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The Craftsman (The Craftsman, #1)
The Craftsman (The Craftsman, #1)
Sharon J. Bolton | 2018 | History & Politics, Paranormal, Thriller
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
203 of 235
Book
The Craftsman (book. 1)
By Sharon Bolton
⭐️⭐️⭐️

OLD ENEMIES... NEW CRIMES

Thirty years ago, WPC Florence Lovelady's career was made when she arrested coffin-maker Larry Glassbrook for three shocking murders.

Larry confessed; it was an open and shut case. But now he's dead, and events from the past are repeating themselves.

The town Florence left behind still has many secrets. Will she finally uncover the truth? Or will time run out for her first?


This was a decent read I did enjoy it but it took me a while to read. It wasn’t as gripping as I expected. These poor children it was so heartbreaking and I didn’t really see that ending and I’m normally pretty good at catching the killer. Overall it was a good read!
  
Borderlands 2: VR
Borderlands 2: VR
Simulation
2K games has taken the popular Borderlands franchise into the Virtual-Reality realm with the release of Borderlands 2: VR. The game allows fans with a PSVR system to experience the game form an entirely new perspective. Playing out much as the standard game does this VR experience allows players to either teleport to various spots or allows players to move around using the directional controller of the Dualshock 4.

Players will have to adjust to the new visuals as one of the early game tutorials does suggest taking a break if you should feel any dizziness or strain from the VR experience. It can be a little more pronounced than usual in this game due to the intense action of dodging numerous enemies during combat and moving over large areas of the map.

Players will also need to get used to going solo as there is not an option to have a group experience. The maps and missions lay out exactly as you would expect although it will take some players a little bit of adjustment to get used to the movement system. I was able to do fairly well first time out but did find looking behind me to the a challenge which forced me to adopt this style of backing off and keeping most of my visuals limited to left, right, up, and down.

Graphically the game looks exactly as you remembered it save for the VR environment which gives gamers a new level of immersion. There were times when characters and enemies appeared almost translucent depending on my distance and angle from them, but it was in no way a distraction as I dispatch enemies, upgraded weapons, and raided boxes.

The game also plays out pretty much as you remember so players who have completed the original game will have a good idea of what to expect.

While many of us are eager for the announcement of the next chapter in the series; Borderlands 2 VR is a welcome addition that allows players to experience the vast gaming environments in a virtual-reality setting. It would be interesting to see if 2K plans to adapt any of their other games for VR as I certainly would not mind seeing Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel or even EVOLVE in this environment.

For now this is a very enjoyable; albeit nostalgic look back which is certainly a must own for fans of the game and PSVR owners.

http://sknr.net/2018/12/26/borderlands-2-vr/
  
    Bardsung

    Bardsung

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    Tabletop Game

    You begin with a single tile and a destination. What unfolds is a branching, labyrinthine dungeon of...

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Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated the PC version of GhostWire: Tokyo in Video Games

Apr 15, 2022  
GhostWire: Tokyo
GhostWire: Tokyo
2020 | Action/Adventure
The talented team at Tango Gameworks has returned with a new horror game, Ghostwire Tokyo, and advances upon their already impressive Evil Within series.

The game is set in a post-disaster Tokyo where the player character Akito is saved from death by a spirit known as KK who possesses the body of Akito and gives him supernatural powers to complete his quests.

Playing from a first-person perspective, players must explore a highly-detailed city to complete various mission objectives all the while staying clear of a deadly fog and evil creatures who know roam the city.

Players will be able to use special attack and defensive abilities which they can upgrade over time but must also be aware of the need to replenish the magic that powers them so being selective with attacks is a wise idea vs trying to rapidly cut down all enemies that are encountered.

Players can also obtain a Bow which can help when powers need to be recharged and seeing how dangerous and abundant enemies are, this is a good thing.

Akito is also hoping to save his sister who has been targeted by the main enemies in the game and this enables conflict between Akito and KK as they must work with one another despite seeming to have differing agendas.

The detailed city allows players to gather food for their health as well as Charms that can be redeemed at phone booths which will aid in their quest and the highly-detailed city is great to explore when not engaged in combat.

I did not see an option for English narration and while I had no problems at all with the Japanese spoken in the game, looking at the translation on the screen at times distracted me from some of the more intense segments and action.

The powers Akito deployed were very enjoyable and seeing the colorful discharges and defense modes really added to an already intense and engaging game. My only real issue with the game was the detailed story caused abundant and at times lengthy narrative scenes and when you just completed one to have another arise soon after a brief moment of player-controlled action often gave me the impression that I was watching the game versus controlling the action.

Fortunately, as the game unfolded the action and story were more than enough to keep my attention and made Ghostwire Tokyo one of the more unique and engaging games in recent memory and one that I recommend any Horror fan play.

4 stars out of 5
  
Transistor
Transistor
2014 | Action/Adventure, Role-Playing, Strategy
New form of strategic fighting (2 more)
Very cool female protagonist
Plot held interest
Felt short (1 more)
Wished there was more to explore
Intriguing mystery with enjoyable gameplay
This game was a thrill. I bought it during a Steam sale, but it's definitely worth full price if you're wondering.

The story was the perfect amount of ambiguous, but still easy to comprehend. The vague terms refer more to concepts than specifics. Like the Process, for instance, which is what the enemies you fight are called. There is never really an explanation given as to why the Process exists (though I am replaying it right now to try and see if I missed any reading material that might shed light on that), but the goal of takeover is clear.

Red is such an interesting character too. Without a voice, she uses the mysterious Transistor weapon to fight off the Process. Along with her vocals, an unknown man is also inside the Transistor and he helps her through the adventure.

The gameplay was really different from anything I've played before. There is a strategic element where you have to plan your attacks out ahead of time, choosing which attacks to use and which enemies to hit. It becomes increasingly difficult, and you really have to be paying attention to get it right.

In terms of replaying the game, the likelihood is high. This is because you can choose to continue playing the game with the same levels you had at your last completion. Each replay is even more difficult than before, which can be fun.

All in all, I highly recommend this wonderful, beautiful game to anyone looking for a quick (first play through took less than eight hours for me) and entertaining time.
  
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Debbie (52 KP) rated Nevernight in Books

Aug 16, 2018  
Nevernight
Nevernight
Jay Kristoff | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
NEVERNIGHT By: Jay Kristoff
Adult Fantasy 429 pages

This was an amazing book. At times I just couldn't put it down. This is the first book of a trilogy. I will be reading the 2nd book, Godsgrave soon.
This book is about Mia Corvere who is seeking vengeance against the powers that destroyed her family. At the age of 10 her father was hung and her mother and baby brother were sent the Philosophers stone, prison. She was to be drowned but escaped.
During her flight she is robbed and get's a shadow friend who happens to be in the shape of a cat. She calls her friend Mister Kindly. A retire killer takes her in and trains her in the art of fighting. At 16 she leaves and heads out to join the Red Church. On her way she meets a young man, named Tric and an older woman named Naev.
 Naev ends up being a member of the Red Church. She learns that Tric also wants to join the Red Church. Each have their reasons for joining.
To join the Red Church you have to go through deadly trials. If you survive to initiation you will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Mother. If she makes it this far she will be one step closer to her goal of revenge.
This book takes you through her trials and friendships and enemies. Why was her family targeted? Who are her friends? Who are her enemies? What is Tric to her? Does she make it into the Red Church? You have to read to find out the answer to these questions. I highly recommend this book I gave it 4.5 stars.