TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season Two

Now my loyal followers I shall now review Game of Thrones Season Two! This will contain MAJOR spoilers so it is advisable that you watch season one first or at the very least the book Clash of Kings that season two is based on.

Season two continues right after the events of season one; Ned Stark has been executed, the Lannisters have seized the power of the Iron Throne and Robb Stark has risen in rebellion. Meanwhile the recently deceased former King Robert Baratheon’s younger brothers Stannis and Renly have raised forces of their own and both claim to be the rightful heir to the throne. Renly (Gethin Anthony) is beloved by the people and has the entire power of the South behind him while Stannis (Stephen Dillane)is a seasoned commander and is assisted by a powerful sorceress from the East; Melisandre (Carice van Houten). However Balon Greyjoy (Patrick Malahide) ruler of the Iron Islands has declared the Iron Island’s independence form the Seven Kingdoms and starts warring in the North. Thus begins the War of the Five Kings.

I will start off by saying that Clash of Kings is a personal favourite of mine because it is the start of a major war between the great houses and once again is adapted brilliantly. Like the first book and season this one does not show the major battles (Except near the end which I will go into later), no, what George RR Martin does instead is show the strategies and schemes behind them but this time we are introduce to the horrors of war on the common folk. Even though some stuff has been dialled down from the book (like major rape and torture scenes) the still include a lot of stuff which I will go in to now. Also this series delves in to magic more than the first one did, I will just mention Shadow Babies and say that was one cool scene!

King’s Landing will always be my favourite setting in the books and the TV series maybe that is because it is where most of the scheming takes place and it is the seat of power.  We also have the subplot in Winterfell which are a major factor in why the second book is one of my favourites and that has a lot to do with Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) and the Ironborn. I won’t spoil anything but I will say we get some damn great scenes with Theon and how he struggles with his loyalties. We also have Arya Stark and her journey to get home and even though I always thought that too much time was devoted to her (in the book and the series) it is with her that we see the effects on war and the brutally of soldiers and their leaders.

We also of course have the scenes with Jon Snow in the far North and Daenerys in Essos but if I am honest I have never been invested in their stories as much as the others. I know they both have a big fan base but I guess I just prefer to be where the major events are happening in the areas of King’s Landing and Winterfell; I just never got excited seeing Jon hiking in the mountains and I don’t care much for the Night’s Watch.

Also (and I know I might get some hate) but I have never liked Daenerys in the book or in the series and you might have already suspected this since I barely talked about her story in my last review. I know she has dragons but I just hate her damn superior attitude, I know she thinks she is the rightful Queen but she doesn’t do anything to prove it except relying on others and her dragons. Heck I admit I liked and felt a lot sorrier for her brother than I even did her.

Once again the cast of characters do a great job in this and we have some flawless new additions, my favourite being my favourite character in the whole story; Stannis. I have always been a massive supporter of Stannis in his fight for the throne and I think he is a really well written character. He is of course joined with another favourite of mine Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham), I enjoyed reading his chapters and his scenes in the series are no different.

Now I will go in to a bit more detail on episode nine of the series, the Battle of Blackwater, so expect major spoilers. This is the battle between Stannis’s navy and the merger forces that are guarding King’s Landing. Even though it is not has long or massive as it is in the books (even though a whole episode is given to it which was a good move) I never expected it to be in the TV adaptation. I knew they could not have included all of it but what we still have is one of the best battles I have ever seen from a TV series or a film; it is violent and the fighting is so well done. Like in the books Tyrion is the one who leads and inspire the men to fight but what came as a surprise was the interaction between the Hound and Bronn (Jerome Flynn). I don’t think they talk to each other at all in the books but he they have some great scenes together whether it was the bar scene before the fighting or the fighting itself; they were great.

Overall this is probably my favourite season so far only let down by the uninteresting subplot of Jon and Daenerys but they do get better….

SCORE: 8/10

Film Review: Highlander

My first film review since Psycho and since I will be a bit busy over Christmas I wanted to end this year on a high note. So I thought what better way to do that then review one of my most all time favourite films of all time; Highlander.

The film stars Christopher Lambert as Connor Macleod, born in Scotland in the year 1518 and in the year 1536 is mortally wounded in battle by the warrior Kurgan (Clancy Brown), however he does not die and instead fully recovers from his injuries. Driven from his village he eventually becomes a blacksmith and settles down with a woman named Heather (Beatie Edney). One day a mysterious man appears named Juan Sanchez Villa – Lobos Ramirez (Sean Connery) who explains to Conner what he really is; an Immortal just like him, Kurgan and many others. Connor can not age and can not die (Besides from having his head chopped off) and must eventually battle with all of the other Immortals to obtain the Prize, because there can be only one! This story takes over the course of centauries and ends up in New York 1885 where Connor must fight Kurgan in a final epic showdown.

I immediately liked this story after only the first few minutes and that is because I am a massive fan of the old mid nineties to late nineties adventure films (like Conan, Jason and the Argonauts, Brave heart etc). They just don’t make them like this anymore maybe because they really rely too much of computer special effects nowadays or because their locations don’t look as epic, it is hard to explain but nothing modern can compare to them.

I admit I am getting a little off topic here so back to the film; what I really like about the structure this film is how it cuts to flashbacks every now and again to tell another part of Connor’s story but it does not upset the flow of the film at all because it is all relevant.

Of course however one of my favourite things about this film is the awesome sword fights that they have in it. That is another thing about modern adventure films; their sword fighting is all about over the top moves and jumping about. In Highlander it looks a lot more authentic and realistic, it is really on the edge of your seat stuff, I mean the final duel between Connor and Kurgan is something I will never forget.

As for the cast I can not think of any other actors who would have been better at the roles. Christopher Lambert gives a stellar performance as Connor Macleod and he really makes you feel for the character as you watch the events of his incredibly long life. This is one of my favourite Sean Connery roles as the tutor Ramirez but who could forget Clancy Brown as the villainous Kurgan; the guy his menacing, psychotic and intimidating, it is hard to believe that anyone can beat him. Then of course you have a really good supporting cast from Connor’s first wife Heather to his modern love interest Brenda Wyatt (Roxanne Hart).

Other stuff I would like to mention is the great use of establishing shots during the flashbacks in Scotland. They really capture the beauty of its country side; one of my favourite scenes of the film is Connor’s training montage which has some epic shots. Then there is the music delivered by my favourite band Queen and did a fantastic job at it. I mean come one who could not get sad during the scene when Connor’s marriage with Heather is flashing by and they play Who Wants to Live Forever, you would have to be made out of stone.

Overall I really recommend this film to anyone who likes adventure fantasy films because it is simply one of the best but then again I think everyone should check out this film. It is a prime example of adventure fantasy film at its best which the modern era of today is severally lacking.

SCORE: 10/10

Here is a quick run down of the Highlander sequels, I did not want to do separate reviews on all of them but I did not want to leave them.

Highlander 2: The Quickening: The worst one of the sequels because they add sci – fi to the plot and it fails at every turn. You might have already heard bad things about this film and they are mostly all right and it is a shame. However it is not completely unwatchable; I myself still watch it when I want to watch all Highlanders in order and some of the fight scenes are OK but I will not blame you for skipping this one. SCORE: 2/10

Highlander 3: The Sorcerer: Now this is a true squeal to the first Highlander and the makers must have wanted that to be obvious because they completely disregard the events of the second film. However it is not all perfect because some parts feel like a copy of the first film, and I wished they could have had more sword fighting. But this is really good because it includes some great music (especially during the sword repairing montage), great sword fights when they get down to it and I found the villain Kane (Mario Van Peebles) to be a really cool antagonist. SCORE: 6/10

Higher: Endgame: Easily the best of all of the Highlander series because I feel that out of all them, this one returns as close to it’s roots and tries to recapture the essence of the first film. This film does not star Connor however instead it focuses on Duncan Macleod (Adrian Paul) the star character from the TV series. This film has a lot of really great moments, from the really great fight scenes, the wide range of cast and the great use of flashbacks that really does remind me of the first film. However because this film is about the star of the TV series there is a lot of references to it so those who have not seen it might find some points hard to follow and even though I really like Duncan as the main character it does get to me that Connor is a secondary character in this one. I do highly recommend this squeal for all of the Highlander fans. SCORE 8/10 

TV Series Review: Revolution Season One

Now it is time for my review of one of my favourite TV series currently airing; Revolution. I am currently a few episodes in to season two so I thought it was time to review season one, this will contain MINOR  SPOILERS so do not read if you have not watched it yet. However I won’t go in to the story or the characters too much so I won’t reveal any spoilers of major events.

This series is takes place fifteen years after the present day after a post apocalyptic event where all the electrical power all over the world has shut down. Humanity has been forced to adapt to a world without power but not without struggle; governments have collapsed, big cities lies in ruins and the people have had to get by without the technology we have become so dependent on. During all the chaos militia groups have risen up to claim what is left of America for themselves, taking over large territories and are at constant war with each other with the primitive weapons they have to make do with.

The main character in this series is Charlotte “Charlie” Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) who sets off across the ruined world to find her brother who was kidnapped by the MonroeRepublic, one of the most powerful militia groups and commanded by the ruthless Sebastian “Bass” Monroe (David Lyons). Along the way she is aided by her uncle Miles Matheson (Billy Burke) a former US Marine with a shady past, Aaron Pittman (Zak Orth) a MIT graduate, former Google executive and millionaire who struggles in this new world and Nora Clayton (Daniella Alsono) a expert bomb maker and member or a rebel faction against the Monroe Republic. Through this twenty six episode series we see their struggles as they fight through the enemies of the new world and delve in to the mystery of how and why the power went out.

Overall I found the story very compelling, I have always been a fan of the post apocalyptic genre and this series does not disappoint. There is a lot of action in the episodes ranging from sword fighting to gun fights and it was a lot more violent than I would have thought. There are also some science fiction elements in there as well, especially when it revolves around how the power went out. There are also a lot of twists that you will not expect and it is not at all single minded; there is a lot of interesting sub plots that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

As for the characters they are all played really well by their respective actors and actresses and there are many who you can relate too. Charlie Matheson is a very good protagonist who starts off naïve about the world but eventually matures as the series goes on and of course Miles Matheson proves from the second he is introduced that he is a badass in terms of fighting but is also a very deep and conflicted character. One of my favourite characters is Aaron Pittman because I can relate to him more than of the others; Aaron I think represents the people of today who relies too much on technology and this series shows how much hardship that kind of person will go through if it was suddenly all taken away.

The villains are excellent in this as well; Monroe is not a typical one sided villain, as the series goes on you will see more sides to him and come to understand his cruelty. Another antagonist, who gives a standout performance, is the character Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) a Major in the MonroeRepublic who is willing to do anything to protect his family.

There are also a lot of interesting minor characters in the series who even though may be in it for lots of episodes or just a few but will leave a lasting impression. There is one character (for the sake of spoilers no name will be revealed) who was only in it a short time but had such a well acted and emotional story arc that it was one of the highlights of the series.

The settings are magnificent in the series; there is really a lot of detail put in to trying to make the dystopian future seem as real as possible that is why there are quite a few establishing shots to show it off. One of the most interesting things about the series is the way they keep cutting to flashbacks about certain characters on how they survived the first few days, months and years after the power went out. Since the story immediately takes place fifteen years after the blackout, this is very welcoming and lets us have more insight in to the characters.

There is not much that I don’t like about this series but if I had to pick one is that the character played by Elizabeth Mitchell (not going to reveal who she plays on this because of spoilers) was very annoying at times. They try too much to make her out as a “Cold Bitch” (Monroe’s words) that I think they go over the top with it some times. Some of the things she does I just did not believe she could have really bring herself to do them so easily given her previous background of employment and what she did before blackout. She has a lack of facial expressions most of the time as well, which seems to be another effort in making her seem as detached as possible.

Overall I recommend this series to anyone to anyone who enjoys action mixed in with drama, adventure and science fiction. There is a lot of amazing character development and the stories are so well written that you will find yourself really immersed in this world. This is one of my favourite TV series for a really good reason; the first season was everything I good have wanted for a great watch and I am really enjoying the second season so far.

SCORE: 9/10

Game Review: The Devil May Cry HD Collection

For my next game review I thought I would review one of my favourite series, Devil May Cry. This review covers only the Devil May Cry game featured in the HD collection so the fourth instalment and its remake are not included, spoilers a head though I will limit it as much a I can. Before we begin I just want to say that my game reviews will mostly be about older and classic games, I do have a PS3 but I am picky about what games I get but I have played lots of the old classics which is why I have a lot of the HD collections.

The story of Devil May Cry is about a man called Dante who is a jack of all trades and accepts any job from his shop called Devil May Cry. He is also a half demon whose father has a demon called Sparda who betrayed the demons and chose to fight for the humans instead. So Dante has incredible power within him and chooses to also be a demon hunter and protect the humans like his father did.

Devil May Cry focuses on Dante accepting a job from a mysterious lady named Trish who wants Dante to go to MulletIsland and slay the demon king Mundus who is gathering power.

Devil May Cry 2 is about Dante helping a group of humans who fought along side his father Sp and now wants his help to stop a powerful tycoon named Arius from transforming himself in to a powerful demon so he can rule the world.

Devil May Cry 3 is actually a prequel to 1 and 2 and takes place before Dante has even opened Devil May Cry. He battles his twin brother Vergil, who is aided by a man named Arkham, who wishes to open the portal to the demon world that their father sealed.

Overall the combined story of the three games is very good and immersive and Dante is an instantly badass protagonist. Devil May Cry 3 story is particular is the best because Dante is younger and a lot more rash, plus it introduces his brother Vergil who in my opinion is one of the best video games villains of all time. A let down however is in the story of Devil May Cry 2 mainly because it seemed rushed and Dante seems to lack any personality in it. He does not even seem that bothered to be there, he has a lack of lines in cut scenes and the main villain and leading lady are really forgettable.

The game play in the series is a hack and slashes type and is one of the best in genre. Dante’s primary weapon is a sword but in each game you gain more weapons over time for a lot of variety. The environments are really big and when you fight a crowd of enemies you really feel in control of Dante; you can dodge, jump and perform combos with ease, many new comers can pick it up almost right away. There are also a lot of upgrades for weapons and abilities which adds even more ways off battling the enemies. One thing however that is not very welcoming for a newcomer is the series increased difficulty. Even normal mode can prove to be challenging, veterans to the hack and slash genre won’t be that put off but those who are new may have difficulty. Also they have added trophies which make for good challenges.

As I mentioned earlier in the review the standout characters in the series are Dante and Vergil because their stories and personalities are so well written and interesting; in Devil May Cry 3 I looked forward to every cut scene where they interacted with each other. Other great ones include Lady and Arkham for Devil May Cry 3 and Trish from the first game, unfortunately there are none from Devil May Cry 2 who are worth mentioning because I believe the story was just not very good in that one.

The graphics have really been improved in the HD collections; little touch ups that make the visuals a lot sharper and more up to date. The soundtrack they use in the games is very fitting with really fast based rock music for when the battles start and really good orchestra music that goes perfectly with its gothic theme. One thing that annoys me however is that in Devil May Cry 1 and 3 of the HD collection the voices are not in synch in the cut scenes, not in all of them but enough that it is frustrating.

In conclusion the HD collection is a near perfect import of the PS2 games to the PS3, let down only by the poorly written Devil May Cry 2 and the out of synch voices. I highly recommend this to fans of the original Devil May Cry series who wish to play them on the PS3 but I also recommend it to new gamers who want to get in to the hack and slash genre; it is a great series to start with.

SCORE: 7/10

References:
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http://www.oxmonline.com/files/u10/dmc_hd_screen_1.jpg
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http://www.jeuxcapt.com/upload/module_images/1332347756_devil-may-cry-hd-collection-playstation-3-ps3-1332339772-032.jpg
http://bulk2.destructoid.com/ul/218266-devil1.jpg

Game Review – Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy

My very first review and I have decided to do it on Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy a 2005 interactive movie game developed by Quantic Dream. Before we begin however a quick word; I have decided to review old and classic games and films to start off with and I won’t be using any pictures during the review. The reason for that is because once a few years on Youtube I had a warning about copyright and after that I decided I will never again almost breach it. Also these reviews will not be spoiler free because I will talk a lot about the story.

First off a quick overview of the plot of Fahrenheit; it is set in New York city during the worst winter in recorded history, you start off as Lucas Kane a man who wakes up from a trance in the bathroom of a diner to discover that he has recently killed someone. During the course of the game up have to uncover what caused Lucas to commit murder while along the way hide evidence from the cops on your trail. This is where Carla Valenti and Tyler Miles comes in; two New York homicide detectives who are in charge of brining Lucas in. It starts off sounding simple enough however half way through the game and near the end you discover that the murder is just part of a bigger plot, one that involves Mayan rituals, secret clans, corrupt A.I. and the destruction of the world.

Now to touch on what I thought of the story it is a love it or hate it kind and I for one loved it however I can easily understand why someone can hate it. It starts off as a murder mystery where you can play as killer and cops but soon it becomes a supernatural sci-fi, the sudden change in the concept of the story will not be for everyone. There are as well several nude and sex scenes in the game that I felt was slightly out of place and just plain awkward.  

As for game play most of it is simple point and click; where you can interact with the environment and other characters. When you talk to other characters you can chose from a selection of dialogue for a response, each one different and may affect the overall story. That was a selling point for this game is that each decision you make will affect the rest of the game, for example; After you commit the murder with Lucas you can try to hide as much evidence about it as you can so that when you play as Carla and Tyler they can have a harder or easier time catching you. However as interesting as it the story inevitably remains largely the same with you decisions only having small consequences.

Another game play element which is interesting is the action sequences when you play as Lucas. This is similar to the game of Simon and you have to move your analog stick in the direction of the highlighted colour just in time for Lucas to make a move. This was a very interesting way to convey the action scenes and they can range from being easy to being a challenge. Some players however who do not like the second half of the story however will not like that later that these action sequences control Lucas as he fights and flies around like Neo from the Matrix.

The best part of the game however is the morale meter in the bottom left side of the screen. This is affected by the choices you make in the games and could fill up or go down and you lose all of it your character it will end the game with your character being either depressed or even committing suicide.

As for the characters I think they are very well done but the do have their flaws. Lucas is a very interesting protagonist who has to deal with the murder whilst keeping it a secret from his ex – girlfriend and trying to convince his brother to help him. He has a really good back-story however a low point of the game is the flashbacks where you play with him as a child; even though it reveals more of his history it is not the most exciting parts of the game.

Carla is a good character to control as well and her investigation scenes with Tyler are some of the best of the game. However unlike Lucas and Tyler she has nothing in her personal life to make her more interesting, it is just all about the job for her.

Now for Tyler and he is definitely one of my favourite characters because he provides the comic relief and he has an interesting personal issue where his girl friend wants him to quit the force. A downside to him however is that half way through the game his role in the story diminishes because it focuses more on Lucas and Carla which is a real shame.

As for secondary characters they are all interesting and well written like the Mayan Oracle who is the primary antagonist, Markus Kane who is Lucas’s priest brother who has conflicted between his faith and his brother and the mysterious Agatha who helps Lucas through the game. There are many more who just have small roles but all are very unique.

Lastly I will touch on the graphics and sound in Fahrenheit on whether or not they are good of bad. The graphics in this game are very good for its time especially with the characters and their facial expressions however that cannot be said about the backgrounds. While the backgrounds are very well detailed they do sometimes look flat and it is noticeable when you spot it but it does not take away from the gaming experience.

The voice acting in this game is some of the best I have ever heard; all of the voice actors play their roles perfectly and you can really feel the emotion off all of them. Like the Oracle for example has one of the deepest and most menacing voices I have ever heard. The soundtrack is great as well and even though I have never heard of most of bands whose songs are in the game the Fahrenheit original soundtrack really goes with the mood of this game.

Overall Fahrenheit Indigo Prophecy is a very unique game but it is not for everyone. It is more about telling a story than anything else each which you interact with it which is not for gamers for prefer game play over story. In the end Fahrenheit is a great experience and in my opinion one of the most stand out games of 2005. If I have any major issues with it is that as much as I like the second half of the game I wish the first half, which is all about the aftermath of the diner murder and Lucas hiding evidence, was a lot longer because it was the game’s high point. In the end I recommend Fahrenheit to all those who like major twists in their story and likes something a lot different from other games.

SCORE: 8/10

References:
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