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Dr Dystopian (529 KP) rated Escape From Tarkov in Video Games

Jan 10, 2018 (Updated Jan 11, 2018)  
Escape From Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov
2016 | Role-Playing, Shooter
Incredibly in depth (4 more)
RPG elements mixed into an FPS
Fantastic graphics
Nerve wracking, edge of the seat gameplay
High risk high reward mechanics
Very steep learning curve with no real guidance (0 more)
A new take on the generic fps
Whilst on the face of it Escape from Tarkov look like just another FPS game in a sea of countless it is so much more!

Not only are the FPS elements realistic and highly challenging but the added element of you keep what you escape with and you lose it all if you die really does make for some nerve wracking gameplay as you seek to either kill are avoid the myriad of other players and NPC's.


Coupled with the FPS is an RPG elements where you can upgrade and improve your characters abilities along side the buying and selling of the parts you escape with to purchase better protective gear, guns and equipment.


The customisation options alone are insane with many weapons having a dozen or more options to improve them and style them to how you want to play as a result the game does have a very steep learning curve but is absolutely worth the effort.


The only "negatives" to this are the fact the game is still in beta and sometimes suffers from lagging and currently has limitations on the map locations available and the current abilities you can unlock.


Easily a recommended game!
  
Psychedelic 60s (2 more)
Wacky and surreal
Innovative
Wacky, "failed experiment" in Gonzo Journalism
This is one of my all-time favourite books, written by one of my all-time favourite people and authors. It is a surreal and somewhat insane story based on the real life adventures of Hunter S. Thompson, on his journey to Las Vegas in search of the "American Dream." It is a wacky, drug-fuelled, stream-of-consciousness narrative that is among one of the innovative titles in a form of New Journalism called Gonzo Journalism, accredited to Thompson. It is quite a surreal read, strange and weird but completely thrilling!
Thompson regarded it as a "failed experiment"' in Gonzo Journalism due to the fact it was edited several times before publication. Typically, a Gonzo work would be written by and about the author in the present, sent away without being edited, resulting in a stream-of-consciousness narrative and more personality. Gonzo works are far more revealing, fiction-like and personal than typical works of journalism. Despite the fact it was edited, however, I feel F&L still emulates everything Thompson wanted in a true Gonzo way. He holds nothing back, reveals everything and created a story than could be fiction. It is a drug-fuelled look at the failure of the American Dream, an astute analysis of Thompson's society and a weird book that will stay with you forever.
  
The Girl Before
The Girl Before
J.P. Delaney | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.7 (25 Ratings)
Book Rating
J.P. Delaney is a new-to-me author and one that I will definitely be checking out again. I saw this book and read the synopsis while standing in Barnes and Noble, and took a chance on it, as it sounded phenomenal. It was.......to a point. The switching between two characters got a little confusing but the plot line itself was outstanding. 

The dark, psychological twists that Delaney implements in this story are incredible. The creepy factor of this is off the charts awesome. I found myself white knuckling the book while turning each page to find out what was happening with Jane and with Emma. I can't imagine living in a house like they did, let alone experiencing the same thing as the girl before me. But, I felt it. I felt transported to London, felt the insane twists, and the roller coaster turns of the story. 

While I would love to give this a 4 star review, I can't. I give it 3.5 stars. The switching between Jane and Emma sometimes had me confused on whose story was whose. That's the one and only downside to the book. But, I still highly recommend this! The actual plot line, is as I said before, outstanding! This is one book you don't want to miss! It's creepy, it's twisty, it's thrilling. I'm looking forward to reading more of Delaney's work! 

*I purchased my own copy of this book. All opinions, positive or negative, are my own.*
  
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
Trevor Noah | 2017 | Biography
8
9.2 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
A highly entertaining account of an unusual childhood
I read this book, though I'd really like to listen to the audio book version. It's narrated by Trevor Noah himself, and apparently very, very good. I totally believe that - the man is hilarious on The Daily Show. I still really enjoyed the stories Noah told, though I wish he'd gotten more into his journey as a comedian, and not just his childhood and teenage years.

Noah has an uncanny way of explaining background information that you need to know while not giving away the (actually somewhat obvious in hindsight) punchline. Even the background information is told in an extremely entertaining way - you can feel Noah's everpresent grin through the pages. Even though the book begins (and sort of ends) on a sad note, the book itself is a happy, optimistic one. I didn't laugh myself silly, like the next book I read (Jenny Lawson's Furiously Happy), but I did have to giggle and read parts to my husband. (And he actually laughed at them, instead of looking at me like I was insane, which is what happened with Furiously Happy.)

I've been a fan of Trevor Noah's since shortly after he took over The Daily Show, and this was an interesting peek at his background, and the very different culture he grew up in. I highly recommend this book.

You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
  
TG
The Golden Boy Returns
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy from the author in exchange for an honest (and not necessarily positive) review.

Having read the novella which precedes this book, I was definitely excited to jump into this one with both feet. I love this series, with all its characters and twists and turns, and this one did not disappoint. While it focuses around a character who's not in the "main group" normally described in this series, everyone is still involved, and you get more insight into the craziness that is Boston, as well as a crash course in politics and all it entails.

I had just binged the 4th season of "House of Cards" right before I started reading this book, so I was in the perfect mindset for all the politicking involved. I love seeing all the backhanded deals, the wink-and-nudge promises, and the like in HoC, and this story is a great companion. I was pulled in right away, and it didn't let up until I read the final line. Especially considering how crazy the candidates and campaigns have been for this upcoming election, this is a perfect book to show that we've really only scratched the surface of just how insane and ruthless it actually is.

Recommended for everyone who likes politics, even as a passing fancy, and for everyone else, it's still an amazing book to further this series.

5 stars =)
  
Yellowbrickroad (2011)
Yellowbrickroad (2011)
2011 | Horror, Mystery, Documentary
7
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The gore (0 more)
The acting... Not even sub par (0 more)
Even weirder the second time around
When I sit down to do one of these things, I like to try and do something I haven't seen before...
But I couldn't resist reviewing this little piece of WTF.
The story goes like this. In 1940, the inhabitants of a small New Hampshire town vanished one day. All pf them jist walked into the woods and never came back. All but 1. He came back saying everyone else was dead and all he could hear was some music that drove them all insane.
Fast forward 70 years.
A group of dumbasses decide to take it amongst themselves to investigate what happened.
What follows is a mishmash of bad writing, fucking horrible acting and some pretty shotty camera work.
The one saving grace of this film are the effects.
While simple, they bring a certain flair to an otherwise boring and uneventful film.
Paying attention to an already dismal movie is even harder when you add in the horrible saxophone music that drives the party nuts enough to kill. Hell, I even looked in my wife's direction a few times while it was playing...
I gave it a 7 on effects alone. If that's what you're into then this movie is for you... If not... Skip it, forget it, and throw any thought of it straight to the ground... This is not OZ, Dorothy...
  
Turn It Over by Tony Williams Lifetime / Tony Williams
Turn It Over by Tony Williams Lifetime / Tony Williams
2011 | Jazz, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Tony Williams was Miles Davis' drummer throughout the 60s and he was really young; he was only 17 when he started playing with Miles. As he entered his 20s, flower power and Jimi Hendrix was all kicking off and he wanted to get more amplified. He wanted to sing as well, which was a problem within The Tony Williams Lifetime, as he wasn't a great singer; he used to sing a quarter-tone flat. He's also the reason John McLaughlin moved to America. Tony heard him on some tape and invited him over, and he introduced him to Miles Davis. And the other member of The Tony Williams Lifetime was this amazing organist called Larry Young. He later had these funk hits like 'Turn Off The Lights' and he's probably more famous for that kind of thing, but he originally started off on Blue Note as this Jimmy Smith-type organist. His style comes from John Coltrane and in actual fact he used to practice with Coltrane. He had a real modernist approach to the organ. The thing about this band is that they did turn it up to 11. They really did over-amplify and distort things. There are no decent recordings of The Tony Williams Lifetime because it's all so overblown. It feels like it's on fire and it's so intense. The drumming is insane and the organ is about texture. This is a record that I've never got fed up with."

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