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Vicky Pearson (4 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Life is Strange in Video Games
Jun 8, 2019
Story development (6 more)
Suspense
Problem solving
Point and click adventure
Sound track
Mental health issues raised
Relaxing
Loved this experience
I fell in love with this game. I loved the main characters, the story development and soundtrack. I love the mental health aspects tackled and the overall concept. Plus the multiple endings and story choices plus beautiful art work.
Mistress Jessica (3 KP) rated Messenger in Apps
Mar 7, 2018
Even my old mum can use it
Have you ever tried to explain to an octogenarian how to use snap chat? It isn't worth the effort. Facebook messanger is the easiest way to talk to your friends and elderly family online. It is ubiquitous at this point cause everyone has Facebook and can click the little video or send button. Click the red one to go away. The filters are getting better but still plain.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Secret of Monkey Island in Video Games
May 8, 2020
Point and Click Away
The Secert of Monkey Island- is a 1990 point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games.
It takes place in a fictional version of the Caribbean during the age of piracy. The player assumes the role of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who dreams of becoming a pirate and explores fictional islands while solving puzzles.
The early releases of the game came with copy-protection. A cardboard wheel, named "Dial-a-Pirate", was provided, and the player had to match the pirate shown on-screen with that of the wheel.
The Secret of Monkey Island is a 2D adventure game played from a third-person perspective. Via a point-and-click interface, the player guides protagonist Guybrush Threepwood through the game's world and interacts with the environment by selecting from twelve verb commands (nine in newer versions) such as "talk to" for communicating with characters and "pick up" for collecting items between commands and the world's objects in order to successfully solve puzzles and thus progress in the game.
The in-game action is frequently interrupted by cutscenes.
Like other LucasArts adventure games, The Secret of Monkey Island features a design philosophy that makes the player character's death nearly impossible (Guybrush does drown if he stays underwater for more than ten minutes.
Its a excellent and classic game.
It takes place in a fictional version of the Caribbean during the age of piracy. The player assumes the role of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who dreams of becoming a pirate and explores fictional islands while solving puzzles.
The early releases of the game came with copy-protection. A cardboard wheel, named "Dial-a-Pirate", was provided, and the player had to match the pirate shown on-screen with that of the wheel.
The Secret of Monkey Island is a 2D adventure game played from a third-person perspective. Via a point-and-click interface, the player guides protagonist Guybrush Threepwood through the game's world and interacts with the environment by selecting from twelve verb commands (nine in newer versions) such as "talk to" for communicating with characters and "pick up" for collecting items between commands and the world's objects in order to successfully solve puzzles and thus progress in the game.
The in-game action is frequently interrupted by cutscenes.
Like other LucasArts adventure games, The Secret of Monkey Island features a design philosophy that makes the player character's death nearly impossible (Guybrush does drown if he stays underwater for more than ten minutes.
Its a excellent and classic game.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Kwaan in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
This game reminds me an awful lot of proteus. Very little is told to you. Wandering around a pixelated island trying to sort things out. The point and click mechanics might make you nostalgic. A peppy atmosphere and creative out lets might have you coming back to see what the community has done to the trees and chalk boards.
The game is in early access and it does show. Platforming is going to take a long while to get used to. You get around by shooting a string and pulling yourself up to a point where he can swing to get to the platform sometimes this can be very frustrating. This could be fixed by letting you slide down on the string but that has yet to be seen.
Appearance I genuinely liked the sprite animation, seems like something you might see in say a late Nintendo to early super Nintendo. Intricate works of player art can be found here and there. The over world if bright and colorful during the day.
Quest systems and leveling are something I didn’t quite get here. The story is told in the back ground and you have to go hunting for it. I got caught up in the bright atmosphere and exploring that I really did not get around to that part of the game. There is quite a bit to explore if you have the time and patience.
Ambient music is here and it does suite the mood. I do feel like it’s on an endless loop. Not to mention in the version I’m playing on there is no option menu at all. So either mute all sounds or mute it in the volume mixer. Small problem I know but several small issues can culminate into a bit one.
Velocity is another challenge, you can find yourself making a gap sometimes. Other times you will not be so lucky. Getting your string to attach to a flock of seagulls or a school of fish can feel almost impossible. Spikes and death traps are abound. When you overcome these obstacles for say a treasure chest it can be a bit underwhelming.
The mystery to it all feels very cryptic. I for the life of me could not find anything out. Admittedly I’m terrible at these kind of puzzles. Some clues would be much appreciated. End of the world is coming is about the only thing I could figure out.
The intention of the game feels good. I can see a lot of love and time went into crafting this world. Even with all its color, ambiance and charm I can see the flaws. Early accesses is a phrase I think is more than apt here. However this could be something very special with just a few tweaks.
In the end I could only recommend this game to those willing to support a modern point and click platformer. If you grew up with platformers like Mario and castlevania this might just be a bit to different. Unless you’re willing to look past the controls and or love retro sprites.
http://sknr.net/2015/04/10/kwaan-a-point-and-click-adventure/
The game is in early access and it does show. Platforming is going to take a long while to get used to. You get around by shooting a string and pulling yourself up to a point where he can swing to get to the platform sometimes this can be very frustrating. This could be fixed by letting you slide down on the string but that has yet to be seen.
Appearance I genuinely liked the sprite animation, seems like something you might see in say a late Nintendo to early super Nintendo. Intricate works of player art can be found here and there. The over world if bright and colorful during the day.
Quest systems and leveling are something I didn’t quite get here. The story is told in the back ground and you have to go hunting for it. I got caught up in the bright atmosphere and exploring that I really did not get around to that part of the game. There is quite a bit to explore if you have the time and patience.
Ambient music is here and it does suite the mood. I do feel like it’s on an endless loop. Not to mention in the version I’m playing on there is no option menu at all. So either mute all sounds or mute it in the volume mixer. Small problem I know but several small issues can culminate into a bit one.
Velocity is another challenge, you can find yourself making a gap sometimes. Other times you will not be so lucky. Getting your string to attach to a flock of seagulls or a school of fish can feel almost impossible. Spikes and death traps are abound. When you overcome these obstacles for say a treasure chest it can be a bit underwhelming.
The mystery to it all feels very cryptic. I for the life of me could not find anything out. Admittedly I’m terrible at these kind of puzzles. Some clues would be much appreciated. End of the world is coming is about the only thing I could figure out.
The intention of the game feels good. I can see a lot of love and time went into crafting this world. Even with all its color, ambiance and charm I can see the flaws. Early accesses is a phrase I think is more than apt here. However this could be something very special with just a few tweaks.
In the end I could only recommend this game to those willing to support a modern point and click platformer. If you grew up with platformers like Mario and castlevania this might just be a bit to different. Unless you’re willing to look past the controls and or love retro sprites.
http://sknr.net/2015/04/10/kwaan-a-point-and-click-adventure/
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Werewolves Within (2021) in Movies
Sep 3, 2021
It took a good minute for Werewolves Within to click with me, but once it did, it was a whole bag of fun.
My initial issues with it is how frantically overwhelming the first act is. This movie is effectively Clue but with a horror twist, and as such, the introduction of a hefty cast of characters, or suspects if you will, feels a little rushed. It didn't help that every one of them felt like comic relief and that the editing style is clearly inspired by Shaun of the Dead, meaning it's choppy, and brisk. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long. Once everyone is introduced and things starts to happen, Werewolves Within slips into a genuinely funny whodunit, that's effective in keeping its secrets close to its chest, and at one point had this viewer questioning if werewolves were even part of it, or whether the unfolding events were just a big misunderstanding.
By the final act, everything has just descended into chaos, and it's hugely entertaining. This is all bolstered by it's two great and likable leads, played by Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub.
It's well paced and effective, funny, q little bloody, and ultimately, Werewolves Within is a blast, and well worth checking out.
My initial issues with it is how frantically overwhelming the first act is. This movie is effectively Clue but with a horror twist, and as such, the introduction of a hefty cast of characters, or suspects if you will, feels a little rushed. It didn't help that every one of them felt like comic relief and that the editing style is clearly inspired by Shaun of the Dead, meaning it's choppy, and brisk. Thankfully, this doesn't last too long. Once everyone is introduced and things starts to happen, Werewolves Within slips into a genuinely funny whodunit, that's effective in keeping its secrets close to its chest, and at one point had this viewer questioning if werewolves were even part of it, or whether the unfolding events were just a big misunderstanding.
By the final act, everything has just descended into chaos, and it's hugely entertaining. This is all bolstered by it's two great and likable leads, played by Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub.
It's well paced and effective, funny, q little bloody, and ultimately, Werewolves Within is a blast, and well worth checking out.
Tamsin Clark (15 KP) rated The Cat Lady in Video Games
Jan 26, 2018
Superb Artwork (5 more)
Brilliant soundtrack
Dark, gory and surreal
Interesting puzzle work
Multiple endings
Steam card and achievements
Not enough user interaction sometimes (1 more)
May not be suitable for those in vulnerable mental health states
A dark, twisted journey into mental illness
The Cat Lady really surprised me. The dark, almost minimal, graphics styles led me to believe this wasn't going to be much of a horror game but how wrong I was. This game has a way of sucking you in and chewing you up, then spitting you out as a glob of emotionally affected goop.
The story follows a female protagonist, Susan Ashworth. She's alone and on the verge of suicide, constantly questioning the worth of her existence. After a significant event, she meets an odd woman who sets her on a journey to meet 5 very dark people who may change her outlook on life....for better or worse. Who can she trust, if anyone at all?
I would recommend that if you suffer from mental illness, suicidal thoughts or if you have issues with emotional triggers then you either don't play this or you play with others (unless you know you're in a good place). While the game IS a basic point and click, it still deals with a LOT of mental health issues; some of the scenes were hard even for me, and I consider myself in a good place mentally right now.
Overall I was seriously impressed with this game, it took me 11 hrs to play but that was including distractions and just leaving the game sitting while I did things, so I maybe got about 8 hrs of straight play. Indie horror point and clicks are so rare and this one is an example for the entire genre.
The story follows a female protagonist, Susan Ashworth. She's alone and on the verge of suicide, constantly questioning the worth of her existence. After a significant event, she meets an odd woman who sets her on a journey to meet 5 very dark people who may change her outlook on life....for better or worse. Who can she trust, if anyone at all?
I would recommend that if you suffer from mental illness, suicidal thoughts or if you have issues with emotional triggers then you either don't play this or you play with others (unless you know you're in a good place). While the game IS a basic point and click, it still deals with a LOT of mental health issues; some of the scenes were hard even for me, and I consider myself in a good place mentally right now.
Overall I was seriously impressed with this game, it took me 11 hrs to play but that was including distractions and just leaving the game sitting while I did things, so I maybe got about 8 hrs of straight play. Indie horror point and clicks are so rare and this one is an example for the entire genre.
Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated The Walking Dead - A TellTale Games Series: Season 1 in Video Games
Jul 13, 2018
Amazing character development (3 more)
Great story
Emotional and incredible acting
It's fun
Some frame rate issues (3 more)
No difficulty options
Illusion of choice
Can't skip boring scenes after multiple playthroughs
I love you Clem!!
First off I want to say it's an incredible game and that's a thanks to some great story, incredible acting and amazing character development. I think we all thinking about lee and Clem! Lol
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
This is your typical telltale game. Point and click with QTE which is fun but the framerate issues can make those frustrating and there is an illusion of choice that don't really matter in the end.
I do find the game a bit easy at times which would make it more fun, especially on a repeat playthrough. Take heavy rain as an example. Higher difficulty they give more and quicker symbols to press during QTE.
Like I said the characters and acting are incredible. You will cry, I don't doubt that. They show so much growth through the series and if your going to get stuck in then you better prepare because it's coming into its fourth and final season so you got a long road ahead.
There is way too much zombies out there in video games, movies and TV but I do love this game and I have played multiple playthroughs but after a while it can get annoying when you can't skip the boring scenes.
Sonofdel (6251 KP) rated the Xbox One version of Layers of Fear in Video Games
May 31, 2019
Messes with you
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well i saw that this was one of the games down for the monthly game pass challenge and so i thought i would give it a go. I loved it. Its a strange mind blowing game that is more point and click than anything else. It took a few screens to get going and after opening drawers and cupboards i was beginning to get a little bored. This all changed once i had started the game properly and both me and my wife (who was watching me play it) were mesmerized by how complicated and ingenious the game is. At the end of playing it i discovered that i had finished the game, but definitely not completed it. In the game you have to find lots of items, evidence and photographs that ultimately tell the story of the descent into madness of an artist and the horrors that befell both him and his family. Each chapter you complete sees him descend deeper into his mind and makes the game that much more interesting and warped. I would give it an 8 as its one of the best of this genre i have played. I would not recommend it to people who suffer with light sensitive disorders or epilepsy as its very disorientating in places and seriously messes with your mind. Nothing is as it seems and rooms change just as easy as you turning round in them. Doors appear, images appear and its basically a cross between American Magees Alice and Silent Hill in atmosphere and game play. Definitely worth playing.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Neofeud in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
Some of the most popular games to be released in the mid 80’s to mid 90’s were the point and click adventure games. Sierra Online ruled the 80’s with games such as Kings Quest and Leisure Suit Larry, while the 90’s was dominated by Lucasarts with their release of titles such as Day of the Tentacle and Full Throttle. These games were puzzle driven stories, where the main character interacted with their environment by clicking on items, pressing a button, and occasional mini games to complete the level. Sadly, except for very few remastered greats, there has been little to be excited about in this once popular and well-loved genre. This is where Neofued hopes to fill the gap with its mix of Blade Runner and District 9 storyline.
Neofeud is set in the not too distant future, a dystopian society where 1% of the wealthy Pureblood human megacorporation’s live in floating cities, and the other 99%, a mix of humans (Pure or otherwise), cyborgs and androids are barely able scrape by. Purebloods (those completely human) hold down low wage jobs, where those from the mechanical genepool (robots, androids, etc.) are treated as lower class citizens, living in Section 8 housing and off government food stamps.
You are Karl Carbon, a dishonorably discharged cop who now makes a living as social worker for Sentient Services. Karl is tasked by his boss (who for better or worse looks and sounds a lot like Emilio Estevez) to travel to a local ghetto to checkup on Johnny, an at-risk youth (artificial person). This will catapult Karl into an adventure, with a gangsta robot named Proto-J and Princess Cybil, a wealthy aristocrat who believes in equality for all sentient beings. Karl also travels to “The Arcade”, where robot gangsters and drug dealers hang out, and will even do a little time-traveling, but not more than 24 hours.
The game play is standard fare for this type of genre. The cursor can be changed from an eye icon to look at an item or object, hand icon to use an item, you get the idea. You collect various items that you then use on something in the environment to advance the story. Find a door knob on the ground? There will certainly be a door missing a knob to use it on. For any who have played point and click games in the past, the controls will be second nature to you.
The visuals are good, they aren’t great, but they are vibrant and gritty. There is a mix of 2D and 3D objects in the environment to tell the story. You will see lots of nods to the 80’s if you look close enough…”You made a time machine out of a DeLorean?”, Yes Marty, he did. I feel that someone familiar enough with classic 80’s movies will get more out of these little quips than those less familiar. That isn’t to say you can’t appreciate the game without this knowledge, you’ll just be missing a lot of the inside jokes that abound.
The voice acting is a mixed bag here. Some of the characters nail the dialog and help with character development. Unfortunately, the main character Karl tends to deliver an inconsistent performance which can seriously distract you during key moments in the game. That being said though, all the characters are voiced (no reading endless dialog boxes as you did in the 80’s) which is an achievement for any game. So while the voice acting isn’t always amazing, it’s still preferred to reading line after line of text when the characters speak.
The game clocks in around 15 hours, which is a pretty astonishing feat when you realize that the story, gameplay and art work was all done by one guy.
Is the game worth $14.99 on Steam? That depends on your nostalgia for a point and click adventure with a lot of references to 80’s films. The story is interesting, albeit a bit convoluted at times, and the characters range from likeable to annoying, but still have you rooting for them until the end.
http://sknr.net/2017/11/16/neofued/
Neofeud is set in the not too distant future, a dystopian society where 1% of the wealthy Pureblood human megacorporation’s live in floating cities, and the other 99%, a mix of humans (Pure or otherwise), cyborgs and androids are barely able scrape by. Purebloods (those completely human) hold down low wage jobs, where those from the mechanical genepool (robots, androids, etc.) are treated as lower class citizens, living in Section 8 housing and off government food stamps.
You are Karl Carbon, a dishonorably discharged cop who now makes a living as social worker for Sentient Services. Karl is tasked by his boss (who for better or worse looks and sounds a lot like Emilio Estevez) to travel to a local ghetto to checkup on Johnny, an at-risk youth (artificial person). This will catapult Karl into an adventure, with a gangsta robot named Proto-J and Princess Cybil, a wealthy aristocrat who believes in equality for all sentient beings. Karl also travels to “The Arcade”, where robot gangsters and drug dealers hang out, and will even do a little time-traveling, but not more than 24 hours.
The game play is standard fare for this type of genre. The cursor can be changed from an eye icon to look at an item or object, hand icon to use an item, you get the idea. You collect various items that you then use on something in the environment to advance the story. Find a door knob on the ground? There will certainly be a door missing a knob to use it on. For any who have played point and click games in the past, the controls will be second nature to you.
The visuals are good, they aren’t great, but they are vibrant and gritty. There is a mix of 2D and 3D objects in the environment to tell the story. You will see lots of nods to the 80’s if you look close enough…”You made a time machine out of a DeLorean?”, Yes Marty, he did. I feel that someone familiar enough with classic 80’s movies will get more out of these little quips than those less familiar. That isn’t to say you can’t appreciate the game without this knowledge, you’ll just be missing a lot of the inside jokes that abound.
The voice acting is a mixed bag here. Some of the characters nail the dialog and help with character development. Unfortunately, the main character Karl tends to deliver an inconsistent performance which can seriously distract you during key moments in the game. That being said though, all the characters are voiced (no reading endless dialog boxes as you did in the 80’s) which is an achievement for any game. So while the voice acting isn’t always amazing, it’s still preferred to reading line after line of text when the characters speak.
The game clocks in around 15 hours, which is a pretty astonishing feat when you realize that the story, gameplay and art work was all done by one guy.
Is the game worth $14.99 on Steam? That depends on your nostalgia for a point and click adventure with a lot of references to 80’s films. The story is interesting, albeit a bit convoluted at times, and the characters range from likeable to annoying, but still have you rooting for them until the end.
http://sknr.net/2017/11/16/neofued/
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo (2020) in Movies
Jun 30, 2020
I don't think there's anyone who would be able to say "Danny who?" unless they were living in a cave somewhere. Whether it's Machete, Navajas in Desperado or the voice of Jaguar in Rick and Morty, there's something for everyone to click with out there. (3-Headed Shark Attack for the classiest of you out there.)
There's always something amazing around Danny Trejo, I love seeing him pop up in films. It wasn't until watching this that I realised just how many roles he's done and has coming up, it's even gone up a significant amount since they put this together. It also made me realise that I have a lot of things I need to watch. I'm at a measly 5% watched according to Letterboxd.
With several documentaries I've watched recently there are fundamental pieces that they've tweaked to try and change things up, Inmate #1 has kept to quite a traditional setup and it works tremendously well. We have interviews, old video footage of locations and sets and photos from Danny's life, the archival footage gives you a very clear image of what is being narrated and it helps to take you through the timeline.
The only slight drawback to the interview portion is the sheer variety of people that they include. Trejo's children, friends and colleagues have recurring parts and a significant portion is them recounting stories. It's all interesting content, but it's not always personally relevant to them and that seemed a little odd. It was really only a small point on the whole thing but I wouldn't have said no to more Trejo moments.
Seeing Danny Trejo's personality come across is wonderful to behold, he has an addictive humour to him and seeing him laugh at memories will make you smile back. But you also get to see remorse and emotion in such an honest way. The Kermit story broke me.
Overall, the documentary handles change in tone and situations well. All the transitions you see are smooth and there was no jarring change at any point which meant I was engaged for the whole 1hr and 47 minutes. It's compiled wonderfully and the mix between old and new content is balanced, the fact that it brings you full circle and shows you how hard he works on his career and his community is a joy.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/inmate-1-rise-of-danny-trejo-movie.html
There's always something amazing around Danny Trejo, I love seeing him pop up in films. It wasn't until watching this that I realised just how many roles he's done and has coming up, it's even gone up a significant amount since they put this together. It also made me realise that I have a lot of things I need to watch. I'm at a measly 5% watched according to Letterboxd.
With several documentaries I've watched recently there are fundamental pieces that they've tweaked to try and change things up, Inmate #1 has kept to quite a traditional setup and it works tremendously well. We have interviews, old video footage of locations and sets and photos from Danny's life, the archival footage gives you a very clear image of what is being narrated and it helps to take you through the timeline.
The only slight drawback to the interview portion is the sheer variety of people that they include. Trejo's children, friends and colleagues have recurring parts and a significant portion is them recounting stories. It's all interesting content, but it's not always personally relevant to them and that seemed a little odd. It was really only a small point on the whole thing but I wouldn't have said no to more Trejo moments.
Seeing Danny Trejo's personality come across is wonderful to behold, he has an addictive humour to him and seeing him laugh at memories will make you smile back. But you also get to see remorse and emotion in such an honest way. The Kermit story broke me.
Overall, the documentary handles change in tone and situations well. All the transitions you see are smooth and there was no jarring change at any point which meant I was engaged for the whole 1hr and 47 minutes. It's compiled wonderfully and the mix between old and new content is balanced, the fact that it brings you full circle and shows you how hard he works on his career and his community is a joy.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/06/inmate-1-rise-of-danny-trejo-movie.html