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KalJ95 (25 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Doom Eternal in Video Games
May 6, 2020
Fast, free flowing combat is adrenaline pumping. (2 more)
One of the best FPS' of all time.
The sheer variety of Demons, Guns and Arenas is staggering.
Multiplayer is a bit...meh. (1 more)
Frequent crashes.
First person shooters have lost their touch. For a long time, the market has been utterly saturated with same annual game, like Call of Duty and Battlefield, and they play the same every time. Go back to the rise in the FPS genre, you'll see the likes of Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM revolutionise the genre forever. At the time, they were fast, weighty and satisfying to control. Fast forward to 2016, DOOM returns and ignites a brutal and bloody comeback for the FPS genre. A combination of fast paced gunplay, a killer soundtrack and over the top gore made this the best FPS to date.
Until now.
DOOM Eternal is the best FPS ever made. There, I said it. Eternal is blistering, adrenaline fuelled slingshot into your bloodstream, cranking the notches consistently to eleven, and it never let's up.
The core of Eternal is in its gameplay. The best way to describe the gunplay is a juggling of instruments that make up an orchestra, whilst you're conductor...and you're running mercilessly for your life and ammo. Its massively overwhelming to begin with, and you'll die often, but once you gather the rhythm of the dance of the Doom Slayer, it's a sight of awe, followed by psychotic grin on your face. Following in the footsteps and benchmarks that DOOM 2016 cemented, Eternal improves upon everything. The gunplay is meaty and brass, the platforming is fluid and easy to pick up, the demons and monsters all provide a challenge from the explosive beginning, to the equally as explosive finale, and when all of this is accompanied by the killer soundtrack cheering you on, Eternal is bulletproof.
Whilst DOOM 2016 feels dark in colour and tone, Eternal embraces the ridiculous and runs with it. Levels burst with bright and bonkers imagination, the effect of that first chainsaw kill where ammo flies out like confetti, and the endless ways to glory kill never gets tiresome. Add in the arsenal the Doom Slayer carries with him, it becomes a game of what gun is best for each demon. Although, the Double Barrel Shotgun is just magnificent to shoot with.
When it comes to DOOM, the narrative takes the backseat over its core idea of free movement to kill, and that's the only criticism I can give this franchise. Eternal does provide a planet hopping path of destruction through the Slayer's history, but you never feel invested in the narrative as much as you want to kill everything you see. I didn't need to know anything at all from the Slayers past, the mystery serves the narrative more not knowing. Also, I must note the amount of times my Playstation 4 has crashed due to DOOM Eternal. It really brings you out of the experience when you're almost finished on level, only to start again level all over again. I think this is however a minor fault in an otherwise superb game, and problems like this will hopefully be fixed in further patches.
I can't recommend DOOM Eternal enough. If video games were made singularly for fun, you have found the answer. I can't wait to see what id Software and Bethesda do next with this franchise.
Until now.
DOOM Eternal is the best FPS ever made. There, I said it. Eternal is blistering, adrenaline fuelled slingshot into your bloodstream, cranking the notches consistently to eleven, and it never let's up.
The core of Eternal is in its gameplay. The best way to describe the gunplay is a juggling of instruments that make up an orchestra, whilst you're conductor...and you're running mercilessly for your life and ammo. Its massively overwhelming to begin with, and you'll die often, but once you gather the rhythm of the dance of the Doom Slayer, it's a sight of awe, followed by psychotic grin on your face. Following in the footsteps and benchmarks that DOOM 2016 cemented, Eternal improves upon everything. The gunplay is meaty and brass, the platforming is fluid and easy to pick up, the demons and monsters all provide a challenge from the explosive beginning, to the equally as explosive finale, and when all of this is accompanied by the killer soundtrack cheering you on, Eternal is bulletproof.
Whilst DOOM 2016 feels dark in colour and tone, Eternal embraces the ridiculous and runs with it. Levels burst with bright and bonkers imagination, the effect of that first chainsaw kill where ammo flies out like confetti, and the endless ways to glory kill never gets tiresome. Add in the arsenal the Doom Slayer carries with him, it becomes a game of what gun is best for each demon. Although, the Double Barrel Shotgun is just magnificent to shoot with.
When it comes to DOOM, the narrative takes the backseat over its core idea of free movement to kill, and that's the only criticism I can give this franchise. Eternal does provide a planet hopping path of destruction through the Slayer's history, but you never feel invested in the narrative as much as you want to kill everything you see. I didn't need to know anything at all from the Slayers past, the mystery serves the narrative more not knowing. Also, I must note the amount of times my Playstation 4 has crashed due to DOOM Eternal. It really brings you out of the experience when you're almost finished on level, only to start again level all over again. I think this is however a minor fault in an otherwise superb game, and problems like this will hopefully be fixed in further patches.
I can't recommend DOOM Eternal enough. If video games were made singularly for fun, you have found the answer. I can't wait to see what id Software and Bethesda do next with this franchise.
*＊✿❀ Maki ❀✿＊* (7 KP) rated The Lightning Thief in Books
May 3, 2018
Percy Jackson is a series that I've been meaning to get around to for ages. Pretty much everybody I know who have read the books absolutely adore them.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
May 9, 2018
Visually stunning (1 more)
Definite improvements over the book (more accessible references)
Decent story, improvements over the book
I personally found this an improvement over the book. The John Hughes film references have been totally toned down and replaced by much better known references, and the D&D and ancient video game references have been almost totally removed. For me this was an improvement but that is because I had no connection to those games/films/D&D from the book. I'm not sure if this was to make the film more accessible or to simply make it a better film (I don't fancy watching geeks acting out Monty Python sketches).
Some major changes to characters irked me a little though - I-R0k goes from being an annoying wannabe fan-boy to a mercenary (albeit played brilliantly by TJ Miller) and Aech is much less Halliday-obsessed than in the book (where he trades obscure facts back and forth with Parzival) and hasn't even seen the Shining.
The puzzle solving aspects mirrored the book - it starts off being everything and over time, the solving of the riddles becomes a minor plot point that is just mentioned rather than any exposition. And similarly to the book, there are red herrings, however clumsy and unintentional - Parzival only gets the quarter because of following the wrong lead, the same as in the book (which annoyed me then too).
The scene in the nightclub was a total waste of time and effort, though the CGI was incredible (but then that was the only point of the scene).
I am glad the 80s references were toned down quite a lot otherwise it would have been incredibly annoying. Similarly, the tasks and missions were made much more movie-friendly.
All in all, a very good film
Some major changes to characters irked me a little though - I-R0k goes from being an annoying wannabe fan-boy to a mercenary (albeit played brilliantly by TJ Miller) and Aech is much less Halliday-obsessed than in the book (where he trades obscure facts back and forth with Parzival) and hasn't even seen the Shining.
The puzzle solving aspects mirrored the book - it starts off being everything and over time, the solving of the riddles becomes a minor plot point that is just mentioned rather than any exposition. And similarly to the book, there are red herrings, however clumsy and unintentional - Parzival only gets the quarter because of following the wrong lead, the same as in the book (which annoyed me then too).
The scene in the nightclub was a total waste of time and effort, though the CGI was incredible (but then that was the only point of the scene).
I am glad the 80s references were toned down quite a lot otherwise it would have been incredibly annoying. Similarly, the tasks and missions were made much more movie-friendly.
All in all, a very good film
Micah Ulibarri (79 KP) rated Tomb Raider (2018) in Movies
Mar 26, 2018
So, this reboot of the franchise happened. I dare say, I doubt anyone was asking for it. It's a hard film to critique due to the fact that I have to compare it to the Angelina Jolie films where the biggest plus was that Jolie looked like the video game character... And that was the biggest plus.
That being said, I would call this a good movie and an acceptable action flick.
The characters were pretty much all outshine by Alicia Vikander who was the only character with any real nuance. Her father had a lot of potential but was extremely unrelatable. The villain seemed bored to even be there. Her Asian buddy could have been lifted out of the film... And you would never have noticed.
That being said, Vikander's performance was strong and made the character grounded. She took hits. She didn't seem like she just knew how to do everything perfectly well. I actually enjoyed that for most of it she seems out of her element and made to do all the action sequences out of survival.
The plot was better than I expected. I enjoyed the lore and mythology that surrounded the island, but I admit, I breathed a sigh of relief when the reveal showed it being something much more realistic and less supernatural.
The action sequences we're actually very good. There were quite a few times I found myself on the edge of my seat. I particularly enjoyed the bike race at the beginning and her escape from the "chain gang".
Considering that this is clearly an original story attempting to start a franchise, I'm not convinced I need another chapter. But I am glad I got the one they gave me.
That being said, I would call this a good movie and an acceptable action flick.
The characters were pretty much all outshine by Alicia Vikander who was the only character with any real nuance. Her father had a lot of potential but was extremely unrelatable. The villain seemed bored to even be there. Her Asian buddy could have been lifted out of the film... And you would never have noticed.
That being said, Vikander's performance was strong and made the character grounded. She took hits. She didn't seem like she just knew how to do everything perfectly well. I actually enjoyed that for most of it she seems out of her element and made to do all the action sequences out of survival.
The plot was better than I expected. I enjoyed the lore and mythology that surrounded the island, but I admit, I breathed a sigh of relief when the reveal showed it being something much more realistic and less supernatural.
The action sequences we're actually very good. There were quite a few times I found myself on the edge of my seat. I particularly enjoyed the bike race at the beginning and her escape from the "chain gang".
Considering that this is clearly an original story attempting to start a franchise, I'm not convinced I need another chapter. But I am glad I got the one they gave me.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Rampage (2018) in Movies
Dec 11, 2019 (Updated Dec 11, 2019)
A stupidly fun pile of nonsense
Rampage is a big old pile of dumb fun, teeming with mostly passable CGI, and featuring The Rock fighting giant monsters.
The plot is something along the lines of - big shady corporation is practicing illegal genetic tinkering (in space, because Hollywood), they lose control, space ship crashes, experimental lab must infects a few animals, including a Gorilla that is looked after and raised by The Rock (an ex military badass zookeeper helicopter pilot, because Hollywood), the animals become big and aggressive, blah blah blah, BIG MONSTERS FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND DWAYNE JOHNSON AND DESTROYING CHICAGO.
It's absolutely absurd from start to finish, but it knows what kind of film it is.
The Rock is hugely likable as always, Jeffery Dean Morgan is likable as always, everyone else I can kind of give it take.
The script is pretty standard for this kind of film, but does verge into laughable at times, especially when the films 'villains' are on screen. Played by Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy, they go just a bit too overboard with the whole evil CEO schtick, to the point of annoyance.
Also, Naomie Harris is in it for some reason, but doesn't really serve much of a purpose, and therefore, is a waste of her talent.
The CGI is pretty decent for the most part, but make no mistake, Ramage is a CGI orgy, and as such, it does fall apart here and there (that parachuting scene is just haunting).
Rampage is stupid, loud, obnoxious, but it's entertaining enough to be a good time.
The Rock holds it all together, and it could have been a lot worse had it been lead by someone else, and as far as video game movies go, it's not half bad.
The plot is something along the lines of - big shady corporation is practicing illegal genetic tinkering (in space, because Hollywood), they lose control, space ship crashes, experimental lab must infects a few animals, including a Gorilla that is looked after and raised by The Rock (an ex military badass zookeeper helicopter pilot, because Hollywood), the animals become big and aggressive, blah blah blah, BIG MONSTERS FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND DWAYNE JOHNSON AND DESTROYING CHICAGO.
It's absolutely absurd from start to finish, but it knows what kind of film it is.
The Rock is hugely likable as always, Jeffery Dean Morgan is likable as always, everyone else I can kind of give it take.
The script is pretty standard for this kind of film, but does verge into laughable at times, especially when the films 'villains' are on screen. Played by Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy, they go just a bit too overboard with the whole evil CEO schtick, to the point of annoyance.
Also, Naomie Harris is in it for some reason, but doesn't really serve much of a purpose, and therefore, is a waste of her talent.
The CGI is pretty decent for the most part, but make no mistake, Ramage is a CGI orgy, and as such, it does fall apart here and there (that parachuting scene is just haunting).
Rampage is stupid, loud, obnoxious, but it's entertaining enough to be a good time.
The Rock holds it all together, and it could have been a lot worse had it been lead by someone else, and as far as video game movies go, it's not half bad.
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