Reviews

My partner and I decided on a whim to give this a go on date night and WOW we were not expecting something as captivating and though-provoking as this turned out to be.

The story is grounded in its rich characters, each wonderfully delivered by stellar performances from the cast. Not a single main character enters the screen without care taken to make them feel alive and leave real emotional impact. Every single one was nuanced, and surprisingly even those characters that occupy even a single scene stay with you. Separately, each has a compelling story to tell, but when you bring them together, when you see the depth of relationships that exist between every single member of this family, just... wow. I've been heard to say a story is made or broken by the writing and acting of its characters, and in this DARK ENCOUNTER is utterly golden.

Even as a captivating character piece, a tale of family, relationships, and the connections we cling to in times of loss, DARK ENCOUNTER is more than deserving of your time. But to leave it there is to do it a great injustice and my partner and I both agree here is something we've NEVER seen before. There's nothing quite like it. In almost every scene the movie walks a new path, establishes fascinating and solid new ground, and not a moment passed that we weren't deeply invested in and eager for the next welcome innovation in story-telling and cinematography. Every emotion it conveys, every nerve it struck with us, it certainly earns. The fear never comes with cliches or jump scares (nor should they, that's "startled" not "scared"), the suspense and "slow burn" are, in our opinion, timed to perfection. It never lost us, not for one moment.

A visual treat, an emotional ride, never before have we reached out to a film's writer and director with sincere gratitude. I'll be looking for more. Count us in as dedicated followers of Carl Strathie.

For those looking to truly immerse themselves into an RPG experience this is it. Combined with amazing visuals, unique combat settings and varied character building options. Players face a multitude of decisions that shape the storyline (sometimes more so than others) but at the very least change how your allies interact with you and even how they fight. I can admit that there were times I felt like I had to step away because I faced so much decision, but this is a testament to how emotionally engrossed the game kept me rather than seeming forced or excessive. Dragon Age - Origins is simply everything you want in a Fantasy-based RPG. It's a pleasure to both watch and play on the PS3. Here's my money, BioWare, take of it as you please provided games like this keep coming.

The reviews are largely spot-on in my opinion, but it doesn't change the fact that overall this is game is a pleasure to play. Visually, this game is a treat for the eyes. The developers must have taken a lot of time to ensure this world takes your breath away, and the movement of all characters always flawless. The drawback is the experimentation with the six-axis controls. People need to realize the technology to effectively do this simply doesn't exist, at least not yet, it seems. And if it does, it's not on the PS3 any more than it is on the Wii. While the control scheme isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be, it does get frustrating whenever I have to do anything complicated with the six-axis tilting and spiraling. With that said, the Dragon usually does what I had in mind, and when it doesn't, hell, the movement WAS complicated so maybe it makes sense that a massive flying lizard couldn't turn on a dime. Maybe that's another complaint though... this dragon really is a massive flying lizard and nothing else. Way to make my favorite fantasy creature into a 1-dimensional mount. But hey, all in all, I've never been able to fight entire armies riding a deadly dragon like this before. And the game IS really fun. Besides, I found it in a bargain bin. I would have paid the $5o or so for the game after playing it for awhile, so HELL YES I'll get it for $20.

One word seems to come up more often than any other when I ask anyone I know (most incredibly avid video gamers) what they thought of SCIV. Rushed. I haven't taken the time to research if this was an actually rushed project, but the game reeks of it. If it wasn't rushed, it sure as hell feels like it. If you're looking for a button masher with a nice hair-do, then I highly encourage getting this one from a bargain bin. But here's the low-down on why this game, for me and my friends, gets a 4/10. Reason 1: Character Creation - First name, it's a misnomer. Want to make an original move set? Sorry, you can't, you have to copy-paste from another character (I can't even make a male Tira -or even use her move set- without it waving it's hips about and behaving quite femininely). And so, OK, maybe I can't make original moves but how about a unique-looking character limited only by my creativity? Sorry, you can't, because the items you choose play a part in deciding your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses then you have to choose what the developers had in mind or risk a glaring hole in your defenses and/or abilities. Bottom line, there's no true character creation here. Reason 2: While most fighting games lack an appealing storyline, this one goes one step further. It keeps dragging you along with the small hope of SOMETHING meaningful being tied to your character (I mean, I did just fight a lot of people for SOMETHING) but yet, when that last screen comes, you get a lame "And they did some sort of cool stuff that you don't know about" message in white text on a black screen... I believe we've all screamed at that screen if we've played the game. At least once. A good example: Playing the apprentice, you get to the finale, and it looks like you're about to fight Darth Vader (I mean, he is a playable character so they could easily have made it the last fight). But NOPE. You never do. Black screen, message that some stuff happened (never very exciting or meaningful) and then wham, end credits. Reason 3: The adventure mode (which was fun for story, tutorial, and unlocking items) was removed and replaced with an excessively frustrating and repetitive Tower mode with ridiculous requirements for successful completion that not only frustrates even the most stalwart defenders/veterans of the series but also virtually demands access to a FAQ. And in this critics opinion anything in a game that demands "cheating" shouldn't be part of the game.

But hey, I'm one voice among thousands, so maybe this helped you avoid a bad game (my opinion) or maybe you just like digitized scantly-clad women, few in-game options, and ripping your hair out in frustration. If so, here's a cookie for you.

"S. Darko" tries to maintain the original feel but just comes off as a poorly done high school mockery. Its storyline so translucent and unimaginative that you'll wish someone would punch you in the face just so you could feel something. I feel that Nathan Atkins and Richard Kelly owe me 103 minutes better spent on watching nearly anything. These teens girls can't be like any real teen girls... can they? Please? NOBODY needs to see this movie. In fact, if you were a fan of the prequel save yourself the embarrassment. If you weren't a fan of the first one then you've still got something to lose. Trust me. I was left wishing that all the characters had been sacrifices. I would have felt better at the end. At least a sense of accomplishment. Maybe that would undo how violated I feel. It was worse than when my Aunt Margaret made me watch all 14 video cassettes of her "Memories of Kentucky" and did a running commentary of the "squash salad" and "hour of hair-drying" highlights. This movie is meaningless. Trivial. Without virtue or memorable moments of any kind.