Review: "LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game"

Information

Title

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game

Published by

Eidos

Developed by

Giant and Traveller's Tales

Platform

Playstation 2

Rating

E for Cartoon Violence

Genre

Action Platformer/Puzzle

Plot

Um, you play through the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy (yes, that includes Episode III).

High Point

You get to play through Episode III plus the final ending "To be continued..."

Low Point

Can get a little difficult to collect all the widgets to unlock everything, but only a problem for the completionists among us.

Context

I'm a huge Star Wars fan as well as a big LEGO fan, so I was excited by the very idea of this game.

Scores

Story — Adequate (6/10)

This isn't really a story driven kind of game, rather it's a get through the level and try to collect all the widgets. There is a nominal story mode that follows the stories of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars movies, but mostly focuses on the action sequences therein (this is not a bad thing).

Originality — Unusual (8/10)

I'm not entirely sure how to rate this, the premise is wonderfully original, but the settings are taken completely from the Star Wars movies. I think that, in the end, the uniqueness of the premise wins out over the setting and characters.

Graphics — Superb (9/10)

Okay this game looks block and chunky, but it's supposed to. It really feels very much like you're playing with actual LEGOs throughout the game with some very minor exceptions in the buildings.

Music — Perfect (10/10)

What can I say, it's a Star Wars game with Star Wars music in it.

Production — Excellent (9/10)

This game loads quickly and rarely (I think I saw it two or three times) has to load overtly during the game. There is a seamless transition from the outside of a location to the inside and from one location to another. Another really nice feature is that there are hidden continue points within the areas so that you don't have to always go back to the last save point anytime you die or fail.

Difficulty — Mostly Easy (3/10)

If you're just concerned with beating the three episodes, then the game is quite easy, though two players can get a little tricky without some good coordination. There is no fixed number of lives you can go through though you are penalized for each death. If you're a completionist, like me, it gets a bit tougher as you try to collect all the widgets in each level. The bonus level does seem to require two players (or, at least, one player controlling both characters).

Violence — Minimal (1/10)

There is a lot of "cartoon" violence, but it is mostly directed at aliens, robots and faceless people. There's no blood whatsoever and the closest it comes to gore is that beings break apart into their component LEGO pieces when killed.

Bonus Features — Mediocre (5/10)

Mostly this consists of buying hints or special addons (the only really useful ones seem to be the mini-kit detector and invincibility). You can also purchase characters to play as, which is kinda nice as you can purchase any of the characters you've faced-off against (you automatically gain the use of any characters who join your party in a level).

Overall — Must Have (8/10)

I'd call this a "must have" for any Star Wars or LEGO fan out there.

Review: "God of War" (PS2)

Information

Title

God of War

Published by

SCEA

Developed by

SCEA

Platform

Playstation 2

Genre

Action,Platform,Puzzle (similar to the two recent "Prince of Persia" games)

Plot

You are Kratos, a warrior for the gods and you must stop Ares, the God of War.

High Point

Almost no explicit loading with expansive areas.

Low Point

It can get difficult at times and I got stuck once and frustrated at a later point. Also their depictions of Ares and Hades are kinda out of the ordinary and seemed influenced by modern beliefs more than I'd like for an ancient greek tale.

Context

I enjoy hack & slash types of games as well as the platformer and puzzle genres. Additionally I quit enjoy greek mythology and gods.

Scores

Story — (8/10)

The basic setup is fairly straight foreword, but the back-story of Kratos, as revealed through a series of flashbacks, gets to be more intricate and throws some interesting curves. The final resolution of the game is quite to my liking.

Originality — Unusual (8/10)

The game-play is quite reminiscent of the recent "Prince of Persia" titles and the setting is somewhat similar to "Rygar", but the way they're combined yields a rich and distinctive new universe. The story departs from the established greek mythologies in several important ways, but uses those departures to further the story.

Graphics — Gorgeous (9/10)

This game looks great, the environments and character models are highly detailed and the effects look good.

Music — (9/10)

The music really help to set the mood of the game and it does so well. The music is a very interesting combination of various cultural styles and sounds which are assembled to create a sound that is foreign (to us Americans) and ancient which perfectly compliments the look of the game.

Production — Excellent (9/10)

This game loads quickly and rarely (I think I saw it two or three times) has to load overtly during the game. There is a seamless transition from the outside of a location to the inside and from one location to another. Another really nice feature is that there are hidden continue points within the areas so that you don't have to always go back to the last save point anytime you die or fail.

Difficulty — Challenging (5/10)

I play games on their easiest settings so that i may better enjoy them and that was generally good for my level of ability. There were a couple of instances where I had a really hard time seeing the solution to a particular puzzle. Towards the end of the game is a series of puzzle/traps that got a bit frustrating from the ease of dying while trying to navigate them.

Gore — Bloodbath (10/10)

There is a lot of blood flowing from a horde of monsters set against you. Additionally there are all kinds of dismemberment including ripping the heads off gorgons.

Sexuality — Topless (5/10)

There are some instances of toplessness (or, at least, see-through tops). All of the female-ish monsters are unclothed thus revealing bare breasts, but this is not titilating.

Bonus Features — DVD-esque (8/10)

I was actually surprised to learn that there are bonus features on this game (though this is an increasing trend). The content of those features is very similar to what you're likely to find on a DVD, you get several making-of featurettes including some looks at stuff that was eventually removed from the game including a 3D model gallery of various early models. Most of these features are unlocked once you beat the game, but some of them require that you go even further.

Overall — (/10)

This is a great game which kept me enthralled to the end (which can be rare for me). I eagerly await further games in this series (there are some ideas in the bonus features).

Review: "Sin City"

Information

Title

Sin City

Directed by

Frank Miller,
Robert Rodriguez and
Quenten Tarantino

Written by

Frank Miller,
Robert Rodriguez

Starring

A whole bunch of people

Format

Theatrical release

Genre

Film Noir (complete with Femme Fetales, corrupt cops and lots of shadows).

Rating

R — Sustained strong stylized violence, nudity and sexual content including dialog.

Plot

The plot is made up of three barely connected stories based on the "Sin City" graphic novels "The Hard Goodbye" (originally known simply as "Sin City"), "The Big Fat Kill" and "That Yellow Bastard". For those of you not familiar with "Sin City", I'll just say that the stories are total film-noir complete with narration.

High Point

This movie looks like a moving comic book. Elijah Wood completely embodied Kevin.

Low Point

Some of the effects were a little on the obvious side, but didn't detract too much from the experience.

Context

I have read two and a half of the "Sin City" graphic novels, but one of them was not used in the movie, so I am pretty familiar with the style and flavor of the universe and characters. I have also read other things that Frank Miller has done and generally like his work.

Scores

Story (7/10)

Each of the vignettes is fairly self-contained, though you get the sense of something more lurking just beneath the surface. There is some back-story missing from these characters which is delved into in other graphic novels. Presumably, if this movie does well, we'll see more slices of the "Sin City" story.

Originality (8/10)

I have to deduct points for this being an adaptation, but this is a nice set of stories with twists and turns that'll catch you off-guard.

Effects (8/10)

Generally great, but a couple scenese were painfully obvious in their CG nature.

Acting (9/10)

The cast truly brought life to Frank Miller's characters in the graphic novels.

Emotional Response (7/10)

While I did not feel terribly connected to the protagonists, but I was thoroughly repulsed by the antagonists such that I wanted the protagonists to prevail. Essentially it comes down to the lesser of evils, but I do enjoy stories about evil.

Production (10/10)

The lighting and use of color in this movie is amazing. It really adds to the feel of the piece. "Sin City" is a feast for your eyes.

Gunplay (9/10)

A lot of bullets went flying, and many found their mark (not necessarily having the desired effect though).

Intelligence (4/10)

"Sin City" does not require you to think about it to enjoy it, it's mainly action and suspense.

Gore (6/10)

While the movie is fairly gory in parts, it's stylized to a point where it's not too offensive.

Sexuality (5/10)

There is some sex and nudity (all topless) and a fair amount of provocative attire on the part of the ladies.

Overall (9/10)

I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone who can handle violence and some gore.

Review: "Constantine"

Information

Title

Constantine

Format

Theatrical release

Plot

Anti-hero John Constantine has to save the world from hell, literally.

High Point

Constantine flipping Lucifer off on his way to heaven, or dousing demons with holy water via fire sprinklers.

Low Point

The ancient lost relic was referred to as the "Spear of Destiny", I have always heard it referred to as the "Spear of Longinus" and this bugged me a bit

Context

I am vaguely familiar with the characters of Constantine from brief appearances in the Neal Gaiman Sandman comics, as such I had little attachment to the comics on which this film is based. Also I am not a religious person, by any means, and am not well enough versed in the Judeo/Christian scripture to appreciate some of the more obscure references thereto.

Scores

Story

I was apprehensive early in the movie that this was going to be another "find the ancient lost relic to save the Earth" movie, but that never happened. This is a fun, action-packed movie that doesn't shy away from interwoven threads of story and contemplation of the human condition and redemption.

Originality

The formula for this movie has been used many times, but this used the formula in a rather new way.

Effects

This is an effects-heavy film featuring several types of creature effects as well as spells. The time-dilation effects are beautiful to look at and very well executed.

Acting

I was actually able to forget that this was Keanu Reeves for periods of the film. Several of the supporting cast were quite wonderful to behold.

Emotional Response

The only characters I really cared about were some of the supporting side-kick types. This is an action movie, so we shouldn't expect too much in this area.

Production

The movie is well produced, the scenes move along well and we aren't subjected to rock-video style editing.

Marksmanship

I cannot recall a single shot that didn't hit its target.

Intelligence

There are some nice subtle moments for the astute without detracting from the general action of the film.

Overall

I think I'll pick this one up when it comes out on DVD, but only if it's $15 or so. Not a great movie, but certainly an enjoyable story that I would enjoy re-viewing every so often.

First Post :-)

Al-righty, here's the first post on my shiny new blog. I have been sitting on a review of "Constantine" for a few weeks now and plan to make that my first review. Then I will go on to review "Sin City" which, as you can tell from my profile, I liked quite a bit. So, until I later, adieu.