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Daniel Rossen recommended track Myrrhman by Talk Talk in Laughing Stock by Talk Talk in Music (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Predator: Hunting Grounds in Video Games
May 9, 2020 (Updated May 9, 2020)
It's hard to rate Predator: Hunting Grounds properly. It's the kind of game that is ripe for updating on a regular basis, and it feels like there is still a lot to come (at least I hope there is!)
One of the main concerns is how long it will hold my attention for - as it stands, I'm still having fun with it, but it's hard to gauge how long that will last.
You get two choices - either you work as part of a 4-person fireteam, tasked with various objectives throughout a thick jungle setting, fighting AI controlled guerilla soldiers along the way, and trying to avoid the Predator hunting you down.
The other choice is of course, playing as The Predator, your objective being to hunt do the fireteam using the tools at your disposal. Thermal vision, flying discs, spear like weapons - lots of gadgets from the films are here to use.
As a fireteam member, 9 times out of 10, the match will end pretty quickly in my experience, with the either the Predator slaughtering the whole team within minutes, or the team shooting down the Predator. I've had a handful of games where the objectives have been completed and everyone has escaped. As the Predator, (still learning the ropes) I seem to get destroyed pretty quickly, whether info in for close range combat, or stick to the trees and try to fight long range - the game feels severely unbalanced, against both sides somehow. It's something that needs tweaking.
Graphics wise, it's not too bad. I'm seeing a lot of complaints about how it looks like a PS2 game, and that simply not true. The environments are colourful and the character models are what you would expect from a multiplayer PS4 game.
The only issue I've found along this subject is a fair few bugs littered throughout when it comes to said character models.
If you're a fan of the films, especially the first film, then you will undeniably get a huge kick out of Hunting Grounds. Going against the Predator can be genuinely tense, especially if you catch a glimpse of it jumping through the trees. It feels authentic at the very least, and the gameplay does have a visceral and frantic feel to it.
I really hope that more is added though. I'd love to see some content related to the sequels in the future, and some more variety added to gameplay. It's fun, but it feels like it could be so much more.
One of the main concerns is how long it will hold my attention for - as it stands, I'm still having fun with it, but it's hard to gauge how long that will last.
You get two choices - either you work as part of a 4-person fireteam, tasked with various objectives throughout a thick jungle setting, fighting AI controlled guerilla soldiers along the way, and trying to avoid the Predator hunting you down.
The other choice is of course, playing as The Predator, your objective being to hunt do the fireteam using the tools at your disposal. Thermal vision, flying discs, spear like weapons - lots of gadgets from the films are here to use.
As a fireteam member, 9 times out of 10, the match will end pretty quickly in my experience, with the either the Predator slaughtering the whole team within minutes, or the team shooting down the Predator. I've had a handful of games where the objectives have been completed and everyone has escaped. As the Predator, (still learning the ropes) I seem to get destroyed pretty quickly, whether info in for close range combat, or stick to the trees and try to fight long range - the game feels severely unbalanced, against both sides somehow. It's something that needs tweaking.
Graphics wise, it's not too bad. I'm seeing a lot of complaints about how it looks like a PS2 game, and that simply not true. The environments are colourful and the character models are what you would expect from a multiplayer PS4 game.
The only issue I've found along this subject is a fair few bugs littered throughout when it comes to said character models.
If you're a fan of the films, especially the first film, then you will undeniably get a huge kick out of Hunting Grounds. Going against the Predator can be genuinely tense, especially if you catch a glimpse of it jumping through the trees. It feels authentic at the very least, and the gameplay does have a visceral and frantic feel to it.
I really hope that more is added though. I'd love to see some content related to the sequels in the future, and some more variety added to gameplay. It's fun, but it feels like it could be so much more.
TS
The Self-Esteem Workbook: Practical Ways to Grow Your Confidence, Raise Your Self Esteem and Feel Better About Yourself
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Learn by doing, not just by reading. People of all ages and all walks of life suffer to a greater or...
Acanthea Grimscythe (300 KP) rated Girl Last Seen in Books
May 15, 2018
I like to listen to audiobooks while I game, which means I ended up reading Girl Last Seen by chance. It is the first book I’ve read by Nina Laurin and may very well be the last – harsh, I know. When I choose to read a thriller, suspense, or mystery book, I expect… well, the elements of those genres. Girl Last Seen was devoid of any excitement whatsoever and a bit too stereotypical for my taste.
Time and time again, I’ve made it clear that I hate slow plots. I want to feel urgency in a book, especially if it deals with a kidnapped child. In Girl Last Seen, the characters were underwhelming. It becomes obvious early on that things are going to go exactly the way the reader feels they are: girl disappears, guy everyone knows is at fault, oh dear god how can it possibly be. The main character is more unlikable than her own despicable mother, considering she’s drug addicted. There’s even a sex scene that’s a bit on the descriptive side thrown in for what feels like the hell of it. And that annoys me.
Fortunately, the narrator is an excellent choice and I would gladly listen to more books read by her.
Time and time again, I’ve made it clear that I hate slow plots. I want to feel urgency in a book, especially if it deals with a kidnapped child. In Girl Last Seen, the characters were underwhelming. It becomes obvious early on that things are going to go exactly the way the reader feels they are: girl disappears, guy everyone knows is at fault, oh dear god how can it possibly be. The main character is more unlikable than her own despicable mother, considering she’s drug addicted. There’s even a sex scene that’s a bit on the descriptive side thrown in for what feels like the hell of it. And that annoys me.
Fortunately, the narrator is an excellent choice and I would gladly listen to more books read by her.
Film and stuff (30 KP) rated Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) in Movies
May 15, 2019 (Updated May 15, 2019)
A great second Avengers outing
Starring: Robert Downey JR, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Rennee, James Spader, Samuel L Jackson and Paul Bettany.
Directed by: Joss Whedon.
Plot - Tony Stark creates an AI that turns psychopathic and is determined to destroy the world. The Avengers must stop the AI known as Ultron.
With spectacular visuals and an amusing villain this is on the surface of things, exactly what you would want a sequel to the excellent Avengers Assemble to be. The way in which the Avengers are reintroduced is quit simply one of the coolest things I've seen for a while.
The issue is that it treads over a great deal of previous material and doesn't feel as original and fresh as the previous.
Surprisingly something that is handled brilliantly is the volume of characters that are in this. Something that many have tried and failed. Huge kudos for this Mr Whedon.
With a great deal more humour, a romance that feels slightly forced and amazing action sequences I would rate this marginally below Avengers Assemble. That being said, I enjoyed it immensely and would definitely recommend seeing it.
Directed by: Joss Whedon.
Plot - Tony Stark creates an AI that turns psychopathic and is determined to destroy the world. The Avengers must stop the AI known as Ultron.
With spectacular visuals and an amusing villain this is on the surface of things, exactly what you would want a sequel to the excellent Avengers Assemble to be. The way in which the Avengers are reintroduced is quit simply one of the coolest things I've seen for a while.
The issue is that it treads over a great deal of previous material and doesn't feel as original and fresh as the previous.
Surprisingly something that is handled brilliantly is the volume of characters that are in this. Something that many have tried and failed. Huge kudos for this Mr Whedon.
With a great deal more humour, a romance that feels slightly forced and amazing action sequences I would rate this marginally below Avengers Assemble. That being said, I enjoyed it immensely and would definitely recommend seeing it.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Black Mirror - Season 5 in TV
Jun 15, 2019
Not up to it’s usual high standard
Black Mirror is known for having a dark and futuristic take on modern society, and this is why it has always succeeded. It’s bleak and harrowing at times and whilst it’s not a happy programme to watch, it’s bloody good. The problem with series 5 is that it feels like an entirely different show, and not for the better.
Whilst each episode has it’s own take on modern society and technology (VR, social media and musical pop culture), none of this felt particularly new or unique. Don’t get me wrong, the episodes aren’t bad at all. But they’re just not brilliant. There are good performances (Andrew Scott especially) and the storylines are vaguely interesting, they just don’t get pushed far enough into the dark and bleak Black Mirror world we’re used to. Not only that, but none of these stories have particularly bad endings. It all just feels a little bit meh and after the rather wonderful Bandersnatch, I’d been looking forward to another great season. Sadly, it’s been a bit of a letdown. I’m really hoping that this is just a blip and that the next series is back on form, and not a sign that Black Mirror has run out of decent ideas...
Whilst each episode has it’s own take on modern society and technology (VR, social media and musical pop culture), none of this felt particularly new or unique. Don’t get me wrong, the episodes aren’t bad at all. But they’re just not brilliant. There are good performances (Andrew Scott especially) and the storylines are vaguely interesting, they just don’t get pushed far enough into the dark and bleak Black Mirror world we’re used to. Not only that, but none of these stories have particularly bad endings. It all just feels a little bit meh and after the rather wonderful Bandersnatch, I’d been looking forward to another great season. Sadly, it’s been a bit of a letdown. I’m really hoping that this is just a blip and that the next series is back on form, and not a sign that Black Mirror has run out of decent ideas...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Doctor Sleep (2019) in Movies
Nov 1, 2019
What-time-d'you-call-this-then Shining sequel/follow-up doesn't have the magisterial formal brilliance of Kubrick, but scores consistently for solid storytelling and simple entertainment value. Many years on from the nastiness in the snow, Dan Torrance has tried to put his special faculties to good use, working in a hospice. However, a gifted young girl he has befriended becomes the target of a pack of inhuman killers who feed on the souls of psychics, and he finds himself compelled to intervene. Faced with a terrifying enemy, he finds he may have to make a reservation at a certain hotel.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.
The prospect of a two-and-a-half-hour sequel to a Kubrick movie, made by someone I hadn't really heard of gave me pause, to be honest, but Doctor Sleep rapidly develops into an engrossing and satisfying dark fantasy, with mostly good performances and impressive set piece sequences. Most impressive is the way it works hard to stand on its own merits, saving all the crowd-pleasing Shining references until late on, by which time it feels like it's earned them - almost. It's still probably self-indulgently overlong, and the climax likewise feels a bit overcooked, but this is still a cut above the majority of Stephen King movies.