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Onearmedcookie (6 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Assassin's Creed: Origins in Video Games
Feb 10, 2018
Assassin's Creed is back... With a bang!
So for the last few months I have been spending quite a lot of my free time exploring ancient Egypt. Getting to grips with the latest installment in the Assassin’s Creed series. A series that has had me hooked with its historical references since the beginning. Admittedly the first got rather repetitive and I found myself wishing Ubisoft had taken things into a different direction.
Yet since the second game appeared, and introduced us to the charming Ezio, I have been hooked. The latest installment – entitled Origins has seen Ubisoft go back to the drawing board redesigning some of the games mechanics. Hoping to breathe new life into the series, whilst spinning another tale in history. I have to confess for the most part it has proved to be rather successful.
I have rather enjoyed this series, playing through all of the different historical places. The last in the series though, Syndicate was superb. Instantly my favourite so far so for me Origins – had a lot to live up to! I was worried initially when, Ubisoft had decided to delay the next instalment for a year whilst they looked at redesigning elements that for me had previously worked fine.
With this in mind, I loaded the game into my trusty PS4 and began my journey! Origins takes place in ancient Egypt just as Cleopatra is fighting for the throne. The game centres around a Medjay named Bayek and his wife Aya who find themselves thrust into the fight for Egypt between Cleopatra and the new Pharaoh – her brother - Ptolemy XIII. This is the birthplace of the assasins guild and the beginning of their fight against the knights of the templar!
The story is captivating, well thought out and the characters soon jump from the screen making you want to push forward to see what happens to them. In fact the characters are some of the best in the series, they have been developed well with real character development making them seem even more real. You can’t help but feel immersed in this new word as you discover more of Egypt. I also want to point out how well the characters are voiced, the voice acting in Origins is top notch. Fuelled with emotion and true grit, this only opens them up more. Making the game feel deeper than any before in the series. This is tory telling at its best.
I mentioned that Ubisoft went back to the drawing board on this one, changing some of the formula that we’ve all become used to. This is a bigger world to explore than any before it, Egypt is epic in scale and lovingly recreated. The world is brimming with life and it certainly feels like a more open world adventure than the previous instalments in the series. You can backtrack revisiting other areas or totally bypass them – the choice is yours.
There also seems to be a bigger range of side quests, helping you level up the character – unlocking handy upgrades as you go. Crafting is even present albeit in a simpler format than in most RPG’s. Similar to the Farcry series you can now hunt the wildlife in the area to help craft better equipment.
One of the biggest changes for me though, was the Eagle vision! Gone is the yellow vision highlighting heat signatures in red, with targets in gold allowing you to see through walls. Now you get to fly a real Eagle above you in the sky – tracking enemies and other areas of interest. It adds a whole new dimension to the game, casing an enemies camp from the sky – tracking their movements from up above really adds to the feel of the game. As you level up you can also have the Eagle attack and distract enemies allowing you to sneak past areas unseen. I love this idea and could quite happily fly Sensu around the environment for hours on end.
Combat has also been overhauled. Alas, for me this is probably the weakest part of the game. You can now block with your shield by pressing the L1 shoulder button. Heavy and medium attacks are found on the R1 & R2 buttons. For ranged attacks you press L2 to equip your bow! Sounds okay, but in practice I have found this new layout a trifle irritating. Imagine three guards are rushing you, you hit one and then go to block a blow with your shield – darn it you accidently hit L2 instead and suddenly you have your bow in your hand, getting cut up by two other guards! Frustrating isn’t the word. Especially when you get to some of the higher level guards with better AI.
Other than the combat though this is a solid game, with a very in depth strong story and well developed characters. If you got a little bored with the series, then this is the game to get you back in. It’s bold, with a beautifully crafted world to explore. Assassin’s Creed is back and it’s about time!
Yet since the second game appeared, and introduced us to the charming Ezio, I have been hooked. The latest installment – entitled Origins has seen Ubisoft go back to the drawing board redesigning some of the games mechanics. Hoping to breathe new life into the series, whilst spinning another tale in history. I have to confess for the most part it has proved to be rather successful.
I have rather enjoyed this series, playing through all of the different historical places. The last in the series though, Syndicate was superb. Instantly my favourite so far so for me Origins – had a lot to live up to! I was worried initially when, Ubisoft had decided to delay the next instalment for a year whilst they looked at redesigning elements that for me had previously worked fine.
With this in mind, I loaded the game into my trusty PS4 and began my journey! Origins takes place in ancient Egypt just as Cleopatra is fighting for the throne. The game centres around a Medjay named Bayek and his wife Aya who find themselves thrust into the fight for Egypt between Cleopatra and the new Pharaoh – her brother - Ptolemy XIII. This is the birthplace of the assasins guild and the beginning of their fight against the knights of the templar!
The story is captivating, well thought out and the characters soon jump from the screen making you want to push forward to see what happens to them. In fact the characters are some of the best in the series, they have been developed well with real character development making them seem even more real. You can’t help but feel immersed in this new word as you discover more of Egypt. I also want to point out how well the characters are voiced, the voice acting in Origins is top notch. Fuelled with emotion and true grit, this only opens them up more. Making the game feel deeper than any before in the series. This is tory telling at its best.
I mentioned that Ubisoft went back to the drawing board on this one, changing some of the formula that we’ve all become used to. This is a bigger world to explore than any before it, Egypt is epic in scale and lovingly recreated. The world is brimming with life and it certainly feels like a more open world adventure than the previous instalments in the series. You can backtrack revisiting other areas or totally bypass them – the choice is yours.
There also seems to be a bigger range of side quests, helping you level up the character – unlocking handy upgrades as you go. Crafting is even present albeit in a simpler format than in most RPG’s. Similar to the Farcry series you can now hunt the wildlife in the area to help craft better equipment.
One of the biggest changes for me though, was the Eagle vision! Gone is the yellow vision highlighting heat signatures in red, with targets in gold allowing you to see through walls. Now you get to fly a real Eagle above you in the sky – tracking enemies and other areas of interest. It adds a whole new dimension to the game, casing an enemies camp from the sky – tracking their movements from up above really adds to the feel of the game. As you level up you can also have the Eagle attack and distract enemies allowing you to sneak past areas unseen. I love this idea and could quite happily fly Sensu around the environment for hours on end.
Combat has also been overhauled. Alas, for me this is probably the weakest part of the game. You can now block with your shield by pressing the L1 shoulder button. Heavy and medium attacks are found on the R1 & R2 buttons. For ranged attacks you press L2 to equip your bow! Sounds okay, but in practice I have found this new layout a trifle irritating. Imagine three guards are rushing you, you hit one and then go to block a blow with your shield – darn it you accidently hit L2 instead and suddenly you have your bow in your hand, getting cut up by two other guards! Frustrating isn’t the word. Especially when you get to some of the higher level guards with better AI.
Other than the combat though this is a solid game, with a very in depth strong story and well developed characters. If you got a little bored with the series, then this is the game to get you back in. It’s bold, with a beautifully crafted world to explore. Assassin’s Creed is back and it’s about time!
JK
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Life Beyond Her Wildest Dreams
Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
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God had a talent for creating exceptional women--Helen of Troy and Cleopatra come to mind. So does...
Vegas Slots - Farm, Fruit, Casino, Pirates, Egypt, etc!
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The #1 Video Slot Machine available on the App Store. Spin the Reels on your very own set of Vegas...
BackToTheMovies (56 KP) rated Fear Clinic (2014) in Movies
Jun 12, 2019 (Updated Jun 12, 2019)
A Horror Movie That Makes You Think!
The film revolves around a shooting that takes place in a diner that traumatizes a group of survivors who check themselves into the Fear Clinic, a clinic run by Dr.Andover a man who has created a unique way of treating phobia's using a revolutionary new technology called the fear chamber. The fear chamber works by re-animating your worst fears into hallucinations so you can combat your fear face to face. However within the story the fears start manifesting themselves in the real world and this new technology that Dr.Andover has created is slowly opening up a doorway to allow fear incarnate to wreak havoc on the patients of the clinic.
Fear Clinic has an incredibly strong cast line up with Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) reprising his role as Dr.Andover, Thomas Dekker (Heroes) as Blake, Fiona Dourif (Curse of Chucky) as Sara a survivor of the diner shooting, Angelina Armani (Chromeskull 2) as another survivor Caylee and Corey Taylor in his first ever acting role as Bauer a porter at the clinic. Joining this stellar cast are a whole host of other amazing talent including Brandon Beemer, Cleopatra Coleman, Kevin Gage and Felisha Tirrell.
The movie as a whole was incredibly strong, what started off as an incredibly slow build up actually built the story up rather nicely and gave us some in depth character building and information, it is rare to see a good character build in indy horrors but Fear Clinic did it maybe even too much at times. Either way the second half of the movie eclipses the first by a long shot, once the story is set the action begins and with Bob Kurtzman and Steve Johnson behind the SPFX team the excitement and effects do not disappoint. As fear incarnate slowly starts to develop in the real world the SPFX team has amazingly brought this character to life taking on a persona that was unsettling to watch (Minus the visible bald cap on Robert Englund's head). The intro to the movie however slow always had a creepy and uncomfortable vibe, almost putting you in the clinic itself, testing your nerves, straining your ability to relax and always putting you on edge for what is about to come. It was a great touch and full credit to the team for drawing it out over the films duration without letting go of that emotion.
The film contains deep undertones and emotional depth in terms of people's fears and phobia's but there are some points within the movie that need to be tightened up a bit. Certain scenes need explaining more and as fear incarnate starts to manifest itself the build up and gore is lacking within the story so even thou the creature looks amazing, it doesn't strike fear into the audience which is a shame as now the audience is isolated from the story. Never the less the movie flows nicely and as it stands its a great introduction to a franchise but it does feels quite rushed in places and action is scarce in places as the build up is painstakingly drawn out, hopefully this is tightened up for the DVD release version or Director's cut.
Convoluted in places but a movie that stands higher than most Horror's that are being released at the present, a new generation of cerebral Horror. A movie that will make you think rather than spaced out watching the screen, a movie that when finished you'll rewind to make the jigsaw pieces fit. A very smart movie.
If you're used to watching Horror movies with a vacant mind then you will be disappointed with Fear Clinic, it's time to engage your brain, the Fear Clinic is open for business.
FEAR ON!
Fear Clinic has an incredibly strong cast line up with Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street) reprising his role as Dr.Andover, Thomas Dekker (Heroes) as Blake, Fiona Dourif (Curse of Chucky) as Sara a survivor of the diner shooting, Angelina Armani (Chromeskull 2) as another survivor Caylee and Corey Taylor in his first ever acting role as Bauer a porter at the clinic. Joining this stellar cast are a whole host of other amazing talent including Brandon Beemer, Cleopatra Coleman, Kevin Gage and Felisha Tirrell.
The movie as a whole was incredibly strong, what started off as an incredibly slow build up actually built the story up rather nicely and gave us some in depth character building and information, it is rare to see a good character build in indy horrors but Fear Clinic did it maybe even too much at times. Either way the second half of the movie eclipses the first by a long shot, once the story is set the action begins and with Bob Kurtzman and Steve Johnson behind the SPFX team the excitement and effects do not disappoint. As fear incarnate slowly starts to develop in the real world the SPFX team has amazingly brought this character to life taking on a persona that was unsettling to watch (Minus the visible bald cap on Robert Englund's head). The intro to the movie however slow always had a creepy and uncomfortable vibe, almost putting you in the clinic itself, testing your nerves, straining your ability to relax and always putting you on edge for what is about to come. It was a great touch and full credit to the team for drawing it out over the films duration without letting go of that emotion.
The film contains deep undertones and emotional depth in terms of people's fears and phobia's but there are some points within the movie that need to be tightened up a bit. Certain scenes need explaining more and as fear incarnate starts to manifest itself the build up and gore is lacking within the story so even thou the creature looks amazing, it doesn't strike fear into the audience which is a shame as now the audience is isolated from the story. Never the less the movie flows nicely and as it stands its a great introduction to a franchise but it does feels quite rushed in places and action is scarce in places as the build up is painstakingly drawn out, hopefully this is tightened up for the DVD release version or Director's cut.
Convoluted in places but a movie that stands higher than most Horror's that are being released at the present, a new generation of cerebral Horror. A movie that will make you think rather than spaced out watching the screen, a movie that when finished you'll rewind to make the jigsaw pieces fit. A very smart movie.
If you're used to watching Horror movies with a vacant mind then you will be disappointed with Fear Clinic, it's time to engage your brain, the Fear Clinic is open for business.
FEAR ON!
Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Cleocatra in Tabletop Games
Mar 3, 2020
It is said, and now generally accepted, that Cleopatra and ancient Egyptians revered and respected cats so much that they would include them in the burial sites of pharaohs as protectors of the bodies. Cats can protect the dead from mice and snakes and the like, but I have seen cats. They probably just sat there indifferent and annoyed until they were hungry and then scavenged for food. Some protectors. In any case, I am a sucker for a punny title, and thus our relationship with Sunrise Tornado Game Studio came into being for a preview of their upcoming game Cleocatra.
In Cleocatra players are, “saving cats in the pyramids.” Once these cats are saved and the pyramids cleared (scored) inspectors can sweep through to confirm they have been cleared. While points do not equate to number of cats saved, the first player to earn 23 points will signify the final round of play.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the score card on the table somewhere in view of all players. The score card will track, well, scoring as well as be a handy reference sheet for all. Shuffle and stack all triangular cat tiles according to the rulebook and place somewhere within reach of all players. Each player will choose a color, place their score cube on the score card, and take their matching meeples. Keep the brown inspector cubes nearby to be used in play. Per the rules, in turn order, each player will flip a tile from the stack and place one of their meeples upon it. The game may now begin in earnest!
A player will have many choices upon the start of a turn, but a turn must include two total actions: a Tile action and a Rescuer action OR two Rescuer actions. Tile actions include Scout and Search. To Scout, simply turn over the top tile from the stack and place it adjacent to an existing tile on the table. A Search action requires an unoccupied existing tile to be moved from one location to another. Similar to movement in Hive, a Search action must not cause the pyramids structure to break into pieces nor move a completely surrounded tile.
Rescuer actions include Dispatch, Team Up, and Rescue (score). When a player uses Dispatch, they place a meeple on a tile they just previously moved in the Search action. To Team Up, simply place a new meeple on a tile adjacent to another tile with one of that player’s meeples… creating a small team. When a player Rescues, they score for a meeple on a tile according to the rulebook – points are tallied based on different cat tile types being adjacent, with additional points for having team members in adjacent spaces. After a Rescue action is taken, remove the meeple from the tile that was scored and replace it with one of the brown inspector cubes. The inspectors prevent tiles from being moved on future turns until they are placed elsewhere.
Play continues in this fashion until a player has earned or surpassed 23 points. At that time, the current round finishes and the game immediately ends. The player with the most points at the end of the final tally wins and is given a pet cat as a result! Ok, our games have never ended that way, but I would totally give away my cat if I had one.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and it is scheduled to hit Kickstarter soon. However, the art style on this one is super cute. The other components (meeples, inspector cubes, etc) may end up being different and be better color-matched, but for a prototype, they were just fine. I have not yet seen any concept art or anything to comment on, so for components, I have little to say, other than the box art is great, as is the art for the cat tiles. So if that style continues and is stretched to the other components, this is going to be VERY cute.
This one came as a shock to me. So few components, but a lot to think about. Should I bring out a new tile or move the existing ones to create a long string of different cats to score big? Should I put out a new helper? I should put out a new helper. I think the best part about this game for me is the fact that I never really felt like any option was a poor option. I mean, you can definitely tank this one and not get much out of it, but then why play anything? Cleocatra is certainly a game that rewards you for continual plays. The more you play, the better you become. I guess that goes for anything in life, really. The rewards come to those who practice. The game is light, but not light-hearted. If you enjoy the tile movement of Hive, but bugs are too icky, try Cleocatra. If you like small games that can fit on an airplane tray but still give you a challenge, try Cleocatra. If you enjoy games with cats, try Cleocatra.
If this is your kind of game, consider backing it on Kickstarter when it launches on March 11. If you want more information, please visit the game’s website, where you can find downloadable rules and print-n-play files. Tell ’em ol Travis from Purple Phoenix Games sent ya.
In Cleocatra players are, “saving cats in the pyramids.” Once these cats are saved and the pyramids cleared (scored) inspectors can sweep through to confirm they have been cleared. While points do not equate to number of cats saved, the first player to earn 23 points will signify the final round of play.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to back the game through the Kickstarter campaign, order from your FLGS, or purchase through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
To setup, place the score card on the table somewhere in view of all players. The score card will track, well, scoring as well as be a handy reference sheet for all. Shuffle and stack all triangular cat tiles according to the rulebook and place somewhere within reach of all players. Each player will choose a color, place their score cube on the score card, and take their matching meeples. Keep the brown inspector cubes nearby to be used in play. Per the rules, in turn order, each player will flip a tile from the stack and place one of their meeples upon it. The game may now begin in earnest!
A player will have many choices upon the start of a turn, but a turn must include two total actions: a Tile action and a Rescuer action OR two Rescuer actions. Tile actions include Scout and Search. To Scout, simply turn over the top tile from the stack and place it adjacent to an existing tile on the table. A Search action requires an unoccupied existing tile to be moved from one location to another. Similar to movement in Hive, a Search action must not cause the pyramids structure to break into pieces nor move a completely surrounded tile.
Rescuer actions include Dispatch, Team Up, and Rescue (score). When a player uses Dispatch, they place a meeple on a tile they just previously moved in the Search action. To Team Up, simply place a new meeple on a tile adjacent to another tile with one of that player’s meeples… creating a small team. When a player Rescues, they score for a meeple on a tile according to the rulebook – points are tallied based on different cat tile types being adjacent, with additional points for having team members in adjacent spaces. After a Rescue action is taken, remove the meeple from the tile that was scored and replace it with one of the brown inspector cubes. The inspectors prevent tiles from being moved on future turns until they are placed elsewhere.
Play continues in this fashion until a player has earned or surpassed 23 points. At that time, the current round finishes and the game immediately ends. The player with the most points at the end of the final tally wins and is given a pet cat as a result! Ok, our games have never ended that way, but I would totally give away my cat if I had one.
Components. Again, this is a prototype copy of the game, and it is scheduled to hit Kickstarter soon. However, the art style on this one is super cute. The other components (meeples, inspector cubes, etc) may end up being different and be better color-matched, but for a prototype, they were just fine. I have not yet seen any concept art or anything to comment on, so for components, I have little to say, other than the box art is great, as is the art for the cat tiles. So if that style continues and is stretched to the other components, this is going to be VERY cute.
This one came as a shock to me. So few components, but a lot to think about. Should I bring out a new tile or move the existing ones to create a long string of different cats to score big? Should I put out a new helper? I should put out a new helper. I think the best part about this game for me is the fact that I never really felt like any option was a poor option. I mean, you can definitely tank this one and not get much out of it, but then why play anything? Cleocatra is certainly a game that rewards you for continual plays. The more you play, the better you become. I guess that goes for anything in life, really. The rewards come to those who practice. The game is light, but not light-hearted. If you enjoy the tile movement of Hive, but bugs are too icky, try Cleocatra. If you like small games that can fit on an airplane tray but still give you a challenge, try Cleocatra. If you enjoy games with cats, try Cleocatra.
If this is your kind of game, consider backing it on Kickstarter when it launches on March 11. If you want more information, please visit the game’s website, where you can find downloadable rules and print-n-play files. Tell ’em ol Travis from Purple Phoenix Games sent ya.
