Review time.

I wanted to use this Blog to do reviews every so often, But you don't want to read long reviews and I don't want to write them. So in this post I'm going to do a couple of shortish reviews.

Oh and I review things as I encounter them, so don't expect braking news, some of this stuff is old,

Xbox 360 - Dragon age 2

I loved the first Dragon Age the story is really engaging. Its almost a cross between a traditional RPG and a Real time strategy game, You move your character and companions around and press one button set your character attacking until you tell them to do something else. The second one, however is a different bag. You have to press the button every time you want to make your character attack, much more like a hack and slash game. The tactics system is still in place for your companion characters more or less. But playing it feels like a different game. The setting is not as good as the first either. In the first you had the whole of Ferelden to explore, a beautiful and varied setting, In the second you have the city of Kirkwall and a very small amount of the surrounding countryside and a lot of the caves/dungeons you go into are repeated pretending to be other places. They also limited your character creation, gone are the dwarfs and the elves forcing you to play a human.

But don't get me wrong, the story is still good although much less epic than the first and while the world seems much smaller Kirkwall is still pretty engaging. Having your character fully voiced is a much welcome addition the new conversation system is taken straight out of mass effect but it worked well in that game and it works well in this. I like this game a lot, But its not Dragon Age, more like Dragon Age lite And I really miss playing as an Elf.

My verdict, 4.5 out of 5 brains

Xbox 360 - Dante's Inferno

This is a straight up hack and slash, game play is boring and repetitive, the story is even more preachy then you would expect for a game set in hell and some of the things you have to kill in this game are downright disturbing. I'm not kidding here, one of the "bad guys" in this game is Unbaptised babies! If that was not enough a one point Cleopatra turns up as a boss not only is she naked she has these creepy babies climb out of her nipples to attack you.

Really, they climb out of her nipples...

My verdict 1.5 out of 5 brains.

Nintendo DS - Pokemon white

If you have played Pokemon you know what this is all about, you carry around six pocket monsters and have them beat the hell out of other people's monsters to get 8 badges defeat team evil and become the Pokemon league champion.

This time its much more pretty the new graphics are awesome and the Unova region is a great place to be. the battles are much faster paced, with your monsters hopping around the screen throwing moves at each other and looking better than ever. The new pokemon are a mixed bag, going into a game knowing nothing about the Pokemon for a change is a fun experience

reminding me how I felt when I played Pokemon Blue as a kid.

Team Evil this time around (ok team Plasma) want to liberate Pokemon, making them free from trainer control, now the way they go about trying to do this is wrong for sure, but its the first time I actually agreed with the bad guys in a game.

However the bottom screen is an issue in this game, when not in battle its completely taken up with wireless connectivity stuff, what happened to the bottom screen from Pokemon heart gold/soul silver? or even the diamond/pearl version? all this wireless stuff should have been something you can make show up when you need it, not something I need to look at all of the time.

My verdict, 4 out of 5 brains.

Card Game - Braggart.

An awesome card game from Spiral Galaxy Games. In this game you make outrageous boosts for points, the system for this is great, you play cards to add to your story, but at any point your opposition can play liar cards to change your story. Its great fun when your epic story "While riding my mighty steed, I heroically slew a demon from the darkest pits of hell and I am soon to be knighted for my efforts" after a few liar cards becomes "In front of my family and friends, I wet myself in front of the village cat and it took weeks to get rid of the smell"

I highly recommend this game if you can get your hands on it, get a few friends together and play a couple of rounds.

My verdict 5 out of 5 Brains.

Film - The Adjustment Bureau

The acting is pretty good, the lead female is loveable and the "bad" guys are powerful with interesting powers.

The story however seems to be about god and angels. It never comes out and says it, but its highly hinted at all the way through. I'm not sure what to make of it "destiny is what you make it, but we make it anyway so don't worry about it" it shows you a bunch of ideas without ever explaining them, and the "bad" guys seem to have limitless power, but their boss won't let them use it.

My verdict 2.5 out of 5 brains

Medical procedures - MRI Scan

Picture yourself in a big metal tube, pressed tightly against your arms while a loud noise echoes all around you plus its hot. Then you can't move a muscle for 10 to 15 minutes. Its like hell in a big metal tube.

If you get the chance, don't do it.

My verdict 0 out of 5 Brains.