewolf pack that wants Timothy dead to stop the event he will cause, he hunts calmly through the film knowing how to get ahead of his enemies, though he is unaware of his connection to the child. Jonas has been protecting his nephew for years now, knowing what he means to the species, he has built the team his truss around him to make sure he is safe. Rachel is the mother of Timothy, she thinks he is just a normal kid and that she lives in a normal town, he must learn fast how to cope in this world filled with werewolves and protect her son. Sonja is the deadliest fighter on Varek side of the war, she enjoys hurting people and we see her take pleasure in this.
Performances – Jason Behr as the conflicted werewolf is good to watch, he shines on the bad boy side of this story, though when he must show the other side of the emotions we see him struggle at times. Elias Koteas is strong for his role which is one that we often see him in. Rhona Mitra does well in the reluctant heroes being the strong need to learn to battle mother figure in the film. everyone else in the film is fine without needing to be anything special, they fit their roles well to help the story flow.
Story – The story here follows two warring werewolf packs that know the importance of a child for both their existences, so basically something we have seen before only with a modern style to it. The fact the story does feel like an introduction to a much big world building idea is promising and while it isn’t the film’s fault we didn’t see the next chapter, it does show us how story telling can think ahead of time. If we are being honest this is a by the book storyline, it doesn’t bring us anything new to the werewolf mythology it just tries to keep it in the modern world.
Action/Fantasy/Horror – The action sequences are mixed bag because we have shoot-out which are routine and lack the peril for certain characters, while the fights show the effects that two werewolves fighting would have on each other. The fantasy world of werewolves living among humans is nicely done, showing two sides to them, though the horror does seem weak because we never feel terrified by what we are seeing.
Settings – The film uses the settings in a mix of quality and generic, the small town gets the big surprise with everyone being part of the protection, then we hit the road and its nothing we haven’t seen before.
Special Effects – The effects for the werewolves and wounds look nice, its just most are hidden from the full effect of the shock.
Scene of the Movie – Town stand off.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – There are a few blink and you miss it moments.
Final Thoughts –This is a by the book werewolf film, it has good moments, it has forgettable moments and ends up feeling like the pilot for a television show.
Overall: The werewolf genre done safely.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Weight of Memory in Books
Jul 18, 2021
After reading and loving Shawn Smucker's previous book, These Nameless Things, I was thrilled when I heard he had released his new book The Weight of Memory. After purchasing a copy, I devoured this book!
I enjoyed the way the story seemed to flow so effortlessly and so smoothly. Shawn Smucker did such an excellent job of conveying this story to his readers. It was as if he had painted such a beautiful canvas with his prose and invited us inside. Every word I read left me wanting more.
When I read the synopsis of the The Weight of Memory, it definitely had me intrigued. I had to know how Paul's 11 year old granddaughter, Pearl, knew things about Paul's past and where he grew up with even though Paul had never told her. When Paul and Pearl arrived in Nysa, the town where Paul grew up and had left 40 years prior, I had to know why people in the town were acting so strange and what was causing them to act that way. I kept trying to guess as to why, but I was always wrong. There are quite a few plot twists revealed towards the end of the book which I never would have guessed. Loose ends are all tied up excerpt for one which was left undone on purpose. Smucker leaves this up to the reader to decide what happened. Personally, I would have liked to know more, but I can see why the author left it for the reader to decide. One minor thing for me is I would have liked more about the townspeople of Nysa. They were all acting strange, and I would have liked to know more as to why besides just the drownings (not a spoiler). As for pacing, The Weight of Memory did start out a bit slow in the beginning, and I did find my mind wandering, but I persevered, and I was handsomely rewarded with such an enriching story once the pacing picked up.
For the most part, every character in The Weight of Memory felt fleshed out and realistic. Paul Elias was such a loveable character, and it was so obvious how much he loved and adored his granddaughter. I could feel his worry come off the pages though about how he needed to find someone to take care of Pearl before his death. It was heartbreaking to know that he was so worried about Pearl and what would happen to her after he was gone. I loved little Pearl, but most of the time, she came across as younger than her 11 years. To me, she acted more like a child of 6 than an older one. However, I did enjoy her character, and I admired how much she loved her "Grampy" and how she would do anything for her. Paul's and Pearl's relationship was very special, and it definitely showed throughout the story. I didn't know what to make of Tom throughout the book. He was always so distant. The author does make it known why though towards the end of the book. Tom did come across as a pretty selfless guy considering how rich he was which was refreshing. (Personally, I would have loved to stay at Tom's gigantic mansion!) As for Mary and Shirley, I enjoyed reading about them both. I would have liked to know more about Mary's home life personally due to one scene in the book. Regardless, Mary seemed like such a sweet girl, and Shirley seemed like she was a lot of fun.
Trigger warnings for The Weight of Memory include death, drowning, a few mentions of drugs (Pearl's father was a drug addict), and near death experiences.
All in all, The Weight of Memory is a beautifully enthralling story with loveable selfless character and a plot that will keep you engrossed throughout. I would definitely recommend The Weight of Memory by Shawn Smucker to those aged 16+ who love their books to be heartfelt with a lot of emotion.
I enjoyed the way the story seemed to flow so effortlessly and so smoothly. Shawn Smucker did such an excellent job of conveying this story to his readers. It was as if he had painted such a beautiful canvas with his prose and invited us inside. Every word I read left me wanting more.
When I read the synopsis of the The Weight of Memory, it definitely had me intrigued. I had to know how Paul's 11 year old granddaughter, Pearl, knew things about Paul's past and where he grew up with even though Paul had never told her. When Paul and Pearl arrived in Nysa, the town where Paul grew up and had left 40 years prior, I had to know why people in the town were acting so strange and what was causing them to act that way. I kept trying to guess as to why, but I was always wrong. There are quite a few plot twists revealed towards the end of the book which I never would have guessed. Loose ends are all tied up excerpt for one which was left undone on purpose. Smucker leaves this up to the reader to decide what happened. Personally, I would have liked to know more, but I can see why the author left it for the reader to decide. One minor thing for me is I would have liked more about the townspeople of Nysa. They were all acting strange, and I would have liked to know more as to why besides just the drownings (not a spoiler). As for pacing, The Weight of Memory did start out a bit slow in the beginning, and I did find my mind wandering, but I persevered, and I was handsomely rewarded with such an enriching story once the pacing picked up.
For the most part, every character in The Weight of Memory felt fleshed out and realistic. Paul Elias was such a loveable character, and it was so obvious how much he loved and adored his granddaughter. I could feel his worry come off the pages though about how he needed to find someone to take care of Pearl before his death. It was heartbreaking to know that he was so worried about Pearl and what would happen to her after he was gone. I loved little Pearl, but most of the time, she came across as younger than her 11 years. To me, she acted more like a child of 6 than an older one. However, I did enjoy her character, and I admired how much she loved her "Grampy" and how she would do anything for her. Paul's and Pearl's relationship was very special, and it definitely showed throughout the story. I didn't know what to make of Tom throughout the book. He was always so distant. The author does make it known why though towards the end of the book. Tom did come across as a pretty selfless guy considering how rich he was which was refreshing. (Personally, I would have loved to stay at Tom's gigantic mansion!) As for Mary and Shirley, I enjoyed reading about them both. I would have liked to know more about Mary's home life personally due to one scene in the book. Regardless, Mary seemed like such a sweet girl, and Shirley seemed like she was a lot of fun.
Trigger warnings for The Weight of Memory include death, drowning, a few mentions of drugs (Pearl's father was a drug addict), and near death experiences.
All in all, The Weight of Memory is a beautifully enthralling story with loveable selfless character and a plot that will keep you engrossed throughout. I would definitely recommend The Weight of Memory by Shawn Smucker to those aged 16+ who love their books to be heartfelt with a lot of emotion.
Debbiereadsbook (1189 KP) rated Homeward Bound (Pine Cove #3) in Books
Sep 29, 2019 (Updated Dec 6, 2019)
can't fault it!
I was gifted my copy of this book, that I write a review was not required.
Swift finds out he is a father, 5 years after Imogen’s birth. But Imogen’s mum is struggling and Swift takes custody of his daughter while mum sorts herself out. Micha is home, after some time in custody, and is struggling being at home. He loves his family, he really does, but they don’t know who he is, deep down, he can’t tell them, not after what he did before he left. Swift comes to Micha’s aid and vice versa. The things start to spiral out of control with Micha being in such close proximity to Imogen, when his past finds and threatens those he has come to love, and Micha makes a dreadful decision. Can Swift get to him in time?
Ms Welch has out done herself, AGAIN!
I mean, the whole previously undiscovered bisexuality genre is growing on me, big time, and it is almost entirely due to Ms Welch’s skill at writing these characters!
Swift is Robin’s (from book 1, Safe Harbor) older brother, and Swift is Micha’s older brother’s best friend. Micha makes no bones about his attraction to Swift, from when they all hung out together when he was a teenager. But Micha is a grown man now, and surely can’t still be crushing on Swift, right? Clearly, he is. And he struggles so much with that attraction with Swift’s little, entirely innocent, touches, because Micha doesn’t want them to be innocent. But Swift is straight, cos he has a child. And Micha just suffers in silence.
Swift, however, is questioning everything. His daughter just landed on his doorstep, and he has no idea what to do! Having Micha help is a godsend. Having Micha in his space is . .nice. Having Micha OUT his space, is not so nice and it’s not till Swift thinks he might lose Micha that he questions why he feels like that. And Swift is just like, Okay then! Micha is MINE and I want him back. And he goes all out!
When Micha tells Swift about why he can’t tell his family he is gay, I cried, I really did. It breaks your heart, the pain he has been carrying around all this time.
It’s a well told tale, of getting what and WHO you want, it really is!
But PULEEEEEZE, Ms Welch, write Ava and Peyton a full story!!
5 full and shiny stars!
Nick J Russo narrates this series.
And just as Ms Welch outdid herself WRITING this book, Russo outdid himself NARRATING it.
I mean, I rarely react out loud (verbally, shouitng, crying at what I'm reading) when I am READING. When I am LISTENING, however, its a totally different ball game and I don't think I was ever more verbal with this book than maybe one other, in years of being an audio book listener!
Right from the start, Russo broke my heart for Micha. Well Welch did of course, but HEARING how broken Micha feels he is? I think I was crying right at the first chapter!
But when Micha is telling Swift why they can't be together?? Oh dear Lord. I had to stop what I was doing and just listen to poor Micha pour his heart out to Swift and I sobbed my bloody socks off! So much so, my daughter came in to ask if I was okay!
But equally, Russo gets over Swift's emotions too. Not quite as dramatically and gut wrenching as Micha's but Swift goes through a lot here, and Russo gets all of that across.
The voices for the other characters are carried across the series perfectly, and most of them pop uo here are some point.
While I was listening, I made a connection to book 4 that I hadn't made when I was reading. Elias and Ben pop up here and it was great to figure out where they fit in into the Pine Cove bigger picture. I have their book to read next.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Swift finds out he is a father, 5 years after Imogen’s birth. But Imogen’s mum is struggling and Swift takes custody of his daughter while mum sorts herself out. Micha is home, after some time in custody, and is struggling being at home. He loves his family, he really does, but they don’t know who he is, deep down, he can’t tell them, not after what he did before he left. Swift comes to Micha’s aid and vice versa. The things start to spiral out of control with Micha being in such close proximity to Imogen, when his past finds and threatens those he has come to love, and Micha makes a dreadful decision. Can Swift get to him in time?
Ms Welch has out done herself, AGAIN!
I mean, the whole previously undiscovered bisexuality genre is growing on me, big time, and it is almost entirely due to Ms Welch’s skill at writing these characters!
Swift is Robin’s (from book 1, Safe Harbor) older brother, and Swift is Micha’s older brother’s best friend. Micha makes no bones about his attraction to Swift, from when they all hung out together when he was a teenager. But Micha is a grown man now, and surely can’t still be crushing on Swift, right? Clearly, he is. And he struggles so much with that attraction with Swift’s little, entirely innocent, touches, because Micha doesn’t want them to be innocent. But Swift is straight, cos he has a child. And Micha just suffers in silence.
Swift, however, is questioning everything. His daughter just landed on his doorstep, and he has no idea what to do! Having Micha help is a godsend. Having Micha in his space is . .nice. Having Micha OUT his space, is not so nice and it’s not till Swift thinks he might lose Micha that he questions why he feels like that. And Swift is just like, Okay then! Micha is MINE and I want him back. And he goes all out!
When Micha tells Swift about why he can’t tell his family he is gay, I cried, I really did. It breaks your heart, the pain he has been carrying around all this time.
It’s a well told tale, of getting what and WHO you want, it really is!
But PULEEEEEZE, Ms Welch, write Ava and Peyton a full story!!
5 full and shiny stars!
Nick J Russo narrates this series.
And just as Ms Welch outdid herself WRITING this book, Russo outdid himself NARRATING it.
I mean, I rarely react out loud (verbally, shouitng, crying at what I'm reading) when I am READING. When I am LISTENING, however, its a totally different ball game and I don't think I was ever more verbal with this book than maybe one other, in years of being an audio book listener!
Right from the start, Russo broke my heart for Micha. Well Welch did of course, but HEARING how broken Micha feels he is? I think I was crying right at the first chapter!
But when Micha is telling Swift why they can't be together?? Oh dear Lord. I had to stop what I was doing and just listen to poor Micha pour his heart out to Swift and I sobbed my bloody socks off! So much so, my daughter came in to ask if I was okay!
But equally, Russo gets over Swift's emotions too. Not quite as dramatically and gut wrenching as Micha's but Swift goes through a lot here, and Russo gets all of that across.
The voices for the other characters are carried across the series perfectly, and most of them pop uo here are some point.
While I was listening, I made a connection to book 4 that I hadn't made when I was reading. Elias and Ben pop up here and it was great to figure out where they fit in into the Pine Cove bigger picture. I have their book to read next.
5 stars for the book
5 stars for the narration!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PC version of Call of Duty: Ghosts in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the latest installment in the commonly popular series and the first design with the next generation of consoles in mind. The 10th main game in the series is brought to life by series creator Infinity Ward with assistance from Raven and Neversoft, was written by Academy award-winning writer-director Stephen Gaghan who lists “Traffic” and “Syrianna” among his many credits.
Starting a whole new story arc, the game is set in the near future when a group of militants from the Latin American-based power conglomerate called the Federation, launch a surprise attack on a space station and unleash a devastating attack upon cities of the American Southwest that utterly destroys many of them in the process. The game jumps forward in time and follows the exploits of two brothers named Logan and David who nearly escaped the destruction of San Diego and 10 years later find the remaining American forces fighting a war against the ever-expanding Federation forces. When a rescue mission goes awry, Logan and David find themselves recruited by their father Elias into an elite Ghost Squad unit who soon discover that members of their unit are being hunted down by a former member named Rorke who was assumed killed on a mission many years earlier. The fact that Rorke may also be behind the attack on the United States as well as a big cog in the Federation’s plans springs the team into action with the fate of the United States hanging in the balance.
Players will play as various characters and assume control of everything from remote operated weaponry, Apache helicopters, tanks, and even a German shepherd named Riley who is a very welcome addition to the series. The heavily modified engine produces some amazing graphics in the game especially during some of the more scenic locales ranging from underwater missions to snow-covered landscapes as well as desolate cities such as Vegas and San Diego. Playing on the PC, did require a bit of patience at launch as the graphics did not seem up to par with what we’ve come to expect from the series much less a next-generation tweaking of the engine. Thankfully the game was soon patched and the graphics stepped up considerably although in multiplayer there were some frustrating moments where the mouse was not recognized and I had to do a series of workarounds until a patch resolved the issue. I still have occasional issues with the system wanting to reset the graphics down to the base level even though my card is more than capable of running the high-level graphics setting. This is a very minor annoyance though as I am able to customize the controls and settings anyway that I like and the gameplay is absolutely phenomenal as the developers clearly put an emphasis on a higher frame rate and smoother gameplay experience.
Fans of the series will know what to expect as there are a lot of familiar touches such is the wave-based attacks, stealth missions, and at the gun battles that are signature of the series. Early in the game, many moments seem to have been almost carbon copies of earlier games but thankfully the game finds stride roughly at the midway point and presses the accelerator all the way to the boards for one nonstop thrill ride which includes an epic finale and some shocking moments along the way not the least of which are the bonus scenes during the credits.
While I was able to complete the solo campaign in just under five hours I did find myself really caught up in the story and the characters which is something that I had not experienced in Black Ops 2 as a largely completed the solo play portion of that game out of obligation rather than compulsion. Absolutely love the space fight sequences as the Zero G combat was great and I would absolutely love to see an entire game set in this environment. I also loved taking control of the tank and running over opponents while unleashing furious amounts of firepower upon all those that crossed my path.
Now multi-play is the bread-and-butter of series and Ghosts definitely has a lot to offer in this category. From the co-op missions to the alien infested “Extinction” mode for up to four players battle against hordes of aliens for survival the game truly has something for everyone. Fans will be happy to know that in addition to the standard Death Match, Team Death Match, Kill Confirmed, and Domination modes there are five other modes which include Infected, Blitz, Search and Rescue, Search and Destroy, and Cranked as well as the standard and Hardcore modes of play.
Customization has long been a big part of the series and this timeout players can play is either a male or female character and have the option to customize the look of their player and online matches down to the type of headgear and uniform that they wear. As with previous games in the series, players are awarded points for kills, assists, and other challenges and actions during gameplay which allow them to rank up and obtain new weaponry, perks, and kill streak rewards. While I did find the customization menus took a little bit to get used to after being so familiar with the ones in the previous games, I soon was up and running and found plenty of options to my liking and I continue to experiment with various configurations to date.
The online maps are fantastic and full of detail however some of them appear to not have the same graphical wow as others because most of them absolutely blow you away and are filled with all sorts of nice touches such as dust and particle effects which have caused players with itchy trigger fingers to jump at shadows and shooter the paper flowing in the wind. The biggest complaint many people have with the maps is that they are extremely large in size and would be better suited for larger teams rather than the current number that is limited for online play. I specifically enjoy one in the snow as well as one set in a devastated city complete with leaning and partially destroyed buildings which allow endless opportunity to get the drop on your opponent especially from many floors up.
While I had some initial frustrations with the game, they quickly vanished and the more time I spent with it the more I was drawn into the characters and storyline as well as the multi-play versatility of the game. Well if used frustrations remain I have no doubt they will be patched eventually, and while I would’ve liked a slightly longer story mode what was presented was absolutely epic and delivered one of the best call of duty experiences to date.
I highly recommend the game and encourage people to focus on the many things that the game and gets right instead of lamenting about things that you wish they were included or what you feel was done wrong because it is a phenomenal ride that is not to be missed.
http://sknr.net/2013/11/17/call-of-duty-ghosts/
Starting a whole new story arc, the game is set in the near future when a group of militants from the Latin American-based power conglomerate called the Federation, launch a surprise attack on a space station and unleash a devastating attack upon cities of the American Southwest that utterly destroys many of them in the process. The game jumps forward in time and follows the exploits of two brothers named Logan and David who nearly escaped the destruction of San Diego and 10 years later find the remaining American forces fighting a war against the ever-expanding Federation forces. When a rescue mission goes awry, Logan and David find themselves recruited by their father Elias into an elite Ghost Squad unit who soon discover that members of their unit are being hunted down by a former member named Rorke who was assumed killed on a mission many years earlier. The fact that Rorke may also be behind the attack on the United States as well as a big cog in the Federation’s plans springs the team into action with the fate of the United States hanging in the balance.
Players will play as various characters and assume control of everything from remote operated weaponry, Apache helicopters, tanks, and even a German shepherd named Riley who is a very welcome addition to the series. The heavily modified engine produces some amazing graphics in the game especially during some of the more scenic locales ranging from underwater missions to snow-covered landscapes as well as desolate cities such as Vegas and San Diego. Playing on the PC, did require a bit of patience at launch as the graphics did not seem up to par with what we’ve come to expect from the series much less a next-generation tweaking of the engine. Thankfully the game was soon patched and the graphics stepped up considerably although in multiplayer there were some frustrating moments where the mouse was not recognized and I had to do a series of workarounds until a patch resolved the issue. I still have occasional issues with the system wanting to reset the graphics down to the base level even though my card is more than capable of running the high-level graphics setting. This is a very minor annoyance though as I am able to customize the controls and settings anyway that I like and the gameplay is absolutely phenomenal as the developers clearly put an emphasis on a higher frame rate and smoother gameplay experience.
Fans of the series will know what to expect as there are a lot of familiar touches such is the wave-based attacks, stealth missions, and at the gun battles that are signature of the series. Early in the game, many moments seem to have been almost carbon copies of earlier games but thankfully the game finds stride roughly at the midway point and presses the accelerator all the way to the boards for one nonstop thrill ride which includes an epic finale and some shocking moments along the way not the least of which are the bonus scenes during the credits.
While I was able to complete the solo campaign in just under five hours I did find myself really caught up in the story and the characters which is something that I had not experienced in Black Ops 2 as a largely completed the solo play portion of that game out of obligation rather than compulsion. Absolutely love the space fight sequences as the Zero G combat was great and I would absolutely love to see an entire game set in this environment. I also loved taking control of the tank and running over opponents while unleashing furious amounts of firepower upon all those that crossed my path.
Now multi-play is the bread-and-butter of series and Ghosts definitely has a lot to offer in this category. From the co-op missions to the alien infested “Extinction” mode for up to four players battle against hordes of aliens for survival the game truly has something for everyone. Fans will be happy to know that in addition to the standard Death Match, Team Death Match, Kill Confirmed, and Domination modes there are five other modes which include Infected, Blitz, Search and Rescue, Search and Destroy, and Cranked as well as the standard and Hardcore modes of play.
Customization has long been a big part of the series and this timeout players can play is either a male or female character and have the option to customize the look of their player and online matches down to the type of headgear and uniform that they wear. As with previous games in the series, players are awarded points for kills, assists, and other challenges and actions during gameplay which allow them to rank up and obtain new weaponry, perks, and kill streak rewards. While I did find the customization menus took a little bit to get used to after being so familiar with the ones in the previous games, I soon was up and running and found plenty of options to my liking and I continue to experiment with various configurations to date.
The online maps are fantastic and full of detail however some of them appear to not have the same graphical wow as others because most of them absolutely blow you away and are filled with all sorts of nice touches such as dust and particle effects which have caused players with itchy trigger fingers to jump at shadows and shooter the paper flowing in the wind. The biggest complaint many people have with the maps is that they are extremely large in size and would be better suited for larger teams rather than the current number that is limited for online play. I specifically enjoy one in the snow as well as one set in a devastated city complete with leaning and partially destroyed buildings which allow endless opportunity to get the drop on your opponent especially from many floors up.
While I had some initial frustrations with the game, they quickly vanished and the more time I spent with it the more I was drawn into the characters and storyline as well as the multi-play versatility of the game. Well if used frustrations remain I have no doubt they will be patched eventually, and while I would’ve liked a slightly longer story mode what was presented was absolutely epic and delivered one of the best call of duty experiences to date.
I highly recommend the game and encourage people to focus on the many things that the game and gets right instead of lamenting about things that you wish they were included or what you feel was done wrong because it is a phenomenal ride that is not to be missed.
http://sknr.net/2013/11/17/call-of-duty-ghosts/