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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated the PlayStation 4 version of LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Video Games

Jun 19, 2019 (Updated Jun 19, 2019)  
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Action/Adventure
Lego and Star Wars have followed up their previous successful collaborations with Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it is a delight to play.

The game combines, humor, action and creativity as it allows gamers to play as several characters from the hit film and also explore adventures set before the events of the film.

Of course being a Lego game this is not a strict rehash of the plot for the film as while many of the locales and events from the film are present, the trademark Lego humor is evident throughout and allows for a fun spin on the story.

With a new Multi-Builds system, players can decide if they want a more challenging build option in game or simply have fun and explore the game at their leisure. This is great for younger gamers as well as older ones looking for more of a challenge.

While locales such as Starkiller Base and Jakku are featured, there are other locales that arise and allow players to fill in some of the plot aspects in the years between “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens”. One such mission details how Han and Chewbacca were able to secure the deadly Rathtars as well as missions involving Poe Damron, Crimson Corsair, Lor San Tekka and more.

What really makes the game shine aside from the diversity and fun of playing it is hearing several of the stars from the film voicing their Lego characters. Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and several more all contribute to give the game a new level of realism and enjoy ability.

Boasting an impressive lineup of over 200 characters many of whom can be customized and over 80 vehicles would be impressive enough but for $9.99 a DLC program is available that will offer several new characters, vehicles, missions and more.

Graphically the game is very impressive as the detail level of the characters and sets is great fun to behold as is the great sound quality of the game.

This is key as combat modes ranging from Arena battles and space flight are one of the best parts of the game and really look and sound amazing as well as being great fun to play.

The game is ideal for Star Wars or Lego fans and has plenty of stuff to keep gamers of all ages hooked. I cannot wait to see what they developers come up with next as Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not to be missed.

http://sknr.net/2016/07/11/lego-star-wars-force-awakens/
  
E.R.A (HayleAnna Rising, #1)
E.R.A (HayleAnna Rising, #1)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
DNF @ 61% - REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS (AND A BIT OF A RANT)

This sounded rather good so I downloaded it but the more I read, the more I disliked it. That sounds bad but when I generally enjoy almost 95% of books I read, I think it's fair. It might be because it was self published and needed a really, really good proof read and edit as the amount of misspellings and simple errors drove me mad.

So this starts with HayleAnna waking up for her first day of training to join E.R.A - America's army of the future - so she can follow in her dads footsteps. She meets the trainers, a group of five, and makes friends with her roomie, AZ, before embarking on her schedule of training throughout the days and weeks so she can help stop the crazy madman who is trying to rule America after the government collapsed a handful of decades ago.

I had a couple of other issues with this book, just simple things I didn't understand.
One: Her name is HayleAnna but everyone calls her Anna. Surely Hayle with it coming first would be her shortened form?
Two: The romance. I didn't buy it. One minute they're sharing looks and winks and then the next they're pretty much dating and getting married?
Three: The continual use of the word "setting" instead of "sitting". "Setting up in the bed..." Maybe it's because I'm British but that made no sense to me. I set an object down but I sit down.
And four: I felt like I missed something in that 61%. She leaves the training completely to go see her mum amid a possible threat, but when her birthday rolls around everyone from the training is there wishing her well, including the instructors who told her she would be kicked from the program if she left? And then she actually gets a place with E.R.A?

WTF?

That was about the point where I gave up with the story. It wasn't making sense to me anymore. None of it was. I didn't buy the romance between the characters, either, and I wasn't a fan of the explained conversations without having it written in full.

It did have a promising storyline and I'm sure if the authors gave it a full proper once over that it has the potential to be a good book but currently I really wasn't feeling it at all.
  
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)
2018 | Sci-Fi
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Cloverfield Paradox is the third and (at time of writing) the last Cloverfield film and it's main purpose is to explain where Clover and his friends come from. Does it do this in an easy to follow, straight forward way that fits easily into the already established Cloverfield universe? Hell no.
The first film was a found footage monster movie and the second film was a psychological thriller that was loosely linked to the first so naturally the third film is a hard Sci-Fi set in the near future. The earth has used up most of it's resources and everyone is nearly at war, the last hope is the Cloverfield space-station which has the 'Shepard' beam, an experimental particle beam that, if it works, will produce an endless supply of energy. The lack of resources and looming war are the only problems, there are no monsters and there never were.
The Cloverfield Paradox mainly follows the crew of the space station and quickly turns into a Sci-Fi horror in a similar vain to 'Event Horizon'. Basically the crew activate the Shepard Beam, it works then crashes and the earth disappears. Then strange things start to happen. At the same time something happens on earth, there is an attack on America and a few people run around trying to find out what happens and one hides in a bunker similar to the one in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Meanwhile the crew of the Cloverfield try to find out where the earth is.
As a Sci-Fi, the Cloverfield Paradox works well, it uses just enough jargon and theoretical physics and as a horror it works well, killing off the cast in weird and wonderful ways. And as an explanation for Clover well SPOILER that's what attacked Earth, of course this is only reviled right at the end and there is no explanation to how they got to the past in the other film's. Except there is, about twenty minuets into the film, after everything has been set up but before everything goes wrong there is a news program shown on a monitor whilst the crew begin to start their experiments. The news show is interviewing the author of a book called 'The Cloverfield Paradox' and, in the interview the author explains everything from what is going to happen to how Clover and the other monsters appear on earth even though know one in the future knows anything about them, so pay attention.
One thing the all three Cloverfield films did well was all of the extra stuff. The original film started with tease trailers, infomercial's form company's seen in the film and fake news reels. This kind of marketing continued for all three films and other information was made available including one big link between Cloverfield and the Cloverfield Paradox. The last scene of the first film, the scene that was set before everything that happened with the couple by the beach shows something falling from the sky in the background, this is part of the Cloverfield space station.
With the revelation that the creatures now exist all through time a fourth film was rumoured - Overlord- however, even though the film was made by the same company and the same people it was never part of the Cloverfield universe and is/was meant to be the start of it's own franchise. Even though it could easily fit even as a ret con.
  
Lost (House of Night Otherworld #2)
Lost (House of Night Otherworld #2)
P C Cast | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Loved it!
Contains spoilers, click to show
Things have settled down at the Tulsa House of Night since Zoey and the gang closed the tear between worlds and sent Other Kevin back to the Other World. Neferet hasn't stirred. Damien and Jack are falling in love all over again. Stevie Rae and Rephaim are back in Tulsa where they belong. The Depot Restaurant is being rebuilt with the enthusiastic involvement of local humans. A new school year has begun, and Zoey's exchange student program with public schools is really taking off. All is well.But if all is well, why is Zoey increasingly withdrawn and moody?Sadly, Stark is sure he knows the answer to that question. Zoey can't stop thinking about following her brother to the Other World, and Stark isn't deluding himself about why. Of course she wants to be sure her brother is okay. Of course she wants to help defeat Neferet in yet another world and be sure the balance between Light and Darkness is restored. But the real reason Z is so drawn to that other House of Night world is because Heath Luck, her childhood sweetheart, is alive in that world-alive and mourning her death.In Lost, we follow Zoey, Stevie Rae, and Rephaim to an alternative version of the House of Night, where dangers take the form of friends and allies are found in the strangest places. Will Z return to our world and leave Heath to his? And if she does, will Stark forgive her for leaving? Find out in the second part of this exciting new House of Night Other World adventure!

I absolutely love this author and this series! Following Zoey and the nerd herd through more trials just makes me happy. We see Z , Stevie and Repheim travel to Kevin's world to help put things right. With some years of joy at some reunions and tears of sadness at the loss of a beloved character it's definitely worth a read. Also don't be drinking when Neferet drops the C bomb I nearly choked 🤣🤣🤣🤣. As a fan of P C Cast and Kristen these books bring so much joy to the YA and supernatural world.

 



⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  
BH
Before He Finds Her
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
In 1991, Ramsey Miller holds a huge block party for his neighborhood. Then, the story goes, he drunkenly and angrily murdered his wife and young daughter.

However, that's not exactly the case: his daughter got away, via the Witness Protection Program, and is living in a small town in West Virginia. Renamed Melanie, she lives with her father's close friend and his wife; it's a cautious life, as her father was never found. However, as she nears 18, Melanie is tired of this life of secrets and hiding. Finding herself pregnant, she decides she doesn't want this life for her own child, so she heads back to her hometown to find her father herself.

The book weaves in Melanie's current life and discoveries with narrative of Ramsey's life leading up to the days of the block party, allowing us to figure out what happened along with Melanie.

This novel started out really well, and for a while, I was thinking it was going to be one of my favorites read so far this year. However, it soon petered out a bit, and the more I thought about it, I liked it less. There are just some odd plot holes that doesn't really make sense and leave you wondering. Further, even accounting for her upbringing, Melanie as a main character is so "blah" and doesn't stand up for herself, thereby making it very hard to root for her. I really found myself pulling for Ramsey at many points. Lots of potential, but doesn't really follow through.
  
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)
Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna, #1)
Kendare Blake | 2011 | Horror, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.0 (11 Ratings)
Book Rating
Another spooky story for October! On first glance, this one is very similar to Rin Chupeco's The Girl From The Well, but the plot is actually quite different. It's still human boy, murderous ghost girl, but here the girl is bound to her house and forced to murder whoever comes inside. Unraveling the WHY is a major part of the plot.

I'd say this one is actually less creepy than The Girl From The Well, though one of the evil things Cas encounters is VERY creepy. Both of these were just about the right amount of spooky for me. I'm actually REALLY disappointed that the sequel is proving very difficult to get my hands on! I had to request it through Marina, my statewide lending program, so I'm not sure when it will arrive. But I NEEEEEEED to know what happens to Cas and Anna after this book ends!

I think I liked the relationship between boy and ghost better in Girl From The Well; you could clearly see the draw for the ghost, and the connection between them. Not so much here; Cas is trying to kill Anna, but then they become fascinated with each other for...some reason? Anna isn't compelled to kill Cas, and that's never explained, and seems to be her main source of fascination with the boy.

Another major difference is that while Tark in Girl From The Well is rather isolationist and creeps out his peers, Cas seems to attract his peers, and quickly finds friends wherever he goes. He's typically used them as contacts in the past, not really valuing them as friends, but that changes with the events of this book, as he actually comes to know a couple of the kids at his new school and value their friendship. He even puts up with their jokes about being Ghostbusters and who would be which character, which is kind of hilarious.

Both stories are great; I'd say this one is slightly more light-hearted than Girl From The Well, but only slightly. There's still lots of creepy ghosts, life-or-death situations, gory deaths of side characters, and curses. It's another great spooky October book for scaredy-cats like me!

You can find all my reviews and more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
  
VC
Vampire Close
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really hate to give negative reviews, but I'm sorry, this book needed a lot of work before it was published. Descriptions were over-the-top, the characters weren't fleshed out, and overall, the story should have been more filled out.

When I started this book, I felt like I missed the first fifteen minutes of a movie and I'm right in the middle of a scene, a bit lost; it was quite discombobulating. The main love interests, Fiona and Rory, are both Scottish and that's how it's written, so there's dinna, och, cannae, ken, etc., which really distracted from the story. Maybe if only one character spoke like that, it might have been bearable, but with two of them, it was just too much. Fiona herself was unlikeable, prejudiced, oblivious to her "sexpot" looks, and way to innocent to be believable for her age, while Rory's forceful, generally undesirable, and doesn't even seem like a vampire other than his fangs. What's really missing from the book is emotion. I felt nothing, other than mild dislike, for anyone or anything -- I just didn't care about these people. Joan, an American demon hunter and Euan, a Highland-born Brit (or "Sassenach" as Fiona disdainfully calls him) deacon, were slightly better at first, but there still was not enough shown for me to have a personal interest in them. The plot was vaguely described, and frankly, not very interesting. Nothing was shown, it was just told, mainly through an abundance of gabbing, so I never got the sense of urgency and the book just meandered into its finale.

I had a few other problems, but nothing that wouldn't give certain events away. Maybe die-hard paranormal romance fans will like this, but it became a chore to complete and I ended up disliking it the more I read, so it just wasn't for me.

Received for review through the Goodreads First Reads program.
  
The Boy at the Door
The Boy at the Door
Alex Dahl | 2018 | Mystery, Thriller
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The plot (0 more)
The main character, the pacing (0 more)
Just Say No
I wanted to love this book. I really did. I heard about it in a book magazine, and I fell in love with the blurb.

However, I got to reading this book, and I found myself not caring about what happens. The pacing was just to slow for me, yet I continued to read in case it got better. It did not.

As for the characters, I found myself not caring about them. I just couldn’t connect to any of them. I did like Johan from the Little I read of him. I wondered why he’d stay with a horrible piece of work like Celia. And Celia was definitely a nasty piece of work! The way she treats her husband is vile! She talks about showering him with plenty of sex and affection and then basically being a bitch to them in order to get him to stay. She recommends other women do this too. No, thank you. The way she acts when she hears that Tobias is going to be staying with her for a few months is just horrible too. I realize it’s a big deal to have a kid you’ve never known come to stay with you for a few months, but I just felt she was way over the top. And don’t get me started on how she treats other people like she’s better than them. Yet she wants to come across to others as having the perfect family, so why treat others like crap if you are concerned with how they perceive you? Celia is nothing but a spoiled, selfish, vile brat. She’s one of the main reasons I couldn’t finish this book.

Maybe others will like this book, but I just couldn’t get into it due to slow pacing and mainly because I couldn’t torture myself to keep reading about Celia. This is being added to my DNR shelf.

(I received a free ebook of this title from the First to Read program).
  
Almost Never
Almost Never
Amy Lamont | 2018
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This starts with what I guess is a prologue where we see Harper joining Declan at her first campus party. Things don't go as she was hoping when she sees her high-school bully whispering and pointing in her direction and the rumours she's spreading get back to Declan. Fast forward two years and neither has spoken to the other, though they keep secretly checking on the other, and only come together again when they see a mutual opportunity: Harper will help him pass a class and Declan will help her be noticed by her professor. Their attraction blooms once more as they spend time together again

I'll admit the cover pulled me in and when I got this, it was free.

I liked this initially but I started to lose interest about the 40% mark. It just wasn't gelling with me, I found the style a little awkward at times and Harpers attitude rubbed me the wrong way. She thought the worst of everyone and everything. It's like she didn't see anything as a bright spot, it was all down and out. One quote seemed fitting:

"I guess overreacting is my thing lately."

How about all the time?! Maybe some of it was warranted but come one! I got very fed up with her look on life. So much so that I totally lost interest in this one. I didn't read the sex scene as I didn't really care about the characters or the storyline, but I wanted to finish it.

And I did. Finally.

I'm glad Harper finally got a backbone, dealing with her aunt and getting into that much longed for medical program. And I'm glad Declan stood up to his dad. Other than that, I didn't care about the rest.

This didn't work for me at all and I'm not sure if I'll be reading more books by this author.
  
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Darren (64 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies

Oct 27, 2019  
Joker (2019)
Joker (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama
Everything (0 more)
Nothing but it has to be pure greatness to be a ten. (0 more)
People misunderstand this film.
Watching Joker, I knew that this would not be your average DC film. Knowing this, I think this is why i enjoyed it and i can understand why a lot of people didn't. Arthur Fleck is isolated and bullied by society, He has dreams of being a comedian except,He's not very funny. Arthur takes jobs to earn money and also cares for his mum. Arthur is already a man on the edge, He takes pills every day to suppress a personality disorder. The further we go into the film the further, we feel Arthur's Pain. He does not fit in anywhere. Arthur just wants to be accepted and to make people happy through comedy. When a social service program receives funding cuts which stops him from having his medication. Arthur finds out a shattering piece of news, which, in his fragile state of mind, tips him over the edge.

I can't really say anymore with spoilers and i don't want to spoil the film for anyone who has not yet seen it. For me personally, I went in with the mindset of watching Joker as a film about a mentally ill and unstable man rejected by society. That's why i enjoyed it. If you go in expecting Batman to pop up then , My friends, You will be seriously disappointed.

All i can say is, it's a slow burner of a film and that is for good reason so we fully understand the trauma of being Arthur. I've no doubt if nominated Joaquin Phoenix will win all awards given out in awards season. His performance is that brilliant. Is he the best Joker though? ....We'll leave that up for debate.