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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of Rocket League in Video Games
Mar 6, 2018
A High Scorer
This game shouldn't work, but it does. If I told you to go play a game where you play as a car as part of a team to try and win a game of football, I'd ask if you were insane. However, 3 years after it's initial release, Rocket League is still tons of fun to this very day.
Let me stress that I am not an online gamer at all and 99% of my gaming time is spent offline in single player story based games. Yet, I fell in love with Rocket League after downloading it on a whim from the PSN store. No two games are the same and the game puts you through every emotion imaginable, all with some dumb race cars and an oversized football.
2015 was a year of disappointments, with both MGS V and Fallout 4 failing to meet expectations. Rocket League, a sequel to an unremarkable downloadable PS3 game, came out of nowhere and blew everything else out of the water to become what was probably my favourite game of that year.
Let me stress that I am not an online gamer at all and 99% of my gaming time is spent offline in single player story based games. Yet, I fell in love with Rocket League after downloading it on a whim from the PSN store. No two games are the same and the game puts you through every emotion imaginable, all with some dumb race cars and an oversized football.
2015 was a year of disappointments, with both MGS V and Fallout 4 failing to meet expectations. Rocket League, a sequel to an unremarkable downloadable PS3 game, came out of nowhere and blew everything else out of the water to become what was probably my favourite game of that year.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2340 KP) rated Death of a Toy Soldier (Vintage Toyshop Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Liz McCall is helping her father run Well Played, a vintage toy shop. One day, a man walks in with a box of toys he wants appraised. However, a couple of days later, the man is dead in their shop, killed by a lawn dart, and the box of toys is missing. Liz’s father is a retired police man, and he begins to investigate the case unofficially with Liz helping him. Will they be able to figure out what happened?
Toys and nostalgia as a setting for a new cozy series? Sign me up! And I was as delighted with his debut as I thought I would be. The mystery is strong with some nice red herrings before we reach an ending that wraps everything up. The characters are strong and so much fun. If the store were real, I’d love to hang out for vintage board game night, but as it is, I’ll gladly return for the sequel.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-death-of-toy-soldier-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Toys and nostalgia as a setting for a new cozy series? Sign me up! And I was as delighted with his debut as I thought I would be. The mystery is strong with some nice red herrings before we reach an ending that wraps everything up. The characters are strong and so much fun. If the store were real, I’d love to hang out for vintage board game night, but as it is, I’ll gladly return for the sequel.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-death-of-toy-soldier-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated The Collector (2009) in Movies
Feb 14, 2018
Awesome effects (2 more)
Good jump scares
Wickedly bad killer
Smart Slasher... you get a gold star
Now, my wonderful Hackers. I bring to you a review of a film that has stuck with me for almost 10 years. Filled with some of the most devious, treacherous and disturbing psychopathic behaviour I have ever bore witness too...
The Collector tells the story of down on his luck burglar Arkin. Played by Josh Stewart perfectly, as he makes you feel empathy for his every action.
Without giving too much away. Arkin breaks into his employers house and finds a house of horrors behind every locked and unlocked door he finds.
There are two reasons he's doing what he's doing..
One is to rescue his daughters mother from some loan sharks... reason two..
The little girl hiding from the Collector in the house.
This movie both disturbed and disgusted me. Two things I look forward to in a good horror movie...
So, all my Horror Hackers, don't miss out on this piece of horror brilliance. It's to be paid tribute to in the highest regard.
The sequel.... Not so much....
The Collector tells the story of down on his luck burglar Arkin. Played by Josh Stewart perfectly, as he makes you feel empathy for his every action.
Without giving too much away. Arkin breaks into his employers house and finds a house of horrors behind every locked and unlocked door he finds.
There are two reasons he's doing what he's doing..
One is to rescue his daughters mother from some loan sharks... reason two..
The little girl hiding from the Collector in the house.
This movie both disturbed and disgusted me. Two things I look forward to in a good horror movie...
So, all my Horror Hackers, don't miss out on this piece of horror brilliance. It's to be paid tribute to in the highest regard.
The sequel.... Not so much....
Mike Carlson (115 KP) rated Battle Royale II (2002) in Movies
Mar 21, 2018
Subpar sequel.
This movie showed a little promise towards the beginning, but steadily rolled downhill. Not only did some of the themes (winning vs. losing, children vs. adults) feel underdeveloped, it also seemed to contain more ambition than it was capable of satisfying. Given better thought (possibly different writers and director), this film might have been amazing. Instead we have something that feels like it was churned out rather than naturally progressing from the original film.
There were a few really dumb moments. Something that got on my nerves was the kids' tendency to run to their dead friends (and congregate around them) while in the enemy's line of sight. They were also paired with bombs that went off if one partner died or if they were too far apart...the latter witnessed in a nonsensical scene about a third of the way into the film. In this scene, one of the kids makes an irrational action that is in complete contradiction to her fears.
As I reached the third act, I found myself less interested in what was onscreen than I was in it finally being over.
There were a few really dumb moments. Something that got on my nerves was the kids' tendency to run to their dead friends (and congregate around them) while in the enemy's line of sight. They were also paired with bombs that went off if one partner died or if they were too far apart...the latter witnessed in a nonsensical scene about a third of the way into the film. In this scene, one of the kids makes an irrational action that is in complete contradiction to her fears.
As I reached the third act, I found myself less interested in what was onscreen than I was in it finally being over.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Defy the Stars (Constellation, #1) in Books
Feb 19, 2018
I didn’t fully read the description of this one, and therefore didn’t know exactly what to expect when I started reading. What I found was a strong-willed, yet sympathetic protagonist with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, although not without reason, and an equally likable, and believable, android thrust together in an adventure spanning the galaxy.
Finding that as the only human around she is able to command Abel to do her bidding, Noemi orders him to help her find a piece of equipment that will aide her people in their was against Earth. Abel for his part would be happier to destroy Noemi, but his programming won’t allow it. There is some great character development as the two get to know each other and understand each others motivations. There is also more real science than I expected to get in a young adult scifi story, and that was a pleasant surprise.
This was my first encounter with author Claudia Gray, but if Goodreads is to be believed and there will be a sequel to Defy the Stars, then it will not be my last.
Finding that as the only human around she is able to command Abel to do her bidding, Noemi orders him to help her find a piece of equipment that will aide her people in their was against Earth. Abel for his part would be happier to destroy Noemi, but his programming won’t allow it. There is some great character development as the two get to know each other and understand each others motivations. There is also more real science than I expected to get in a young adult scifi story, and that was a pleasant surprise.
This was my first encounter with author Claudia Gray, but if Goodreads is to be believed and there will be a sequel to Defy the Stars, then it will not be my last.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Redemption Point (Crimson Lake #2) in Books
Mar 11, 2018
This is a sequel to Crimson Lake; a book I gave 4 stars; this one also gets 4 stars. I really recommend you read Crimson Lake before reading this otherwise you will not get the really important background to the 2 main characters, Ted and Amanda and, I feel, that is essential to get everything out of this story and an understanding of these 2 very different and intriguing characters.
The story has 2 main facets. The first being the murder of two young people and the second of Ted's attempts to clear his name of the violent attack on a young girl. Both parts fit together really well as does the unlikely partnership of Ted and Amanda and the relationship between Ted and his geese!
Well written; funny and sad with a story that will make you shout at it at times and laugh out loud at others, Redemption Point and its predecessor are books I'm glad I didn't miss out on and I would highly recommend.
Thanks go to Ellie Gibbons, Marketing Manager at Cornerstone - Penguin Random House UK and the author, Candice Fox for my copy in return for an honest review.
The story has 2 main facets. The first being the murder of two young people and the second of Ted's attempts to clear his name of the violent attack on a young girl. Both parts fit together really well as does the unlikely partnership of Ted and Amanda and the relationship between Ted and his geese!
Well written; funny and sad with a story that will make you shout at it at times and laugh out loud at others, Redemption Point and its predecessor are books I'm glad I didn't miss out on and I would highly recommend.
Thanks go to Ellie Gibbons, Marketing Manager at Cornerstone - Penguin Random House UK and the author, Candice Fox for my copy in return for an honest review.
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Redhead in Books
Jun 7, 2018
I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Oh wow, where do I start? I loved, loved, loved this book! When I first read about it, I was a bit skeptical as it's not normally something I would read, but it's about redheads and my son is a redhead. Plus, I have a lot of family members with red hair, so I thought I'd give it a go.
I am so happy that I decided to read it. It is fast paced and has a very interesting story line. In fact, I would say it's one of the most original story lines I have ever read. There is a lot of mythology in the book about redheads which I also found very interesting.
I loved Rebecca's character and hated Neferatu which shows how good the characters are written. I did find the characters of Jim and Syreeta a bit annoying though.
However, this is definitely a book that deserves 5 out of 5 stars. If there were to be a sequel, I'd definitely buy it and read it as soon as.
A really fantastic read =D
Oh wow, where do I start? I loved, loved, loved this book! When I first read about it, I was a bit skeptical as it's not normally something I would read, but it's about redheads and my son is a redhead. Plus, I have a lot of family members with red hair, so I thought I'd give it a go.
I am so happy that I decided to read it. It is fast paced and has a very interesting story line. In fact, I would say it's one of the most original story lines I have ever read. There is a lot of mythology in the book about redheads which I also found very interesting.
I loved Rebecca's character and hated Neferatu which shows how good the characters are written. I did find the characters of Jim and Syreeta a bit annoying though.
However, this is definitely a book that deserves 5 out of 5 stars. If there were to be a sequel, I'd definitely buy it and read it as soon as.
A really fantastic read =D
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
Jul 16, 2018
I had characterised the first Incredibles film as a "boys' Disney film", alongside Cars - something for my son to get a little more out of than he does from Moana etc, but still enough for my daughters to enjoy too - plus a decent amount of action and humour for us parents. Interestingly, it is Violet, the teenage daughter of the family, that takes centre stage for a lot of the sequel, her struggle to find a balance between superhero-dom and normal teenage life teetering on the edge.
In terms of storyline, it really is much of a repeat of the original film - this time it is the mother, ElastiGirl, that is back in action while Mr Incredible is left holding the baby. The plot, and the motive of the villain, is at time a little confusing for kids, and also pretty tenuous - there really isn't any need for major twists in kids' films!
The humour mainly comes from the emergence of baby Jack-Jack's powers - a multitude of abilities appearing with little control over them.
A good film, but a little long and with a slightly failed plot.
In terms of storyline, it really is much of a repeat of the original film - this time it is the mother, ElastiGirl, that is back in action while Mr Incredible is left holding the baby. The plot, and the motive of the villain, is at time a little confusing for kids, and also pretty tenuous - there really isn't any need for major twists in kids' films!
The humour mainly comes from the emergence of baby Jack-Jack's powers - a multitude of abilities appearing with little control over them.
A good film, but a little long and with a slightly failed plot.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
Jul 19, 2018
A very good film by any objective standards, with a wonderful aesthetic, solid plot and brilliantly-directed animation. It's role-reversal time in the Parr household as Elastigirl is obliged to go out and fight crime while Mr Incredible has to stay at home and take care of the children - needless to say another supervillain is lurking who will require the whole family to come together in order for good to triumph.
The thing is, for a Pixar film (and especially an Incredibles sequel) to be simply 'very good' is somehow not quite good enough, especially when they've had 14 years to work on it. The script sort of lets the whole thing down a bit - it's not quite as sharp or as tight as it needs to be, with a middle section that feels distinctly saggy. Apparently the release date was moved up by a year, which may explain why the film has this not-quite-completely-done air about it. It's a good, entertaining watch, but not as smart or as original as the first one; it never quite grabs the emotions, either.
The thing is, for a Pixar film (and especially an Incredibles sequel) to be simply 'very good' is somehow not quite good enough, especially when they've had 14 years to work on it. The script sort of lets the whole thing down a bit - it's not quite as sharp or as tight as it needs to be, with a middle section that feels distinctly saggy. Apparently the release date was moved up by a year, which may explain why the film has this not-quite-completely-done air about it. It's a good, entertaining watch, but not as smart or as original as the first one; it never quite grabs the emotions, either.
Joelene Marie (28 KP) rated Crosstalk in Books
Oct 1, 2018
I give it 3.5 stars but since we can't do halves I decided to round down to 3. While I ultimately enjoyed the book, it didn't quite live up to my expectations and I struggled to get thru it. The first third or so was good, it grabbed and held my interest, but after that I found myself thinking about what else to read. Because I had seen crosstalk on so many lists of can't miss book releases and the fact that I had been looking forward to it for so long I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did. The last third of the story was great, it helped to redeem the slow parts. The middle seemed bogged down with too much unnecessary detail and no real action. Overall the plot was original but there were no real surprises, the twists were far too predictable. I also think it could have been 100 pages shorter without impacting the story. The ending left open the possibility of a sequel and I hope the author makes use of that, I would like to see what happens with maeve and the rest of briddeys family.