Search
Search results
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time in Video Games
Oct 29, 2020
Crash Bandicoot is back and better than ever in Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time.
This time around the lovable Crash must face his most challenge obstacles yet as he navigates various locales each with an abundance of timed precision jumps, enemies, traps, and more.
Aside from his speed, Crash can slide, jump, and spin to fight or avoid enemies and obstacles and this time around he can phase objects at certain locales which allows him to pass through them. This is often tricky as he has to phase out an object to jump but must phase it back in order land on it but cannot do so before allowing ample space to land.
Patience is required as there are frequent dangers that require precise movements to complete and nothing is more frustrating than biting it with a checkpoint in site.
The game also offers up some interesting variety not only in a plethora of level designs but by also allowing players to play as other characters in the game. Being able to zap objects to complete levels vs the traditional running and jumping does bring an interesting new dimension to the play and keeps things fresh.
The graphics are pleasing and Crash is such a fun and charming character it is easy to stick with him even when the level becomes so rage inducing you want to quit in a hailstorm of profanity.
What really makes the game great are not only the clever and creative levels but the sheer variety of them. From a junkyard with gears, fire, and shark like creatures to a frozen landscape where slipping off the ice is commonplace, the level designers combine sadism and genius to create a truly fun and challenging gaming experience.
The game is not only lots of fun but is ideal for players of all ages and offers plenty of great gaming moments. This is a great return for Crash and hopefully we will see him again soon as I would love to see a new game designed from the ground up for the Next-Generation systems.
4 stars out of 5
This time around the lovable Crash must face his most challenge obstacles yet as he navigates various locales each with an abundance of timed precision jumps, enemies, traps, and more.
Aside from his speed, Crash can slide, jump, and spin to fight or avoid enemies and obstacles and this time around he can phase objects at certain locales which allows him to pass through them. This is often tricky as he has to phase out an object to jump but must phase it back in order land on it but cannot do so before allowing ample space to land.
Patience is required as there are frequent dangers that require precise movements to complete and nothing is more frustrating than biting it with a checkpoint in site.
The game also offers up some interesting variety not only in a plethora of level designs but by also allowing players to play as other characters in the game. Being able to zap objects to complete levels vs the traditional running and jumping does bring an interesting new dimension to the play and keeps things fresh.
The graphics are pleasing and Crash is such a fun and charming character it is easy to stick with him even when the level becomes so rage inducing you want to quit in a hailstorm of profanity.
What really makes the game great are not only the clever and creative levels but the sheer variety of them. From a junkyard with gears, fire, and shark like creatures to a frozen landscape where slipping off the ice is commonplace, the level designers combine sadism and genius to create a truly fun and challenging gaming experience.
The game is not only lots of fun but is ideal for players of all ages and offers plenty of great gaming moments. This is a great return for Crash and hopefully we will see him again soon as I would love to see a new game designed from the ground up for the Next-Generation systems.
4 stars out of 5
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Primal (2019) in Movies
Aug 22, 2020
When will I learn? Do not watch big star films you've never heard of before I see them on DVD.
A big game hunter ends up transporting his catch on a ship with a team of military personnel that are transporting an assassin back to the US under the radar. All it takes is one wrong step for the ship to be filled with danger as everyone is being stalked by killers, both animal and human.
I nearly lobbed this DVD out my window after the first scene with the CGI kitty cat, it was truly abysmal. Thankfully at some point I stopped noticing fairly quickly.
Kevin Durand plays our assassin-in-transit and he's always a pretty good bet for a bad guy. Even in this he has a great presence. Next we have Famke Janssen, I couldn't honestly tell you how long it's been since I saw her in something. This wasn't a great character though, and apart from one or two scenes I had forgotten she was even in this film when I scrolled through the cast list. It's not entirely to do with the acting, which did feel a little lacklustre, the character didn't have a lot of punch and wasn't what you know she's capable of.
There's no denying that this is below my usual Cage favourites. It's pretty low on the Cage Rage ranking, but it's still a Nicolas Cage film and as with shark films that means there's an automatic pass. It would have to do something horrendous for me to outright hate it.
There's logic of some description in Primal but it's still a distinctly average film. I can forgive the bad CGI, but a poor script and average production quality across the board mean I'm regretting paying actual money for it. The idea for the story feels like someone used a story generator to get different plot points, even so, there was potential in it but I was rather sad it wasn't a better experience.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/primal-movie-review.html
A big game hunter ends up transporting his catch on a ship with a team of military personnel that are transporting an assassin back to the US under the radar. All it takes is one wrong step for the ship to be filled with danger as everyone is being stalked by killers, both animal and human.
I nearly lobbed this DVD out my window after the first scene with the CGI kitty cat, it was truly abysmal. Thankfully at some point I stopped noticing fairly quickly.
Kevin Durand plays our assassin-in-transit and he's always a pretty good bet for a bad guy. Even in this he has a great presence. Next we have Famke Janssen, I couldn't honestly tell you how long it's been since I saw her in something. This wasn't a great character though, and apart from one or two scenes I had forgotten she was even in this film when I scrolled through the cast list. It's not entirely to do with the acting, which did feel a little lacklustre, the character didn't have a lot of punch and wasn't what you know she's capable of.
There's no denying that this is below my usual Cage favourites. It's pretty low on the Cage Rage ranking, but it's still a Nicolas Cage film and as with shark films that means there's an automatic pass. It would have to do something horrendous for me to outright hate it.
There's logic of some description in Primal but it's still a distinctly average film. I can forgive the bad CGI, but a poor script and average production quality across the board mean I'm regretting paying actual money for it. The idea for the story feels like someone used a story generator to get different plot points, even so, there was potential in it but I was rather sad it wasn't a better experience.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/08/primal-movie-review.html
Rojo (2018)
7.0
Rate It
Movie
Argentina, 1976. Claudio Morán is a successful and respected lawyer of an Argentinian town that...
Let The Bad Times Rolls by The Offspring
Album
The Offspring is a punk rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. The band's current...
Sonnets for an Old Century
Book
“Now we have a SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY to call our own, a work whose scope and insights begin to...
Win (The Atlantis Grail #3)
10.0
Rate It
Book
The Games are Forever! It’s one thing to Qualify and Compete… Now she must Win. Gwen...
Sci-fi Space Adventure Fiction Romance The Atlantis Grail
Win (The Atlantis Grail Book 3)
9.5
Rate It
Book
The Games are Forever! It’s one thing to Qualify and Compete… Now she must Win. Gwen...
Fiction Sci-fi Science Fiction Romance YA Young Adult
The Last House on the Street
8.0
Rate It
Book
A small town divided by prejudice. A secret that won't remain silent... The stunning new novel...
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Lion's Honey: The Myth of Samson in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I was a little surprised as to what comprised this book, as I expected to find a fictional retelling after the reproduction of Judges 13-16 of the King James Bible. Instead, what follows is a detailed commentary that examines and dissects the Biblical account, using even the original language to understand the full meaning of the text, with all of its nuances and allusions. As many times that I have studied the story of Samson in church growing up, there is apparently quite a bit that I never knew about such an interesting character in Hebrew history.
As any person chosen of God to do His will, Samson is a man plagued by his destiny and how it separates him from the rest of humanity. Though chosen of God from the womb to live as a Nazarite, he is still very much human with human urges. Almost constantly at war with himself, Samson seems to set himself up to be hurt by those he puts his trust in so that he may let loose his anger and rage against those who hold his people captive -- the Philistines. Like so many modern-day psychological head cases, much of his choices are also driven by a need for that hidden something lacking in his relationship with his parents. He looks for it in the wrong places and the wrong women, even paying a visit to a prostitute. He seems to use his strength and anger with an artistic flair, first setting up a group of Philistines at his wedding with an unsolvable riddle, and later finding rather unique ways of further punishing the Philistines, such as using the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand of them. Furthermore, every verbal account from Samson is spoken poetically.
What I found most interesting is the way that David Grossman explored the account of Samson and Delilah. He alludes that Samson in fact knew the betrayal that Delilah harbored and welcomed it in order to finally shed his God-given destiny. While he ends his life in a final act of redemption, I have to wonder if he did complete the task that God had given him to "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
Despite the intense detail that David Grossman goes into when writing this study of Samson, the book is a very good read and well worth my time.
As any person chosen of God to do His will, Samson is a man plagued by his destiny and how it separates him from the rest of humanity. Though chosen of God from the womb to live as a Nazarite, he is still very much human with human urges. Almost constantly at war with himself, Samson seems to set himself up to be hurt by those he puts his trust in so that he may let loose his anger and rage against those who hold his people captive -- the Philistines. Like so many modern-day psychological head cases, much of his choices are also driven by a need for that hidden something lacking in his relationship with his parents. He looks for it in the wrong places and the wrong women, even paying a visit to a prostitute. He seems to use his strength and anger with an artistic flair, first setting up a group of Philistines at his wedding with an unsolvable riddle, and later finding rather unique ways of further punishing the Philistines, such as using the jawbone of an ass to kill a thousand of them. Furthermore, every verbal account from Samson is spoken poetically.
What I found most interesting is the way that David Grossman explored the account of Samson and Delilah. He alludes that Samson in fact knew the betrayal that Delilah harbored and welcomed it in order to finally shed his God-given destiny. While he ends his life in a final act of redemption, I have to wonder if he did complete the task that God had given him to "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines."
Despite the intense detail that David Grossman goes into when writing this study of Samson, the book is a very good read and well worth my time.
Sensitivemuse (246 KP) rated The Graces in Books
Jan 31, 2018
Not much of a plot, it was a good ending though
There wasn’t a substantial plot with this one. You had an idea on why River was trying to be friends with The Graces and there were hints here and there throughout the story on what River was really wanting to do all this time. You’re pretty much following River as she makes friends and tries to be part of the in crowd with The Graces.
I didn’t really like River that much in the beginning. You knew why she was wanting to befriend them however at the same time she had a great friendship with Summer and you were hoping nothing would spoil it.
The Graces did have a certain charm to them but at the same time there was also something strange. They’re close knit, secretive, and not your average family. They already had their secrets to start with, and of all the three I’d have to like Summer the most. She was the outspoken one and the rule breaker with at least some semblance of sense and logic that her two siblings didn’t have (those that have read the book would know what I’m talking about).
Back to River. Oh darling. You know this could have gone well if you HAD JUST TOLD THEM. Sometimes I hate reading books where the protagonist has this huge secret because they tend to keep it to themselves until they finally realize it wouldn’t help anymore but by that time, it would mess up a lot of things now would it? And all throughout the book you’re screaming JUST. TELL. THEM. Sheesh.
Although I know I said I didn’t really like her in the beginning, she redeemed herself in the last third of the book. I was expecting her to be sniveling, crying and pleading but she suddenly became this beacon of rage and I suddenly pulled a 180 and loved her instantly. She finally realized who she was and what she was capable of. She didn’t need the Graces at all - well maybe she needed them to put her in the right direction but it was nice to see her pick herself up and be strong about it.
Loved the ending! Such a cliffhanger and I want to know what’s going to happen next now that River has found herself. Sequel is coming out this year! So I’ll be looking forward to it!
I didn’t really like River that much in the beginning. You knew why she was wanting to befriend them however at the same time she had a great friendship with Summer and you were hoping nothing would spoil it.
The Graces did have a certain charm to them but at the same time there was also something strange. They’re close knit, secretive, and not your average family. They already had their secrets to start with, and of all the three I’d have to like Summer the most. She was the outspoken one and the rule breaker with at least some semblance of sense and logic that her two siblings didn’t have (those that have read the book would know what I’m talking about).
Back to River. Oh darling. You know this could have gone well if you HAD JUST TOLD THEM. Sometimes I hate reading books where the protagonist has this huge secret because they tend to keep it to themselves until they finally realize it wouldn’t help anymore but by that time, it would mess up a lot of things now would it? And all throughout the book you’re screaming JUST. TELL. THEM. Sheesh.
Although I know I said I didn’t really like her in the beginning, she redeemed herself in the last third of the book. I was expecting her to be sniveling, crying and pleading but she suddenly became this beacon of rage and I suddenly pulled a 180 and loved her instantly. She finally realized who she was and what she was capable of. She didn’t need the Graces at all - well maybe she needed them to put her in the right direction but it was nice to see her pick herself up and be strong about it.
Loved the ending! Such a cliffhanger and I want to know what’s going to happen next now that River has found herself. Sequel is coming out this year! So I’ll be looking forward to it!