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Hell’s Bell (Lizzie Grace #2)
8.0
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When the church bell tolls thrice in the middle of the night, evil this way comes…Lizzie Grace and...
The Visitor (Animorphs, #2)
8.0
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Morphing is certainly more fun than Sega -- you can soar as an eagle and walk as a cat. But being an...
The Captive Part II / The Power (The Secret Circle, #2-3)
8.8
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This special paperback bind-up contains part two of the second book in the Secret Circle series, The...
Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Need for Speed in Video Games
Apr 13, 2018 (Updated Apr 13, 2018)
Time To Move On
One of the reasons that I love the medium of video games so much, is because there are times that you absolutely do not expect to feel anything for a game that you download on a whim and end up pouring an abundance of hours into it until you have almost earned the platinum trophy without even realising it.
By no means am I saying that this is a masterpiece, but I had downloaded it months ago in a PSN sale and totally forgot about it, then while I was playing through Evil Within 2, I wanted something else to break up the time spent in Union, so I stuck it on as sort of a backburner game. At first I hated it, I cringed at every cheesy cutscene and longed for the old days of the Underground games and Most Wanted (OG version,) but slowly, I came to accept the updated version of NFS and before too long, I was spending more time with NFS than I was with Evil Within 2. In fact, I sort of rushed my way through Evil Within 2 against my better judgement, so that I could spend more time in NFS guilt free.
The game isn't very hard once you get the knack for drifting. Choose the Subaru at the start of the game and pour all of your in game cash into upgrades for the car until you max it out with what you have unlocked at that stage, then save up and buy the 1999 Skyline and max that out with upgrades, then buy the Lamborghini Aventador as soon as you can afford it and you won't be faced with many losses, as long as you don't wipe out too often. You will have to go back and buy a lower horsepower car for certain missions in the game, but other than that, just pour all of your money into upgrades and you are golden. (Note: don't waste your money on the F132 Hotrod. It's the most expensive car in the game, but it's balls compared to the Lambo and can't be upgraded.)
Also, this is my first platinum trophy since Infamous: First Light and is by far my most surprising platinum. (I'm not the trophy whore that I used to be.) I played through the story until the end and levelled up to 50 with very minimal grinding, then I checked the trophy list and saw that I was only 2 arbitrary trophies short of the platinum, so I worked towards them and popped the platinum. For those of you that aren't Playstation gamers or trophy hunters, this may mean nothing to you, but let's just say I sincerely didn't believe that I was going to platinum this game back when I first downloaded it, in fact I would have put money on the fact that I wouldn't.
Overall, this is hot trash, but it's fun. Need For Speed is never going to be what it was in the PS2 days, but if you can accept that and stomach the excessive amount of inane fistbumps and cringey dialogue spouted by the game's stereotypical cool kids, there is an enjoyable game in here.
By no means am I saying that this is a masterpiece, but I had downloaded it months ago in a PSN sale and totally forgot about it, then while I was playing through Evil Within 2, I wanted something else to break up the time spent in Union, so I stuck it on as sort of a backburner game. At first I hated it, I cringed at every cheesy cutscene and longed for the old days of the Underground games and Most Wanted (OG version,) but slowly, I came to accept the updated version of NFS and before too long, I was spending more time with NFS than I was with Evil Within 2. In fact, I sort of rushed my way through Evil Within 2 against my better judgement, so that I could spend more time in NFS guilt free.
The game isn't very hard once you get the knack for drifting. Choose the Subaru at the start of the game and pour all of your in game cash into upgrades for the car until you max it out with what you have unlocked at that stage, then save up and buy the 1999 Skyline and max that out with upgrades, then buy the Lamborghini Aventador as soon as you can afford it and you won't be faced with many losses, as long as you don't wipe out too often. You will have to go back and buy a lower horsepower car for certain missions in the game, but other than that, just pour all of your money into upgrades and you are golden. (Note: don't waste your money on the F132 Hotrod. It's the most expensive car in the game, but it's balls compared to the Lambo and can't be upgraded.)
Also, this is my first platinum trophy since Infamous: First Light and is by far my most surprising platinum. (I'm not the trophy whore that I used to be.) I played through the story until the end and levelled up to 50 with very minimal grinding, then I checked the trophy list and saw that I was only 2 arbitrary trophies short of the platinum, so I worked towards them and popped the platinum. For those of you that aren't Playstation gamers or trophy hunters, this may mean nothing to you, but let's just say I sincerely didn't believe that I was going to platinum this game back when I first downloaded it, in fact I would have put money on the fact that I wouldn't.
Overall, this is hot trash, but it's fun. Need For Speed is never going to be what it was in the PS2 days, but if you can accept that and stomach the excessive amount of inane fistbumps and cringey dialogue spouted by the game's stereotypical cool kids, there is an enjoyable game in here.
Into the Fire (The Caitlin Chronicles #2)
Daniel Willcocks and Michael Anderle
8.0
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Justice has called, and there’s only one hero left to answer the call… Caitlin may have freed...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Maid of Sker in Video Games
Nov 7, 2020
Hold Your Breath
Maid of Sker- is a excellent first person horror game.
The game takes place in 1898 in the Sker Hotel, located on an imaginary island called Sker Island, where the protagonist, Thomas Evans, is invited by his lover, Elisabeth Williams, to uncover the mysteries of the hotel after she notices her family's strange behavior. While exploring the hotel, Thomas learns the place is controlled by cult followers called "The Quiet Ones". The history of Elisabeth's family is revealed when Thomas finds notes and gramophone records scattered around the hotel.
The story is inspired by multiple Welsh and British folklore tales, specifically the idea of the hotel is influenced by the Sker House, a real life historic place situated just outside the town of Porthcawl, near Bridgend, Wales, which is made famous by the three-volume novel written by R. D. Blackmore, The Maid of Sker. The game has drawn influences from this novel as well as the folklore story under the same name (called Y Ferch o’r Sger in Welsh). The game has been compared to Outlast, The Evil Within 2, Silent Hill, and its saving system was also compared to those of Resident Evil, with the typewriter switched to a gramophone in the saving rooms.
In the original folk story, Elisabeth Willaims, a woman of the higher class, falls in love with Thomas Evans, a poor harpist. Elisabeth's father, Isaac, disapproves of the relationship, and, in one of the variations of the tale, her father locks her in a room to prevent her from running away until she starves; other variations include Elisabeth dying from a broken heart or being forced to marry a richer man who she does not love until she passes away from illness. According to the tale, her ghost, alongside the ghost of a sailor, haunt the Sker House.
The game is using the first-person perspective and features blind enemies that can find the player by noise, they are introduced as "The Quiet Ones." As Thomas cannot fight back (except for when a temporary weapon is introduced mid-game), the player is forced to be stealthy when exploring the hotel grounds, or making sounds to distract The Quiet Ones so Thomas passes them safely. The only way to search through the hotel grounds successfully is by avoiding The Quiet Ones by not making noise and holding your breath when a Quiet One is close or not bumping into objects. If the player holds their breath for too long, Thomas gasps for air which alerts the enemies. In certain environments, such as when the protagonist is in a dusty location or close to a fireplace, he coughs, and the player has to stop him by holding his breath as this alerts The Quiet Ones.
It consists of a device which sends shock waves and temporarily damages the hearing of The Silent Ones, stunning them for a short duration; this allows the player to run away from the location. While the player gets this weapon, ammunition is scarce and the player has to use it carefully.
The game features a manual save style and there is no autosave. To save the game, the player has to find "safe rooms", the rooms have green-tainted patterned doors, and inside the rooms are gramophones which the player has to play to save the game. Before the game saves, the gramophones play records of Elisabeth and her experiences with her family which adds to the background of the story. After the records end or when the player stops them manually, the game starts saving. If the player dies or restores a save, they lose all the progress made after the last save, additionally, enemies always change routes and cannot always be found lurking in the same places. This saving system is compared to the one which appeared in the Resident Evil games.
While the game is praised for its great sound design, Thomas never speaks in the game. Aside from grunting noises, he is completely mute throughout the game and his lines are displayed as text instead; however, this is not the case for Elisabeth and she has her voice actor. This has received some negative feedback alongside the sensitivity of the movement on consoles. The game has been compared to Outlast when it comes to the gameplay style, and The Evil Within 2 and Silent Hill when it comes to the game's atmosphere.
I love the concept, the atomsphere, the horror, the strategy, it does remind of "The Evil Within", "Resident Evil", "Silent Hill" and "Outlast". All excellent horror games and same with this one.
The game takes place in 1898 in the Sker Hotel, located on an imaginary island called Sker Island, where the protagonist, Thomas Evans, is invited by his lover, Elisabeth Williams, to uncover the mysteries of the hotel after she notices her family's strange behavior. While exploring the hotel, Thomas learns the place is controlled by cult followers called "The Quiet Ones". The history of Elisabeth's family is revealed when Thomas finds notes and gramophone records scattered around the hotel.
The story is inspired by multiple Welsh and British folklore tales, specifically the idea of the hotel is influenced by the Sker House, a real life historic place situated just outside the town of Porthcawl, near Bridgend, Wales, which is made famous by the three-volume novel written by R. D. Blackmore, The Maid of Sker. The game has drawn influences from this novel as well as the folklore story under the same name (called Y Ferch o’r Sger in Welsh). The game has been compared to Outlast, The Evil Within 2, Silent Hill, and its saving system was also compared to those of Resident Evil, with the typewriter switched to a gramophone in the saving rooms.
In the original folk story, Elisabeth Willaims, a woman of the higher class, falls in love with Thomas Evans, a poor harpist. Elisabeth's father, Isaac, disapproves of the relationship, and, in one of the variations of the tale, her father locks her in a room to prevent her from running away until she starves; other variations include Elisabeth dying from a broken heart or being forced to marry a richer man who she does not love until she passes away from illness. According to the tale, her ghost, alongside the ghost of a sailor, haunt the Sker House.
The game is using the first-person perspective and features blind enemies that can find the player by noise, they are introduced as "The Quiet Ones." As Thomas cannot fight back (except for when a temporary weapon is introduced mid-game), the player is forced to be stealthy when exploring the hotel grounds, or making sounds to distract The Quiet Ones so Thomas passes them safely. The only way to search through the hotel grounds successfully is by avoiding The Quiet Ones by not making noise and holding your breath when a Quiet One is close or not bumping into objects. If the player holds their breath for too long, Thomas gasps for air which alerts the enemies. In certain environments, such as when the protagonist is in a dusty location or close to a fireplace, he coughs, and the player has to stop him by holding his breath as this alerts The Quiet Ones.
It consists of a device which sends shock waves and temporarily damages the hearing of The Silent Ones, stunning them for a short duration; this allows the player to run away from the location. While the player gets this weapon, ammunition is scarce and the player has to use it carefully.
The game features a manual save style and there is no autosave. To save the game, the player has to find "safe rooms", the rooms have green-tainted patterned doors, and inside the rooms are gramophones which the player has to play to save the game. Before the game saves, the gramophones play records of Elisabeth and her experiences with her family which adds to the background of the story. After the records end or when the player stops them manually, the game starts saving. If the player dies or restores a save, they lose all the progress made after the last save, additionally, enemies always change routes and cannot always be found lurking in the same places. This saving system is compared to the one which appeared in the Resident Evil games.
While the game is praised for its great sound design, Thomas never speaks in the game. Aside from grunting noises, he is completely mute throughout the game and his lines are displayed as text instead; however, this is not the case for Elisabeth and she has her voice actor. This has received some negative feedback alongside the sensitivity of the movement on consoles. The game has been compared to Outlast when it comes to the gameplay style, and The Evil Within 2 and Silent Hill when it comes to the game's atmosphere.
I love the concept, the atomsphere, the horror, the strategy, it does remind of "The Evil Within", "Resident Evil", "Silent Hill" and "Outlast". All excellent horror games and same with this one.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) in Movies
May 11, 2020
The Introducing of The PG-13 Rating
Temple of Doom- is it my favorite no. The third one is the best one in my opinion. It goes 3, 1 and 2. Their is action and suspense but not as much as 1 and 3. Its slow and builds up its action and suspense which again can be good. But in this, i fell like falling asleep and i think i did cause it was boring. Other than that, it was a decent movie.
The plot: Adventure sequel. Intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones, on the trail of fortune and glory in Old Shanghai, is ricocheted into a dangerous adventure in India. With his faithful companion Short Round and nightclub singer Willie Scott, Indie goes in search of the magical Sankara stone, and uncovers an ancient evil which threatens all who come into contact with it.
In response to some of the more violent sequences in the film, and with similar complaints about Gremlins, Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system, which it did within two months of the film's release, creating a new PG-13 rating.
The plot: Adventure sequel. Intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones, on the trail of fortune and glory in Old Shanghai, is ricocheted into a dangerous adventure in India. With his faithful companion Short Round and nightclub singer Willie Scott, Indie goes in search of the magical Sankara stone, and uncovers an ancient evil which threatens all who come into contact with it.
In response to some of the more violent sequences in the film, and with similar complaints about Gremlins, Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system, which it did within two months of the film's release, creating a new PG-13 rating.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Hell’s Bell (Lizzie Grace #2) in Books
Sep 28, 2021
161 of 250
Book
Hells Bell ( Lizzie Grace book 2)
By Keri Arthur
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
When the church bell tolls thrice in the middle of the night, evil this way comes…
Lizzie Grace and Belle Kent, her witch familiar, are living and working on the Faelan Werewolf Reservation—one that has banned the use of magic within its borders. Although they have their supporters—including ranger Aiden O’Connor, who once hated all things witch—Lizzie and Belle now face possible eviction.
But the Faelan Reservation is a place filled with wild magic which—when left unprotected—quickly becomes a draw to those who walk the darker paths. As Christmas approaches, a new evil comes to town—one that eats the souls of the living and animates the flesh of the dead.
As the body count grows and the trail of clues leads them to the doorstep of the local vampire, Lizzie, Belle, and Aiden must find the killer before death comes calling on them.
But the biggest threat of all may come in the form of a witch who sees through the veils of Lizzie’s carefully constructed lies and suspects the truth of who she really is…
Hells Bell picks up from Blood Kissed and I have to say this is really becoming one of my favourite series by Keri. I love Lizzie’s and Bellas relationship they bounce of each other so well. The sexual tension is ramped up in this between Lizzie and Aiden which is handled so well! The big bad in this was a soul eater which is just a scary thought full stop! I’m also a little bit in love with our resident vampire!!!
Book
Hells Bell ( Lizzie Grace book 2)
By Keri Arthur
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
When the church bell tolls thrice in the middle of the night, evil this way comes…
Lizzie Grace and Belle Kent, her witch familiar, are living and working on the Faelan Werewolf Reservation—one that has banned the use of magic within its borders. Although they have their supporters—including ranger Aiden O’Connor, who once hated all things witch—Lizzie and Belle now face possible eviction.
But the Faelan Reservation is a place filled with wild magic which—when left unprotected—quickly becomes a draw to those who walk the darker paths. As Christmas approaches, a new evil comes to town—one that eats the souls of the living and animates the flesh of the dead.
As the body count grows and the trail of clues leads them to the doorstep of the local vampire, Lizzie, Belle, and Aiden must find the killer before death comes calling on them.
But the biggest threat of all may come in the form of a witch who sees through the veils of Lizzie’s carefully constructed lies and suspects the truth of who she really is…
Hells Bell picks up from Blood Kissed and I have to say this is really becoming one of my favourite series by Keri. I love Lizzie’s and Bellas relationship they bounce of each other so well. The sexual tension is ramped up in this between Lizzie and Aiden which is handled so well! The big bad in this was a soul eater which is just a scary thought full stop! I’m also a little bit in love with our resident vampire!!!
Rogue's Passion (Iron Portal #2)
8.0
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Hidden within the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest, Iron Portals separate the modern and...
Paranormal Romance Novella