Search
Search results
blueirisfox (125 KP) rated the PC version of Final Fantasy XIV Online Complete Edition in Video Games
Feb 16, 2020 (Updated Feb 16, 2020)
So many cool clothes!! (3 more)
Crafting and Gathering classes add so much to this game
For the most part, the community is so friendly and awesome (in 8 months I have only come across one toxic/mean player)
The world feels alive. The stories of npcs can be some of the highlights of gameplay.
Can be quite expensive to pay for online membership (3 more)
The pacing of A Realm Reborn (ARR) can feel really slow.
Buying the game can be really confusing, as you don't know what versions you should be buying.
Two of the playable races have restricted customisation.
This review is long... not all of it fit so the rest is in the comments
The way how I like to think of this game is like when I discovered anime. It felt like this whole new world that was hidden under a small rock that someone could easily walk past. Like one small step could have meant never finding it at all. (this was a couple of years before Attack on Titan exploded, by the way)
But still, against all odds, I found this amazing world and community and I am just so in love with it.
I've been playing this game since around June/July of 2019, and only actually bought the full version the following Christmas, so I still consider myself to be a newbie. I'll try my best to review the content that I've played, as well as the content I've seen others play.
Before I say anything else, I feel that I need to get this across. If you are completely new to this game, don't spend any money on it yet! There is a free trial that DOESN'T HAVE A TIME LIMIT and is FREE. If you actually buy the game, you will have to start paying for the online subscription after the first 30 days free are used up. You will be saving a lot of money by just playing up to the level cap of the free trial at your own pace. The level caps at 35, which sounds like it's not that high, but this applies to ALL CLASSES and not just one - so you can multiclass and level them all up to 35. Also, this will let you experience the game without much sacrifice and give you the opportunity to see if you actually like this game, or if it's not for you.
When you do come around to buying it, I would recommend getting the compete edition. It works out a lot cheaper since it comes with everything. So if you're not sure which one to get, then this is the best one. However, a cool thing about this game - and the greatest cause of confusion among new players - is that buying the newest expansion will also give you all the old ones too, BUT this will only be playable if you have the base game first. And it is for this reason that it ends up cheaper to get the complete edition, since the Shadowbringers expansion alone is about £40.
Now, onto the review...
I have heard this game be compared to World of Warcraft (WoW) many times before. I've never played WoW, but I'm sure that this gives a bit of a better idea of what kind of game this is.
There are different Data Centers and Servers you can play on, and simply hopping from one to another can give the game a completely different feel. When I started out on Omega, it felt like a quiet and cozy little community of players. I know now that this server is a roleplay (rp) oriented server, but I could have easily jumped onto a more player-vs-player (pvp) oriented one, or a busier and more hectic server. So I guess that it was pure luck that I picked a server that matched my slow and cosy play style. I'm pretty sure that there is a reddit post that explains what the different servers are like, although this is likely to change with time as certain servers grow.
Onto Character creation. Oh how I love my character creation. I am proud to say that I have spent many hours in this part of the game alone, which is the main reason why I have so many playable characters scattered on different servers. I do have some criticisms for this one, but by the same note I have a lot of love for it.
So first of all, there are a total of 8 playable races: The Hyur (humans), the Elezen (elves), the Lalafell (midgets), the Miqo'te (cat people that look like ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew), Roegadyn (buff giants), Au Ra (part dragon? They have cool horns), Hrothgar (Actual cat people, like the guy from FFX), and finally Viera (the bunny girl).
Phew! Got all their names out. Now I can critique.
So first of all, I feel that I should mention that only the first five races are available in the free trial and base game. The other three races are unlocked through buying the expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers) although I'm not entirely sure which ones specifically since I bought the complete edition.
My biggest beef with the races as of writing this review, is that Hrothgar and Viera are gender locked. Hrothgar's are locked to males, and the Viera are locked to females. These races are the newest to be added, so there is still a chance of introducing the other genders - which isn't as unlikely as you may think, since the FFXIV team listen to the community a lot, and fix/introduce many features wanted by the community.
Furthermore, these two races are a bit limited in their customisation. The Hrothgar have the problem of the hairstyles being locked to face types (which there are only 4 or 5 of), and unlike every other race, they have to buy a fantasia to make changes to the hairstyle. Fantasia are used to change your character's look, from race to gender, to smaller features like eye and skin colour - they are intended to change permanent features, which is why it's a bit unfair to Hrothgar players looking for a new look that could normally be achieved through the Aesthetician (stylist) - I'm pretty sure i spelled that wrong 😅
Then there is the Viera. Don't get me wrong, I love this race - I'm currently playing one myself. But I can't help but be sad over the lack of compatible hairstyles and head gear. I didn't mention this before, but you can aquire new hairstyles through certain areas of gameplay. When I was playing a Hyur (human), I could fully enjoy these hairstyles without a problem. But when I tried it on the Viera, it just didn't work at all. And if that wasn't bad enough, my character can't wear a lot of the hats in the game, which is just infuriating to me since I really love the glamour system and making cool looking characters.
Those were my biggest peeves with the game, and now they are out of the way.
I'll keep the rest brief, since this is quite a long review already.
The housing system looks really cool, with a lot of different housing items that can be used. I've seen some really epic houses so far. Housing and furnishings are really expensive, so this is more of a long term goal. Saying that, the cheaper alternative is apartments, although you lose out on a garden (unless you make an indoor one - and I'm not sure how functional it would be since I can't afford housing), as well as loosing basements I'd imagine.
The rest is in comments because it didn't fit..
But still, against all odds, I found this amazing world and community and I am just so in love with it.
I've been playing this game since around June/July of 2019, and only actually bought the full version the following Christmas, so I still consider myself to be a newbie. I'll try my best to review the content that I've played, as well as the content I've seen others play.
Before I say anything else, I feel that I need to get this across. If you are completely new to this game, don't spend any money on it yet! There is a free trial that DOESN'T HAVE A TIME LIMIT and is FREE. If you actually buy the game, you will have to start paying for the online subscription after the first 30 days free are used up. You will be saving a lot of money by just playing up to the level cap of the free trial at your own pace. The level caps at 35, which sounds like it's not that high, but this applies to ALL CLASSES and not just one - so you can multiclass and level them all up to 35. Also, this will let you experience the game without much sacrifice and give you the opportunity to see if you actually like this game, or if it's not for you.
When you do come around to buying it, I would recommend getting the compete edition. It works out a lot cheaper since it comes with everything. So if you're not sure which one to get, then this is the best one. However, a cool thing about this game - and the greatest cause of confusion among new players - is that buying the newest expansion will also give you all the old ones too, BUT this will only be playable if you have the base game first. And it is for this reason that it ends up cheaper to get the complete edition, since the Shadowbringers expansion alone is about £40.
Now, onto the review...
I have heard this game be compared to World of Warcraft (WoW) many times before. I've never played WoW, but I'm sure that this gives a bit of a better idea of what kind of game this is.
There are different Data Centers and Servers you can play on, and simply hopping from one to another can give the game a completely different feel. When I started out on Omega, it felt like a quiet and cozy little community of players. I know now that this server is a roleplay (rp) oriented server, but I could have easily jumped onto a more player-vs-player (pvp) oriented one, or a busier and more hectic server. So I guess that it was pure luck that I picked a server that matched my slow and cosy play style. I'm pretty sure that there is a reddit post that explains what the different servers are like, although this is likely to change with time as certain servers grow.
Onto Character creation. Oh how I love my character creation. I am proud to say that I have spent many hours in this part of the game alone, which is the main reason why I have so many playable characters scattered on different servers. I do have some criticisms for this one, but by the same note I have a lot of love for it.
So first of all, there are a total of 8 playable races: The Hyur (humans), the Elezen (elves), the Lalafell (midgets), the Miqo'te (cat people that look like ichigo from Tokyo Mew Mew), Roegadyn (buff giants), Au Ra (part dragon? They have cool horns), Hrothgar (Actual cat people, like the guy from FFX), and finally Viera (the bunny girl).
Phew! Got all their names out. Now I can critique.
So first of all, I feel that I should mention that only the first five races are available in the free trial and base game. The other three races are unlocked through buying the expansions (Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers) although I'm not entirely sure which ones specifically since I bought the complete edition.
My biggest beef with the races as of writing this review, is that Hrothgar and Viera are gender locked. Hrothgar's are locked to males, and the Viera are locked to females. These races are the newest to be added, so there is still a chance of introducing the other genders - which isn't as unlikely as you may think, since the FFXIV team listen to the community a lot, and fix/introduce many features wanted by the community.
Furthermore, these two races are a bit limited in their customisation. The Hrothgar have the problem of the hairstyles being locked to face types (which there are only 4 or 5 of), and unlike every other race, they have to buy a fantasia to make changes to the hairstyle. Fantasia are used to change your character's look, from race to gender, to smaller features like eye and skin colour - they are intended to change permanent features, which is why it's a bit unfair to Hrothgar players looking for a new look that could normally be achieved through the Aesthetician (stylist) - I'm pretty sure i spelled that wrong 😅
Then there is the Viera. Don't get me wrong, I love this race - I'm currently playing one myself. But I can't help but be sad over the lack of compatible hairstyles and head gear. I didn't mention this before, but you can aquire new hairstyles through certain areas of gameplay. When I was playing a Hyur (human), I could fully enjoy these hairstyles without a problem. But when I tried it on the Viera, it just didn't work at all. And if that wasn't bad enough, my character can't wear a lot of the hats in the game, which is just infuriating to me since I really love the glamour system and making cool looking characters.
Those were my biggest peeves with the game, and now they are out of the way.
I'll keep the rest brief, since this is quite a long review already.
The housing system looks really cool, with a lot of different housing items that can be used. I've seen some really epic houses so far. Housing and furnishings are really expensive, so this is more of a long term goal. Saying that, the cheaper alternative is apartments, although you lose out on a garden (unless you make an indoor one - and I'm not sure how functional it would be since I can't afford housing), as well as loosing basements I'd imagine.
The rest is in comments because it didn't fit..
The Mammoth Book of Tasteless Jokes
Book
The ultimate collection of tasteless and sick jokes that just shouldn't be told. More than 3,000...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) in Movies
Jan 14, 2021
Christ, I did not have fun with this. Cube 2: Hypercube is unfortunately a downgrade of its predecessor in every single way, so I'll start with a couple of positives - 1. Kari Matchett gives us a likable enough lead to follow. 2. When the film first introduces parallel dimensions around 30 minutes in, it became vaguely interesting for about two minutes. And that's about your lot.
Every single character is a walking cliché. The introductions to all these people go on for waaayy too long, and I found myself pretty much immediately wanting them to die, but we're not even allowed to enjoy that aspect. The little gore on display looks awful, nothing done practically, and instead with CGI that looks like deep fried turd, CGI that is draped liberally all over the movie.
Then there's the titular cube itself. Gone are the intricate and Hellraiser-esque aesthetics of the first film, to make way for a clinical white series of Cube rooms (with a grey trim just to spice things up a bit). It just looks terrible.
The narrative isn't too compelling either, with twist after twist thrown at the viewer, but none which have any impact. It even throws in one at the very end which just isn't explained in any capacity. A lazy script with a lazy plot.
I'm pretty sure I had even more negatives to say about Cube 2, but honestly, I'm getting bored just thinking about this film, so yeah, it's poo.
Every single character is a walking cliché. The introductions to all these people go on for waaayy too long, and I found myself pretty much immediately wanting them to die, but we're not even allowed to enjoy that aspect. The little gore on display looks awful, nothing done practically, and instead with CGI that looks like deep fried turd, CGI that is draped liberally all over the movie.
Then there's the titular cube itself. Gone are the intricate and Hellraiser-esque aesthetics of the first film, to make way for a clinical white series of Cube rooms (with a grey trim just to spice things up a bit). It just looks terrible.
The narrative isn't too compelling either, with twist after twist thrown at the viewer, but none which have any impact. It even throws in one at the very end which just isn't explained in any capacity. A lazy script with a lazy plot.
I'm pretty sure I had even more negatives to say about Cube 2, but honestly, I'm getting bored just thinking about this film, so yeah, it's poo.
Merissa (13068 KP) rated All's Fair in Pucks and War (A Rush Hockey Trilogy #2) in Books
Jun 6, 2023
ALL'S FAIR IN PUCKS AND WAR is the second book in Rosie and Joel's story. You really do need to have read book one to understand even the first page, so I highly recommend you read it! As for this one...
My head is still whirling from everything that has happened! Maybe the town is classed as quiet, but Rosie and Joel's lives certainly aren't. Not only are they trying to forge a relationship but they have so much extra cr&p thrown at them, it's a wonder they even know what day it is.
There are epiphanies in here - on both sides - that make it so realistic. I loved them. Willow though? Sob story or not, I still don't like her and can't wait to see just how deeply she is involved. As for the rest of it... I can't comment! No, seriously, I just can't. Not without giving something away and I refuse to do that. Let's just say the ending is a complete cliffhanger (again) but this one didn't come as a surprise. I'm just left on tenterhooks wanting to see how it all ties in.
So much going on and yet so much still left unanswered! Can't wait for book 3.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 6, 2023
My head is still whirling from everything that has happened! Maybe the town is classed as quiet, but Rosie and Joel's lives certainly aren't. Not only are they trying to forge a relationship but they have so much extra cr&p thrown at them, it's a wonder they even know what day it is.
There are epiphanies in here - on both sides - that make it so realistic. I loved them. Willow though? Sob story or not, I still don't like her and can't wait to see just how deeply she is involved. As for the rest of it... I can't comment! No, seriously, I just can't. Not without giving something away and I refuse to do that. Let's just say the ending is a complete cliffhanger (again) but this one didn't come as a surprise. I'm just left on tenterhooks wanting to see how it all ties in.
So much going on and yet so much still left unanswered! Can't wait for book 3.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jun 6, 2023
Colin Newman recommended Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles in Music (curated)
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Gates of Thread and Stone (Gates of Thread and Stone #1) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Much as I actually read the synopsis once when I first saw it months ago on Goodreads and then again before I clicked "Read Now" on Netgalley, I ended up forgetting the synopsis <i>entirely</i> by the time I started.
Except for one word: Labyrinth. Needless to say, I actually thought for awhile that <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> would be about a labyrinth. <i>The</i> Labyrinth of the Greek myths, per say, and when I actually read <i>Gates of Thread of Stone</i>, I checked the synopsis again to set myself on the right track (because when there's no one being sent as sacrifice, you know there's something wrong).
<i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> is really about a girl named Kai <i>living</i> with her "brother," Reev, in a place called the Labyrinth, named so by its maze-like structure, and where the lowest of the lowest in Ninurta live out their daily lives. But one day, Reev disappears just like many others and Kai is determined to find her brother.
There's something about <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> that I really like. It's definitely not the world, even though I highly enjoyed Lee's world-building each section (East Quarter, White Court, Void, Outlands, etc.) in Ninurta were set apart from one another and most even had their own nicknames (East Quarter = Labyrinth, North Quarter = Purgatory). It's most certainly not the amount of possible f-bombs in here as well, or what I'll assume as f-bombs, because "drek" by itself is certainly not sounding like crap or hell.
The characters were tolerable Kai is a determined and persistent character who has an admirable strength and may sometimes be a little feisty. Irra is perhaps one of my favorite characters by far, being a dramatic yet eccentric advisor in assisting Kai and Avan finding Reev. In fact... he's a bit of an oddity compared to the other Infinites, who seem to be similar to gods and goddesses based on their description.
The plot was a little predictable and I was just waiting for a couple of parts to play out (I really should stop being Sherlock Holmes and just enjoy reading the book, but I can't help myself). While the end is similar to the end of <i>Senshi</i> and the beginning of <i>Shinobi</i> and doesn't seem to have a bigger plot that spans over to the sequel or more books.
Now that I actually took the time to write all that down, maybe it's the world-building that I liked the most. With the ending of <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> seeming to be a solid ending, I may read the sequel just to for the pure fun of seeing what Ninurta will be like.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-gates-of-thread-and-stone-by-lori-m-lee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Much as I actually read the synopsis once when I first saw it months ago on Goodreads and then again before I clicked "Read Now" on Netgalley, I ended up forgetting the synopsis <i>entirely</i> by the time I started.
Except for one word: Labyrinth. Needless to say, I actually thought for awhile that <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> would be about a labyrinth. <i>The</i> Labyrinth of the Greek myths, per say, and when I actually read <i>Gates of Thread of Stone</i>, I checked the synopsis again to set myself on the right track (because when there's no one being sent as sacrifice, you know there's something wrong).
<i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> is really about a girl named Kai <i>living</i> with her "brother," Reev, in a place called the Labyrinth, named so by its maze-like structure, and where the lowest of the lowest in Ninurta live out their daily lives. But one day, Reev disappears just like many others and Kai is determined to find her brother.
There's something about <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> that I really like. It's definitely not the world, even though I highly enjoyed Lee's world-building each section (East Quarter, White Court, Void, Outlands, etc.) in Ninurta were set apart from one another and most even had their own nicknames (East Quarter = Labyrinth, North Quarter = Purgatory). It's most certainly not the amount of possible f-bombs in here as well, or what I'll assume as f-bombs, because "drek" by itself is certainly not sounding like crap or hell.
The characters were tolerable Kai is a determined and persistent character who has an admirable strength and may sometimes be a little feisty. Irra is perhaps one of my favorite characters by far, being a dramatic yet eccentric advisor in assisting Kai and Avan finding Reev. In fact... he's a bit of an oddity compared to the other Infinites, who seem to be similar to gods and goddesses based on their description.
The plot was a little predictable and I was just waiting for a couple of parts to play out (I really should stop being Sherlock Holmes and just enjoy reading the book, but I can't help myself). While the end is similar to the end of <i>Senshi</i> and the beginning of <i>Shinobi</i> and doesn't seem to have a bigger plot that spans over to the sequel or more books.
Now that I actually took the time to write all that down, maybe it's the world-building that I liked the most. With the ending of <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> seeming to be a solid ending, I may read the sequel just to for the pure fun of seeing what Ninurta will be like.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-gates-of-thread-and-stone-by-lori-m-lee/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Danielle Chaplin (81 KP) rated Uprooted in Books
Jun 4, 2019
Just yes!
I was a bit skeptical about this book but thought I'd give it a go because it sounded a bit like a take on St George and the Dragon or Beauty and the Beast and I am so glad I did as this is now one of my favourite books to re-read!
I loved that it wasn't easy for the main character to learn magic, that the characters progressed in a more likely timeline than other books I've read and that it wasn't always a happy ending for the characters in the book. I don't like to give spoilers away but I nearly ripped apart the prince in the book for what he was about to do and for how pig headed he is in sacrificing so many for one person that is very likely heavily corrupted and unsaveable.
The world is incredibly vivid without over explaining or being over descriptive. I know what is going to happen in the book but I am constantly in suspense over what is going to happen next in the book every time I read it... I will have to re-read it again soon after this review as I now have it on my mind.
I loved that it wasn't easy for the main character to learn magic, that the characters progressed in a more likely timeline than other books I've read and that it wasn't always a happy ending for the characters in the book. I don't like to give spoilers away but I nearly ripped apart the prince in the book for what he was about to do and for how pig headed he is in sacrificing so many for one person that is very likely heavily corrupted and unsaveable.
The world is incredibly vivid without over explaining or being over descriptive. I know what is going to happen in the book but I am constantly in suspense over what is going to happen next in the book every time I read it... I will have to re-read it again soon after this review as I now have it on my mind.
Comomola Pirates
Education, Games and Stickers
App
** No ads, no in-app purchases & no violence. Pay once & play forever! ** Get your pirate kit on...
Awix (3310 KP) rated Mars Attacks! (1996) in Movies
Jun 14, 2020
Lavishly camp black-comedy sci-fi extravaganza. Motivated largely by their innate gittishness, Martians attack the Earth (the clue is in the title), and various people naturally respond in their own personal ways. Much property damage and rather dated mid-90s CGI result.
One of those bizarre mutants that should never really have got past the script stage, let alone received a $70m budget: the release schedule inevitably resulted in it being hailed as a spoof of Independence Day (hard to spoof something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place), but this is much more a send-up of classic 50s sci-fi B-movies (various spot-on parodies), as well as being a startlingly subversive black comedy. You can also sense Burton trying to do his version of Dr Strangelove, with Nicholson in a multiple role, but it doesn't have anything like the same sharpness or impact. A bit patchy overall - some laugh-out-loud moments and game performances, but also a lot of dead wood and characters and jokes that just don't work. On the whole, though, the fact that films like this still get made suggests hope is not yet lost for the world.
One of those bizarre mutants that should never really have got past the script stage, let alone received a $70m budget: the release schedule inevitably resulted in it being hailed as a spoof of Independence Day (hard to spoof something that wasn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place), but this is much more a send-up of classic 50s sci-fi B-movies (various spot-on parodies), as well as being a startlingly subversive black comedy. You can also sense Burton trying to do his version of Dr Strangelove, with Nicholson in a multiple role, but it doesn't have anything like the same sharpness or impact. A bit patchy overall - some laugh-out-loud moments and game performances, but also a lot of dead wood and characters and jokes that just don't work. On the whole, though, the fact that films like this still get made suggests hope is not yet lost for the world.
Erika (17789 KP) rated Twelve Nights at Rotter House in Books
Oct 31, 2020
This book has stuck with me. I read Ocker's non-fiction book @Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items, the other day, so I decided to try out his novel.
In the first chapter, we find out that the original title of the book was 13 nights, rather than 12. So, obviously, something happened. The main character is a travel writer (like the author), and a skeptic (like the author), who decides to spend 13 nights in a supposedly haunted house.
There were hints, dropped throughout, as to what is actually happening, various movie and book references. Crimson Peak was the most obvious one.
After one night spent alone, the author's best friend comes to visit. There's some unspoken thing that happened a year ago, that's not all that hard to figure out. When things begin to happen, screams, apparitions, etc, the author explains them away. He is a skeptic after all.
The woman character/ghost, has a head that's split down the middle... wonder what that symbolizes.
Towards the end, the author gradually unravels. The end, with the twist... Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. That's why I just rated this as ok. It was entertaining, and haunted me for about three days,
In the first chapter, we find out that the original title of the book was 13 nights, rather than 12. So, obviously, something happened. The main character is a travel writer (like the author), and a skeptic (like the author), who decides to spend 13 nights in a supposedly haunted house.
There were hints, dropped throughout, as to what is actually happening, various movie and book references. Crimson Peak was the most obvious one.
After one night spent alone, the author's best friend comes to visit. There's some unspoken thing that happened a year ago, that's not all that hard to figure out. When things begin to happen, screams, apparitions, etc, the author explains them away. He is a skeptic after all.
The woman character/ghost, has a head that's split down the middle... wonder what that symbolizes.
Towards the end, the author gradually unravels. The end, with the twist... Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. That's why I just rated this as ok. It was entertaining, and haunted me for about three days,
blueirisfox (125 KP) Feb 16, 2020 (Updated Feb 16, 2020)