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Fred (860 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Red Dead Redemption 2 in Video Games
Dec 4, 2018
Beautiful humongous world (5 more)
Tons to do. Hours & hours of stuff.
Great acting and characters
Lots of Easter eggs
Wonderful music
Great story
That feckin robin (2 more)
Big world means lots of riding
New Austin is kind of dead
Rockstar let my mama's baby grow up to be a cowboy
Yes, I'm a little late to this party, but I wanted to play until I completed the game & today, I finally did. I've also played a few hours of the online beta, but I'll get to that later.
Let's start with what this game is about. It's an open world game, set in the old west. It's set before the events of Red Dead Redemption. In that game, you played as John Marston. In that game, John was a man trying to change his life. He was a criminal, a thief, a murderer, but he's gone straight In this game, you play as Arthur Morgan. A criminal in the same gang with John. He is a bad guy, no doubt. But throughout the game, he has many opportunities to do good. Of course, you can play him that way, or you can play him as a heartless bastard. This will effect some of the story, the dialogue & the ending of the game. I played the game as if Arthur was a good guy inside & the ending I got was very satisfying, very emotional.
For most of the story, you're on the run with your gang, setting up different camps throughout the map, evading rival gangs & the law. This is a great way to get to know the world, however, you're free to explore most of the map freely. It is enormous & gorgeous. Some of the best scenery I've seen in a game. Sometimes you will really feel you're living in a real world. And that's the greatest thing about this game. The immersion. You really feel like you're living the life of your character. And Rockstar did that by making you take care of your character. You shave, bathe, eat & take care of your horse. Yes, you name your horse, feed it, brush it, pet it. You get very attached to it, as it is your main way of getting around. If your horse dies, it's gone. And believe me, it hurts to lose your horse.
Rockstar fills the game with so many missions, side activities, random encounters & hidden Easter eggs that it will take you weeks to do them all. I've been playing since day one, an average of 6 to 7 hours a day, & today, 5 & a half weeks later, I finally got 100% in the game. To be honest, when I first started, I spent lots of time just riding around, finding activities & hidden goodies & enjoying the scenery. Like most of their games, there's a supernatural element to some things as well as supernatural encounters. Steampunk, monsters, etc... a little bit of everything. Some encounters are funny, some terrifying, all of them cool.
I think what makes this game different & better than it's predecessor is the characters themselves. I'm not talking about the main characters alone, I'm talking about the people who litter the world. In RDR, some of the characters were silly, off-the-wall & unnatural. They were cartoonish. In RDR2, the people are real. Some may be weird and a bit crazy, but they never feel fake. They never feel like a character. Because of this, the world lives. They breathe life into it with every interaction. From the
Civil War veterans to the blind beggar, to the racist jackass standing on the corner in Saint Denis handing out pro-white pamphlets. They really make you feel like you're there. Again, immersion.
Some of the things you can do besides the missions are rob people, trains, coaches, banks. Another thing is hunting. Hunting can be a great way to make money. During the game, there are many challenges that you can undertake as well. There's are 9 categories with 10 challenges to each that can be done at your leisure. I left a lot of these to do last. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to do some of them. They just seemed ridiculous. But funny enough, I did about 50 of the last challenges within 2 days. And when I finished, I expected my 100% trophy to pop up. But it didn't. I was at 99%. What the? Looking at my completion list, there was something under the collections section that said unknown collection. Searching the internet, I found that most sites didn't have it listed. But I finally found a site that did. The last collection was the hunting challenge. And this brings us to that feckin robin.
Okay, let me explain. The hunting challenge you are given is to kill 5 different lists of animals. Each animal must be a perfect carcass. Which means, they have to be of perfect quality before you kill them & you must not damage them while killing them. Well, all of these animals are small animals. And most of them are small birds. It was fairly easy to get most of these animals. But there was one that was a huge pain in the ass. Can you guess what it was? Yes, a robin. A small, fast bird that is so rare, there are pages & videos galore on finding one. Most of which as total bollocks. How do I know? I spent over 7 hours trying to find one. Going to all these spots, seeing 3 of them total, shooting one & ruining it's carcass, & missing the other 2 based on their disappearance through the trees. I was really going to give up. So close, but so far. Luckily, using some people's hints & coming up with my own, I finally figured out how to get him. And it then took me 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes with 7 hours of wasted time. I am putting this as a negative, because it was really ridiculous to try to hunt this thing. So aggrivating. I understand if they want to make something rare, but it's just not nice. I felt like Rockstar was pulling a joke on it's players.
But anyway, this still doesn't bring down my score of the game. It's one of the greatest games I've ever played. But Rockstar has many perfect 10 games under it's belt in my opinion, including RDR. Is this game better. Yes, I think so. But it's oh so close.
A quick word on RDR online. It's only in beta, so I can't give a true review yet. However, I'm finding it so much fun doing missions with other people. Of course, there are jackasses going around shooting people for no reason. It gives no benefit to do so. Not all of the features are in there yet, but I will be playing when it goes to full online & will giv an update.
Let's start with what this game is about. It's an open world game, set in the old west. It's set before the events of Red Dead Redemption. In that game, you played as John Marston. In that game, John was a man trying to change his life. He was a criminal, a thief, a murderer, but he's gone straight In this game, you play as Arthur Morgan. A criminal in the same gang with John. He is a bad guy, no doubt. But throughout the game, he has many opportunities to do good. Of course, you can play him that way, or you can play him as a heartless bastard. This will effect some of the story, the dialogue & the ending of the game. I played the game as if Arthur was a good guy inside & the ending I got was very satisfying, very emotional.
For most of the story, you're on the run with your gang, setting up different camps throughout the map, evading rival gangs & the law. This is a great way to get to know the world, however, you're free to explore most of the map freely. It is enormous & gorgeous. Some of the best scenery I've seen in a game. Sometimes you will really feel you're living in a real world. And that's the greatest thing about this game. The immersion. You really feel like you're living the life of your character. And Rockstar did that by making you take care of your character. You shave, bathe, eat & take care of your horse. Yes, you name your horse, feed it, brush it, pet it. You get very attached to it, as it is your main way of getting around. If your horse dies, it's gone. And believe me, it hurts to lose your horse.
Rockstar fills the game with so many missions, side activities, random encounters & hidden Easter eggs that it will take you weeks to do them all. I've been playing since day one, an average of 6 to 7 hours a day, & today, 5 & a half weeks later, I finally got 100% in the game. To be honest, when I first started, I spent lots of time just riding around, finding activities & hidden goodies & enjoying the scenery. Like most of their games, there's a supernatural element to some things as well as supernatural encounters. Steampunk, monsters, etc... a little bit of everything. Some encounters are funny, some terrifying, all of them cool.
I think what makes this game different & better than it's predecessor is the characters themselves. I'm not talking about the main characters alone, I'm talking about the people who litter the world. In RDR, some of the characters were silly, off-the-wall & unnatural. They were cartoonish. In RDR2, the people are real. Some may be weird and a bit crazy, but they never feel fake. They never feel like a character. Because of this, the world lives. They breathe life into it with every interaction. From the
Civil War veterans to the blind beggar, to the racist jackass standing on the corner in Saint Denis handing out pro-white pamphlets. They really make you feel like you're there. Again, immersion.
Some of the things you can do besides the missions are rob people, trains, coaches, banks. Another thing is hunting. Hunting can be a great way to make money. During the game, there are many challenges that you can undertake as well. There's are 9 categories with 10 challenges to each that can be done at your leisure. I left a lot of these to do last. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to do some of them. They just seemed ridiculous. But funny enough, I did about 50 of the last challenges within 2 days. And when I finished, I expected my 100% trophy to pop up. But it didn't. I was at 99%. What the? Looking at my completion list, there was something under the collections section that said unknown collection. Searching the internet, I found that most sites didn't have it listed. But I finally found a site that did. The last collection was the hunting challenge. And this brings us to that feckin robin.
Okay, let me explain. The hunting challenge you are given is to kill 5 different lists of animals. Each animal must be a perfect carcass. Which means, they have to be of perfect quality before you kill them & you must not damage them while killing them. Well, all of these animals are small animals. And most of them are small birds. It was fairly easy to get most of these animals. But there was one that was a huge pain in the ass. Can you guess what it was? Yes, a robin. A small, fast bird that is so rare, there are pages & videos galore on finding one. Most of which as total bollocks. How do I know? I spent over 7 hours trying to find one. Going to all these spots, seeing 3 of them total, shooting one & ruining it's carcass, & missing the other 2 based on their disappearance through the trees. I was really going to give up. So close, but so far. Luckily, using some people's hints & coming up with my own, I finally figured out how to get him. And it then took me 15 minutes. Yes, 15 minutes with 7 hours of wasted time. I am putting this as a negative, because it was really ridiculous to try to hunt this thing. So aggrivating. I understand if they want to make something rare, but it's just not nice. I felt like Rockstar was pulling a joke on it's players.
But anyway, this still doesn't bring down my score of the game. It's one of the greatest games I've ever played. But Rockstar has many perfect 10 games under it's belt in my opinion, including RDR. Is this game better. Yes, I think so. But it's oh so close.
A quick word on RDR online. It's only in beta, so I can't give a true review yet. However, I'm finding it so much fun doing missions with other people. Of course, there are jackasses going around shooting people for no reason. It gives no benefit to do so. Not all of the features are in there yet, but I will be playing when it goes to full online & will giv an update.
Jennerz (8 KP) rated A Court of Thorns and Roses in Books
Mar 24, 2019
My first 10 star rating in nearly 7 years!
Lets be honest, im not a die hard fantasy reader. I didnt like lord of the rings, i didnt like harry potter, i dont like game of thrones.. i could go on. I have pretty much decided that if a huge majority of people are raving about something i will most likely hate it.
Why i picked up this book then? Well, i recently joined a few bookclubs and this author was what everyone talked about, everyone had these inside jokes that i had no idea what they were talking about... i guess that ticked me off enough times to buckle and give this book a try... AND OH AM I HAPPY THAT I DID.
Im not going to go into details about the book and potentially spoil it.. however i will say a few things.
Firstly, after a few chapters in brace yourself.. there is no "down time" to this book, no filler. I literally had to.. HAD TO, put the book down to process because it was so good.
I can not speak for this authors writing in any other novel because this series is my first of hers.. but the writing is beautiful and intricate. Do not expect to speed read this..it wont happen.
everytime i thought i knew what was going to happen next.. I WAS SOOO WRONG. (And im actually pretty good a guessing.)
The characters are so well thoughtout and i love each one of them as i should for what they are. The main characters of a book are usually the only ones you get to know, but we see into the past, future and present of each one of these beautiful souls.
So i guess what im saying is.. i went into this book ticked off lol and very much expecting to DNF ing it. And i came out the other side in love.. ...
Why i picked up this book then? Well, i recently joined a few bookclubs and this author was what everyone talked about, everyone had these inside jokes that i had no idea what they were talking about... i guess that ticked me off enough times to buckle and give this book a try... AND OH AM I HAPPY THAT I DID.
Im not going to go into details about the book and potentially spoil it.. however i will say a few things.
Firstly, after a few chapters in brace yourself.. there is no "down time" to this book, no filler. I literally had to.. HAD TO, put the book down to process because it was so good.
I can not speak for this authors writing in any other novel because this series is my first of hers.. but the writing is beautiful and intricate. Do not expect to speed read this..it wont happen.
everytime i thought i knew what was going to happen next.. I WAS SOOO WRONG. (And im actually pretty good a guessing.)
The characters are so well thoughtout and i love each one of them as i should for what they are. The main characters of a book are usually the only ones you get to know, but we see into the past, future and present of each one of these beautiful souls.
So i guess what im saying is.. i went into this book ticked off lol and very much expecting to DNF ing it. And i came out the other side in love.. ...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Philomena (2013) in Movies
Oct 26, 2017
A great heartwarming comedy
I avoided this film for a few years mainly because of Steve Coogan, but i can honestly say it is a very funny, heartwarming, sad and disturbing tale.
Judi Dench is as fantastic as ever as Phil. She brings such warmth and a believability to the at times naive Irish woman. The script itself is clever and well written. I didn't think such a disturbing and horrible story could include some truly funny moments, but it pulls them off well. It also really highlights Phil's story without downplaying or making light of, and it's a story that really needs to be told. This isn't something that I was aware of, so it has really opened my eyes to what went on and did in fact make me quite angry.
My only criticism would be Steve Coogan. He seems to play a similar character in most films and other than towards the end of Philomena, you don't feel much ot care much for him.
Judi Dench is as fantastic as ever as Phil. She brings such warmth and a believability to the at times naive Irish woman. The script itself is clever and well written. I didn't think such a disturbing and horrible story could include some truly funny moments, but it pulls them off well. It also really highlights Phil's story without downplaying or making light of, and it's a story that really needs to be told. This isn't something that I was aware of, so it has really opened my eyes to what went on and did in fact make me quite angry.
My only criticism would be Steve Coogan. He seems to play a similar character in most films and other than towards the end of Philomena, you don't feel much ot care much for him.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Dead Man’s Gift: Today (Part 3) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
Well, what can I say? It started where Part 2 left off ... full on and although I loved it, it did seem to be over way too quickly and I would have liked it to be a little longer - at least as long as the previous 2 parts. Having said that, I think it was an excellent story and will read all 3 parts again but all at once next time. I really like Scope's character and am looking forward to getting to know him more in future books.
I think releasing this in 3 parts was genius and a great idea. It was like a really good tv series that you really look forward to watching each week BUT, if this is going to become a regular thing, each part needs to be of similar length.
I would definitely recommend this to others and other Simon Kernick novels, he hasn't let me down yet.
I think releasing this in 3 parts was genius and a great idea. It was like a really good tv series that you really look forward to watching each week BUT, if this is going to become a regular thing, each part needs to be of similar length.
I would definitely recommend this to others and other Simon Kernick novels, he hasn't let me down yet.
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated After the End (After the End, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2018
[After The End] by [Amy Plum] has a deceptive tile because it leads you to think it is an dystopian novel. Although I love those books this was a welcomed surprise. It turned into more of an action/adventure with a little coming of age thrown in for good measure.
[Plum] did an excellent job of developing a creative, fearless, intelligent character in Juneau. Although she is naive do to lack of exposure she know how to survive. Her loyalty to family even though they hurt her is endearing.
Miles, on the other hand, is a spoiled rotten brat who has had the easy life. He starts out for his own gain but what he really gains is a new insight about life and love.
This story has some supernatural aspects but over all is more of an exciting journey of discovery for two young people who have a lot to learn from each other.
[Plum] did an excellent job of developing a creative, fearless, intelligent character in Juneau. Although she is naive do to lack of exposure she know how to survive. Her loyalty to family even though they hurt her is endearing.
Miles, on the other hand, is a spoiled rotten brat who has had the easy life. He starts out for his own gain but what he really gains is a new insight about life and love.
This story has some supernatural aspects but over all is more of an exciting journey of discovery for two young people who have a lot to learn from each other.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Dragonfly in Amber in Books
Jan 15, 2018
Wow! Just wow! Talk about a cliffhanger. As I said when I read Outlander, I am by no means a fan of the "romance" novel. That's why I waited so long to dive into the series. But let me tell you, these books are so much more than that. Just like the first installment DiA has its typical romance novel elements but it has much, much more than that too. This book delves much deeper into the history of the time period that Clare falls in to. It took me awhile to really get hooked on this book, but I did. Gabaldon is a wonderful storyteller! She writes with so much detail & passion, not to mention what must be a HUGE amount of painstaking research. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book. Hopefully it won't be as far between the 2nd & 3rd as it was between the 1st & 2nd!!
Frecklesxoxo (6 KP) rated Saven Deception (Saven #1) in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Wow, I love this book! The uniqueness of the storyline keeps you on your toes and really wanting more. I love how Siobhan raises the very real overpopulation crisis and the drastic actions people will go too.
I love the concept of living under the Sea and I did not expect the ending!
Its great to have such a strong heroine, Sadie has obstacles she needs to face and takes it in her stride, never letting the situation get the better of her and working out solutions for the problems she faces, using her initiative and showing great strength and strong will throughout. The only niggle I had was the slight repetition of her friends keeping secrets and not confiding in her throughout the book. But that's it.
I really loved the storyline,the relationships and really look forward to reading number 2 as I need to know what happens
I Received this book via netgalley for an open and honest review
I love the concept of living under the Sea and I did not expect the ending!
Its great to have such a strong heroine, Sadie has obstacles she needs to face and takes it in her stride, never letting the situation get the better of her and working out solutions for the problems she faces, using her initiative and showing great strength and strong will throughout. The only niggle I had was the slight repetition of her friends keeping secrets and not confiding in her throughout the book. But that's it.
I really loved the storyline,the relationships and really look forward to reading number 2 as I need to know what happens
I Received this book via netgalley for an open and honest review
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Wicker Tree (2012) in Movies
Apr 30, 2019
I had the good fortune to attend a screening of this film in the presence of its writer-director Robin Hardy, back in 2012, and afterwards Hardy took us all off to the cinema bar to talk about it. 'So, what did you think?' he asked, clearly very proud. An awkward silence ensued. 'The songs aren't as good as in The Wicker Man,' was all anyone was prepared to say.
Any follow-up to The Wicker Man has a lot to live up to, and the good fortune of Wicker Tree is that it was preceded by the Nic Cage remake ('a ****-up', according to Hardy). It's better than the remake, but by any other standard this is a blunderingly crass and unsubtle semi-remake of the 1973 film, filled with painfully broad humour, gaping plot holes and a cheery anti-Americanism it's difficult to get on-side with. A huge disappointment in all kinds of ways, but Robin Hardy was a true gent.
Any follow-up to The Wicker Man has a lot to live up to, and the good fortune of Wicker Tree is that it was preceded by the Nic Cage remake ('a ****-up', according to Hardy). It's better than the remake, but by any other standard this is a blunderingly crass and unsubtle semi-remake of the 1973 film, filled with painfully broad humour, gaping plot holes and a cheery anti-Americanism it's difficult to get on-side with. A huge disappointment in all kinds of ways, but Robin Hardy was a true gent.
Gail (4 KP) rated Froze (The Melted Series Book 2) in Books
Jun 4, 2018
Froze by Tarrah Anders
Four Stars
Jacob and Beth were a couple I wouldn’t have imagined together. They’re night and day but their relationship worked. The give and take was even and their relationship doesn’t require one to be less than who they are. The author did a really good job bringing these two together. I feel like the odds were against them and they proved everyone wrong. I loved that Beth stood by him when the going got extremely tough. She could've left him when his past came into their lives. The drama and trouble was too much but her love for him was so much more. Well written characters and a great story line is what you will get from this story. I feel the author added the right amount of drama and relationship goals. I liked that the characters from them previous book were included but didn’t over take the book.
Four Stars
Jacob and Beth were a couple I wouldn’t have imagined together. They’re night and day but their relationship worked. The give and take was even and their relationship doesn’t require one to be less than who they are. The author did a really good job bringing these two together. I feel like the odds were against them and they proved everyone wrong. I loved that Beth stood by him when the going got extremely tough. She could've left him when his past came into their lives. The drama and trouble was too much but her love for him was so much more. Well written characters and a great story line is what you will get from this story. I feel the author added the right amount of drama and relationship goals. I liked that the characters from them previous book were included but didn’t over take the book.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Royals in Books
Jul 10, 2018
Okay, I was not expecting to like this novel as much as I did. I spent more than half of the book absolutely hating some of the characters and that shows me how emotionally invested in Daisy I was. I will admit, I felt a kinship with Daisy. I loved her character & her humor. It was fun and made me laugh a lot.
I loved just about everything about this book except for how quick of an ending it had. I want to know more about what happened. I want to know how the entire story ends which only makes me hope that Rachel Hawkins is considering writing a second book.
This book is a cute, quick read that is sure to make you smile a few times. The romance aspect was cute & sweet. All in all, I loved it.
**I received this book from First to Read in exchange for an honest review**
I loved just about everything about this book except for how quick of an ending it had. I want to know more about what happened. I want to know how the entire story ends which only makes me hope that Rachel Hawkins is considering writing a second book.
This book is a cute, quick read that is sure to make you smile a few times. The romance aspect was cute & sweet. All in all, I loved it.
**I received this book from First to Read in exchange for an honest review**